Chapter 224 New mission available host.

Soon, the leaders and members of the other bases finished storing their own bags of grain inside their trucks. Erick had also loaded his share, leaving only Ivy’s grain inside the two warehouse rooms.

"Alright. Everyone has gotten their share. Only yours is left," Erick said as he approached Ivy. "You told us to leave it untouched."

"Oh, yes." Ivy nodded before raising an eyebrow. "By the way, is anyone interested in some creamy pasta before we leave?" She turned toward Darren and Albert with a grin. "Let’s make some creamy pasta. I’m seriously craving it right now."

"Yes, Captain!" Darren and Albert answered in perfect unison.

Without wasting another second, Darren led Albert into one of the warehouse rooms. Large cooking pots, packets of pasta, seasoning, fresh cream, vegetables, and several containers filled with meat had already been arranged neatly inside.

Albert stopped in his tracks and stared at everything in disbelief.

"When did you two bring all of these here?" he asked, his eyes widening in shock. "I was just about to ask Captain Ivy where the ingredients would even come from."

Darren chuckled. "Let’s just start cooking," he replied confidently as he rolled up his sleeves. "Captain Ivy and I already planned everything beforehand." He added while Albert couldn’t help but nod his head in understanding.

*****

Outside the warehouse, Ivy leaned comfortably against the truck while the Fiercehunter Base members patiently waited.

The members of the other bases watched the warehouse from a distance before looking down at the dry snacks, biscuits, and bread they had bought for themselves.

Nobody complained. After all, the ingredients belonged to Ivy and they were even thankful that she still gave them grains than discarding them like the Antelope Base.

After some time, the rich aroma of creamy pasta mixed with tender chunks of meat drifted throughout the entire warehouse compound.

The aroma was so good that almost everyone subconsciously swallowed hard.

A few minutes later, Darren and Albert finally emerged, each carrying a large pot. The creamy pasta was beautifully garnished with generous portions of juicy meat and sprinkled with herbs.

"Food’s ready!" Darren announced happily and immediately, the members of Fiercehunter Base gathered together.

Albert and Darren began serving everyone generous portions and the entire team sat outside the warehouse under the evening sky, happily enjoying their meal.

Meanwhile...Anya slowly turned toward her younger brother.

Caleb’s eyes were completely fixed on the Fiercehunter Base members as they happily devoured their creamy pasta.

Without realizing it, he kept swallowing hard. "Just imagine how wonderful it would be to have one plate of that hot creamy pasta," Caleb muttered pitifully while taking another bite of the dry bread in his hand.

Anya couldn’t help letting out a small laugh. "Forget about the food for a second," she said before turning him to face her. "Do you remember what you told me yesterday?"

Caleb blinked in confusion. "What did I say? Does it even matter right now? I only want to think about the creamy pasta."

"You said you never believed you could defeat monsters," Anya reminded him seriously. "You kept saying you weren’t brave enough... that you would probably die the moment you encountered one."

Caleb scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "...Yeah, I remember saying that."

"You also told me that when you fought yesterday, it felt as though some invisible force suddenly surged through your body and pushed you forward."

Caleb slowly nodded. "That’s true." His expression gradually became thoughtful. "I still can’t explain it. The monster was about to devour you..." he said quietly. "But somehow... I wasn’t afraid anymore. It was like my body moved before my mind even had time to think."

"Exactly." Anya smiled softly. "And I finally figured out why."

Caleb frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Captain Ivy saved me."Anya replied with a heavy sigh of relief.

"What?" Caleb’s eyes widened.

Anya nodded confidently. "She’s far from being an ordinary woman. And I was completely right when I said we shouldn’t look down on her... or anyone else."

She looked toward Ivy, who was calmly eating with her teammates. "Remember how she effortlessly killed those huge monsters today? Even grown men couldn’t deal with them."

Caleb nodded repeatedly.

"Last night, when everyone were fighting. I noticed a truck door was gently closed the moment I was saved by you and Captain Ivy and Darren stayed inside the truck the entire night." She paused briefly. "Even though she never stepped into the battle yesterday... somehow she still managed to save my life."

"That woman is incredible." Caleb voiced out as he looked at Ivy direction with genuine admiration. "She earned my respect the moment she demonstrated what she was capable of this afternoon too. Strength alone isn’t enough to make someone worthy of leading a base." He glanced at the cheerful Fiercehunter members. "Just look at them. They trust her and respect her and she’s protecting them hence she truly deserves to be called Captain."

Anya nodded in agreement. "I want to thank her personally. Probably tomorrow. I doubt anyone will leave tonight. Everyone’s completely worn out after everything that happened."

Caleb nodded. "You’re right. You should definitely should thank her. She saved my sister’s life and I’ll always remember that."

***

After everyone had finished eating and were now relaxing while chatting among themselves, Ivy quietly stood up.

Without attracting attention, she casually walked back into the warehouse alone the moment she confirmed nobody was watching her, the smile on her face gradually widened.

Ding!

{+1,000 grains.}

Ding!

{+500 grains.}

Ding!

{+1,000 grains.}

The notifications continued appearing one after another as bag after bag disappeared into her system storage and within only a few minutes, every remaining sack of grain had completely vanished. The once-crowded warehouse was now entirely empty.

Ivy looked around with satisfaction before dusting off her hands and just as she was about to step outside the warehouse....

Ding!

{New mission available, Host.}

Ivy immediately stopped walking. "A new mission?" She raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"

Ding!

{Mission: Double the population of Hope Base.}

{Mission Reward: Double the base’s available space.}

Ivy’s eyes lit up instantly. "So that’s the next objective." She folded her arms thoughtfully."It makes sense. I don’t need people who only want protection this time around but survivors who are willing to become stronger, ready to train and follow I and Darren to defeat monsters." She added with a determined expression on her face.