He couldn't help but roll his eyes. Isn't that Ms. Ashford's lovesick dog? No wonder Mr. Holland asked me to follow this car. It turns out Ms. Ashford is inside. Catching a glimpse of his boss' face in the rearview, Roderick couldn't figure out what Cassian was thinking, so he kept following in silence. Still, that dog kept glancing back, stretching toward their direction. Sweat prickled on Roderick's palms. Is that dog's nose truly that sharp? He eased off and widened the gap between the cars. Good thing the power was out—no streetlights on either side. The only glow came from Natalie's headlights up ahead.Their car blended perfectly into the darkness. Roderick couldn't risk using his headlights and didn't dare drive too close. So, he just crept forward, letting the dim light of the lead car guide him. As he drove, he sighed inwardly. Man, tailing someone is way harder than it looks. Natalie noticed Lucky going wild, almost throwing herself out the window. Afraid her dog might fall, she quickly tugged her back in and rolled the glass up. "Lucky, that's enough fresh air. I'm closing the window and turning on the AC." Lucky responded with a pitiful whine. Natalie didn't budge and flipped on the air conditioning. The car cooled off in no time. She let out a long, relaxed breath. Even though she'd been speeding down the road with the window open, the heat outside made the wind feel like it came straight out of a hair dryer. Seeing there was no point in whining, Lucky flopped onto the seat, looking crushed. Natalie peeked at her dog's sulky face, gave her head a light flick, and chuckled. "Silly dog! I only closed the window. Why act like your heart just broke?" After two hours on the road, she finally arrived in Jarford. Jarford sat on the southern edge of Northlorn, filled with green trees and far away from the noisy city center. That was why villa neighborhoods had popped up here. The wealthiest of Northlorn lived up in the hillside villas, while the rest of the rich mostly stayed in Jarford. But those in Jarford weren't as fortunate as the hillside crowd.Within days, their fancy homes had been swallowed by floodwater. Families had no choice but to leave and squeeze into tall apartment blocks. Now, their lives weren't much different from those of anyone else stuck in those high-rises. Even though the villas stood empty and the flood had wrecked everything inside, some folks were still willing to tidy them up and settle in. That included the base she was heading toward. Cyril's brother was at a base in one of those villa areas in Jarford. That spot had open views and was easy to guard, making it a solid place for defense. Natalie drove straight there. By then, two long lines had already formed outside the gates—one for people, one for vehicles.A huge sign reading "Cassiland Base" was hung on the gate. A loudspeaker kept repeating an announcement, "To join the base, each person must hand over ten pounds of food." Natalie raised an eyebrow. Is this base that popular? She remembered from her previous life that an official base only asked for five pounds of food. Even then, a lot of people, including her back then, couldn't afford it. But here, a private base wanted double, and people still lined up. It wasn't too surprising. Joining a base meant a better shot at staying alive. If they ran out of supplies outside, they'd starve. Inside a base, at least they could work for food. The bare minimum was guaranteed.Even if their salary was nothing but a thin bowl of sandy cereal, it was still enough to survive. Natalie pulled some supplies from her storage space ahead of time and loaded them into the van. With so many people around, she couldn't just pull things out of thin air like she did at home, so she had to be prepared. Roderick, still tailing her, frowned when Natalie's car slipped into the queue. "Mr. Holland, that's the Cassiland Base I told you about." Why would Ms. Ashford come here? Isn't she already queen of her neighborhood? She can't seriously be after the Holland Group's help, can she? That doesn't add up. The whole situation was getting more confusing. He turned to ask, "Mr. Holland, what's our next move?" "We're going in after them." Roderick blinked in shock. "Mr. Holland, didn't you say only fools would go in there?" Cassian gave him a sharp side glance. Roderick instantly got the message and forced an awkward laugh. "Right, right. Only suckers get scammed. We're just checking things out. Totally different story!" Cassian didn't bother replying. He just said, "You stay out here. Bring extra food, then head back." Roderick reported, "Mr. Holland, they're charging ten pounds each. We've got 100 pounds in the trunk." Cassian answered, "Money makes things easier. Better to be safe."Roderick nodded. Looks like Mr. Holland plans to stick around here a while. I'd better get everything ready. Meanwhile, Natalie finally reached the front after waiting in line for a long time.