Chapter 156: Chapter 144: It Is Our Duty to Help Care for Relatives
"You must be hungry. I brought you something to eat."
Cyril took the food out of the bag one by one and placed it in front of Gu Ning.
Gu Ning looked over. There were two large cans of meat, a few eggs, simply packaged bread, and milk—all convenience foods.
She had been eating so well lately that, aside from the eggs and milk, she hadn’t had the other items in a long time.
Kloer picked up an egg. "I was just about to go find something to eat."
Cyril said, "Sorry, I didn’t get any for you. I’m afraid you’ll have to make a trip to the supply department yourself. I could only grab one portion, not more."
Kloer handed the peeled egg to Gu Ning and pulled a pack of compressed biscuits from his pocket. "No need, I came prepared. I was actually going to get something for Little Gu Ning. Our boss spoils her with good food and drink every day. She probably isn’t used to this kind of stuff. This is more your kind of food."
The West Wall had been torn apart by the Mutant Species army led by the King Seed. Many facilities were destroyed, and there was no power or water. Their food rations were all fixed, consisting mostly of things like compressed biscuits and energy bars.
Cyril said, "This is Admiral Andrew’s portion. My portion is the same as yours."
Listening to their conversation, Gu Ning hadn’t realized how bad the conditions at the West Wall were. Just this morning, she had eaten pancakes made by Barto, and for lunch, she had roasted chicken with the little wolves. They were simple meals, but compared to this, they were practically delicacies.
Thinking of Barto, she distractedly stuffed food into her mouth and turned to look out the window.
The sky was getting dark, but Alex hadn’t returned yet. She also had no news of Barto or Cook.
Kloer took a bite of a compressed biscuit. "The admiral is quite thoughtful. On behalf of myself and Alex, thank him for taking care of our little Mixed Breed."
Cyril replied, "Alex is busy dealing with the Mutant Species. It’s only right that we help look after his family."
Kloer didn’t bother with further pleasantries. It really was something they ought to do.
Alex was working himself to the bone in Zone 19, contributing both money and manpower. If the Military Department didn’t show some appreciation, they would fully support Alex returning to Zone 5 to face Alihot head-on.
"Little Gu Ning, once the power is back on, we’ll be able to eat better." Seeing that Gu Ning was eating distractedly and didn’t seem to have much of an appetite, Kloer opened a can of meat while comforting her.
Of course, Gu Ning wasn’t going to be picky at a time like this. Having anything to eat and drink was good enough. Not long ago, she was subsisting on dry compressed biscuits and plain water.
She was just worried about Cook and the others.
The portion was more than she could eat, so she pushed the can of meat toward Kloer.
Kloer knew her appetite was small. He smiled and ruffled her hair. ’It’s only been a few days, but Little Gu Ning is getting nicer to me,’ he thought. ’She really does care about me after all.’
"The power will be back on soon," Cyril said, observing the dynamic between Kloer and Gu Ning.
Kloer scooped a large spoonful of canned meat into his mouth and asked casually, "How soon?"
Cyril said, "The exact time isn’t certain yet. The Admiral is still discussing it with everyone. However, if all goes well, the power in Zone 19 should be restored before tomorrow."
"The power is being restored to all of Zone 19?" Kloer asked in surprise.
Cyril: "That’s right."
Gu Ning looked up at him.
’Is the cleanup operation over?’ she wondered. ’Otherwise, they wouldn’t restore power to the entire zone. The defense wall’s system requires a massive amount of electricity. They can only supply power to other areas by shutting it down.’
She wrote a note and handed it to Cyril: [Excuse me, has Alex returned?]
Cyril took it, read it, and said, "He’s in a meeting. If you want to see him, you can come with me."
’Alex is already back? Then what about Barto and Cook? Did they come back with him? Have they been put somewhere else?’
She couldn’t sit still any longer and shot to her feet.
Seeing her reaction, Cyril said, "I told him you were here. He’s very busy right now and doesn’t have time to see you. If you want to see him, you can come with me, but you can’t run off on your own."
Kloer found Cyril’s words a bit strange. ’If Alex is back, why didn’t he send someone to let us know?’
He had been with Gu Ning the whole time, so he didn’t know what was going on. The situation at the West Wall was complicated, and he couldn’t just take Gu Ning outside.
But with Cyril around, the little wolves from the Military Department should behave themselves.
"Let’s go." Kloer patted Gu Ning’s shoulder. "We’ll go see Alex."
Gu Ning nodded.
The moment they stepped out, Seth, who was guarding the door, nudged Gu Ning back into the room.
Seth was still in his beast form, his massive body almost completely blocking the doorway.
Gu Ning tried to squeeze through the gap in the doorway, but Seth nudged her back again, pushing Kloer back into the room along with her for good measure.
"What are you guys doing?" Kloer asked, confused, as he pushed against Seth’s large head, his gaze sweeping over the other little wolves guarding the hallway.
"AWOO..." Seth responded with a low sound and sat down in the doorway. The other little wolves also gathered around, blocking their exit and shooting unfriendly, warning glances at Cyril.
Seeing the little wolves guarding them so tightly, Cyril thought for a moment before saying to Gu Ning and Kloer, "It seems Alex doesn’t want me taking you out. I’ll go to the meeting and check on the situation for you."
As soon as he left, Kloer patted Seth’s head and said, "What’s gotten into you guys?"
Seth replied with a few low growls.
Gu Ning directly asked Seth about Barto and Cook.
Seth shook his head.
He had been standing guard here the whole time and didn’t know anything else. Before the boss left, he had given them a very strict order: they had to watch over the little boss and not let her leave the room until he returned.
Gu Ning grew anxious with the wait. She pretty much understood that this was Alex’s order, and Seth was the most obedient to him.
She didn’t want to cause trouble for Alex at a time like this, so she could only ask Seth if he could send someone to inquire.
Seth turned and called out, sending another little wolf to investigate. Then, he nudged Gu Ning reassuringly.
He knew that Jite and the others hadn’t returned to the West Wall construction site yet. He had a sinking feeling that something might have happened to Barto and Cook. The boss probably hadn’t sent anyone to inform them because he was afraid of worrying the little boss.
「Half an hour earlier.」
High-ranking officers of the Military Department filed into the combat operations room for an emergency meeting.
One officer entered the meeting room and, without even taking a seat, said worriedly to Andrew, "There was a problem with the last batch of Inhibitors. Our stockpile of usable Inhibitors is running low. We need to start production again quickly, or else transfer some from other zones."
Another officer said, "The King Seed is hiding and won’t show itself. We can’t keep getting bogged down like this. We have to lure it out."
"No matter what, we have to restore the power first."
Andrew remained silent, listening as everyone talked over each other, offering suggestions and opinions.
Just then, a figure radiating a cold, damp chill hurried into the meeting room.
The senior officers quieted for a moment upon seeing the newcomer, then resumed their discussion.
Andrew listened for a while longer, then sat up straight. He clasped his hands on the table and looked at Alex, who had just taken a seat in the middle of the conference table. "Alex, what are your thoughts on restoring the power?"
