His voice grew steadier, filled with quiet conviction.
"Not many people would do sothing like that. Most would only think about profit. Even if they discovered an antidote, they would never test it freely on people like us."
He lifted his head slightly, looking at her with deep respect. "But you’re different."
A faint, almost reverent expression appeared on his face. "You’re kind... truly kind."
He hesitated for a brief second before adding honestly, "And... I want to follow you."
There was a pause.
"...There’s also a selfish reason," he admitted. "From everything I’ve heard, you are soone worth trusting. If I stay under your protection, my family will never have to worry again."
Ivy frowned slightly, her gaze sharpening.
"First of all," she said, her tone firm, "stand up. Otherwise, I’ll feel like you’re trying to make uncomfortable."
Mika imdiately stood up. Seeing that, Ivy let out a faint sigh of relief.
"As for saving people and the antidote..." she continued, her voice calm again, "that’s nothing special. It’s simply what a representative of this base should do."
Then she looked at him directly. "Now tell ," she said, her tone carrying a clear hint, "is there anything else?"
Mika straightened. "Yes," he said seriously.
He t her gaze without hesitation.
"Before I turned fully human... when I was still... a zombie..." he paused briefly, choosing his words carefully, "I heard sothing."
Ivy’s expression subtly stiffened. "What did you hear?"
Mika’s voice dropped. "The Zombie King... is planning to march on the Silwee Base."
The room fell silent. "...What?" Ivy’s pupils shrank slightly.
"He plans to bring hundreds... maybe thousands of zombies."
A heavy tension filled the air.
Ivy frowned deeply. ’A large-scale attack...?’ she thought, her mind racing. She had expected trouble, but not sothing of this magnitude.
"Why?" she asked, her voice colder now. "Why would he target this base?"
Mika hesitated. "That... I’m not completely sure," he admitted. "But... I think it’s personal."
Ivy’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Personal?"
Mika nodded.
"A few tis, I heard him muttering..." he said slowly, recalling those fragnted mories, "that he wanted to destroy the SiIvy Base completely."
He paused. "It didn’t sound strategic... it sounded like a grudge."
Ivy fell silent. ’A personal grudge against ...?’
She had never openly antagonized any Zombie King. At least... not directly.
But then, a thought flashed through her mind. A faint smile slowly ford on her lips.
She looked at Mika. "You’ve given sothing very valuable," she said.
Mika blinked.
"As a reward," she continued, "I’ll grant you and your family permanent housing within the base."
For a mont, Mika froze.
"...Permanent... housing?" he repeated, almost unable to believe it.
Then his face lit up with uncontrollable excitent.
By now, he understood what that ant.
Owning a house here was not just about safety; it was an investnt in a future that was bound to prosper. Even though the apocalypse still lingered, this base was advancing rapidly.
’When everything ends... this place will beco priceless...’
His heart pounded with gratitude. He bowed deeply.
"Thank you... thank you so much!" he said repeatedly.
Ivy simply waved her hand lightly. "It’s fine."
Once Mika left, her expression imdiately turned serious. She contacted Martha without delay.
"We need to prepare," she said. "I’ll share the details."
Plans began forming rapidly.
.........................
anwhile, far away from the base...
Silas was facing a completely different struggle.
He was making his way toward the cave location that the mysterious voice had told him about.
At first, he had doubted it.
’This could be a trap...’ he had thought.
But the mont he stood before the cave, his doubts shattered.
The entrance looked exactly as described, dark, jagged, and ominous, as if it were swallowing the surrounding light itself.
"...So it’s real," he murmured.
He stepped inside. The deeper he went, the heavier the air beca.
Then suddenly... A surge of power rushed into his body.
Silas’s eyes widened.
His veins throbbed, his heartbeat accelerating violently as energy coursed through him like a raging river.
"...What is this...?" he whispered, both terrified and exhilarated. ’This... this is what I’ve been searching for...’
But just as quickly, realization struck him.
"There’s a condition..." he muttered, his expression darkening.
He needed to consu the vegetable grown in Ivy’s personal space.
His jaw tightened. Since he had only co to confirm the cave’s existence this ti, he didn’t hesitate.
"We’re leaving," he said.
Behind him stood his subordinate, along with Henry and his colleague.
They turned to exit the cave. But the mont Silas took a step forward...
The atmosphere changed. The temperature dropped abruptly.
A chilling cold wrapped around them, seeping into their bones.
Henry shivered violently, rubbing his hands together.
"Why... is it getting colder?" he muttered, his breath turning faintly visible.
And sothing unseen... seed to be watching them.
Hearing Henry’s words, Alia frowned slightly, her brows knitting together as a cold gust brushed past her face.
"That’s strange..." she murmured, her voice low and uncertain. "From what I rember... when we left the base, the temperature wasn’t this unstable."
She hugged her arms unconsciously, trying to preserve what little warmth remained in her body. The air felt wrong, unnaturally sharp, as if tiny needles were pricking against her skin.
"At first it was dropping... then suddenly it rose... and now it’s dropping again..."
Snow continued to fall, thick and relentless, covering the ground in a suffocating white blanket. Each step they took crunched loudly, the sound echoing eerily in the vast silence.
Silas slowed down, his eyes scanning the surroundings carefully. Then they saw it. A shadow.
It stood at a distance, faint and blurred through the falling snow, yet unmistakably watching them.
For a mont, everyone froze. ’A survivor?’
Henry’s expression softened almost imdiately. Being the warm-hearted person he was, he raised his hand and called out loudly,
"Hey! If you’re trying to survive, co with us! You don’t have to stay out there alone!"
His voice echoed into the snowy emptiness. But the shadow didn’t move. Not even a step.
Henry frowned slightly. "...That’s odd..."
His eyes narrowed as unease crept into his chest.
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