Surviving the Apocalypse: All I Want Is to Find a Husband
Chapter 217: Strengthening The Base

Chapter 217: Strengthening The Base

But now, she was a mother who had a daughter.

Sierra might not be her biological child, but that didn’t matter.

She was hers.

Medeia didn’t say anything, she simply lowered her head as warm tears began to roll silently down her cheeks.

Lucian didn’t say anything either. He just wrapped his arms around both of them, holding them close, reminding them that in this cruel, broken world ... they weren’t alone anymore.

• •

For three days, Medeia saw no signs of soldiers from the military base attempting to attack the Red Star Alliance. It seemed like the little "gift" she had left behind had worked, making them think twice before banging on their doorstep with weapons.

The veterans knew better than anyone that provoking 00 carelessly was a terrible idea.

Maybe they were planning something behind the scenes, something to weaken the Red Star Alliance and neutralize 00. But just like them, Medeia wasn’t sitting around doing nothing either.

As soon as the snowstorm began to ease, Lucian asked Richard to resume construction on their base and start reinforcing their defenses.

Landmines were planted everywhere, and emergency weapons were hidden in multiple locations, known only to the Red Star hunters.

With so many traps spread across the Red Canyon, Medeia decided to build a guard post near the entrance, a checkpoint, of sorts, so that if anyone came without hostile intent, they wouldn’t be blown to bits the moment they stepped into the canyon.

"What do you think?" Richard asked as he showed her the makeshift tent built for the soldiers.

Though it was called a "tent," in reality, the walls were made of steel, wrapped with insulation to keep the people inside from freezing in the cold. However, they still needed a fireplace or heat source inside to stay warm, the winter air was relentless.

"It’s good enough for now," Medeia said, folding her arms. "But it’d be even better if you could finish the fourth floor a little faster."

Even though the makeshift tents were more comfortable than sleeping in the meeting room or the hallways, it would still be much better if everyone had their own quarters.

Especially if Medeia could figure out a way to remove the chips from their heads, they would need a safer, more comfortable space to rest and recover.

Well, she hadn’t finished reading all the documents she took from the military base yet. But most of the ones she had read so far focused more on how to implant the chips, not on how to take them out.

The researchers at Warstock Base had even said it was impossible to remove the chips without killing the host.

But Medeia didn’t believe in "impossible."

"Just be patient, will you?" Richard groaned, clicking his tongue in frustration. "Do you think it’s easy building your base while I’m also trying to keep mine from falling apart? The winter’s been a nightmare."

Just like she and his sisters had predicted, Junk Garden had struggled badly during the snowstorm.

Their water storage had frozen, and nearly half of their hydroponic systems were destroyed when the greenhouse collapsed under the heavy snow.

Meanwhile, Red Star Alliance had Nico, who could protect their greenhouse with his shield, keeping the structure safe from wind and frost.

Richard didn’t have anyone like that.

"Hey, it’s not like I never offered you a spot in my base," Medeia said with a casual shrug. "You’re the one who chose the road to misery, Richard. So now ..." She smiled. "You can enjoy every bitter bite of it."

Richard was about to throw the insult back, but he stopped himself when he saw his cousin walking toward them.

Damn it, why was he always so hesitant to provoke Lucian—even though his cousin always had that warm, gentle smile on his face?

"Medeia, Ethan’s looking for you," Lucian said. "He said he wants to talk to you about something."

Medeia hopped down from the boulder and said, "Alright. You’re coming with me, right?"

"I’ll catch up with you later," Lucian said with a gentle smile. "I want to talk to Richard first."

Medeia nodded in understanding, then turned and made her way to the cafeteria. For some reason, they always held meetings in the cafeteria instead of the designated meeting room.

Maybe it was because the soldiers had recently started tasting real food again—good food—and now they kept finding excuses to hang around the cafeteria just to eat more.

Fortunately, the Watcher had gifted her with seeds. If not, the base’s food supply probably would’ve run out in just a few days.

As soon as she stepped into the cafeteria, she noticed a few soldiers already seated and eating.

None of them were in uniform anymore, which made them look less intimidating—Well, not that Medeia ever felt intimidated by them to begin with.

In the far corner, she spotted Ethan sitting with Max and Mateo.

After Sister Jeanne helped heal the remaining damage from Mateo’s amputation, he was finally able to walk around the base, though he still needed crutches to get around.

As for Max...

Medeia had to threaten him not to say a word about Lucian. She had even told him she’d cut off Mateo’s other leg if he dared to open his mouth.

But the real reason Max agreed to stay quiet wasn’t fear, it was because Joy had explained that his memories had been tampered with, so even if he remembered something, he couldn’t tell whether it was real or not.

When Medeia said it, Max didn’t believe her, but when Joy said the exact same thing, he trusted her without hesitation.

What was so hard about trusting Medeia? It’s not like she would lie to him ... right?

[You act like someone who’s a professional liar, Host.]

[No wonder it’s hard for people to believe your words.]

What was the point of having a beautiful face if her reputation was so bad that people didn’t want to trust her blindly!

Ugh. What was the point of having a beautiful face if her reputation was so bad that no one trusted her without a second thought?

Fortunately, the soldiers she had "kidnapped" when they entered Red Star Alliance territory actually believed she was the one who saved them from the monsters and their cruel captain.

They didn’t even believe a word when the chip-controlled soldiers tried to tell them that Medeia could transform into a demon and act like one.

"Why did you want to see me?" Medeia asked.

Ethan replied, "I was just thinking ... what if we try to track down the researchers who escaped from the military base? They might be able to help us remove the chips from the soldiers’ heads."