Lucian was clearly about to tease her more, but before he could, a sharp knock interrupted them.
"Leader, are you there?" Harry’s voice rang from the other side of the door.
deia imdiately stood up, shaking off her embarrassnt, and pulled the door open. "What is it?"
Harry’s gaze flickered to Lucian and the baby before settling on deia. "I hate to interrupt, but ... there’s sothing you need to see. Now."
The urgency in his voice left no room for hesitation. deia and Lucian exchanged a quick glance before entrusting Sierra to Seraphina and following Harry out.
He led them to the solar battery storage room, where dim ergency lights cast long shadows against the walls.
"Ever since the first snowfall, the clouds have been getting denser and darker by the day," Harry explained, his tone tight with concern. "Because of that, the solar panels aren’t absorbing enough sunlight."
He pointed at the monitor displaying their energy reserves. "Look at this. Our stored energy has dropped by 70%. If this trend continues, we won’t have enough power to keep the heaters running every day."
deia stepped closer, scanning the readings with a frown before turning to Lucian. "Can you clear the clouds above the base?"
Lucian ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. "I’ve tried," he admitted. "But the clouds rolled back just minutes later. I could keep dispersing them, but it would drain fast. It’s not a real solution."
deia’s arms crossed over her chest, her fingers tapping against her elbow. "That’s bad," she muttered, her mind already racing for alternatives.
She wasn’t entirely sure, but ever since winter arrived, the watchtower guards had reported seeing strange movents near the Red Canyon.
The figures were too far to make out clearly, even with binoculars, but one thing was certain—they weren’t human.
Lucian had once ntioned that monsters rarely road during winter. Just like humans, they struggled in the freezing cold. But that was precisely what made this so unsettling.
If these creatures lurking in the snow were monsters, shouldn’t they have attacked by now instead of silently watching from a distance like bandits?
Because of this eerie phenonon, deia didn’t want Lucian exhausting himself on anything unnecessary. Not when there was a real chance of a sudden attack.
"For now, let’s conserve our energy," she decided. "Shut down everything except the heaters—even the lights."
Warmth was their top priority. Without the heaters, the entire base would turn into a giant freezer, and they couldn’t afford to let that happen.
"We should also use firewood to help keep the base warm."
Harry shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "About that ... half of our firewood has already been used for cooking. I don’t think we have enough to last the entire winter."
Damn it.
They had been so focused on hunting monster at that they hadn’t even thought about gathering wood from the forest.
deia exhaled slowly, pushing away her frustration. "That ans ... sooner or later, we’ll have to head into the forest and gather more firewood."
The thought of venturing out into the frozen wilderness wasn’t exactly appealing, but it wasn’t all bad.
If there were survivors out there, battling the cold just like they were—
Then maybe, just maybe, this trip would bring back more than just firewood.
More survivors ant more hands to share the workload, more skills to strengthen the base, and most importantly—
More points for her!
deia smiled to herself. Now that was a reason to look forward to the trip.
Even though she would have to provide food for them, gaining more points was worth it. Besides, those people would see her as their savior and pledge their unwavering loyalty to her.
She could already picture it—her own devoted minions.
"Are you okay?" Harry’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. He was staring at her with a mix of confusion and concern, likely because she had been grinning like a lunatic.
deia cleared her throat, quickly smoothing her expression. "I’m fine. Just get a list of people who can handle the forest trip. And make sure they’re useful because I don’t want anyone dragging us down. The weather alone will be a challenge, even for S-Grade hunters."
Harry gave her a firm nod. "Understood."
With that, they went their separate ways. But instead of heading straight back to their quarters, deia and Lucian took their ti strolling down the quiet corridors.
Neither of them said a word, but it was obvious they had the sa thought—let Seraphina handle Sierra for a little while longer.
"Do you think we should check out whatever’s been lurking near the base?" deia asked, tearing off a bite of jerky. She only now realized she hadn’t eaten all day. Too much running around, too many things to handle.
Lucian leaned in and stole a piece from her hand without asking. "We don’t even know what it is yet," he said between bites. "Better to observe from a distance first. No point in charging in blind."
She hated to admit it, but he was right. The snow was already making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead. If sothing had already crept into their territory, they might not even realize it until it was too late.
Lucian’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. "Should we use Nico’s shield again? For now, having extra protection might be the safest bet."
deia exhaled through her nose, considering it. "Nico, huh ... Yeah. I think it’s ti we push his ability to the next level. If he gets strong enough, his power could be the only thing standing between us and a disaster."
"He’s been training with you for months. How’s he holding up?" Lucian asked casually.
Sohow, they had wandered into the cafeteria, even though neither of them had planned on going there. At this point, they were just aimlessly killing ti, prolonging the responsibility of picking up their so-called daughter from Seraphina.
deia dropped into a chair with a sigh. "That kid is sothing else," she muttered, propping her elbow on the table. "You know how he used to be a total crybaby, right? Well, after all this ti, he finally manages to hit every target—without missing a single shot." She paused before adding, "Even while crying."
Lucian chuckled. "Impressive."
She placed her head on the table. "I’d say he’s ready for your class next month. His ability will be way more useful when paired with actual combat skills. No point in having a strong ability if you can’t survive long enough to use it, right?"
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