The once bustling headquarters was now eerily silent, shrouded in grief. Thick black smoke clouded the sky, and the stench of death lingered in the air, forcing people to cover their noses. Several personnel dressed in white moved carefully among the wreckage, carrying unrecognizable bodies. Beneath the raging flames, the corpses had turned black, creating a heart-wrenching scene.
"Ganaa!" A middle-aged woman screamed in despair upon spotting her only child lying lifeless among the piles of bodies.
Tears streamed down her face as she turned to a man in a black uniform. "Why did you do this? What did my son ever do wrong?" she cried hysterically, gripping Jeffry's collar.
"Stop," the man in black said, aiming his gun at her.
Her tear-filled eyes locked onto the man threatening her. With trembling hands, she raised the barrel of the gun to her forehead. She no longer cared about her own life—what was the point of living now that her only son was gone?
"Shoot me! Come on, shoot! You're all demons! If only you had shown respect to Lord Cores, this disaster would never have happened! You monsters!" she screamed, her voice breaking under the weight of her emotions.
"Hiks, hiks… what did Ganaa ever do to deserve this?" Her sobs shattered the suffocating silence, pouring out all the pain buried deep within her heart.
Jeffry stood motionless, unflinching. His face remained blank, his eyes fixed on the billowing smoke, devoid of expression. To a passerby, he might seem heartless. But in truth, he was filled with sorrow and rage over the tragedy that had unfolded.
...
The sun had set, but the fire still burned, a testament that the destruction was far from over. Not only had the new base been attacked, but the main headquarters had also suffered the same fate.
As night fell, most people began to disperse, corralled by military guards standing watch. Only a handful of medical personnel and security officers remained, monitoring the deteriorating situation.
Hours later, when the flames finally started to subside, most of the personnel retired to their quarters, exhausted from the day's turmoil. But amid the eerie silence enveloping the headquarters, one figure stood unmoving, staring at the remnants of devastation with an empty expression.
From the third floor, Karina had been watching Jeffry, who hadn't moved for quite some time. In her past life, she had grown accustomed to scenes like this—far more tragic ones, where there were no bases like this to shelter and protect so many people.
"They should be grateful. Where else would they find a base willing to bear their burden? These ungrateful fools," she muttered under her breath.
Glancing at her watch, which read one in the morning, Karina took a deep breath and approached Jeffry. Yet the closer she got, the more confused she became; Jeffry wasn't reacting the way he normally would. Usually, he could sense her presence from twenty meters away.
Slowly, she stepped in front of Jeffry, her sharp gaze locking onto his bloodshot eyes, irritated by the smoke. After a few moments, Jeffry finally met her eyes.
Sighing, she grasped his hardened hand, pulling him toward the underground parking lot and shoving him into the passenger seat.
The heavy silence inside the black jeep was only broken by the rumbling engine. Glancing sideways, Karina sighed again, noting that Jeffry still bore the same expression.
After a long drive, they arrived at a decrepit, moss-covered building. Without hesitation, she led Jeffry out of the vehicle and into the underground chamber. Though the exterior was dilapidated, the interior was well-maintained. She entered a code, and they stepped inside, Jeffry trailing behind her.
Karina immediately retrieved something from a culture rack.
Jeffry, who had been expressionless, suddenly widened his eyes as Karina held out a test tube containing a pink liquid. Instinctively, he took the tube from her, examining the shimmering substance closely. After a few moments, he lifted his gaze to meet Karina's, who was also watching him intently.
"Aren't you against publishing your research?"
"Eh, I just wanted to show you. If you don't want it, that's fine," Karina replied, quickly diverting her gaze, trying to avoid Jeffry's question.
"Thank you," Jeffry said, a small, almost imperceptible smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"I don't need your thanks; I want a luxury suite as payment," Karina declared.
"Huh?" Jeffry was caught off guard by the sudden request, his ears burning with embarrassment.
"My room is too cramped, so I want one that's on par with a general's quarters," Karina explained firmly.
"Ah, a room. Alright, alright, of course. Researchers get special treatment," Jeffry mumbled nervously. 'Get a grip, Jeff! What the hell are you thinking?' he scolded himself internally.
While Jeffry was lost in thought, Karina took hold of his right arm, carefully rolling up the sleeve of his black shirt. Delicately, she retrieved a syringe from a nearby case and slowly injected the pink liquid into his vein.
Karina watched as Jeffry squinted slightly, and she couldn't help but smile at his reaction. "You've done your best. No other base would care for someone like you. They should be grateful," she said while wiping the injection site.
"It's still my fault," Jeffry replied, his voice heavy with guilt, bearing the weight of his responsibility as their leader.
Karina nodded, understanding his pain. But she wanted to encourage him. "You did everything you could. Don't be too hard on yourself. No base would care about someone like you, and it wasn't even your duty to protect them."
"It's still my fault."
Karina sighed, locking eyes with Jeffry, her gaze filled with determination. "It was that mutant's fault. That's why we need to capture it as soon as possible," she stated with conviction.
Jeffry shook his head. "Don't go near that mutant," he warned, his tone carrying an undeniable possessiveness.
"Uh, okay," Karina replied absentmindedly, still focused on cleaning the injection site.
"I'm serious," Jeffry insisted, grabbing Karina's right hand.
Seeing Jeffry's serious expression, Karina felt an unexpected warmth in her chest. Without thinking, she reached out and placed both hands on his face. "I promise."