Chapter 411

Chapter 411: Chapter 411

She opened her mouth several times, but in the end, only a quiet question escaped her lips: "Are you okay?"

Having already composed herself, Suzy shot her a glance and smiled lightly. "I’m fine. Let’s head back."

Jenny originally had her own errands to run, but seeing Suzy like this left her uneasy.

"I’ll walk you back then," Jenny offered.

Understanding her concern, Suzy smiled. "I really am fine, don’t worry about me. Go take care of your business; I can make it back on my own."

Jenny insisted, "It’s fine, I don’t have anything urgent anyway. Come on, it’s on my way."

Without giving her room to argue, she grabbed Suzy’s arm and pulled her along.

Suzy chuckled helplessly, knowing she couldn’t win against her stubbornness, and allowed Jenny to walk her back.

They walked in silence for a while until the crowd thinned out. Only then did Jenny voice the question she had been stewing over.

"What’s going on with him? It’s like he didn’t even recognize you," Jenny asked.

From her observation, the look in Adam’s eyes when he glanced at Suzy was that of a complete stranger, as if they had never met in their lives.

They had simply parted ways after the outbreak. How could he forget her so completely, so quickly?

"Could it be that you’ve changed a lot, so he didn’t recognize you?" Jenny speculated aloud.

"Impossible," Suzy replied instantly. "I haven’t changed much. I look pretty much the same as I did before the apocalypse."

Her features hadn’t undergone any major alteration; if anything, nourished by her spirit spring, her complexion was far finer and more refined than before. She had intentionally applied makeup to darken her skin tone just to disguise herself.

"Then that makes no sense. How bizarre," Jenny muttered, lost in thought. "I just feel like something’s wrong here."

Suzy agreed wholeheartedly. "I think so too. There’s no way he could forget me this thoroughly—he’s not that kind of person."

"Could that woman Rina have done something behind the scenes? Do you think she drugged your friend to make him lose his memory so she could slide right in? Is that possible?"

The more Jenny thought about it, the more plausible it sounded. Given Rina’s extreme personality, pulling a stunt like that wasn’t out of the question.

"Maybe," Suzy sighed softly.

Whether that was the case would require further investigation.

Either way, Adam forgetting her was completely abnormal.

Even his sudden agreement to marry Rina reeked of strangeness.

Suzy couldn’t just walk away and pretend nothing was wrong.

"Is there any way your contacts could dig into Adam’s recent movements—especially around the time he suddenly changed his mind and agreed to marry Rina?" Suzy asked. "I want to know if anything happened during that window."

Jenny pondered for a moment before giving her answer. "Should be doable. I’ll ask around for you when I get the chance."

"Thanks."

Suzy looked at Jenny with genuine gratitude, realizing how dependable this girl truly was. Crossing paths with her before entering the base was a stroke of pure dumb luck.

On the walk back, Suzy kept replaying the scene in her mind. The more she pondered, the more unsettling it felt.

Adam couldn’t have forgotten her. He would never forget her this completely unless something drastic had happened.

She thought back to what people had said earlier: Rina had been pursuing Adam relentlessly, but he had always given her the cold shoulder—until out of nowhere, he agreed to marry her...

If that had happened in isolation, one might force an explanation that he had simply had a change of heart and accepted Rina.

But when tied directly to his sudden, total amnesia regarding her? You’d have to be blind not to see that something was terribly wrong.

There was definitely a catch—a major one!

Rina must have done something to him. She had to uncover the truth; she couldn’t leave the base in the dark like this.

"How long do you think it’ll take to gather that information?" Suzy asked, turning to Jenny.

"I can’t guarantee a strict timeline, but I’ll make it quick. Honestly, plenty of people in the base gossip about those two anyway—mostly because Rina’s style is so bold and over-the-top. When news broke recently that they were actually getting married, people talked about it for days. I’ll ask around and get back to you as soon as I can," Jenny said.

"Great. Sorry to trouble you again."

Jenny waved a hand dismissively. "It’s nothing, don’t stand on ceremony with me—just pay me a bit extra."

Her bluntness made Suzy chuckle. "Don’t worry, I won’t short you."

Jenny grinned briefly, though her smile faded just as quickly.

Her eagerness to help Suzy stemmed largely from her suspicion that Luke’s sudden change of character was tied to the exact same web of secrets. She refused to believe her brother had turned into a different person overnight for no reason, and she would never stop searching for the truth.

And so, Jenny walked Suzy all the way back to the parking lot.

It was still relatively early, but when Suzy reached Sector C, she noticed several people gathered around her RV. Standing directly across from them was Mark.

These people were clearly there for Mark, actively talking to him.

"Are they looking for trouble?" Suzy frowned. "There are surveillance cameras right here; are they really that bold?"

"Where?" Hearing that, Jenny followed her line of sight toward the RV.

Soon enough, she spotted two familiar faces in the group and frowned in confusion. "They’re Rina’s subordinates... What are they doing here?"

It wasn’t until Mark turned his head, exposing his face, that light finally dawned on Jenny.

A sarcastic smirk crept onto her face. "Ah, I see."

This was the first time Jenny had laid eyes on Mark; during her previous visits with Suzy, he had stayed inside the vehicle the entire time.

She knew Suzy had a teammate, but she hadn’t known who he was or what he looked like. Seeing him now, she was surprised to find Suzy accompanied by such a handsome guy.

He looked around her age—seventeen or eighteen at most.

"Is he your younger brother?" Jenny asked curiously.

"Sort of. He’s younger than me," Suzy replied. "Around your age."

Jenny warned her with a serious expression, "Then you’d better tell him to watch out. That woman Rina has probably set her eyes on him. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have sent her people over. With looks like his, he’s exactly her type."

Suzy’s eyes flickered, that familiar, indescribable sensation creeping back up once more.

"Is Rina always like this?" she asked.

Jenny nodded. "Yep. She loves handsome guys. Whenever she sees one she fancies, she makes her move. Just like right now—sending her lackeys over to pitch some sweet deals. If the guy takes the bait, she succeeds."

Jenny remembered how it had been with Luke back then. After he first met Rina, her people started showing up every now and then.

Jenny had thought her brother was catching a lucky break, never imagining that Rina had simply set her sights on him. Rina offered her terms, and Luke actually accepted.

What Mark was going through right now was an exact replay of what had happened to her brother.

"Understood. I’ll warn him," Suzy said.

Whether Mark would actually listen to her, however, was another story entirely.

Rina’s two subordinates seemed to catch sight of Suzy and Jenny. Exchanging a brief glance, they hurried off.

Jenny didn’t push further either. Turning to Suzy, she said, "I’ll leave you here then. See you around."

After saying goodbye, Suzy walked toward the RV.

The moment Mark saw her, he immediately walked up to meet her.