Caroline let out a small laugh. It wasn't about the ability itself—it was because she suddenly pictured Nathaniel punching Francis square in the face. She reached out to shake Nathaniel's hand, and a soft vibration traveled up her arm. Glancing at her Zero System screen, she raised an eyebrow. Life Ability: Hope Note: In everyone's heart, there's a dream filled with flowers—that's hope and love. To use this, rub your hands, rest your chin on them, imagine yourself as a flower, and say, "I'm a flower." Then, depending on how much hope you carry, a massive field of blossoms will bloom. If your hope is as deep as the sea, its warmth can reach the whole world. Available Uses: X1 It was the first time Caroline had seen a system note that was short and to the point. But what really surprised her was the number of uses—only one. The moment she saw Nathaniel's ability, she guessed it had to be a life ability. Not a healing one, though—that was something that worked on the mind. What she hadn't expected was that it could only be used once. To her, the ability didn't look all that strong. Honestly, it seemed kind of average. She reread the note, stopping on the last line. "If your hope is as deep as the sea, its warmth can reach the whole world." By now, Caroline knew that every word in the Zero System's descriptions meant something, no matter how strange they sounded. She closed the interface carefully, looked toward Nathaniel—who was waiting quietly—and said, "Commander Ball, your ability is powerful. You just need to use it at the right time. I just haven't figured out when yet." She didn't know why an ability like that had awakened in him. It looked useless on the surface, but there was something deeper behind it. Then, she remembered Nathaniel was the hope of Hornvale.Maybe his heart had always been full of hope for the world. He kept that hope alive for everyone else, holding up Hornvale's spirit with an old, worn body. Maybe that was why this ability appeared in him. What Caroline didn't know yet was that this ability wasn't one of a kind. Later, she'd meet others who had it too. And they all shared one thing—big, selfless love. ... After saying goodbye to Nathaniel and walking out, she spotted a group of young men waiting near the entrance. The heat was brutal, and everyone—soldiers and civilians—had switched to loose tank tops. As soon as Caroline stepped out, the guys in tanks waved at her, calling out in unison, "Caroline, we've been waiting forever!" Their voices sounded teasing and overly dramatic. It was perfectly in sync, too. Definitely rehearsed. When she saw Francis' smug grin, she immediately knew the whole thing was his doing. Caroline copied all their abilities in one go. By daylight, Francis and Nathaniel insisted on one more meal with Caroline's team. They didn't refuse. At noon, they all sat down with the soldiers for lunch. Everyone brought a few dishes, and the place buzzed with easy chatter. Nathaniel told her the army's new base was almost complete. When she heard the location, she blinked in surprise. It was only about three miles from her new place. Pretty close, actually. "Our base isn't underground. It's built with modular tech, so it goes up fast and can be taken apart anytime." Caroline nodded. That kind of setup was perfect for a world like this. Nathaniel invited them to visit once it was done. "Even though the city is scarred and danger is everywhere, the government is still working to bring it back."Caroline and her crew smiled and agreed. They set the visit for ten days later, when the base would officially open. That afternoon, Caroline received the last shipment of mutant beast corpses from the army. Some came from Andrew's group as well. Nothing rare, but there was a lot of it. Nathaniel said Andrew's punishment would be made official in a few days. If she guessed correctly, Andrew would be reassigned somewhere else. Nobody knew where. In short, Hornvale would soon be completely under Nathaniel's command.