Chapter 419

Chapter 419: Chapter 419

Suzy recalled what Mark had told her yesterday. Fiona mentioned that the black mist had appeared in the West Zone as well, and Suzy suspected that this incident was highly likely connected to it.

Seeing Suzy fall silent, Jenny continued on her own, "You know, there really is something fishy about the West Zone. Didn’t the Sacred Flame Squad return from there last time covered in injuries too?"

"Yeah."

Suzy replied offhandedly, her mind racing with the thought that the black mist had likely surfaced once more. Otherwise, the base wouldn’t have hastily assembled a troop of soldiers in the dead of night.

"Your stuffed bread is so delicious," Jenny suddenly blurted out with a sigh of contentment.

Suzy looked over to find that she had already devoured both packs of stuffed bread and was chugging down water—in the blink of an eye, the bottle was completely bone dry.

"Haven’t eaten this satisfyingly in ages," Jenny marveled.

"Any news today?" Suzy asked.

Jenny flashed her a cheeky grin. "Still feeling a little hungry, honestly."

The corner of Suzy’s mouth twitched—this girl was bottomless. Still, considering how much help Jenny had provided, feeding her a bit more was a small price to pay.

Suzy reached into the nearby crate, pulled out a pack of sandwich cookies, and tossed it over to her.

"Here."

"Heh, thanks!"

Jenny offered a silly grin and swiftly shoved the cookies into her pocket.

Suzy raised an eyebrow. "Didn’t you say you weren’t full?"

"I was hungry a second ago, but I’m stuffed now," Jenny claimed, patting her pocket defensively.

Suzy looked at her helplessly. "Spill it."

Jenny scanned the surroundings to make sure no one was within earshot before leaning in. "I heard Rina went to the West Zone last night too."

Suzy was taken aback. "She went too? What for?"

"Not just her—she brought her whole harem along with her." Pausing briefly, Jenny added, "Oh, and that friend of yours went as well—Adam."

"Why did he go too..." Suzy asked in surprise.

Jenny explained, "Don’t let Rina’s reputation fool you; the collective strength of her and her male companions is nothing to sneeze at. Those guys are all incredibly capable."

"Is that so..."

Suzy had no heart to focus on that right now; her primary concern was why Adam had gone along.

"Did Adam go because he was following Rina?" Suzy pressed.

"Sort of, but I heard his teammates went along with him as well," Jenny said. "Adam isn’t in Rina’s squad. He has his own team, and they’re crazy strong—ranking in the base’s top five. Honestly, their true strength goes way beyond that ranking; they’re only fifth because they don’t take on many runs. Squad rankings in the base are based on accumulated points—more points, higher rank. Even though Adam’s squad rarely picks up routine tasks, they hold a firm spot near the top because every contract they take is brutal."

"Looks like the situation in the West Zone is extremely severe this time," Suzy murmured.

Mobilizing the military, top-tier independent squads, and even Rina herself—just what on earth was happening out there?

"It really is serious," Jenny agreed with a nod. "In all the time I’ve been at this base, this is the first time I’ve ever seen a grand mobilization like this."

Jenny’s admission caught Suzy off guard. "It’s your first time seeing it too?"

"Yep, absolute first."

As she spoke, Jenny idly twirled the empty plastic bottle between her fingers. "Suzy... do you think this base will stay safe?"

"Maybe."

Suzy couldn’t guarantee anything either. She knew very little about the true nature of the black mist or the monsters inside. She couldn’t help but wonder if a similar black mist had appeared near her uncle and the others...

A surge of anxiety hit her; she wanted to resolve things here and head back as fast as possible.

"Jenny, what about the matter I asked you to look into yesterday?" Suzy asked hurriedly. She needed to settle Adam’s situation swiftly.

The faster, the better!

"I’ve got it all cleared up," Jenny said. "There really was something bizarre going on."

"That fast?"

Jenny’s efficiency took Suzy by surprise.

"Of course! Who do you think I am? I’m Jenny," she gloated with a proud smirk.

After flexing a bit, her tone turned serious. "Before your friend agreed to Rina’s marriage proposal, something specific definitely happened."

