’Did she truly have no sha left?’ Annie wondered, her fists clenching.
Sure enough, the very next day, her adoptive mother appeared at the entrance of the base. She stood there, waiting.
Annie had already been inford.
The cold wind brushed against her cheeks as she walked toward the entrance, determination etched into her features. ’This ends today,’ she told herself.
Before she could step outside, Felix appeared and blocked her path.
Annie frowned. "Why are you stopping ?"
Felix studied her expression carefully. "How are you planning to deal with her?"
Annie’s eyes burned, though her voice remained eerily calm.
"I will kidnap her and throw her far away from both the SiIvy base and my life. Sowhere, she will never find her way back to ."
Felix’s brows furrowed deeply. "That is not a good approach."
Annie let out a bitter chuckle. "This is the apocalypse. Who still cares about morals?"
Felix sighed softly and gently took her hand, his grip firm yet reassuring. He guided her back inside despite her initial resistance.
"There are things you must consider," he said calmly. "You cannot rely solely on instinct for every situation. In so matters, you must be smarter."
Annie looked at him, waiting.
"Your way of dealing with this could beco an excuse for others," Felix continued.
"Once there is an excuse, problems multiply. It would not matter if it were soone genuinely in need, but if soone with ill intentions uses this incident to provoke unrest, it could spark rebellion within the base."
The weight of his words settled over Annie like cold rain. Slowly, her anger began to cool.
Felix squeezed her hand gently. "Let handle your mother."
Annie remained silent, her breathing gradually steadying as the storm inside her subsided. ’Perhaps he is right,’ she admitted to herself, though the bitterness still lingered like ash on her tongue.
"What you need to do now is stay back and watch," Felix told her earlier, and those words still echoed in Annie’s mind like a steady command.
Annie looked at him, guilt tightening inside her chest.
The air between them felt heavy, carrying the faint sll of dust and iron from the training grounds nearby.
She lowered her gaze. "I’m sorry for dragging you into this ss," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.
Felix chuckled softly, the sound warm and completely unbothered. "There is no problem with that," he replied, pulling her into a hug before she could protest.
His arms wrapped around her firmly, one hand patting her back in a slow, soothing rhythm. The simple gesture carried an unexpected warmth, grounding her trembling thoughts.
"You should stop carrying everything alone," he said gently. "If you ever feel tired or alone, co to . Let help you."
Annie felt her throat tighten, emotions clogging it painfully.
She inhaled deeply, the breath shaky, before hugging him back as if she were afraid he might disappear.
"I’m scared," she admitted, her voice cracking. "I don’t understand... why is she like this? Why is my own adoptive mother so conniving and vicious? I just want to live my life."
Felix’s expression hardened for a fleeting mont, though his hand remained steady on her shoulder. He clenched his fist lightly before speaking. "It’s alright. This will be the last ti she interferes in your life."
Annie could only nod, trusting him even though unease still lingered like a shadow.
After comforting her, Felix left her inside the base and headed toward the gate alone.
The mont he stepped outside, the atmosphere seed to shift.
The noise of the base faded behind him, replaced by the dry whistle of wind sweeping across the open ground.
Annie’s mother stood near the entrance, waiting impatiently.
A faint coldness flashed in Felix’s eyes, a stark contrast to the lazy, playful deanor he usually carried.
For a mont, he did not look like the sa man at all. There was sothing dangerous in the way he walked forward, as if he were approaching prey rather than a person.
When he stopped in front of her, Annie’s mother eyed him cautiously. "Who are you?"
Felix’s expression instantly transford into a bright, cheerful smile. "Mother-in-law."
The words dropped like a stone into still water.
Annie’s mother froze, utterly stunned, and even the guards nearby exchanged confused glances.
Felix continued smoothly, "I know you are Annie’s adoptive mother. I ca to show you respect. After all, you raised her."
She blinked, clearly unconvinced, suspicion flickering across her face as she wondered if this was so kind of absurd act.
However, when Felix pulled out his identification card and handed it to her, her expression changed dramatically.
Felix leaned slightly closer. "I love Annie, but she refuses to give a chance," he said with a helpless sigh.
"If you help , I am willing to hand over this account to you. There are more than ten million zombie crystals in it."
The mont she heard that number, Annie’s mother stared at him as if he had turned into a walking treasury. Her breathing quickened, greed lighting up her eyes.
Ten million zombie crystals.
That amount could buy her a luxurious shelter in the SiIvy base, enough supplies to live comfortably for years, even enough to buy a building and rent it out and live like a landlady!
Compared to that, the Black Vultures had given her nothing but stale promises and moldy rations.
"What do you want to do?" she asked eagerly, her tone already changing.
Felix smiled. "It’s simple, but we should discuss it privately. It’s... a personal matter."
He even winked.
The gesture convinced her completely. In her mind, she had just caught a massive fish. Thoughts raced wildly as she imagined how she could deliver Annie straight into his hands if needed.
Felix led her deeper inside the compound.
She followed without hesitation, her excitent making her careless. The farther they walked, the quieter it beca.
The lively noise of the base disappeared, replaced by an eerie stillness.
User Comments
0 comments from readers