Chapter 202: Chapter 202 Joint operation.
Ivy car drove through the gates of Hope Base before slowly coming to a stop near the bunker. It was already late in the afternoon and since Darren and Ivy were done with their mission at the villa....it was only right to come back home now.
The moment the engine was switched off, Ivy and Darren climbed out.
Aria was already fast asleep in the back seat.
Without saying a word, Darren gently lifted the little girl into his arms, making sure not to wake her.
Together, he and Ivy carried her into the bunker before carefully laying her on her bed.
After settling Aria down, the two returned to the car.
Lila had also fallen asleep during the journey.
Ivy smiled softly before gently carrying the little girl inside as well, tucking her comfortably beneath a blanket.
Finally, they carried little Hope, who was sleeping even more soundly than the others.
Only after all three children had been settled comfortably inside the bunker did Ivy and Darren walk back outside.
The two eventually sat beneath the large orange tree outside the bunker, enjoying the rare moment of peace and quiet after such a hectic day.
Darren stretched his tired body before releasing a long, exhausted sigh.
"Today was an incredibly busy day," he said with a tired smile.
"It really was," Ivy replied before turning toward him with a warm smile.
"Thank you for handling the meat distribution."
Darren chuckled.
"It wasn’t much. Besides, seeing everyone so happy made it worth the effort."
Just then....
Ding!
{Your butler has now been granted an additional communication function thanks to me.}
{From now onward, any team that possesses one of your communication devices will be able to contact you regardless of the collapse of the world’s communication networks.}
{Even though this apocalypse has rendered ordinary communication impossible, your System communication network is unaffected.}
{You currently have new information waiting to be received, Host.}
Another notification immediately followed.
Ding!
{Host, a radio transmission was received from Fiercehunter Base while you were away.}
Melody’s gentle electronic voice sounded inside her mind.
Fierce hunter?
{It’s Erick new base name.}
"Oh I see." Ivy said as she slowly stood to her feet before letting out a quiet sigh.
Without another word, she walked over to the communication console that the System had installed outside and inside the bunker.
"Play the transmission."
A burst of static crackled through the speakers before a familiar voice echoed throughout the room.
"Captain Ivy, this is Erick from Fiercehunter Base."
A brief pause followed before Erick laughed awkwardly.
"And before you ask why the base name has changed... I renamed it recently. I thought ’Fiercehunter Base’ sounded much cooler."
Another chuckle escaped him.
"I see...." Ivy replied with a heavy sigh.
"To be honest, I never expected I’d actually be able to contact you. Somehow, this communication device just... worked."
His tone quickly became serious.
"Anyway, we’ve received updated meteorological data from one of our remaining weather observation stations."
"A massive cold front is expected to arrive before the end of this month."
The relaxed expression on Ivy’s face gradually disappeared.
"A prolonged freezing period?" she asked calmly.
"That’s right," Erick replied immediately.
"The temperature will continue dropping."
"And according to our calculations, this cold wave will be far worse than anything we’ve experienced since the apocalypse began."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Many survivor bases won’t be prepared for it."
Silence filled the air.
Ivy had already expected winter to become increasingly brutal.
However, hearing confirmed meteorological data made the reality feel far more pressing.
Fortunately...
Hope Base had begun preparing long before this warning arrived.
They had stockpiled enormous amounts of food.
Collected enough firewood to last for months.
Reinforced the villas and important buildings throughout the base.
Prepared heating equipment.
Stored thick clothing and blankets.
Erick continued speaking.
"I also owe you a favor, Captain Ivy."
One of Ivy’s eyebrows rose slightly.
"Oh?"
"You warned us about the monster tide before," Erick said sincerely.
"Without that warning, Fiercehunter Base would’ve suffered devastating casualties."
"So...I’d like to return that favor."
"Our base has accumulated a considerable amount of winter supplies."
"If there’s anything Hope Base is lacking, you’re welcome to come and take whatever you need."
A faint smile appeared on Ivy’s lips.
"It seems helping you back then turned out to be a worthwhile investment."
A laugh came from the other end of the transmission.
"I’ve already sent Albert to pick you up as well as Darren."
Both Ivy and Darren frowned slightly.
Darren exchanged a puzzled glance with Ivy before speaking.
"Just to collect supplies?" he asked curiously.
Erick laughed.
"So you’re there too, Darren."
"No... it isn’t just about collecting supplies."
His tone immediately turned grave.
"We’ve gathered intelligence regarding a massive government emergency grain reserve warehouse located in the eastern district."
"It served as one of the government’s strategic grain reserves before the apocalypse."
"Our scouts believe an enormous quantity of grain is still stored inside."
Both Ivy’s and Darren’s eyes narrowed at the same time.
An emergency grain reserve...
If the warehouse remained intact, it could contain enough food to support tens of thousands of survivors throughout the harsh winter.
Erick continued.
"The problem is..."
"The entire warehouse has become the territory of several high-level monsters."
"No single survivor base has enough strength to capture it alone."
"So..."
"We’ve contacted several survivor bases."
"This won’t be a mission for just one base."
"It will be a joint operation."
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