Chapter 414

Chapter 414: Chapter 414

Mark remained silent.

After a short pause, the woman smiled at him and said, "Since you’re not saying anything, I’ll take that as a silent agreement. My name is Fiona."

With that, Fiona opened the small plastic bag she had brought with her, took out a piece of candy, and offered it to Mark.

"Here, this is for you," she said.

Mark glanced at her without reaching out to take it, so Fiona tossed it directly into his lap.

"Don’t be so cold—what’s wrong with making another friend?" Fiona chatted on casually, tearing open the wrapper of her own candy and popping it into her mouth.

Mark maintained his silence.

Fiona stole a side glance at him, completely undeterred, and continued, "I’ve been staying in the base for quite a while now, so I know a fair bit of what goes on around here. Is there anything you’d like to know?"

She then waited patiently for Mark’s response.

She knew very well that if she wanted Mark to pay attention to her, she had to demonstrate her value; otherwise, there was no way he would show any interest in her.

Just when Fiona thought her strategy had failed again and that Mark wouldn’t speak, his voice suddenly sounded beside her.

"How long have you been in the base?" Mark asked.

Fiona replied with a smile, "Three months."

Mark’s willingness to talk to her brought a glimmer of hope.

Great, this trick really works!

"Do you know everything?" Mark asked further.

Sucking on the candy in her mouth, Fiona murmured softly, "Well, not literally everything, but I know all the stuff worth knowing."

Mark frowned slightly, finding her statement a bit odd.

Fiona pressed on, "Would you like me to tell you about the situation in the base?"

Seeing that Mark was interested in this topic, she struck while the iron was hot.

Having the opportunity to talk more with Mark was naturally a good thing; affection grew through interaction, and Fiona was very satisfied with their current progress.

"Alright," Mark gave a light nod. "I’d like to learn about the base’s situation as well."

The smile on Fiona’s face grew even brighter. She began walking Mark through the general layout and dynamics of the base.

"The current ruler of the base is Howard Jackson. The City P Base was founded by him a year ago. He has an only daughter, Rina, who will be his heir in the future..."

She moved from the base’s ruling power to Rina, and then covered some of the basic rules and regulations of the base.

Mark listened patiently to the end.

"Is there anything else you want to know? I’ve heard quite a few rumors and gossip too," Fiona added.

"Like what?" Mark raised an eyebrow, his interest slightly piqued.

"If we’re talking about the most famous gossip... well, that would have to be about Miss Jackson—Rina, the base commander’s daughter, whom I mentioned just now."

At this point, Fiona’s enthusiasm surged. She had heard plenty of rumors regarding Rina, each one leaving her green with envy.

"Miss Jackson has a thing for handsome men and keeps quite a few male confidants around her. Just a while ago, two men even got into a fight over her, causing quite a scene."

Here, Fiona fixed her eyes on Mark’s face for a few seconds before continuing, "If Miss Jackson lays eyes on you, she definitely won’t let you get away."

The corner of Mark’s mouth twitched slightly.

It truly matched what she said—if Rina saw him, she wouldn’t let him go.

Just how deeply ingrained was this image of Rina as a lustful woman throughout the base?

Fiona said in a low voice, "Usually when Miss Jackson pursues handsome men, she offers very generous terms. If you ever run into her, make sure you don’t agree."

"Why?"

"You wouldn’t be her only man. Besides you, there are other men around her—could you really tolerate that?"

Fiona had already taken it for granted that Mark would be pursued by Rina.

After all, the base was only so big. If Mark stayed here, he was bound to cross paths with Rina sooner or later, and once they met, Rina would definitely make her move.

Fiona refused to believe that Rina could stay unmoved upon seeing a man like him; if she did, she wouldn’t be Rina.

Right now, what she needed to do was give Mark a warning in advance.

If Mark didn’t consent, even Rina wouldn’t be able to force him.

"I couldn’t," Mark said softly.

"Right? If it were me, I wouldn’t agree either," Fiona said earnestly. "I would never agree to share my lover with anyone else."

At this point, Fiona stole a glance at Mark. "In this post-apocalyptic world, it’s best for two people to support each other. I’ve always believed in a lifelong, exclusive devotion..."

Before she could finish, Mark interrupted her. "Is there any other gossip?"

Fiona’s words came to a sudden halt. She felt a surge of dissatisfaction, but those feelings vanished into thin air the moment she looked at Mark’s face.

"Yes, let me think..."

At that moment, a stream of mind-blowing base rumors flashed through Fiona’s head.

However, she immediately filtered those out and specifically picked stories about Rina to tell Mark.

Her primary goal was still to vaccinate Mark against Rina’s charms.

If Mark were truly coaxed away by Rina, then she really wouldn’t stand a chance.

"I’m not making these up out of nowhere—these are things I heard from others, as well as things I’ve witnessed with my own eyes."

Throwing in a disclaimer first, Fiona then began, "Miss Jackson is quite fickle in love. Since I arrived at the base, I’ve seen her pursue quite a few good-looking men, but those men only stayed by her side for a short while before vanishing, quickly replaced by new faces."

"Her playboy nature is common knowledge throughout the base. If she comes looking for you, you really need to think it over carefully."

Mark nodded thoughtfully.

He didn’t know much about Rina, though he had heard snippets here and there. Hearing Fiona explain it like this, Mark realized just how naive he had been.