"The army just finished building a new all-terrain truck," Francis said proudly. "It can handle every kind of bad weather and rough ground. I already told the team to bring one over for you. And let me tell you this—that truck looks amazing. They've only made three so far, but no matter what, I made sure you'd get one! After all, you saved Commander Ball and protected our shelter again and again. We won't forget what you've done for us." "As for the people on Commander Zimmer's side, we'll need some time before we can give you a fair answer. But once we're done dealing with Commander Zimmer, hahaha." He didn't finish the sentence, but the cold look in his eyes said everything. Nathaniel's side wasn't going to let Andrew walk away easily this time. Caroline sighed. She knew the military was overwhelmed right now. Nathaniel was still pretending to be dead. Francis was running around trying to hold everything together. Chaos was everywhere. She came to see Francis for two reasons. First, she needed to remind him with one last push before she moved out of the shelter so that he would remember her after she left. She trusted Francis and Nathaniel's character, but in this apocalypse, staying cautious was always the smart move. Second, she came to talk about other terms of their deal. After hearing what Francis promised, she felt much more at ease. Especially the modified truck, she couldn't help feeling excited. Only three existed! "Francis, we'll be moving out soon. We've already picked a location," Caroline said. She handed him a note with the address written on it. Francis took the address with a solemn nod. "Don't worry," he said. "From now on we'll send mutant bug bodies to you. Keep what you need. If you don't, strip them for energy, and we'll take the rest back. Some of those bugs can be used as food." Caroline nodded. "Good. I wonder if you can send more people to hunt mutants. If you find rare ones, like orange or blue mutants, I want their bodies after the army keeps what it needs for experiments. Like that mutated turtle before." She had learned something about mutant colors. Color didn't always match a mutant's energy, but rare energy types often showed up as a distinct color. Take the green turtle: it had been a normal pet turtle. After it gained green life energy, its whole shell and skin turned bright green.This time, Caroline did not bring up debts or tallies. She spoke plainly and seriously. Still, she had already prepared the ground. Francis understood exactly what she meant. Caroline wasn't happy with the small number of bodies the military had been sending. She wanted more. And rarer. Francis nodded. "I'll tell Commander Ball. He'll send people to handle it." Then a small smile crossed his face, like he'd just remembered something good. "Since people began awakening powers, the military shortage has eased. Jobs that used to take three or four soldiers can now be done by one. More ability users have joined the authorities." Caroline felt a small relief for the government. In her memory, the last life had been the same. In her last life, Caroline awakened her ability late. Back then, she thought the safest path was to join the government and get an official position. She believed that having a spot in the system would keep her alive. But her power had been weak—just a simple water ability. The government didn't value people like her. She ended up teaming up with random survivors, barely making it through the apocalypse. Things did get a little better once ability users appeared. At least, before the giant bug swarms and waves of mutated creatures crashed into every city. Right now, in this early stage, humans still had a chance to breathe. But after a few more months, Caroline still remembered the scenes from her past life. The mutated creatures flooding the streets like a rising tide, people screaming and running with nowhere safe to hide. She let out a long breath. Thank goodness this time, she wasn't the same helpless girl begging the government for a tiny position or the one panicking and running during every insect attack. This time, she stood as someone who could speak to the government on equal ground. Someone powerful enough to tame mutated creatures and use them for herself. After laying out all her conditions, Caroline added one more, "And I hope you can help me keep an eye on the army and other shelters. If you find anyone with useful or unusual abilities, tell me."