Chapter 263 Base logistics.

The journey back to Hope Base was as silent as a graveyard. Neither Ivy nor Elliot said a word to each other throughout the entire trip. The only sound that filled the quiet atmosphere was the occasional rumble of the truck’s engine as Ivy drove steadily back toward the base and the distant growls of monsters.

By the time they finally arrived, Ivy drove the truck through the gates and parked it in its designated spot. A few survivors who happened to be nearby immediately shifted their gazes toward them when they noticed Ivy getting out of the truck.

However, their curiosity only lasted for a few seconds before they returned their attention to the greenhouse task.

With the amount of work that needed to be completes, even greeting Ivy wasn’t necessary at this stage.

Meanwhile Elliot mouth remained widen open as he took in the base surrounding.

"Mommy!"

Soft little familiar voices instantly pulled Ivy’s attention away from the truck.

Lila, Aria, and Pearl came running toward her, excitement written all over their faces. Pearl had grown so attached to Ivy that she had practically started treating her as a second mother. The three girls rushed forward and wrapped their arms around Ivy’s legs the moment they reached her.

A smile immediately spread across Ivy’s face.

"Hi, my sweethearts!" she greeted warmly as she bent down to their height. She gently patted each of their heads, looking at them with affection. "How are you doing? I hope you haven’t been disturbing Mrs. Smith too much. And you’re all doing your assignments, right?"

"Yes, Mommy!" the children chorused in unison.

Their synchronized response made Ivy chuckle softly.

"We miss you, Mommy," Aria said, her lips forming a small pout. "We hardly see you around anymore."

"It’s been a while since we’ve gone to your other house too," Lila added, her little face suddenly becoming sad. "We’ve been staying with Mr. and Mrs. Smith with everyone else these days. You’ve been working nonstop and haven’t had much time for us since we started living here."

Her voice was filled with sadness, and Ivy’s heart skipped a beat.

She hadn’t realized just how much the children had noticed her absence.

She had been so occupied with managing Hope Base, expanding the territory, dealing with survivors, and making preparations for the future that she hadn’t stopped to consider how her constant absence might have affected them.

"Yes, I miss playing in your house too," Pearl chimed in, her expression equally disappointed. "We’re just stuck here these days. I miss coming over to your side whenever I bring vegetables."

"Oh, darlings..." Ivy sighed softly, feeling a pang of guilt.

She looked at their disappointed faces before gently stroking Lila’s hair.

"This is actually the main house," Ivy explained patiently after allowing the children to finish voicing their complaints. "This is Hope Base. It’s the main house for everyone, and Mommy is the base leader."

The three girls listened attentively.

"You all know what’s going on in the world right now, don’t you?" Ivy continued. "The world isn’t safe anymore, and there are a lot of people who need protection. Mommy has the strength to protect some survivors, so it’s only right that I do everything I can to keep them safe."

She paused briefly before continuing.

"As for the other house, I’ll find time to take you there soon, okay? I promise."

"We really miss you," Aria and Lila said together, their heads bowing in utter sadness.

"I’m right in front of you now, darlings," Ivy replied with a heavy sigh, unable to bear seeing their disappointed expressions.

She opened her arms and pulled all three girls into a gentle embrace.

"How about this?" she suggested. "I’ll take you girls out to the other side soon. You can play, eat whatever you want, and spend the whole day with me. Would you like that?"

"Yeahhhh!"

The children’s disappointed expressions vanished almost instantly.

They jumped happily, their voices echoing through the area as they celebrated.

Ivy couldn’t help but laugh at their reaction.

Just then, before Ivy and the children could continue their conversation, Mrs. Smith began walking toward them from the direction of the gate. Hope was nestled comfortably in her arms, the little baby now much bigger than Ivy remembered.

"Oh, sweetheart!" Ivy exclaimed when she noticed the baby.

She immediately stretched out her arms toward Mrs. Smith, who smiled and handed Hope over to her.

Ivy took the baby into her arms and immediately planted several affectionate kisses on her chubby cheeks.

"How are you, my darling?" she cooed, gently bouncing her in her arms. Her eyes suddenly widened when she noticed something. "Ohhh! You got your first teeth too!"

She carefully touched the baby’s tiny lower teeth with the tip of her finger, her face lighting up with delight.

"She’s already six months and going on seven. What did you expect?" Mrs. Smith replied with a light chuckle.

Ivy smiled as she continued staring at Hope.

"She’s growing so fast," she murmured, gently rubbing the baby’s cheek.

"Children always do," Mrs. Smith replied fondly.

Before Ivy could say anything else, a familiar figure approached them.

Darren walked over to where Ivy, Elliot, the children, and Mrs. Smith were standing.

"You’re back, Captain," he said.

He offered Ivy a slight bow before his gaze shifted toward Elliot. Darren studied the unfamiliar man for a brief moment before giving him the same polite nod.

Elliot returned the gesture without saying anything.

"I’ll see you girls later," Ivy told Aria, Lila, and Pearl. "I need to talk to Uncle Darren and the new uncle for a little while, okay?"

The girls nodded obediently.

They had already learned that their mother was a busy person now. Although they wanted to spend more time with Ivy, they understood that she had important things to take care of.

The girls waved before turning around and leaving while Mrs Smith watched them go before looking back at Ivy.

"They know their mother is a busy woman now," she said with an amused smile.

She then stepped forward and carefully took little Hope from Ivy’s arms.

"I’ll take her with me. See you later."

"See you," Ivy replied.

Mrs. Smith carried Hope away, leaving Ivy, Darren, and Elliot standing together.

"Umm..." Ivy began as she walked toward a nearby bench.

She sat down, and Darren and Elliot followed, taking seats beside her.

"This is Elliot," Ivy finally introduced, gesturing toward the man beside her. "I encountered him while I was out expanding the territory."

"Oh..." Darren looked at Elliot again before extending his hand. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Elliot."

"It’s nice to meet you too," Elliot replied.

They exchanged a firm handshake before releasing each other’s hands.

"He’ll be assigned to base logistics and will handle miscellaneous tasks," Ivy continued, her tone becoming more serious. "That way, some of the workload on you will be reduced."

Darren’s brows lifted slightly.

"Base logistics?" he repeated.

"Yes," Ivy confirmed. "He’ll help with inventory, transportation arrangements, distribution, and other miscellaneous tasks that need attention. I don’t want you handling everything by yourself."

"Thank you so much, Captain Ivy," Elliot said, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. "I’ll make sure to do my work properly and prove that I’m worthy of staying here." He added while Ivy nodded in response.

Meanwhile, Darren remained quiet.

He couldn’t quite understand why Ivy would bring a total stranger...a survivor she had only recently encountered into Hope Base and immediately assign him such an important position.

Base logistics was not something that could simply be handed over to anyone.

There were supplies to manage, records to maintain, distributions to organize, and countless other responsibilities involved. One mistake could easily create unnecessary problems for the entire base.

Yet Darren knew Ivy well enough to understand that she never made decisions without a reason.

If she had decided to bring Elliot back with her and even trusted him enough to assign him a role within the base, then there had to be a greater reason behind it.