"What was it?" Suzy urged.

Jenny explained, "The day he returned from a field run, he appeared to be injured. Right after that, he came down with a high fever... and once it broke, he agreed to marry Rina."

"Where did you learn all this?" Suzy asked quickly.

Jenny replied, "I know one of the base’s doctors. Took some effort, but I managed to pry his mouth open. He was the one who treated Adam back then."

"Do you think Rina was behind it?" Suzy asked.

Without a second’s hesitation, Jenny blurted out, "Without a doubt! It had to be her! Uncle Sam mentioned that Rina was right there by his bedside the entire time."

"Then how did she pull it off?" Suzy frowned in confusion.

Could Rina possess something capable of controlling or wiping someone’s mind? If so, that would be terrifying.

"I don’t know the exact method she used," Jenny said with a deadly serious expression. "But my gut tells me it was definitely Rina!"

Suzy looked at Jenny, fully sharing her sentiment.

Though they still didn’t know what methods Rina had used, the target was crystal clear.

"Oh, right, there’s one more thing I need to tell you," Jenny added.

"What is it?" Suzy asked.

Jenny looked up at Suzy, took a deep breath, and lowered her voice: "They’re getting married."

"Rina? I know, you told me about that already," Suzy said.

"I mean, their wedding date got bumped up," Jenny clarified.

Suzy froze.

"Bumped up? To when?" she pressed.

"The wedding is in 3 days," Jenny revealed. "It was super sudden. I heard it was originally scheduled for a month from now, but it suddenly got pushed forward. I only found out today."

"Is the news about the wedding being moved up confirmed?"

"Confirmed, one hundred percent. It came straight from someone close to Rina—they’ve already started preparations."

"Was it Rina’s idea?"

"Yeah, Rina herself. She seems to be in an awful hurry to get married."

Suzy’s expression shifted drastically. She hadn’t expected things to turn so fast.

Why was Rina suddenly in such a rush to get married?

And at this exact moment, no less.

Preparing for a wedding took time; her sudden haste made everything look suspicious.

Time was truly running out.

"Let’s go," Suzy said, abruptly standing up.

Jenny was caught off guard.

"Go? Where?" Jenny blinked.

"I’m leaving the base to find Adam," Suzy declared.

She had to see Adam today—maybe there was still a way to help him regain his memory.

"Are you going right now? They’re in the West Zone, and that area is currently under lockdown," Jenny reminded her.

"Lockdown or not, I’m going," Suzy insisted.

She stood up and walked briskly toward the RV.

"Do you need me to come with you?" Jenny called out from behind.

"No need," Suzy declined flatly.

Now that she knew Adam’s exact location, there was no need to trouble Jenny further. Besides, given the unique nature of the RV, it wasn’t convenient to have her tag along.

"Oh, alright then," Jenny acknowledged, a hint of regret on her face.

Suzy quickly climbed into the driver’s seat just as Mark was walking over from a distance.

He picked up his pace as he drew near, looking puzzled as he saw Suzy behind the wheel.

"Are we driving?" Mark asked.

"We have to head out of the base," Suzy said.

Without asking why, Mark climbed onto the RV without a second thought.

"I’ll be off then!"

Suzy started the engine and waved goodbye to Jenny through the window. Jenny nodded back.

"Go ahead, stay safe!"

After saying goodbye, Suzy stepped on the gas and drove the vehicle out of the parking lot.

Once the guards verified that she was leaving to execute a mission, she was granted smooth passage.

Only then did Mark speak up: "Are we taking on a mission?"

Suzy nodded, then shook her head. "Sort of, but more importantly, I’m looking for my friend."

Mark glanced at her. "The friend in the base."

"Mhm."

Mark didn’t ask anything more.

Suzy soon drove the RV toward the base gates. They took the side exit this time, which was the standard route used by most base vehicles departing for field missions.

After confirming that the two were heading out on a mission, the soldiers opened the gates.

The moment the RV cleared the base, Suzy slammed her foot on the accelerator, driving straight toward the West Zone.

However, before she could even catch sight of Adam, the RV was abruptly intercepted.