Chapter 218: Chapter 218: Twilight Base
At first, he thought it would take him at least half a day or more to reach Alva State, but with Ivy and Silas helping him, they arrived in just four hours.
When they landed, Silas stretched his arms. Ivy also looked calm, but her eyes surveyed their surroundings. Both of them agreed to rest a bit before going out.
Mike, on the other hand, was beyond worn out. He had been flying for more than a day and a half without rest.
His eyes were already closing. "I’ll sleep now. Wake me when you are about to leave," he said, then leaned back and fell asleep immediately.
While Mike was snoring softly, Silas turned to Ivy. "Where should we start?"
Ivy’s face stayed calm. "First, we’ll visit the place where they were last spotted."
Silas nodded right away. He trusted her.
But then he thought of something. "Should we hide our identity until we meet them?"
Ivy shook her head. Her pink hair was cascading down to her waist, shining like a pink waterfall.
"No. My hair will help them recognize me faster."
For a second, her eyes dimmed.
’In my last life, I never knew how they found me. I only knew they suffered a lot. But because I couldn’t see them clearly... I never knew how bad it was. Did they lose a hand? A leg? Or worse?’
Her eyes were filled with worry, but she clenched her fists.
’This time I will find them before they do... I won’t let them suffer like that. Not again.’
She took a deep breath and looked back at Silas. "Is the Twilight Base close by?"
Silas opened the map and checked the coordinates.
"Yes. I already asked Mike to stop near it. But we don’t have the exact location. It should be about ten kilometers away."
Ivy gave a small nod. "That’s fine. I brought the scooty, and it is in my space. We can use it."
Silas grinned and gave her a thumbs-up. "Good decision."
They both waited until Mike finally woke up. When he did, Silas and Ivy prepared to leave.
Mike rubbed his eyes, but his voice was serious.
"I’ll stay here. In case I encounter trouble and can’t fight, you’ll find me ten kilometers east from here."
Ivy and Silas nodded, then left together.
On the way, Silas kept his guard up. He expected zombies to attack them.
But strangely, most of the zombies ignored them and kept walking.
Silas frowned. ’Why are they not attacking?’
He looked at her from the corner of his eye but didn’t say anything.
Just then, one zombie suddenly snapped its head toward them. Its eyes glowed, and it rushed forward like a beast.
Ivy narrowed her eyes.
’That’s a mutated one. At least level two... maybe level three. Normal zombies shouldn’t be able to sense me anymore.’
The zombie ran faster, its claws raised. Before it could reach them, Silas raised his hand.
Lightning shot out like a whip and crashed into the zombie, throwing it to the ground.
The monster twitched, then went still.
Ivy stopped the scooter and looked serious.
Silas frowned. "What’s wrong?"
"This one is mutated," Ivy explained. "We need its crystal."
Silas nodded and was about to get down, but Ivy got down too and walked with him.
As they moved closer, something strange happened. The other zombies nearby stepped aside. It was like they were making a path for Ivy and Silas.
Silas’s eyes darkened. ’They’re... avoiding us again? Was Ivy related to this phenomenon?’
Instead, he knelt and opened the zombie’s skull.
Inside, there was a crystal. It was larger and purer than anything Silas had seen before. The glow was faint but steady.
"A psychic crystal," Ivy whispered, her eyes lighting up.
The psychic crystal was as large as an index finger and as wide as three fingers. If she absorbed it... there would be significant progress in her superpower.
Without a word, Silas picked it up and handed it to her. "It’s yours."
Ivy didn’t hesitate. She took it, her lips pressing into a small smile.
’We’re husbands and wives. What’s his is mine, and what’s mine is his.’
After putting away the crystal, they both got back on the scooty and continued. Soon, they reached the Twilight Base.
From a distance, Ivy’s lips twitched. The walls of the base were made of wood.
’Wood? They’ll regret this. Level three zombies can tear it down like paper. If they don’t rebuild with stone soon, this place won’t last long.’
But now wasn’t the time to give advice. She drove closer.
The entrance of Twilight Base was crowded. People were pushing, shouting, and begging the guards to let them in.
Some children cried in the arms of their mothers, their thin faces showing hunger and exhaustion.
Men carried small bags of food or dirty clothes, hoping it would be enough to trade. The smell of sweat and dust filled the air.
The guards stood straight, their expressions cold.
One of them shouted, "No one enters without payment! One kilo of rice per person. No rice, no entry!"
The crowd grew louder. Some cursed, some begged.
One old man fell on his knees and begged the guard,
"Please, my wife is sick. She won’t survive another night out here. Just let us in!"
But the guard only kicked dirt toward him. "Rules are rules. If you do have rice, go die outside."
Ivy’s eyes narrowed as she watched the scene. Her lips pressed together.
’So this is how they treat people? Charging them like this when everyone is already starving. Pathetic.’
She understood that in the apocalypse, showing kindness was the greatest injustice to oneself; however, she couldn’t understand those who show extreme cruelty to others.
Silas stood beside her, his fists clenched. He looked ready to blast the gate open with lightning, but Ivy raised her hand lightly, stopping him. She whispered, "Not yet. We’ll get inside first."
’If I let him lose his temper here, it’ll cause trouble before I even find my parents.’
She calmly pushed the scooty forward until the guard finally noticed her.