His warning was all she got. The taste of him changed, flooding her senses as his own release took him. His body shuddered above her, a taut, powerful tremor that echoed her own.
For a long mont, there was only the sound of ragged breathing in the dim room.
Slowly, carefully, he moved off her, collapsing onto his side beside her. They lay face to face, skin slick with sweat. He reached out, tucking a strand of damp pink hair behind her ear.
"See?" he whispered, a satisfied smile touching his lips. "Not so hard."
Ivy just stared at him, her mind and body utterly spent.
"Did you make all that food just to make sure I’d have enough energy... for whatever we were doing before?"
Silas smiled softly, his eyes dark and gentle at the sa ti.
"My baby really is the smartest," he murmured, leaning down to brush her hair lightly.
Ivy puffed her cheeks and muttered under her breath, ’He really knows how to act like a businessman, calculating everything even when there’s no need for it.’
Silas loved that look on her face, the faint pout mixed with reluctant admiration.
Then, as if sothing had just occurred to him, his expression shifted.
"You know," he said casually, "you still haven’t taken your punishnt."
Ivy’s eyes narrowed instantly, alert like a startled kitten.
"What punishnt? I thought everything was already over."
Silas let out a low chuckle, the sound vibrating faintly in his chest.
"The punishnt for not taking care of yourself," he continued calmly, "and for recklessly rushing into danger without thinking."
Her lips parted, ready to argue, but before she could form the words, Silas lifted a hand.
"I’ll be generous," he added. "I’ll give you a chance."
He stood up smoothly, looking as energetic as an ox, and walked toward the cupboard.
Ivy watched him warily, a faint sense of unease creeping up her spine. ’Why do I suddenly feel like I’m about to regret this?’
Without hesitation, Silas opened the cupboard and pulled sothing out. A soft rustle filled the room as he unfolded a neatly prepared cat costu, cute, fluffy, and unmistakably small. He turned back and handed it to her, his expression perfectly serious.
"Do you need help?" he asked lightly. "I can help you put it on."
Ivy’s face instantly turned crimson, heat rushing all the way to her ears. She pointed at him accusingly, her voice flustered.
"You’re demanding too much!"
Silas tilted his head, looking almost innocent.
"I didn’t break any law," he replied calmly. "You were the one at fault first."
Ivy opened her mouth, then closed it again, completely speechless. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest as she watched him take a step toward her. Panic surged.
"I-I’ll change myself!" she blurted out, snatching the costu from his hands.
Still, even far away from the devil himself, there were shadows quietly moving in the dark.
The military base was already in complete chaos.
So much so that Frank had even begun to consider dragging Silas back into play.
He never imagined that Silas would leave for just a single day, and yet the entire military would suddenly turn against him as if he were the root of all their suffering.
They blad him relentlessly for scheming against the Blackthorn family.
The accusations didn’t stop at words. Soldiers and civilians alike marched to his residence, shouting, smashing, and creating riots day and night.
The noise never truly faded, not even when the sun set.
Frank was so exhausted that there were monts when a bleak thought crossed his mind. ’Maybe it would be easier if I just died.’
This was an apocalypse, not so leisurely crisis that could be solved with empty speeches.
The heat kept rising every single day.
People were dying from countless diseases.
Hospitals overflowed with patients suffering from dehydration, their lips cracked, their skin dry and lifeless.
Zombies attacked the base relentlessly, and food spoiled faster than it could be consud.
Water channels were broken, unreliable, almost nonexistent.
Even Frank and his wife felt their bodies weakening, fevers lingering, throats constantly dry.
Yet despite all this, there were still people who had the energy to riot, to scream at him, to call him incompetent.
Frank honestly couldn’t understand it. ’Is this really an apocalypse for them,’ he wondered bitterly, ’or do they think throwing tantrums will sohow let them live longer?’
For now, though, he knew one thing clearly. He had to find a way to survive.
Not just for himself and his wife, but also for the subordinates who were already whispering about rebellion, convinced that he was no longer capable of leading the base.
Just as his mind was drowning in these thoughts, the leader of the Black Vultures arrived.
The mont he saw Frank’s haggard appearance, the dark circles under his eyes, the tension etched into every line of his face, he couldn’t help but frown.
Things weren’t going well on his end either.
Their base were collapsing. Many people had already left.
Even though they tried their best to lure citizens in and scam them with false promises, they only managed to keep it up for half a month.
Soon, people realized the truth and fled in droves, lining up instead to enter the SiIvy base.
The small profit they had gained quickly evaporated, and their situation spiraled downhill.
Worse still, the superpower serum they had developed had already been exposed.
Rumors spread like wildfire. Everyone talked about the epidemic, about experints gone wrong. He had even gone so far as to tell Cain that they would take revenge one day.
Now, the only person he could place his trust in was General Frank.
After all, it was Frank who had approached him first. This relationship had to be maintained. At the very least, Frank needed to send food.
But Frank was in no position to do that. He didn’t even have enough food left for his own family.
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