Both Caroline's crew and the army wanted to save Dyson, but instead of working smoothly, it just turned into bad blood between them. Crow was a smart guy. He didn't dare offend either the army or Caroline anymore, not for Dyson. With nothing else he could do, he found a few healing ability users to pour their energy into Dyson and patch him up. Everyone had written Dyson off for dead, but somehow, he pulled through. He recovered little by little until, finally, he could stand on his own again. After being stuck in bed for a long time, he wanted to stretch his legs and walk around. Right as he stepped outside, he spotted Caroline and her team climbing into their ride and taking off. He lifted a hand in a casual wave, then rubbed his chin. They were leaving at night, with all that attention and even a convoy escort. What were they really up to? Crow had already told him what went down while he was unconscious. Dyson knew Crow didn't want trouble with Caroline's group. He also found out Lisa was gone. It felt like he'd just blinked, and the whole world had flipped upside down. "Man, that stings," Dyson muttered. Then, he turned to the dark corner beside him. "What about you? Are you okay with this? Tyler already had you beat before the apocalypse, and now the gap between you two isn't just big—it's huge. Are you fine with that?" No answer came from the darkness. The wind whistled past the buildings. Caroline's convoy was long gone, and the army's vehicles had disappeared as well. Dyson stood outside Building B, swallowed by the night. After a long silence, a raspy voice finally answered, "Not fine at all." The man's throat sounded wrecked. "Especially now—it's the end of the world, and Tyler still has a woman. Me? I don't even have a female dog."By the end, that rough voice was shaking with anger and bitterness. If anyone else had heard it, their skin would've crawled. Dyson, though, just chuckled. "Heh, same here. We worked with Mr. Crow for ages, and somehow we still lost to some random small group that showed up outta nowhere. I was planning to just sit around, eat, and sleep, and then bam—this weird ability showed up. "Feels like the world is forcing me to get back in the game." He spoke softly but clearly meant every word for the man hiding in the shadows. "So, what do you think? You in? Let's do this—and don't let Mr. Crow find out." His voice dipped at the end, even with no one else around. The hoarse voice chuckled. "Heh, that's more like it. I like a man who talks straight." "Good. Just say the word, and we'll move. When it starts, Tyler is mine," Dyson said. He cast one last glance in the direction Caroline's car had gone, then turned and walked back inside. The man in the shadows never stepped out. But his presence faded, like he'd melted into the darkness. Not far away, on a pile of broken stones by Building B, a tiny white bird tilted its head, having heard every word. It had been sitting there in plain view, but neither man had noticed. Once it was sure they were gone, it flapped its wings and flew off into the night. ... A few miles away, Caroline's convoy wasn't speeding. They were rolling slowly, like they were waiting for someone. After a while, a figure appeared out of the night sky. It dove fast, then slowed to match the cars' pace. When it reached the back window, it tapped twice with its red beak. Jet darted across the car and hit the window switch with his claws.The glass slid down, and the white bird zipped inside—it was Silver. Silver and Jet chirped back and forth quickly, swapping what sounded like secret info. A moment later, Jet seemed to piece everything together. He puffed out his chest, planted his feet firmly, and let out a loud, swagger-filled, "That bastard—" Then came a nonstop torrent of cursing. Using his classic string of swears, Jet repeated everything Silver had overheard. Tyler frowned, thinking it through. Denton couldn't stay quiet. "Silver said the guy's voice was all hoarse, like his throat got wrecked? No way!" He was holding Silver's favorite snack, feeding her as he spoke. "What's up?" Caroline asked. "That man used to be on our team," Tyler said quietly. "I've been searching for him." Denton's eyes went wide. "No way, right? He always respected you. When you got chosen as captain, he had your back completely. He was good to me too. His throat injury should've killed him. You saved his life."