Chapter 165 Vines all over the base.

Chapter 165: Chapter 165 Vines all over the base.

NOTE: REFRESH ALL WRONG ChapterS TO BRING THE NEW ONES IN... THANKS!!

Something felt wrong around the house.

Kai couldn’t explain it. He didn’t know if he was the only one feeling that way, but there was a strange pressure at the back of his mind—an instinctive warning that refused to disappear.

They were being watched. He couldn’t prove it. There was no movement outside the windows, no strange sound coming from the hallway, and no obvious enemy hiding inside the base. Yet the feeling remained.

Kai slowly walked away from the others while Luna and the rest of the men became deeply involved in their conversation. His eyes wandered across the walls. At first, nothing seemed unusual.

Then he noticed something. Vines. Thin green vines were crawling across one section of the wall, twisting over the surface as though they had somehow grown through the concrete itself. They looked almost like some strange fungus, spreading in narrow patterns across the paint.

Kai frowned. That alone wouldn’t have been enough to concern him. The apocalypse had already turned ordinary plants into horrifying creatures. Mutations were everywhere.

But it wasn’t the vines themselves that caught his attention. It was where they seemed to be connected. The vines disappeared into a narrow crack in the wall.

Kai stepped closer. His eyes narrowed. Something about them felt familiar.

"Kai?"

Luna’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. "What’s the problem? Come eat."

Kai didn’t respond immediately. He stood completely still, staring at the wall.

Adrian’s voice suddenly came from behind them. "Are we seriously going to pretend this house doesn’t look weird and sit down to eat when something is obviously wrong?"

Kai glanced toward him. Adrian had apparently noticed the condition of the base too, although he didn’t seem nearly as interested in the wall as Kai was.

Luna shrugged. "I’m going to figure out what happened." She turned toward the kitchen. "But right now, we’re going to eat and rest while I activate the house-cleaning system. Gosh, look at this place. It’s a complete mess."

Her voice gradually faded as she walked away. The others followed her.

Kai remained where he was. His attention returned to the vines. He couldn’t shake the feeling. That damn plant looked eerily similar to the one they had seen on the strange island. The one with the tentacles. The one that had attacked them.

His expression became serious. But how? Why would something like that be here?

When he had stayed at this base before, he had never seen anything like it. Not even once. There had been no strange plants crawling through the walls. No vines. No roots. Nothing.

So why was it here now?

Kai slowly moved closer. "Aren’t you all seeing this?" He looked over his shoulder. Nobody answered. He finally realized he was the only one still standing in the room. All the men had already followed Luna into the kitchen.

Kai looked back at the wall. Maybe he was being paranoid. Maybe the plant really was nothing. Perhaps it was some ordinary weed that had somehow grown through a crack. But that explanation made no sense. There was no soil anywhere near that part of the house. There shouldn’t have been anything capable of growing there. Especially not something that looked almost identical to a plant from another strange island.

Kai stretched out his hand. He wanted to touch it. Just once. He wanted to know if it was real.

His fingers were only inches away from the vine when someone suddenly grabbed his arm. Kai spun around. Adrian stood behind him.

"What are you doing?"

Kai immediately smiled. "Nothing."

Adrian raised an eyebrow.

Kai glanced back at the wall. "Okay, fine. I’m just looking at the plant."

"What plant?"

Kai pointed. "I don’t know if it’s just me, but haven’t we seen this before?" Adrian followed his finger. Kai continued, "Isn’t that the exact same plant we saw back on the island? The one with the tentacles that attacked us?"

Adrian stared at the wall. He squinted. He leaned closer. Then he looked again. Nothing.

His eyes slowly moved back toward Kai. "I’m not seeing anything there."

Kai’s smile disappeared. "What?"

Adrian pointed toward the wall. "There’s nothing there except peeling paint."

Kai’s body immediately stiffened. "What are you trying to say?" He turned back toward the wall. "It’s right there!" He pointed at the vines. "Look at the wall! It’s all over it. You’re supposed to be seeing this, Adrian!"

Adrian stared at the exact spot. Still nothing. "Kai..."

"I’m not crazy."

"I didn’t say you were." Adrian sighed. "I’m just saying I can’t see anything." He placed a hand on Kai’s shoulder. "Maybe you’re hallucinating. We’ve all been through a lot."

Kai’s eyes remained fixed on the wall. "But—"

"Come on." Adrian gently pulled him away. "Let’s eat. You need to rest."

Kai reluctantly allowed himself to be dragged toward the kitchen. As they walked, Adrian continued talking. "Let’s see what Luna is preparing. Damn, it’s been so long since we’ve done this together."

