What pleased them most were the public bathrooms and the free water bottles, small comforts that felt like luxuries after everything they had endured.
They were allowed to sit on the ground while waiting, resting whenever the line paused.
For the first ti since the apocalypse began, Mia realized, ’This... this is almost peaceful.’
Even the zombies, which once haunted their every step, seed to avoid this area entirely, as if repelled by so invisible force. For a brief stretch of ti, life felt almost normal.
Eventually, they reached the background verification counter.
The atmosphere grew tense again as guards scanned faces and docunts with practiced efficiency.
Mia and Ava submitted their forms, both holding their breath. ’What if she recognizes us?’
Mia worried. ’What if Ivy warned them about us?’ But the guard barely reacted, her expression calm and unreadable.
A wave of self-disdain washed over them. ’Did we really think Ivy would do that?’
Ava scolded herself. ’She’s probably t hundreds, thousands of people by now.’
God only knew how many tis Ivy’s trust had been broken.
It was only natural that she wouldn’t tell the guards about having best friends... especially when nas like Mia and Ava were probably common among survivors.
And what if she didn’t even think of looking for them in the first place?
If Ivy had instructed the guards to stop every Mia and Ava, countless people could have exploited that.
With that thought, their background check passed smoothly, and they were allowed through without issue.
The only problem arose with Lily. Advanced systems quickly flagged her record, her father had a criminal past.
Because of that, Lily was escorted away for further verification.
Though the staff remained polite and respectful, Lily’s hands trembled, fear curling tightly in her chest.
Caleb passed without trouble, but he chose to stay behind, refusing to leave Lily alone.
Grace, anwhile, rolled her eyes inwardly. ’Karma,’ she thought coldly.
’People like her always get what’s coming.’
In her mind, Lily would never be accepted, and better yet, this incident would surely lower Ivy’s impression of her.
That would make it easier for Grace to slip into Ivy’s good graces, beco her closest confidant, and eventually take revenge on everyone who had ever looked down on her.
By now, Grace had already built grand plans in her mind. It wasn’t blind confidence... it was calculation. She had studied psychology, after all.
She knew how to read people, how to manipulate them. Lily herself was proof of that. ’If I can control Lily,’ Grace mused, ’then Ivy won’t be much harder.’
Still, a flicker of unease passed through her when she realized that the Ivy Mia and Ava were desperately searching for was the very core of this place.
’Those two are troubleso too,’ she thought. ’If they side with Lily and Ivy learn the truth here, I won’t be able to get inside.’
What relieved her though was.... the Ivy Mia and Ava were looking for wasn’t the resprestative of this base!
anwhile, Mia and Ava were escorted toward the inner building. Just as they began to relax, a guard stepped forward, stopping them. Her expression remained calm, almost indifferent, as she looked at them and spoke.
"There’s an issue with your background as well."
Hearing those words, Mia and Ava were stunned into silence.
For a brief second, even the faint hum of machinery near the counter seed to fade.
’What...?’ Mia’s thoughts scattered, her fingers curling slightly as a chill crept up her spine.
anwhile, Grace almost laughed inside her heart.
’So God does exist,’ she mused smugly. ’And he certainly isn’t blind.’
Otherwise, these two would have slipped through without consequences.
Images flashed through her mind, Mia and Ava being forced to wait longer in line, their nas stamped with a bad background, and finally being escorted out of the base.
’Perfect,’ she thought with satisfaction. ’All my troubles would disappear.’
It would be even better if Jas and Caleb stayed inside the base.
In that case, she could easily use her psychological knowledge to manipulate both of them, weaving them into her plans like puppets on invisible strings.
As those thoughts blood, a grin stretched across her face from ear to ear.
Mia noticed it imdiately. Her eyes narrowed, and a flicker of disdain crossed her face as she looked straight at Grace.
"You really are one of the cheapest people I’ve ever t," she said flatly, her voice calm but sharp enough to cut.
Grace didn’t take the words to heart at all. Instead, she laughed lightly, brushing imaginary dust from her sleeve.
"Of course soone like you would say that," she replied mockingly. "After all, you can’t even rent an apartnt here."
Her eyes glead with arrogance. "I’m different. I can easily get a rented place without any trouble. Unlike you, struggling like you’re hitting a wall over and over again."
She lifted her hand and waved exaggeratedly, a fake farewell paired with a satisfied smile.
"If you ever need help in the future," Grace added sweetly, "don’t even think about contacting . Otherwise, I might just ask the base leader to kick you out."
With that, she turned back to her work as if they no longer existed.
Jas, however, stayed behind. He stepped closer and spoke with an air of forced generosity. "I can help you with the background verification."
Mia didn’t even look at him properly. "I don’t need anyone’s help," she replied calmly. "You can leave."
Hearing that, Jas felt as though his dignity had been crushed underfoot.
His jaw tightened as an old mory resurfaced... Mia calling him a disgusting man.
’So that’s how she wants it,’ he thought bitterly. ’Fine. Let her suffer a bit.’ It would be better if she hit a wall three or four tis before realizing that she couldn’t climb higher all on her own.
A smile slowly spread across his face. "If that’s the case," he said lightly, "then I’ll leave." He paused, then added, "But if you run into trouble later, you can always co to ."
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