Chapter 233 Stop fighting!

The next day arrived swiftly, and Ivy and Darren woke up before sunrise. Despite not wanting to leave her children alone again and head out on another mission, she had no choice.

"Please take good care of them while I’m gone," Ivy said softly as she turned to Mrs. Smith, who was sitting on the bench with little Hope in her arms, carefully feeding her the breast milk Ivy had pumped earlier that morning.

"When they wake up and ask about me, just tell them I had to go check on the base to make sure everything is alright."

Mrs. Smith nodded quietly, allowing Ivy to continue.

"And if Darren and I don’t return today..." Ivy paused, swallowing the lump forming in her throat before forcing herself to keep speaking. "Tell Aria and Lila that we had to save some people. Tell them it wouldn’t be right if their mother had the power to save lives but chose not to. Tell them I’m strong... that I won’t die out there... and that I’ll always come back to them."

Her voice grew softer toward the end, though she tried her best not to let her emotions show.

She walked over to the woven basket resting neatly on a table and gently lifted the cloth covering it.

"I woke up early to prepare a few things for them," she said with a small smile. "I baked some cookies and cakes, made jollof rice with fried chicken, and prepared fresh fruit juice. Hopefully that’ll keep them busy until I return."

Mrs. Smith smiled warmly before placing one comforting hand on Ivy’s shoulder.

"It’s alright, Captain Ivy. I’ll take good care of the girls, so you have nothing to worry about. Once I explain everything to them, they’ll understand. They’re intelligent children, and they know how much you love them."

She squeezed Ivy’s shoulder gently before adding with genuine admiration,

"You’re truly a wonderful woman... an incredible mother. Your children are very lucky to have someone like you."

Those words struck Ivy’s heart.

She could only swallow hard as she forced out another smile, refusing to let the tears gathering in her eyes fall.

Instead, she walked over to Hope, leaned down, and pressed a gentle kiss against the baby’s forehead.

"I’ll be back before you know it," she whispered.

"Goodbye, Mrs. Smith," Darren said while carrying the truck keys.

Mrs. Smith nodded, doing everything she could to keep her own tears from spilling over. Once Ivy left, she’d have to prepare herself for the difficult task of comforting Aria and Lila when they realized their mother was gone again.

Without saying another word, Ivy climbed into the Fiercehunter truck. Darren settled into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and slowly drove out of the compound before the girls had a chance to wake up.

***

After some time, Ivy and Darren finally arrived at the Fiercehunter Base.

The soldiers guarding the entrance immediately recognized both the truck and its occupants. Since Ivy and Darren had become familiar faces around the base, there was no need for inspection or questioning. The heavy gates were opened without delay, allowing the truck to drive inside.

Just as before, the enormous area outside the inner walls of Fiercehunter Base was overflowing with survivors.

Most of them had never been granted permission to move deeper into the base where the permanent residents lived. Even after being driven away countless times, they stubbornly refused to leave.

Compared to surviving outside in the apocalypse, staying near Fiercehunter’s walls at least offered a sliver of hope.

Even if they weren’t officially accepted into the base, they were still safer here than wandering through monsters-infested streets.

Honk! Honk!

Darren repeatedly leaned on the horn, trying to clear a path through the crowd.

Since breakfast distribution had begun, survivors had packed together from every direction, desperate to receive a portion before the food ran out.

"You can have my food first."

The voice belonged to a young man wearing thick glasses and before anyone could thank him, the crowd immediately pushed him out of the line.

Since he had willingly given up his turn to an elderly woman standing behind him, the other survivors didn’t hesitate to move him aside.

"You said she could take your place."

"Then get to the back!"

"Don’t block the line!"

The poor young man stumbled backward helplessly before quietly making his way to the very end of the queue without saying a single word in protest.

Ivy’s eyes remained fixed on him.

He looked rather ordinary,short black hair, thin frame, large round glasses that gave him the appearance of a bookworm, a nerd.

"Can these people just move already?" Darren muttered through gritted teeth as he slowly maneuvered the truck through the sea of survivors. "How are we supposed to reach Commander Erick at this rate?"

Without another thought, Ivy suddenly opened the passenger door and climbed out.

Darren’s eyes widened in confusion and before he could even ask what she was doing, Ivy looked back at him with a determined smile.

"I’ll go ahead and start recruiting people."

She glanced around at the thousands of survivors surrounding them.

"There are plenty of capable people here. Some of them just need an opportunity and proper training. You take the truck to Commander Erick and let him know we’ve arrived. I’ll meet up with both of you afterward."

Before Darren could respond, Ivy had already disappeared into the crowd.

"..."

Darren stared after her for several seconds before letting out a helpless sigh.

Shaking his head with a small smile, he focused on driving toward Erick’s headquarters.

Meanwhile, Ivy carefully made her way deeper into the crowded gathering.

Voices of people argueing, children crying echoed from every direction but beneath all those sounds, another noise reached her ears.

"What are they fighting about now?" Ivy muttered with an annoyed scoff.

Originally, she had intended to approach the bespectacled young man first, however, the sounds of the fight immediately diverted her attention.

The commotion was taking place much farther away from the food distribution line and if she hadn’t possessed enhanced hearing, she probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all.

To ordinary people, the sounds would’ve been drowned out by the surrounding crowd but to Ivy, it was as though the fighters were yelling directly beside her ears.

Without hesitation, she changed directions and walked toward the disturbance and by the time she reached the scene, her expression darkened.

Ten men were locked in a brutal brawl.

Five against five all while punches fly relentlessly.

"What the actual fuck?" Ivy cursed under her breath as she quickened her pace.

Unlike an ordinary woman who might have been terrified to step into the middle of ten violent men, Ivy didn’t hesitate in the slightest.

"What the hell are you all doing?" Ivy demanded sharply as she stepped closer but one of the men paid her any attention.

Her expression immediately turned cold.

"Stop fighting!"

Her voice exploded, the sheer force behind her shout echoed through the area, startling the ten men who froze immediately.

One after another, they slowly turned to look at the person who had dared interrupt them.

Their expressions were filled with irritation, hostility... and disbelief the moment they realized it was a woman.