Chapter 417

Chapter 417: Chapter 417

Whatever picture formed in Fiona’s mind, her face drained of color, turning deathly pale.

She scrambled up once more, her movements almost abrupt this time. "It was nice chatting with you today, but I’ll be going now."

Without waiting for Mark’s reply, Fiona hurried off.

Mark watched her figure fade into the distance before pulling his gaze back.

He remained seated in place, showing no intention of returning inside yet.

The night wind grew colder and colder.

Mark turned his gaze toward the West Zone—the very place where, according to Fiona, the black mist kept manifesting.

In the next second, a dark silhouette loomed over him, blocking his view. A subtle, familiar fragrance drifted through the cool air.

Mark looked up, meeting Suzy’s eyes.

Suzy stood right in front of him, looking down with lowered eyelids.

"You’re here," Mark said.

"If you don’t come back inside to rest soon, I’m locking the RV door," Suzy replied.

She had been standing nearby watching them the entire time, her legs going completely numb. She hadn’t expected Mark and that woman to hit it off so well, talking for so long.

Because of the distance, Suzy hadn’t heard a word of their conversation. And because the lighting was so dim, she couldn’t make out their expressions either.

All she had seen was the two of them chatting continuously, their distance closing from time to time, until the woman finally ran off in sheer delight—so thrilled she nearly lost her balance.

"I’ll head back now," Mark said, looking up at the sky before getting to his feet.

Suzy said nothing further, turning on her heel to lead the way.

Mark watched her back, opening his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he simply fell into step behind her.

And so, the two walked silently toward the RV, one behind the other, without exchanging a single word.

It wasn’t until Suzy reached the RV and reached out to pull open the door that she suddenly froze, abruptly turning her head toward a specific direction.

Over in that direction, a flock of birds had been startled into flight.

Mark followed her gaze, asking in confusion, "What’s wrong?"

"Did you hear something?" Suzy asked.

Mark listened carefully for a moment and shook his head. "I didn’t hear anything. What did you hear?"

"It’s a bit noisy," Suzy said.

Closing her eyes, she listened intently once more. With her enhanced hearing, it was impossible for her to mistake a sound; which meant there was only one possibility—it was coming from very far away.

A chaotic, distant rumble was approaching in their direction, growing clearer by the second: the synchronized thud of marching footsteps, intermingled with muffled exchanges.

"There really is a sound," Mark said now. He could hear it too—the commotion coming from that direction.

"It’s a squad," Mark noted. "The footsteps are uniform; it’s an organized, trained military unit."

Suzy shot him a surprised look. "You can tell just from that?"

"So late at night... something must have happened," Mark remarked.

Unless there was an emergency, who would assemble a massive force in the middle of the night and cause such a stir that even this remote sector could hear it? After all, this area was considered quite secluded within the base.

"Yeah. Let’s go check it out."

With that, Suzy shut the RV door securely and sprinted toward the origin of the noise. Mark quickly kept pace beside her.

The two swiftly crossed out of Sector C. Passing through Sector B and Sector A, Suzy noticed they weren’t the only ones drawn to the commotion. Many residents in Sector A and B had woken up as well, whispering amongst themselves, with bolder individuals already hurrying toward the source.

Suzy and Mark fell into step with the crowd.

However, before they could get a clear look, people were halted right at the parking lot entrance.

Two station guards brandished their stun batons, shouting aggressively, "What are you looking at? Get back to sleep, all of you!"

Seeing the crackling stun batons, many people stopped in their tracks, craning their necks from a distance. Unfortunately, they couldn’t see anything past a tall concrete wall, and they turned back empty-handed.

"We can’t get through," Suzy murmured.

"Let’s head back too. We can ask around tomorrow," Mark suggested.

Noticing a few people lingering, the guard barked again, "Get moving! Back to your spots, or don’t blame us for getting rough!"

He clicked the baton switch, brandishing the humming weapon toward the crowd.

Suzy frowned, taking a few steps back.

Just as she turned to leave, she caught sight of a few soldiers in combat fatigues hurrying past ahead, their expressions grim and severe.

"Let’s go."

As the guard’s stun baton swung dangerously close, Mark pulled Suzy back slightly, urging her to leave.

Intimidated by the guards, the crowd gradually dispersed.

Suzy pulled her gaze back and turned around.

At that moment, a woman cut against the flow of the retreating crowd, walking straight up to the guard.

Following her trajectory, Suzy glanced back and realized her face looked familiar. Soon, it clicked—she was the very woman who had just been chatting with Mark.

Suzy immediately looked at Mark.

Mark noticed her gaze as well, asking in confusion, "What is it?"

Suzy shook her head, turning her attention back toward the woman.

The woman seemed familiar with the guard; after exchanging a few words, she nodded at the guard and turned around.

As she turned, she noticed Suzy looking at her.

Like someone discovering hidden treasure, she sprinted toward Suzy—or more accurately, toward Mark at her side.

"Mark!" Fiona called out.

Mark and Suzy stopped in their tracks together.

Turning around, they found Fiona standing right behind them.

Fiona carried a faint smile, though her expression stiffened slightly when her eyes landed on Suzy beside Mark.

"Who is this?" Fiona sized Suzy up.

Suzy replied calmly, "I’m his older sister."

Fiona looked between Mark and Suzy, her smile beaming far brighter and more enthusiastic than before. "So you’re his sister! I’m Fiona."

Before Suzy could even introduce herself, Mark spoke up, "What happened?"

"You guys came over because you heard the commotion too, right?" Fiona asked.

Mark nodded.

Suzy added, "Do you know the guard? I saw you talking to him just now."

Fiona glanced left and right, noticing people nearby, and motioned for them to follow her.

Soon, the three arrived at a quiet, secluded corner.

Fiona lowered her voice: "I just asked around. Something happened."

"What happened?"

"The guard wasn’t sure about the specifics either, but he said something broke out over in the West Zone."

As Fiona spoke, her expression turned grave and solemn.

"I... suspect it’s happened over there again."