Chapter 207: Building Blackwatch

Chapter 207: Chapter 207: Building Blackwatch

"How sweet."

The sudden voice behind them made Elaine stiffen. She immediately lifted her head and turned around.

Natasha stood at the doorway with her arms crossed, while Na-rin stood beside her. Both girls were staring at them.

Elaine’s face instantly turned red.

"Wh-What?" she stammered. "How long have you two been standing there?"

"Long enough," Natasha replied flatly.

"It’s not what you think." Elaine quickly stepped away from Jaxon.

Before she could get any farther, Jaxon casually reached out and pulled her back beside him.

"Come, why don’t you join us."

Elaine stared at him in disbelief. "Jaxon?"

"What?" Jaxon said innocently. "You came here first."

"That isn’t the issue!"

Natasha walked over and pushed Jaxon’s arm away from Elaine. "Flirting on the balcony where everyone can see you? Have some shame."

"We weren’t flirting," Elaine muttered, her cheeks becoming even redder.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Na-rin, who had been quietly watching the exchange, suddenly stepped closer to Jaxon. Without saying anything, she slipped her arm around his.

Elaine’s eyes widened. "Na-rin?"

Na-rin met her gaze for a moment before quickly looking away. A faint blush spread across her cheeks, making Elaine stare at her in surprise.

’’Did Na-rin just... give me that look?’ Elaine watched her for a few seconds, before slowly turning her eyes toward Jaxon.

"Jaxon... what have you done to her?"

"I didn’t do anything."

Natasha clicked her tongue and looked between the two girls. "Don’t think you’re getting away with this either, Elaine."

"What did I do?"

"You were leaning onto him first."

Natasha then looked at Na-rin. "And you too."

Na-rin quietly loosened her grip, but she didn’t completely let go.

Jaxon looked at the three of them and couldn’t help smiling. "You guys can just take turns. I have enough space."

The three girls instantly fell silent as three pairs of eyes turned toward him, all carrying the same warning.

Jaxon raised both hands in surrender. "...Ah. No. Forget I said that."

...

Moments later, the four of them gathered on the balcony. Elaine sat quietly, but every now and then, her eyes drifted toward Natasha and Na-rin. The two had clearly noticed, though neither said anything about it.

Natasha eventually sighed and lowered the binoculars. Her expression became serious as she looked toward Jaxon. "Should we really continue following the convoy?"

"Moving that many people is going to make a lot of noise," Na-rin added. "They’ll attract infected wherever they go."

"They probably know that," Elaine said. "If they’re heading for Asterra, they must have prepared a route beforehand. The military should have maps and information about the roads."

"Then let’s see the route ourselves first," Jaxon said.

He opened his Storage Space and pulled out a map before spreading it across the table.

Na-rin immediately leaned over it and pointed toward one location. "This should be where Mongoloid Safe Zone was."

Her finger moved farther across the map.

"And Asterra Safe Zone should be around here."

She marked both locations, then drew a line between them.

"That’s around four hundred and fifty kilometers from our current position. Even with vehicles, it’ll take us several days. With a convoy this large, it could easily take more than a week."

Jaxon and Natasha stared at the distance.

Cities, highways, and several large urban areas stood between them and Asterra.

Elaine frowned. "How are they planning to move that many people through those cities? The noise alone will draw infected toward them."

"We should stay behind them," Natasha suggested. "We’ll use the drones to keep track of the convoy and follow at a safe distance. If they run into trouble, we’ll know about it before we get too close."

Jaxon nodded slowly. "That works. They’re likely going to meet up with the other soldiers eventually. Until then, there’s no reason for us to stay close."

His eyes remained on the map as another thought crossed his mind. "But where did those soldiers go?"

Natasha looked at him.

"The special units, the hundreds of soldiers who were still alive when we left the safe zone. Thomas should know something, right?"

"I asked him earlier," Na-rin answered. "He said he doesn’t know either."

Na-rin frowned. "Then there are only a few possibilities. They took another route and are planning to meet the convoy later, they abandoned the evacuation altogether, or they were forced to stay behind and fight."

"Let’s not waste time worrying about them," Jaxon finally said. "We’ll find out soon enough."

He folded the map and returned it to his Storage Space.

"For now, we follow the convoy, keep our distance, and stay alert. If something happens, we’ll decide what to do then."

Natasha nodded. "Sounds good."

Na-rin agreed as well, while Elaine gave a quiet nod.

.....

Outside the resort, Thomas and the others spent some time testing their newly upgraded weapons. The difference was immediately noticeable, and even Thomas, who was usually calm and serious, couldn’t hide his interest as he tested the M249.

Bong-gu, meanwhile, had been keeping watch over the convoy when he suddenly called out, "Guys, the convoy is moving again!"

Jaxon immediately looked up. "Cindy, Claire, get the drones ready."

"On it!"

Moments later, the two drones took to the sky and followed the convoy, giving the group a clear view of the road ahead.

While Cindy and Claire kept an eye on the evacuation group, everyone else returned to the vehicles and prepared to leave.

Jaxon looked at the map one last time before folding it away. "If they take the route we expect, we’ll reach a city soon. Once we get there, we’ll look for supplies first, especially another vehicle. We don’t know how long this trip will take, so we need to be prepared."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Bong-gu grinned as he checked his shotgun. "I’m more excited about meeting infected. The more I kill, the stronger I’ll get."

"Don’t get too excited," Elena warned. "Your shotgun and Thomas’s M249 are the only weapons in the group that make a lot of noise. If you start shooting at everything you see, you’ll end up attracting an entire horde."

Bong-gu reluctantly lowered the shotgun. "Fine, fine."

With everything ready, the group climbed back into their vehicles. The arrangement remained the same as before, with Haris driving the Hilux while Thomas took the wheel of the military truck.

The two vehicles soon pulled onto the road and followed the evacuation convoy from a safe distance.

For the next few hours, the journey was surprisingly peaceful.

No large hordes appeared, and aside from a few stragglers that were quickly dealt with, the road remained quiet.

Inside the Hilux, Isabel sat beside Sumiko and opened a packet of biscuits. "Here, Sumiko. Try this."

Sumiko took one and bit into it. She chewed for a moment before nodding. "It’s tasty."

Isabel smiled. "Good. Have another one."

Sumiko reached for another biscuit, but she hesitated before looking up at Isabel. "Um... Aunt Isabel?"

"Yes?"

Sumiko lowered her voice. "Can I call you... Mom?"

"What?"

"I want to call you Mom." Sumiko looked at her with pleading eyes. "Can I?"

Isabel’s expression softened into a warm smile as she pulled Sumiko into a tight hug. "Of course you can. Come here."

"Mom..." Sumiko whispered as she buried her face against Isabel’s chest.

Isabel smiled and hugged her even tighter. "That’s right. I’m your mom now."

Meanwhile, the atmosphere inside the military truck was just as relaxed as everyone was enjoying the rare moment of peace.

Cindy and Claire took turns operating the drones, while Hae-in and Hannah occasionally joined them to check the live feed.

Three more hours passed before the radio suddenly crackled.

"Brother, Claire says the convoy has reached the city," Cindy reported.

Jaxon picked up the radio and glanced toward the road ahead. "Alright. Keep watching them. Let me know if you see anything else."