Evan and his team had only gone a short distance when he noticed Cynthia Grant had fallen to the very back.

Evan stopped and looked back at her. "Cynthia, keep up. There could still be unknown dangers along the way."

"Cynthia Grant, don’t you dare slow down our return to Azuregard City. It’s one thing to drag us down, but if we run into danger, don’t get us all killed like Flora Bloom and her group. I, for one, don’t want to die at the hands of zombies."

Holly didn’t stop walking, continuing to follow Evan.

It would take several days to walk back to Azuregard City from here, a delay they couldn’t afford. They had no idea if they would encounter another Second Level zombie on the way.

They had to get to the highway exit and find a car.

Cynthia Grant’s face was pale, an inextinguishable guilt weighing on her heart. She couldn’t understand why the captain she had always respected would suddenly abandon his companions today.

’Even though Flora Bloom’s group weren’t really our partners in the truest sense, they were surrounded by zombies because of us.’

She finally stopped, shaking off Evan’s hand. "You’re all going too far! I can’t just leave like this."

Evan’s brow was tightly furrowed, and he didn’t look at Cynthia Grant. He was just as tormented inside. But right now, the mission and the base had to come first; some things just had to be set aside.

"Listen to you, acting like you want to go back and get yourself killed. If you’re so capable, go back and save them yourself!" The scornful looks and sneers from Sandra and Holly filled Cynthia Grant with a bitter sense of irony. But what made her heart sink even more was Evan.

Though Evan remained silent, his grip on her hand slowly loosened.

"I have my mission, Cynthia. Stop making a scene. We’ll go back to the base first, then find people to come back and rescue them."

Cynthia Grant scanned the group and gave a cold smile.

"No need. You all can go."

With that, Cynthia Grant turned and ran back toward the place where Flora Bloom’s group had been swarmed by zombies, never looking back.

No one tried to stop her. Only Charles Sawyer clenched his fists, glanced at Sandra, and suppressed his own cowardice.

Cynthia Grant knew no one would stop her, and no one would go back with her. She ran, her vision blurred with tears.

Finally, when she returned to the vicinity of the strange forest, she saw Flora Bloom’s group sitting together in a circle, laughing. Each person was holding a bottle of water and a large tomato.

’Wh-what is going on?’

Cynthia Grant wondered if she was seeing things. Just moments ago, Flora Bloom and that man were surrounded by zombies, their fates unknown. Worse, there was a Second Level zombie in the mix. As a Level One superpower user, she knew it was impossible for them to have survived.

"Flora Bloom? You’re all okay?"

Seeing that it was Cynthia Grant, a smile slowly spread across Flora Bloom’s face.

’Looks like my judgment isn’t half bad. At least this Cynthia Grant has held onto her kindness and integrity in this new apocalyptic world. That’s something I admire.’ This realization strengthened Flora Bloom’s resolve to keep Cynthia Grant with her.

’Neal Wallace is a cardiologist. He could handle the delivery, but he’s a man, after all. And while doctors shouldn’t be judged by gender, Flora Bloom was still very much against being delivered by a male doctor.’

"Cynthia, come over quickly. Have some fruit with us."

Cynthia Grant didn’t even know how she managed to walk over and sit down with Flora Bloom’s group. It was only after she took the basin Flora Bloom offered, washed her hands, and started taking bites of the perfectly ripe tomato and sips of water that she remembered why she had come back.

"Flora Bloom, how are you all okay?"

Flora Bloom smiled mysteriously and asked, "Why? Were you hoping something happened to me?"

Cynthia Grant frantically shook her head. "No, no, no! I just thought, with so many zombies surrounding you, you must have... you must have..."

She knew it was bad luck to say such things out loud. But Flora Bloom wasn’t so superstitious and finished her sentence for her, "Hehe, must have died? I, Flora Bloom, don’t die that easily. Hurry up and eat. We need to get back on the road after this."

Cynthia Grant nodded in a daze, then began to wolf down the tomato and chug the water.

Even before the apocalypse, she had never eaten such a delicious tomato. Not only was it free of any sourness, but it was also sweet and savory with a melt-in-your-mouth texture. And the water... after just one sip, her exhaustion seemed to melt away.

Their team had run out of food and water long ago on this mission. They had been scrounging for scraps in residential buildings and cars along the way, but the small amounts were never enough to fill their stomachs.

’Even though Holly has a Water Ability, the amount of water she produces each time is less than what Flora Bloom just gave me to wash my hands.’

Seeing her devouring the food, Flora Bloom took a loaf of bread from her space and gave it to her.

"Thank you." Cynthia Grant looked up to say thanks, took a large bite out of the bread, and was met with the sight of a magnified tiger’s head staring at her curiously.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH! What is that?"

In front of Cynthia Grant was the little white tiger that Flora Bloom hadn’t put back in her space. Flora had just washed its fur, which wasn’t dry yet, so she let it out to sun itself. Who would have thought the little guy would suddenly pounce on Cynthia Grant and knock her to the ground?

"Snowy, this is Cynthia. Don’t you scare her."

Flora Bloom picked Snowy up and made the introduction.

"AWOO."

For some reason, the usually obedient Snowy ignored Flora Bloom’s objection, lunged toward Cynthia Grant again, and pinned her to the ground with its four paws. It pressed its cute yet majestic head against her, looking as if it were sniffing for something.

"Snowy, what are you doing?"

Flora Bloom snatched Snowy back, holding it tightly in her arms to stop it from sniffing around. Looking at the trembling Cynthia Grant on the ground, she smiled apologetically. "Sorry about that. This little guy is still a bit wild and untamable, but he won’t hurt you. Don’t be afraid."

’Are you kidding me? This Cynthia Grant is my future midwife! Nothing can happen to her.’

"Snowy is being bad. Flora won’t give you any food."

Caleb came over and patted the little white tiger’s head, then walked to Cynthia Grant’s side. They say children are the purest, their instincts able to sense who means them no harm.

"Cynthia, don’t be scared. If Snowy is naughty, we’ll tell Flora to let him go hungry."

Hearing this, the little white tiger shot Caleb a dejected glare, then began to clamor in Flora Bloom’s mind.

"Master, I smell something very familiar on her. It’s like your space."

With a human-like wrinkle of its nose, the little white tiger tried to get closer to sniff Cynthia Grant again, but Flora Bloom pulled it back once more. She gave its tiger head a light smack, forcing it to settle down.

’A familiar scent? A scent like my space?’

"I don’t know. It’s just really, really fragrant. It smells so good. I’m so hungry, Master."

After taking a piece of frozen meat soaked in spiritual water from her space and tossing it to Snowy, Flora Bloom began to size up Cynthia Grant anew.

’A scent similar to my space? Could it be that this Cynthia Grant also has a space like this? But that’s not right. If she did, she wouldn’t be in such a sorry state, would she?’

Flora Bloom’s gaze toward Cynthia Grant was filled with curiosity. ’Something that smells similar to my space is definitely not simple.’ So she asked, "Cynthia, besides awakening your Wood Element Ability, do you have any other special powers?"

Flora Bloom probed, "Like a space, for example?"

Cynthia Grant continued to eat the bread in her hand. Hearing Flora Bloom’s question, her eyes filled with confusion.

"A space? You mean there are other Space Ability Users? A superpower like yours, that can make things appear out of thin air?"

Seeing the curious expression on Cynthia Grant’s face, which mirrored her own, Flora Bloom guessed that she probably wasn’t lying.