Before she could even react, two clear voices shouted from the upper floor. “I can too!” “Caroline, me too!” Both were young soldiers. Then a commotion broke out inside the building. Curious voices echoed as people asked what was happening. The two young soldiers who had been spying from the window quickly explained. Seconds later, more shouts followed. “Hey, I can do it too!” “Don't leave me out. I'm coming!” “Me, me, me! I'm here!” The last one stretched out the word here like he was giving a roll call to his superior. Caroline almost laughed but caught herself halfway. “Alright then... One at a time,” she said, shaking her head. Inwardly, she cursed Francis for this chaos—but only lightly. Still, she couldn't deny feeling touched. These young soldiers were so open and willing to help, offering up their own abilities without hesitation. By the time she finished speaking, a full line of soldiers had already formed in front of her. The last one had sprinted so fast he'd lost a shoe on the way. Haroldson stood at the front, as their squad leader. Every one of them stood straight, shoulders squared and eyes fixed ahead. Haroldson made a quick count of his team, then snapped to attention and said loudly, “Requesting inspection, ma'am!” When Haroldson shot her a playful wink, Caroline couldn't stop herself from laughing. Teenage boys really were endlessly entertaining. After unexpectedly picking up several new abilities for free, she parted ways with the soldiers. Seeing how hard they worked, she created a few bottles of ice-cold water for them to drink.The young soldiers cheered and called her boss, their grins wide and genuine. Haroldson puffed out his chest, beaming with pride as he introduced Raven to the others, recounting the dog's heroic moments from the past. Raven sat nearby, head hanging as if bored, but his broad chest stayed lifted high. His posture screamed pride, even as he tried to act indifferent. The smug dog couldn't hide his satisfaction. Before leaving, Caroline used her ability again to make more ice water. She filled several buckets and handed them over so the soldiers could stay cool while they worked. After saying goodbye, she turned Raven toward the southern outskirts Haroldson had mentioned. She planned to grab what she could and then head home. Like Haroldson said, it was all about timing and seizing the information gap before anyone else did. The government hadn't announced their plan to use gold as currency yet. Once that information went public, people would scramble to hoard it, and by then, collecting more would be nearly impossible. There would probably be riots. The stronger groups would take control of whatever gold remained in Hornvale. A single piece of gold could get people killed. If that was the case, it was better for the remaining gold to be collected by the government and distributed officially. That would at least keep things somewhat orderly. The authorities had likely already realized this. That was why they were racing to gather the gold now and would definitely have contingency plans ready for later. Caroline already had plenty of gold stored in her space, but free gold was still free gold. There was no reason to pass it up. She climbed onto Raven's back and rode toward the outskirts, calculating that if she moved fast, she could make it back to the base before midnight. When she passed by Francis' shelter, she stopped in and handed him some of the holy water she'd gotten from the fat woman. She explained the woman's ability to produce it and suggested he collaborate with her later. Francis's eyes lit up in excitement. He told her the shelter would be busy relocating to the new base over the next couple of days, but once that was done, he'd seek the woman out to negotiate a partnership. While there, Caroline also absorbed another batch of energy from the corpses of mutant creatures.It turned out to be a mutually beneficial exchange. She and Francis parted on good terms, agreeing to meet again the next day to tour the new military base together. As she left, she glanced toward Building B. It was silent now. A few guards stood watch at the entrance, but none reacted when she passed. It looked like Crow had finally quieted down. Maybe Obsidian Fang had decided to behave for once. But Caroline had no idea that at that very moment, Crow was falling apart. The old man sat slumped in a chair, scratching his head, his face drained of all color. He looked ten years older overnight. His once-dark hair was streaked with white, and the fierce energy that used to define him had vanished. He'd locked himself inside his room, sighing over and over again. “Why ... why did the apocalypse come early this time? Dyson's death happened sooner too. And my cancer... It's come back early as well.” Crow stared at the lab report on the table in front of him. He had always been meticulous about his health. Ever since founding his organization, he'd installed a full set of medical equipment and had undergone comprehensive checkups every two weeks without fail.