Raven was a little embarrassed by all the praise, but he kept up his cool act, even though his tail was wagging so fast. Before they left, Caroline figured this trip would be long, and Raven would probably get hungry using his powers so much. She hung a small bag around his neck with dog food, cooked chicken breast, and some dog treats inside. Raven wasn't stingy at all. He picked a little of everything and gently dropped them into Haroldson's palm. Haroldson's heart melted on the spot! "Raven, I'm not hungry, but thanks! "Okay, okay, I'll take it, I'll take it." Raven nudged Haroldson with his nose, insisting he accept the "gift." Haroldson couldn't stop grinning. The big boy's eyes were full of sparkles. After that, Caroline and Haroldson chatted for a bit. Caroline walked around to the back of the garbage truck and saw that except for some liquid stains, the street had been completely cleared. Only a few scraps remained in the corners. Another cleaning vehicle would come later for a deeper sweep. "I got transferred from the front lines. Captain Richter is back too." Hearing Niko's name again, Caroline didn't react much. Haroldson explained that even though he and Niko were back, Nathaniel hadn't put them in charge of the shelter. They'd been assigned to street cleaning and building the new base. It was clear Nathaniel still wasn't happy with Niko's past behavior. When Caroline heard about the new base, she asked for details. Haroldson happily drew a map on paper, showing where it was, and said she could visit anytime and even meet him or Niko there. Caroline smiled and put the map away, but she had no plans to visit. "I've got to get back to work, Caroline. There's a small outbreak of the plague around the city. A lot of people are dying, but all the shelters are safe. We're doing everything we can to help those infected. I heard the antidote was developed by your team. You guys are amazing!"Haroldson was friendly and talkative, but it was clear he was swamped. Nathaniel had assigned them a task. They had three days to clean most of Hornvale's streets and send all the trash to designated disposal plants to be burned, so mutated creatures and the plague wouldn't spread. Caroline didn't want to keep him any longer. She mounted Raven and moved on. Over four hours, she checked seven or eight locations. Three seemed promising. But there were still a few more spots to see. She wanted to pick up the pace. The weather was getting hotter. Caroline checked a thermometer. Even though it was already dark, it was 91°F. She figured that during the day tomorrow, it could hit 104°F. The great heat was right around the corner. It might hit them the day after tomorrow. By 9 p.m., Caroline had reached the foot of a mountain in the suburbs of Hornvale. It wasn't far from the coal plant where she used to collect coal. What caught her eye was a cleared area on the mountainside. Before the apocalypse, there were plans to build a villa community area here. A large section of land had been leveled—perfect for placing a mobile base. Caroline walked around a couple of times. Overall, she was pretty satisfied. It was remote, spacious, and relatively quiet. But there was a problem. It was close to the forest, which meant strange mutant animals could show up. As she was thinking this, she heard movement behind her. Raven was already on high alert, stepping in front of Caroline to shield her. As the bushes rustled, a person emerged. And around him, pairs of eyes slowly appeared in the dark.A chill ran down Caroline's spine. She was sure she didn't hear a sound. Raven shuddered uncomfortably. He must've heard things she couldn't, since his hearing was sharper. "A woman? It's been so long since I've seen a woman! Do you need supplies? I've got loads here! Anything you want, I've got it all." The man across from her sounded full of warmth and sincerity! But that only made Caroline more wary. Something was wrong with him. She suddenly remembered the man at the leather factory who'd been eating human flesh. He was also overly friendly. In the apocalypse, that kind of unexplained warmth usually hid a darker purpose.