After that, a whole series of events unfolded, and Suzy eventually became one of the most talked about figures in the base. But that was still far in the future.

Suzy pushed those thoughts aside and stopped dwelling on them. She had no intention of joining the base.

She had already spent an enormous amount of money building her safe house, and she was not lacking in food or supplies. There was simply no need for her to move into a base.

Besides, no matter how well managed the base was, it could never compare to the comfort of her own safe house.

"I’ll pass." Suzy declined politely.

"That’s a shame." Jason looked disappointed, but he did not press further.

Just as his words fell, two knocks sounded at the door. Robert pushed in and his gaze swept across the room before settling on Suzy.

"Miss Kale, would you mind stepping out for a moment? There’s something regarding the cement that needs your confirmation."

Suzy exchanged a glance with Thomas and Leonard, then rose to her feet and followed Robert out of the lounge.

The hallway was quiet, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing through the empty corridor.

Robert walked half a step ahead of her at an unhurried pace. His shoulders were broad, his back perfectly straight, and there was a natural sharpness to the way he carried himself.

"Is there a problem with the amount of cement?" Suzy asked.

Without turning around, Robert replied from up ahead, "The quantity is fine. But to be safe, I figured you should verify it yourself."

Suzy could understand that.

The two of them arrived at a small warehouse. Robert pushed open the door, and a cloud of dust drifted into the air. The warehouse was packed to the brim with cement.

"It’s all here." Robert said, "I already had people count everything. You can confirm it whenever you’d like."

"Alright." Suzy nodded.

There was no way she could realistically count a thousand bags one by one. Instead, she quietly used the system to scan the stockpile.

One thousand bags of cement. The count was correct.

Still, she pretended to check manually for about three minutes while Robert waited nearby in silence.

Finally, Suzy nodded. "All here."

Robert casually asked, "How are you planning to transport this much cement back?"

Fortunately, Suzy had already prepared an excuse. "Could you move it somewhere nearby where there aren’t any people around? I’ll handle the rest myself."

Robert looked at her but did not ask further questions.

"Alright. I’ll have the trucks sent to the east gate of the factory. There’s usually nobody there, so it’ll be convenient for you."

After a brief pause, he added, "Do you need people to help move it?"

"No need." Suzy shook her head. "I can handle it myself."

One of Robert’s brows lifted slightly. Clearly, he was skeptical of her claim that she could move a thousand bags of cement alone. But he still chose not to question her.

Once the quantity had been confirmed, the two of them headed back.

Robert continued walking ahead of her. Then, without warning, he said, "Thank you."

Suzy froze for a second, caught off guard before she could respond. At that moment, one of the soldiers hurried over.

"Excuse me for a moment."

Robert walked over to the soldier. After a brief exchange in hushed voices, Suzy noticed the relaxed look on his face disappear. His expression turned grave, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.

"I understand. I’ll head over shortly."

The soldier hurried away.

Robert returned to Suzy’s side. She wanted to ask what had happened, but the question felt too intrusive, so she held back.

"I’ve already arranged the cement relocation. I’ll take you back to the lounge first. Someone will notify you later when it’s time to head to the east gate," Robert nodded.

"Did something happen?" Suzy still could not stop herself from asking.

He nodded again, though he offered no further explanation.

His pace quickened as he escorted her back to the lounge. Suzy could clearly sense his urgency, the restless tension radiating from him.

"I’ll leave you here."

Robert turned to go, but after two steps, he stopped and looked back at her.

"You all...be careful on the road."

He said it quickly, as if afraid of wasting time, or perhaps afraid that if he did not say it now, he would lose the chance altogether.

Then he strode away down the corridor, his footsteps echoing through the empty hall until they gradually faded into the distance.

Suzy watched his figure disappear around the corner and could not help feeling a little regretful.

Still no successful bond...

She pushed open the lounge door and stepped inside. Leonard was leaning back in his chair, drinking water. Thomas sat by the window with a bottle of mineral water in hand, seemingly waiting for her return.

The moment Jason saw her, his eyes lit up.

"Suzy! You’re back. There weren’t any issues with the cement, right?"

"No issues," Suzy replied.

"That’s good." He let out a relieved breath before lowering his voice. "Well...I’m leaving."

Suzy looked at him in surprise. "Leaving?"

"Yeah...my uncle just sent word. Something happened at the base, and both my uncle and my cousin need to head back to deal with it."

Truthfully, Jason was reluctant to part with her. He stood there awkwardly, unconsciously rubbing the corner of his clothes between his fingers. His lips parted as though he wanted to say something, only to swallow the words back down.

"Suzy, take care of yourself," he said quietly.

He had not expected their reunion to end so soon.

Suzy stood up and reached into her backpack, pulling out two small porcelain bottles.

"Take these."

Jason froze. He stared at the tiny white bottles in disbelief, his eyes widening so much they nearly popped out. The melancholy of parting was instantly swept away by shock.

"Suzy, this..."

"I told you I’d leave you some." Suzy pressed one bottle into his hand. "It’s not much, but it should help in an emergency."

Jason’s fingers trembled slightly as he carefully gripped the bottle. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Suzy handed him the second bottle as well.

Lowering her voice, she said, "This one is for your cousin. Give it to him for me."

A well-timed gift could improve favorability.

Jason was completely dumbstruck now. He looked at the bottle in one hand, then the other, his mouth hanging open as though his brain had stopped functioning.

"Alright, hurry up and go already." Suzy laughed, patting him on the shoulder.

Jason looked deeply moved, his eyes even beginning to glisten.

"Suzy, you’re seriously too good to me."

He carefully tucked both porcelain bottles away close to his body before looking back at her with sudden seriousness.

"Don’t worry. I’ll personally hand this to my cousin."

After a pause, he added solemnly, "But I’m going to make it clear to him that you spared this medicine with great difficulty, so he’d better not waste it."

Suzy could not help laughing at his overly earnest expression. "Sure."

Jason walked toward the door, then stopped after a couple of steps and turned back to look at her.

"Are...are you really not considering joining the base?" 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Suzy shook her head. "No. I’m used to living outside."

Jason did not try to persuade her further. He simply nodded.

Taking a deep breath, as though suppressing some overwhelming emotion, he flashed her a grin.

"Suzy...we’ll meet again, right?"

"We will," Suzy smiled.

Jason nodded firmly, then turned and pulled the door open.

A soldier was already waiting outside. The moment he stepped out, the soldier straightened and saluted.

Jason glanced back at Suzy one last time. His lips moved slightly, but in the end, he only said softly,

"Take care, Suz."

And just like that, he left.