Denton rubbed his hands together. "Let's go get a housewarming gift for Caroline! She gave each of us one, but we never gave her anything back. I know Tyler's secretly preparing something, so we can't fall behind." Nelson's eyes lit up. He realized he had never given Caroline a gift before. She was always spoiling him—cupcakes one day, caramel pudding the next—and he had never thought much about it. But now that Denton mentioned it... "Let's do it! Let's get her something good!" The two agreed instantly. Denton hopped on Shorty, Nelson climbed onto his big cat, and after locking the door, they headed out—leaving behind two trees and a noisy parrot to watch the house. Jet loved those two trees. Right now, he was hopping from Handsy to Medusa, chatting nonstop. Usually, if he talked too much, one of them would smack him silent. But today, no matter how much Jet chattered, both trees only swayed gently in the wind, quietly listening. Meanwhile, Caroline and Tyler had already arrived back at the refuge. When Nathaniel learned that Caroline had come all the way back just to copy his ability, he was genuinely surprised. After hearing how she'd used it, he burst out laughing. "Never thought my ability could be used like that! Caroline, you've really opened my eyes." Then he turned toward the window, gazing into the distance. "Hope, huh? So that's what it's called. Hope. A perfect name for it." After saying goodbye to Nathaniel, Caroline and Tyler discussed how to get into Building B. Should they sneak in again like last time—Caroline jumping straight into Crow's bedroom—or go through the main entrance like civilized people? This time, with Building B posing a new, unknown threat, they couldn't afford mistakes. "You take the main door. I'll go through the window," Tyler said. After a short discussion, they agreed—Caroline would go in the front, Tyler through the back.But neither of them knew that even before they'd arrived, someone at Building B was already watching. When Dyson heard that Ryan had left, he didn't care much. They were never close anyway. He was just worried Ryan might kill Tyler or Caroline before he could. "Ah, I'm such a worrier," Dyson muttered to himself. "Always overthinking, always too cautious. I didn't sleep a wink last night worrying that lunatic might get to them first. Good thing I saw Caroline and Tyler today. Now I can finally relax." Standing by the window, he rubbed his chin and grinned. Before the apocalypse, Dyson had been a chubby, streetwise guy—rough around the edges, loudmouthed, but steady when it mattered. He'd been a poor student growing up and left school early to run with the local gangs. People mocked him for being fat, saying he wasn't ruthless enough. Once, a group humiliated him by stripping him down to floral underwear and forcing him to dance the Swan Lake ballet in the middle of the street. And Dyson? When it was over, he simply smiled and asked, "That good enough? Want me to dance another one?" The others in his group were beaten half to death that day. He was the only one who walked away almost unharmed. That was when he learned to hide his emotions and avoid fighting battles that didn't matter. Of course, later, he hunted down every single person who'd laughed at him and broke an arm on each of them. By the time he turned 20, he'd earned the respect of the local gangs. He smiled while he fought, joked while he schemed, and people started calling him "the guy who smiles while he bites." Later, he joined Obsidian Fang under Crow's command. Because of his size, he often disguised himself as an office worker, programmer, or even a scientist to complete missions. He never saw himself as especially gifted and didn't crave power. Earning Crow's trust, step by step, was enough.He never overreached—wherever Crow placed him, he did his job well. That was his survival code. After the apocalypse, Crow had clearly been grooming him for more responsibility. He sent Dyson to Building B to work under Shuran, laying the groundwork for larger plans. Dyson kept his role clear—a capable, dependable fat man with modest ambitions. Not powerful, but loyal, cautious, and clever enough to stay useful. Even before his ability ever awakened, he had already risen to become Crow's third-in-command within Obsidian Fang, and that alone made him feel very satisfied.