CHAPTER 37: CHAPTER 37: CHAOS

Walking past the checkpoint, Betty slid into the driver’s seat, muscles taut and aching with exhaustion.

"Ahh... in novels, cultivators don’t get tired. So why am I feeling it?"

"Master, should I repeat myself—"

Betty groaned at Calista’s voice, resting her forehead against the steering wheel, eyes closed. "Calista, you don’t have to. I know. I’m not using spiritual energy. I get it."

A flicker in the side mirror caught her attention. She squinted. Her eyes, once red and blue, were now almost entirely red.

What...

"Calista, why are my eyes turning red again? I didn’t even touch that water this time."

Calista began speaking—but there was an odd, hesitant note in her voice that made Betty’s brow furrow. "Master, it’s because... the effect of that water is... now taking... yep."

Betty’s face darkened. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"Yes..."

Her teeth ground together. "What did you just say?"

Silence.

Betty snorted, giving up, and glanced back in the mirror. The checkpoint behind her was now under full soldier control.

A familiar jeep rolled up beside her car. The window lowered to reveal Ethan, wearing sunglasses, smirking like a B-list movie villain.

Betty pretended to gag. Henry, sitting behind him, patted Ethan’s back with mock sympathy. "Bro, I told you it was a bad idea. You look nothing like you think you do."

Ethan slapped his hand away with a huff. "Hmph. Brother, let’s go. I don’t want to see his face."

David only shrugged, enjoying his brother’s humiliation. Then he drove off, leaving a cloud of exhaust smoke behind.

Betty leaned back in her seat, watching the jeep vanish into a cloud of dust."Did he seriously stop just to put on that clown show...?"

The back door clicked open. She glanced over her shoulder—Hazel and Maria slid in. Without a word, Betty started the engine. "Why’d you two take so long? I’ve been sitting here for twenty minutes."

Hazel patted Maria’s shoulder with a sigh. "Blame her. She insisted on checking every last civilian."

Betty smirked, pressing down on the accelerator. "So? Did they stay here in the base, or leave with the military?"

Maria’s eyes lit up, her grin so wide it practically glowed. "They’re staying! Can you believe it? Every single civilian we rescued is getting a free home here."

Betty gave her a sidelong glance, lips curling faintly. "You’re way too happy about that."

Maria shrugged, still beaming. "Someone’s got to be. We saved their lives, Bennett. Now they can live there. I was sad when I saw them at the first police station."

Shifting gears, Betty only gave a small nod, keeping silent.

’So she’s the kind type...?’ she thought, surprised. ’When she was talking about killing those fake officers, I didn’t think she was the warm sort at all.’

Hazel caught her silence and grinned. Dragging her voice out, she teased, "Bennett~ you know, Maria can flip from warm to violent in seconds. Don’t go thinking she’s some gentle angel."

"Sister!" Maria yelped, slapping a hand over Hazel’s mouth.

Amusement flickered in Hazel’s eyes.

Betty hit the brakes when she spotted David’s jeep stopped in the middle of the road. A frown creased her beautiful forehead. She got out, shutting the door with a thud, and walked toward the jeep. "Why did he suddenly stop the car? And where’s he going?"

Maria shook her head, her brown eyes fixed on Betty’s back.

Hazel, getting out of the car, followed her, and the two of them tilted their heads when they saw David slicing through the tentacles of a massive plant and pulling out a glowing core.

When David noticed them, he sheathed his knife and slipped the core into his pocket.

"Was that a second-grade core?" Betty asked, curiosity clear in her voice as she approached the plant.

David gave a simple nod. Betty’s jaw dropped."You killed it alone?"

Another nod."Yeah. What’s so hard about it? After absorbing so many cores, second grade’s easy now."

Betty rubbed her temples in irritation.

’He can kill them... does that mean he’s stronger than me now?’ Nope. Not happening. I need to start gathering cores immediately.’

"Master, are you okay?" Calista’s voice chimed in her head. "You can also kill second-grades with raw strength now. Just because you haven’t fought one recently doesn’t mean you’re weaker."

Betty blinked, listening.

"Don’t you remember?" Calista continued, almost scolding. "One punch from you shattered that zombie’s ear. And since becoming a cultivator, your strength has increased massively."

Betty nodded, brushing away the dampness in her eyes. She whispered to herself,"Thanks, Calista... I think I won’t train for a week now."

