Chapter 1125: I Thought You Were Dead

As Ethan and Emily disappeared into the sky, growing smaller by the second, Sophia’s expression darkened completely.

"We’re screwed," Mark muttered, his voice full of despair. "I told you—kill her, kill her! But no, you wouldn’t listen. And now look what happened!"

"Shut up!" Sophia snapped, her voice sharp with fury.

"You’re yelling at me? After everything I’ve done for you? I’ve been running around cleaning up your messes since day one, and this is how you treat me?"

"Can you just shut the hell up for once?" Sophia growled, her patience fraying.

"Oh, that’s how it is?" Mark sneered. "Fine, Sophia. I see you clearly now. Silverfox Squad’s finished anyway. I’m done babysitting you!"

He turned and started walking away.

"Get back here!" Sophia barked. "Who said Silverfox Squad is finished?"

Mark stopped, scoffing. "You really think there’s still hope? You think we can go up against someone like

him

?"

"Of course not," Sophia said coldly. "But from the time she gets back to the compound, to the military investigating, to them figuring out what happened—it’ll take at least a day or two. That’s more than enough time for us to disappear. With our strength, we can leave this city and start fresh somewhere else. We’ll be just fine."

Mark paused, clearly considering it. Her plan made sense.

But he’d already made up his mind to leave the squad. Turning back now would be pathetic. He had his pride.

"Well then, good luck. I’m out." He turned again, walking off without looking back.

"Mark... come back," Sophia called after him, her voice softer now. "Stay with me tonight—and I’ll give you everything you’ve been wanting."

Mark froze mid-step.

"Seriously!?" He spun around and practically sprinted back, grinning like a fool. "You mean it?"

"I mean it."

"Hell yeah!"

"Then let’s go. We’re leaving Clearford."

Meanwhile...

Fifteen miles was nothing for Golden Eagle Nugget. In just a few minutes, they were descending near the compound.

Ethan hopped off first, landing smoothly. But when he turned to check on Emily, he found her still clinging to Nugget’s feathers, eyes squeezed shut, face pale as a sheet.

He shook his head.

Guess Henry’s sister doesn’t have the strongest nerves.

"We’re here. You can get down now."

Emily cracked one eye open at his voice. Seeing solid ground beneath them, she slowly loosened her grip and slid off Nugget’s back.

The moment her feet touched the ground, her knees buckled. She nearly collapsed.

Ethan didn’t even flinch. He’d seen it a dozen times—pretty much everyone reacted like that after their first ride on Nugget.

He didn’t offer a hand, either. Emily’s personality was exactly the kind Chris liked. Let those two pair up later. No need for him to get too close.

He gave Nugget a pat on the head, and the massive eagle flapped its wings and soared off toward the forest.

Then, without another word, Ethan turned and started walking toward the compound—Emily trailing behind him.

At the compound gates, the usual crowd bustled—people lining up to get in and out.

But the moment Ethan appeared, the line fell into chaos. People scrambled aside, forming a clear path without a word.

Ethan scratched his nose.

"Am I really that scary?"

Still, he walked down the cleared path without hesitation, completely at ease.

"Mr. Ethan, welcome back!" one of the guards greeted him with a bright smile.

"Mm. Do I need to sign in?"

"No, no, not at all! Please, go right in."

"Alright. Thanks for the hard work." With that, Ethan strolled into the compound, Emily following close behind.

Behind them, a crowd of people stared with envy.

"What are you looking at? Get back in line!"

"Y-yes, sir!" The group quickly straightened up. They were annoyed, sure—but no one dared say a word.

Inside the compound, Emily trailed after Ethan, eyes wide with disbelief.

She’d been here for a while, but this was the first time she’d ever seen the military guards treat an Awakened with that much respect.

Even Silverfox Squad—ranked second in the compound—had to line up and register every time they came and went. No exceptions.

But this squad, only eight people strong, got VIP treatment like it was nothing.

Is this what real power looks like?

she thought.

If my brother’s part of this team... does that mean he’s strong too?

As she was lost in thought, Ethan suddenly spoke up ahead of her.

"Didn’t Henry say you were in Nova City? What are you doing in Clearford?"

"Ah..." Emily blinked, caught off guard by the question.

"I was on leave right before the apocalypse hit. Went home to visit our parents... and then got stuck here when everything went to hell."

"Oh. And your parents? Turned into zombies?"

"They..." Emily’s eyes reddened, her voice trembling with anger and grief. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"They were murdered."

"Murdered?" Ethan stopped walking, turning to look at her with surprise.

He’d assumed Henry’s parents had either turned or been eaten. But murdered?

"Yeah. After the outbreak, we stayed home for over ten days. When we finally ran out of food, I took them and tried to make it to the compound. But on the way, we ran into a group of people. They didn’t say a word—just killed my parents. And they... they tried to..." Emily’s voice cracked.

"Captain Sophia showed up just in time. She killed them and saved me," she said, her voice low and bitter.

"You knew those people?"

"No. Total strangers. I’d never seen them before."

"Did you have any supplies on you? Anything valuable?"

"We’d already run out of everything. We didn’t even have food left, let alone anything worth stealing."

"That’s odd," Ethan muttered. "Killing strangers for no reason? Sure, the apocalypse brings out the worst in people, but most wouldn’t kill without gain. If it was for... other reasons, they’d have taken you, not attacked in the open."

"What kind of thing is that to say?!" Emily snapped, flustered.

"Sorry—thinking out loud," Ethan said quickly. "Wait... did you use your ability back then?"

Emily blinked. "How’d you know?"

"I just guessed."

"Well... yeah. My parents were exhausted, so I used my ability to help them recover a bit."

"I only discovered my power by accident," she added. "I was being chased by zombies, completely out of strength. I remember thinking,

If only I could recover,

and then suddenly this energy surged through me. I felt like I could run forever. That’s how I escaped."

Ethan nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. Let’s go see Henry."

He led her back to the mansion where their squad stayed—but when they arrived, the place was empty.

"Where the hell did everyone go?" Ethan muttered, shaking his head.

"Take a break. They’ll be back soon," he said, glancing at Emily.

"Okay." Emily nodded and sat down on the couch, clearly a little nervous.

Ethan just shook his head again.

Let her be.

By evening, Chris, Henry, and Mia finally returned.

"Whoa, Ethan? You’re back already?" Chris blinked in surprise when he saw him at the door.

"Dropped her off and came right back. Didn’t take long."

"You didn’t even stop for food?"

"Nope. Figured you guys might get into trouble, so I came back early."

"Come on, Ethan. With me around, what kind of trouble could we possibly get into?"

"Where are the others?"

"Uh... out having fun."

"This late? Probably not anywhere good."

"Eh, let ’em be. Anyway—Henry, get in here. We’ve got a surprise for you."

"A surprise?" Henry’s eyes lit up as he stepped inside, curious.

Then he froze.

"Emily...?!"