Lisa kept packing the most important food supplies, gritting her teeth. "If we don't take our stuff, we'll die even if we escape." In times like these, avoiding your enemies isn't enough. Without enough supplies, you still wouldn't make it. She'd already packed clothes, essentials, and daily necessities for her and Joe as fast as she could. Now, she just needed to load up as much food as possible into the van. Once that was done, they'd be safe. A van full of supplies could keep them alive for a long time. Maybe even give them a chance to start over. Kids had sharp instincts. Joe's face was full of worry. "But what if the enemy catches up with us?" Lisa didn't stop packing. "It won't be that fast. Those three battle pets can buy us a lot of time. Plus, with all our guys, even if we lose, it'll slow them down." She said confidently, "By the time they remember me, they won't even smell my car's exhaust." Joe pouted. "Then why are we still in such a hurry?" He'd almost tripped over his suitcase rushing down the stairs earlier. Lisa frowned. "Normally, they'd never find us. Northlorn is a huge city, and with this thick fog, where would they even look? "But ... " she added, "when people's lives are on the line, people change. Even though those guys are loyal to me, under threat, they might give up our location. "Forget the others, even Philbert might turn on us when things get bad. "Anyway, we need to leave now and find some safe spot nobody knows about."Joe nodded and hurried to help his mom pack. Meanwhile, Natalie and Cassian had already reached Lisa's bedroom. Seeing the messy room, Natalie turned to Lucky. "Looks like they've already packed up and left, huh?" Lucky looked a little embarrassed. Sorry, I smelled her scent strongest here just now. The whole hotel smelled like Lisa, so it was hard to tell. Lucky lowered her head again, sniffed carefully, then her eyes lit up. This way! They went downstairs and headed straight for the grain depot. Years of martial arts training had sharpened Lisa's hearing. While packing, she caught faint footsteps and went on alert. Without hesitation, she ran to the big water tank in the corner and lifted the lid. After taking a look inside, she turned to Joe. "Get in!" The tank wasn't full. If Joe stood inside, the water reached just below his shoulders, so he could breathe. Joe's face went pale. "What's wrong, Mom? Don't scare—" Before he could finish, Lisa picked him up and put him into the tank. Joe struggled instinctively. Lisa slapped him. "Calm down!" She grabbed his shoulders and said firmly, "Remember when I taught you how to hold your breath underwater during the flood?" Joe stood in the water, forcing himself to stay calm. "Yes." Lisa said, "Great. I'm going to put the lid on. You stay still inside. If you hear someone coming toward the tank, squat down and hide underwater. Hold your breath until you're sure no one's there. Got it?" Joe was scared. "Mom, what are you—"Lisa cut him off. "Do you understand?!" Outside, Nicholas's voice shouted, "Who's there?!" Lisa glanced back nervously and spoke quickly, "No matter what you hear, don't come out! If I'm okay, I'll come back for you. If something happens to me, don't you dare come out and get yourself killed for nothing." Joe burst into tears and reached for her hand. But Lisa pushed him away, grabbed a handful of flour from nearby, and stirred it into the water to make it murky, so no one would spot him hiding below. Then she quickly put the lid back on. Before leaving, she whispered, "Joe, you have to survive. Be brave. Everything I taught you will help. "Remember the name Natalie Ashford. She's a powerful and dangerous enemy. If you see her, stay away. Don't even think about revenge." With that, she turned and ran out. If she stayed, Joe might be found. They didn't know about the boy, so as long as she led them away, he'd be safe, no matter what happened to her. Inside the dark tank, Joe stood in the water, clenching his fists as he cried. His mom's words filled him with a terrible feeling.