"Eh...?" Calista’s confused tone wavered in her head.

Betty almost giggled at the reaction. "Okay, okay, I’m joking."

A sudden slap on her back snapped her out of it."Why are you talking to yourself, pretty boy?"

Without even looking, Betty drove her knee into his stomach."I’ve said it before—don’t call me that."

"Ouch! Ouch! You cruel monster!" Ethan groaned, clutching his midsection and pointing an accusing finger at her, his face set in an exaggerated scowl.

Betty waved her hand in disdain and walked away, leaving Ethan cursing dramatically behind her.

---

Parking the car, Betty glanced back at the two women. Maria’s expression softened into sadness as she looked toward the base.

"Is it time for goodbye?" she asked quietly.

Betty didn’t answer, but Hazel grinned and ruffled Maria’s hair.

"Don’t worry, we’re all in the same base... Oh, wait a minute—Bennett, do you want to join our party for zombie core hunts?"

Betty hesitated, scratching her head.

"It might be difficult. I have to be with my daughter most of the time, so I won’t be able to participate much."

Hazel nodded. "Hmm, reasonable... wait—daughter?"

Her exaggerated reaction made Betty tilt her head at her."Why are you so shocked?"

Maria’s eyes were practically bulging out beside her."Whaaat? You look like you’re in your twenties, and you already have a daughter?"

Betty’s eyes widened as she realized the misunderstanding."Oh, so that’s why... She’s not biological."

Hazel fanned her head, calming down, "Oh, you broke the most exciting plot twist at this moment, hmph."

Betty’s lips twitched. "Do you think this is some anime or novel thingy?"

’Well, it is, but not for them..’

"Master, accept their offer, you will need those cores to cultivate further, you cant be lazy ass anymore."

Betty ground her teeth against each other,

’Where did my sweet, nervous Calista go?’

She looked at Hazel awkwardly,

"Ahem, I change my mind, I will go out with you, but don’t expect me to always arrive."

Hazel grinned, showing his teeth, "deal."

---

The first thing Betty saw when she stepped into her apartment was Claire slumped on the sofa, dark circles under her eyes, her hand propping up her head as if it might fall off at any moment. On the other couch, Sophia was fast asleep, her face serene, a small, contented smile curling her lips.

The sight made Betty’s chest tighten. Claire’s eyes shimmered, and her voice broke as she called out,

"Waaah, you finally came!"

Before Betty could react, Claire launched herself forward in a dramatic tackle. Betty sidestepped in one smooth motion.

’Are you kidding? If I didn’t dodge, she’d figure out I’m a woman in one second.’

Claire flailed in place, arms and legs swinging like a tantrum-throwing child."Ahh! You’re mean! You and your daughter—both of you are mean!"

Betty quickly dropped to one knee, holding her hands out in a calming gesture."Ah—eh—ehhh... w-what happened? Did Sophia do something, calm down?"

Claire sat up, still sobbing, and shakily pointed at Sophia, who was snoring softly on the other couch.

"S-she... she didn’t let me sleep... s-she..."

[Flashback]

"Sophia, do you want to eat something?" Claire asked, unwrapping a chocolate bar while side-eyeing the little girl.

Sophia sat on the couch, arms crossed, cheeks puffed out in protest—still upset that her father hadn’t taken her along.

Without a word, Sophia stood, snatched the chocolate out of Claire’s hand, and stuffed it into her mouth, glaring up at her.

"I’m gonna eat all your chocolate! Because you agreed to come here when Daddy asked you! If you hadn’t come, Daddy would’ve taken me with he-him!"

Claire, unfazed, calmly took out another piece of chocolate. It was instantly stolen again.

Watching the child’s cheeks balloon as she chewed, Claire poked one with her finger."You know... that chocolate isn’t mine. Your father left it so you could eat it. I was eating your chocolate."

Sophia froze, eyes widening in disbelief. Then—

"WAAAAHHHH!"

She screamed so loud the walls might’ve rattled. Claire raised her hands in panic."Ah—ah! Stop! Stop!"

[End flashback]

"...a-and even when I told her her father left it for both of us to eat, she still wouldn’t stop screaming!" Claire wailed. "Every time I tried to sleep, she’d wake up and scream again! Waaaahhh!"

Betty put her fingers on her ears as she again started crying.