Kai looked at him.

Adrian smiled. "I think the last time was when we were in that ruined city." He thought for a moment. "Or maybe the bunker with all those survivors." He laughed. "Either way, cooking together was fun. We haven’t had something this normal in forever."

Kai glanced back toward the hallway. The vines were no longer visible from where he stood.

Adrian gave him a small shove. "Stop obsessing over some plant that isn’t real, man."

Kai sighed. "Fine."

The two finally entered the kitchen. Immediately, the smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls filled the air. The sweet scent drifted through the room, warm and comforting enough to make Kai’s stomach growl.

Luna stood near the counter, preparing the food while the others gathered around. "There you two are." She looked over her shoulder. "So, I’ve been thinking."

Kai pulled out a chair. "That’s always dangerous."

Luna ignored him. "I’m going to improve my space." She gestured toward the others. "I want to unlock the remaining departments inside it. We might have some work to do after that." Her eyes brightened. "We can make tools, improve our equipment, expand this base, reinforce the walls, and turn this place into something completely impenetrable." She placed another cinnamon roll onto a plate. "We’re not going to be threatened like this again."

At the far end of the kitchen, Ethan was sitting comfortably with a bowl of popcorn. He casually threw a few pieces into his mouth and chewed. "Oh my, that’s definitely exciting." He swallowed. "But isn’t that what Miles does?"

Luna looked at him.

Ethan shrugged. "He’s an architect, after all. Nothing like that is supposed to be my business because I don’t—"

A loaf of bread flew through the air. It smacked directly into his face.

Ethan paused. Then he slowly picked it up. Instead of looking offended, he smiled. He took a bite. "Thanks for the snack, Luna."

Kai burst out laughing.

Ethan chewed thoughtfully before adding, "I don’t know how to thank you. Maybe with a kiss?"

Luna rolled her eyes. "Keep dreaming." But despite her attitude, her cheeks immediately became warm.

She cleared her throat and returned her attention to the food. "Miles isn’t an ordinary worker anymore." Her voice softened. "He’s officially part of the family now." She looked around the kitchen. "That’s why we’re still going to find him." Her expression became serious. "And Astrid too. We need to know what really happened here."

She turned back toward the cinnamon rolls. "Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to—"

"Well, if that’s how you see him..." Ethan’s voice interrupted her.

Luna stopped.

Ethan continued without realizing the tension his words were about to create. "Then why are we sitting here eating when looking for him is what we’re supposed to be doing?"

Silence. Complete silence.

Everyone stopped moving. Even Kai slowly lowered the food in his hand.

Luna turned around. Her expression had changed completely. "Are you fucking kidding me, Ethan?"

Ethan blinked. "What?"

"Is that what you think of me now?" She pointed toward herself. "Some selfish bastard who doesn’t care that Miles and Astrid could be missing?"

"No!" Ethan immediately stood. "That’s not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?"

"It was just a harmless question!" His hands went up defensively. "I didn’t expect everyone to react like this."

The tension in the kitchen grew hotter by the second.

Luna’s jaw tightened. "Fuck this." She turned away. "I’m not making lunch anymore."

Ethan’s face fell. "Luna—"

"And fuck you, Ethan!" She stormed toward the doorway. "Thanks for ruining a perfectly excellent day. And then you wonder why I don’t always talk to you."

She tossed her hair over her shoulder and kept walking.

Ethan stared after her. Then he moved. Quickly.

He rushed forward and caught her around the waist before she could leave. Luna stumbled backward.

"Ethan!"

He caught her securely, and she ended up falling straight into his arms. Their faces were suddenly inches apart.

"We aren’t stepping out of here until we resolve this misunderstanding, baby girl."

Luna froze. Her cheeks became even hotter. She stared at him. The nickname was working. It always did. She hated that. Or at least she pretended to.

Kai covered his mouth to hide his laughter. Adrian looked away, clearly trying not to smile. Rowan simply shook his head.

Ethan, meanwhile, looked completely serious. "I wasn’t accusing you of anything."

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Then explain yourself."

Ethan sighed. "I was worried too." His expression softened. "We’ve just returned after everything we’ve been through. The base is damaged, Miles and Astrid are missing, and there’s blood everywhere. I know you want to protect everyone." He gently loosened his hold on her. "I only meant that we shouldn’t forget about them while we eat."

Luna stared at him. Her anger slowly began to fade. "But you made it sound like I didn’t care."

"I know." Ethan smiled apologetically. "I said it badly."

Luna looked away. "Very badly."

"I’ll work on that."

She huffed. "You better."

Ethan grinned. "So... can I have another cinnamon roll?"