Chapter 298: Chapter 298: Gods Above

"They’re creating temporary awakening serums," Isaac explained quickly. "But they still need Superpower Crystals. They extract them from human brains... to see if others can survive the process."

Ivy’s heart trembled, and for some reason, she was reminded of the time when her own crystal was removed.

The haunting memories almost made Ivy stagger.

However, Silas and Kael, standing behind her, quickly caught her and asked worriedly and simultaneously, "Ivy, are you alright?"

Even Felix, Ember, Helena, and Victor stared at Ivy, worried.

"Nothing... just... just some bad memories." Ivy forced out a smile, and suddenly, everyone was reminded of Ivy’s previous life.

Ember turned toward Isaac and slapped him hard. "Bastard." She even cursed him out.

Meanwhile, Felix punched Isaac on the other side.

"Stupid bastard."

Isaac: "..." Hey! What mistake did I even make? I just answered the question you had asked me!

When Ivy saw Ember and Felix’s unreasonable behavior, she suddenly felt a surge of warmth.

Looking around... Ivy realized how worried her family members and Silas were, and those haunting memories vanished into nothingness.

In this life... nothing will go wrong.

Once she recovered, she turned her attention to Isaac, who quivered.

Ivy: (o_0?) Coward!

Isaac almost argued back, "You all are treating me like your punching bag!"

Ivy’s expression turned dark, and she ignored his words. "Why don’t they take people directly from Fortis Base?"

Isaac hesitated, then said,

"Because if citizens of Fortis Base start vanishing, others will flee. So they use Fortis Base as a collection point instead of a hunting ground. The captures happen elsewhere, then everything is routed through there."

Silas’s tone was calm but sharp. "How many people are part of this network?"

Isaac chuckled darkly. "Countless. You might be living beside one of us and never know. Compared to the citizens of a base, our network is far greater."

Silas’s eyes narrowed. "And how many main leaders?"

"More than ten," Isaac said, then listed their names.

By the end, both Ivy and Silas realized the magnitude of what they were facing. The operation would require immense preparation and time.

But time was the one thing they didn’t have.

’I can’t delay any longer,’ Ivy thought grimly. ’The heat is coming... and if we stay here, we’ll burn with it.’

She exchanged a look with Silas. They didn’t need words. Both turned sharply.

Felix caught the signal immediately.

Ivy gave a silent nod.

Without hesitation, Felix’s knife sliced across Isaac’s throat.

Isaac’s eyes widened, confusion and betrayal mixing with his final breath.

"She promised..." was the last thought that passed through his fading consciousness before darkness consumed him.

After Isaac’s body went still, Ivy, Silas, Felix, Kael, and Ember waited for the rest of their team to return. Helena and Victor returned to temporal storage.

When the others arrived, Silas, Felix, Ember, and Kael moved in perfect synchronization.

The guards didn’t stand a chance; their coordination was merciless, efficient, and precise.

Once the guards were dealt with, Ivy waved her hand, and in an instant, several capsules appeared from her temporal storage and were loaded into the truck.

"Let’s move," she ordered.

Silas took the wheel, driving steadily through the tunnel until they reached the other end. As expected, over twenty guards awaited them. They made short work of them too.

When they finally emerged from the tunnel, instead of heading toward the Fortis base, they drove straight into Twilight Base.

The guards at the entrance shouted, but Ivy didn’t care. The truck rammed through the gates. Any guard foolish enough to stand in their way was crushed under the weight of their resolve.

Panic erupted across the base. Refugees screamed and scattered as the massive truck burst through the entrance.

Their intention was clear. They wanted to attract as much attention as they did.

And sure enough, the sudden emergence of the truck, coupled with the refugees who had rushed inside behind the truck, taking it as the opportunity to settle inside the base, attracted everyone’s attention.

Then Ivy climbed out, her expression unreadable. She grabbed a megaphone, one they’d found in the truck, and turned it on.

"Listen!" she shouted, her voice echoing across the base. "Inside this truck are captives... people who were being trafficked! If any of you have lost someone you love, check inside. They might still be alive!"

Her words silenced the chaos.

At first, the citizens hesitated, exchanging uncertain glances. Then, a few desperate ones... those who had truly lost someone... rushed toward the truck.

When they opened it, the sight broke them.

Inside were dozens of unconscious people, frail but breathing.

Others joined in, helping to lift the captives gently, afraid to harm them further.

Larry, one of the young men, rushed to find his girlfriend. As captive after captive was placed down, Larry’s heart sank.

Only a few people were remaining, and the possibility of his girlfriend being here was low...

"Larry..." A weak voice called out, and Larry froze.

He mechanically turned his face toward the direction from which the voice was coming and broke out into tears.

"Nichole!" Larry called out and immediately rushed toward her. His eyes were red, and he hugged the thin frame of his girlfriend while sobbing.

"Thank God! Thank god you are safe!" Larry murmured, but midway through his sentence, he froze as if he remembered something and whispered,

"No... it should be that pink-haired woman and the blonde-haired man beside her. They are the angels sent by God!"

Nicole didn’t answer. Even she was stunned. When she was injected with anesthesia, she had lost all hope and only had one thought.

’If there was a god above... let me return to my boyfriend.’

Maybe the universe had heard her... because when she opened her eyes... what greeted her was the blurry figure of her boyfriend.

The sound of sobs filled the air.

Ivy stood still, watching the chaos of relief unfold... mothers reuniting with children, brothers finding sisters, lovers finding lovers.

And for a fleeting second, her eyes softened.