Jason and the others left.

As they departed, Suzy could hear the commotion outside echoing through the factory grounds.

They were moving in a hurry. Even Isaac, who was still technically a patient, had been taken along with them. It was obvious that something serious had happened.

Suzy walked over to the window and looked outside, only then realizing that far more soldiers were stationed at the factory than they had originally thought.

She couldn’t help but feel relieved. Thankfully, they had not clashed with them earlier. With so many highly trained soldiers gathered here, a direct conflict would have been disastrous. They might not have survived at all.

From a distance, Suzy’s gaze landed on Robert among the crowd. She watched him silently for a long moment.

As an SSS ranked target, Robert’s appearance and presence were flawless. He stood out effortlessly wherever he went.

Perhaps sensing her gaze, Robert suddenly looked over.

The moment he realized it was her, he visibly tensed before lifting a hand toward her in greeting.

The unexpected gesture made Suzy’s heartbeat skip.

She had to admit it... The way he looked just now, the casual movement of his hand, the calm confidence in his posture...it was dangerously attractive.

Suzy lifted her own hand and gave a small wave back, though she had no idea whether he actually saw it from that distance.

Soon after, Robert withdrew his gaze and resumed directing his soldiers onto the boats.

There were quite a few assault boats gathered outside.

More and more soldiers departed until, eventually, only Robert remained standing there alone.

His figure gradually grew farther and farther away.

Suzy kept watching him. Then, unexpectedly, Robert turned back one last time. Their eyes met again across the distance. He looked at her deeply, his lips moving slightly, though she was far too far away to make out what he had said.

Then, Robert finally left.

Suzy turned and walked back into the lounge.

"What are you staring at?" Leonard asked curiously.

Suzy replied in a casual tone, "I was just thinking there are a lot of them. Good thing we didn’t start any conflict."

Leonard nodded immediately in agreement. "That’s true."

Thomas said nothing, merely glancing at Suzy.

***

Outside the factory grounds, Robert was making his way toward his assault boat.

Jason was riding in the same boat as him. Before boarding, he stood there clutching a backpack to his chest, craning his neck toward the factory as though still reluctant to leave.

The moment he saw Robert approaching, he hurried over.

"Bro, hurry up. We’re all waiting on you," Jason urged, though his eyes still kept drifting toward the factory.

Robert gave a brief hum of acknowledgment and stepped aboard the assault boat, taking a seat near the bow.

Jason jumped up after him, set his backpack aside, and sat down next to him.

The assault boat slowly pulled away.

The outline of the factory gradually receded across the water, growing farther and farther behind them.

Robert lowered his eyes in silence, already thinking through the crisis waiting for them ahead.

Beside him, Jason unconsciously rubbed at the pocket of his jacket. His expression looked strange, as though he were hiding something important.

Every few seconds, he would glance at Robert, then lower his head to look at his pocket again. His lips parted several times before closing once more.

Robert noticed his odd behavior and turned to look at him. "What’s wrong?"

"Rob... you look troubled. What are you thinking about?" Jason could not help but ask, trying to change the subject.

"Nothing." Robert glanced at him. "Do you have something you want to say?"

Jason immediately broke into a grin.

"Actually...yeah. There is something I want to tell you."

Jason hesitated for a moment before slipping a hand into his pocket and pulling out a small porcelain bottle.

Lowering his head, he clenched it tightly in his palm until his knuckles turned white, then reluctantly held it out toward Robert.

"This is for you."

Robert looked at the bottle in his hand. "What is it?"

Suppressing the pain in his heart, Jason shoved it directly into Robert’s hand.

"Suzy asked me to give it to you!"

Robert froze slightly and lowered his gaze to the small porcelain bottle now resting in his palm. The bottle was tiny, small enough to fit perfectly in one hand, still carrying the warmth from Jason’s skin.

His thumb brushed lightly across the smooth surface, the motion slow and careful.

"She gave this to me?" Robert’s voice was low.

"Yeah."

Jason nodded, unable to stop himself from muttering under his breath, "Seriously, she was way too generous. She clearly doesn’t have much left herself, but she still insisted on giving some to you too. Giving me one was already enough, but she specifically told me to save a portion for you."

Both of them knew exactly how precious this medicine was.

Robert said nothing. He simply stared at the porcelain bottle in his hand.

Sunlight slanted across from the side, spilling over the pale ceramic and giving it a soft glow.

For some reason, he suddenly remembered the sight of Suzy standing by the window, raising her hand to wave at him.

After a moment of silence, Jason suddenly blurted out something shocking.

"Bro...do you think Suzy might actually like you?"

Robert’s fingers paused. His thumb rested against the bottle without moving.

He lifted his eyes and looked at Jason’s face, which was practically screaming gossip, then frowned slightly.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Robert shrank back a little, but his mouth kept going anyway.

"Then explain this. Why did Suzy specifically insist on giving you one too?"

"She gave one to you as well," Robert replied calmly.

Jason became even more indignant. "I begged for mine!"

At that, Robert’s lips curved faintly upward. He did not say another word.

The more Jason thought about it, the worse he felt.

He had not processed it earlier, but now that he thought about it carefully, it really did seem strange.

Why had Suzy specifically wanted Robert to have one too? Could it be that she actually liked him?

The thought made Jason feel inexplicably sour inside.

Suzy was amazing. He honestly did not think he was worse than his cousin in any way.

Jason looked sideways at Robert and immediately noticed the faint smile still lingering at the corner of his lips before he had a chance to suppress it.

That uncomfortable feeling in Jason’s chest only grew stronger.

"Bro, you look pretty happy."

Robert looked at him and instinctively denied it. "I’m not."

Even as he spoke, he subtly pressed down the curve threatening to form at the corner of his lips.

Jason eyed him suspiciously, but it did not take long for him to come up with a convincing explanation of his own.

He suddenly slapped his palm against his thigh, realization dawning on his face. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"I get it now!"

Robert raised a brow at him. "Get what?"

"I know why Suzy asked me to give this to you."

Jason pointed at the porcelain bottle in Robert’s hand, looking completely certain of himself.

"It has to be because of my uncle. Yeah, that’s definitely it."

The more Jason thought about it, the more reasonable his conclusion seemed. Otherwise, why would Suzy hand over something so precious to Robert for no reason?

It had to be because of Isaac. After all, his uncle was still injured.

Once Jason figured that out, his mood improved instantly.

"..."

Now it was Robert who felt irritated. And the worst part was that Jason’s reasoning actually made perfect sense. So why did it still leave such an unpleasant feeling in his chest?

He wanted to refute him, but could not think of a single argument.

In the end, he chose silence.

Having found what he believed was the correct explanation, Jason felt much more at ease.

The two cousins fell quiet, each lost in his own thoughts.