Chapter 242: Family Reunion [100 PS Bonus - (1)]

Chapter 242: Family Reunion [100 PS Bonus Chapter (1)]

"Cassie’s friends...?"

Mark muttered in disbelief, turning to look at his daughter. He wasn’t a fool, and after connecting the dots, he realized that this was an actual army. At least a fairlysizable one.

’What are these kids planning...?’

He didn’t ask, though. It wasn’t his business, and he didn’t want to poke his nose into it.

"Alright, you all can come with me." He smiled, waving them towards the gates.

His squad members walked behind him, suppressing the urge to bombard Leon and Cassie with questions. Just like Mark, they had come to the right conclusion.

When the guards at the gates saw the large procession of Evolvers clad in identical armors moving in an orderly manner, they were alarmed.

"Enemy attack?!"

"Wait, that’s Captain Mark! Is he rebelling?"

Hearing this, Mark felt a growing headache. He quickly approached them to stop their imagination from running wild.

"Hey, hey, you boys should calm down, alright? They are just... my daughter’s friends."

The guards looked at each other in disbelief, then turned back to Mark. "Are we really supposed to believe that?"

Mark rubbed his forehead. "Stop being suspicious. They’re not here to cause trouble. Trust me."

The guards frowned, then nodded. "Alright. But keep it in mind that we’ll be informing the leader immediately. You may take them inside."

"Alright, alright," Mark said, relieved. Then, he turned back to Leon and the others.

"Come in. We should head to my squad’s private area."

He led them inside the camp, and Leon was pleasantly surprised by the situation on the inside. The standard of living here was almost comparable to the Inner Ring back in Eternal Night City.

’Looks like their leader is a good person, huh? At least they care about people a lot.’

He noticed a lot of people looking at them warily, or with awe. After all, it was rare to see a large group of powerful Evolvers moving with such coordination.

’Damn, is this aura farming? Should I make it that everyone fold their arms behind their backs so it’ll look cooler?’

He was reminded of a certain bloody cartoon that had an entire civilization of bloody killers with military training.

"This is my squad’s private area," Mark said with pride, leading them to an expensive villa with a garden of its own. However, looking at everyone in Leon’s group, he realized a problem.

"Uh... I don’t really have enough space to accommodate everyone."

He rubbed his shaved chin, then said with a sigh, "I’ll speak to the leader and get you a residence later. Just... it’ll probably take a while."

Leon smiled slightly and said, "It’s fine, it’s fine. We’re only here on a temporary stay, anyway. Anything you can get is manageable."

Mark nodded, satisfied that Leon was okay with it.

Glancing at his men, Leon spoke in a calm voice.

"Stay around the villa and don’t go anywhere. If anyone shows up, don’t block them. This is not our turf," He paused, his eyes narrowing. "Still, do not tolerate any disrespect. React as deserved."

"Understood, Commander!"

With that, Leon turned back to Mark and smiled. "The sun is a bit much. Shouldn’t we go inside?"

"Ah, you’re right. My apologies." Mark coughed and immediately led them inside.

Everyone sat in the living room, including his squad members. Then, Mark went upstairs to call the other members of his family.

"Cassie, wait here. I want it to be a surprise for them."

The young lady nodded, fidgeting on the spot. This was probably the first time she had gotten nervous in the past few weeks.

"Man, Cassie does look different. I guess she’s not as cold as she seems," Miguel whispered to Fel, showing a broad smile.

The tan-skinned lady shook her head with a soft smile, but said nothing.

She looked at her friend who was eager to meet her family, and couldn’t help but think about her own family—her father and her brother.

’Where are they? I have no idea.’

She closed her eyes and dismissed the thought. Wherever they were, she could only pray that they were alive and surviving.

Soon, everyone could hear the sound of footsteps coming from upstairs, and two voices that obviously didn’t belong to Marcus.

"Dad said he brought a new recruit. I wonder who it is?"

"You shouldn’t speak so loudly. What if they hear you?"

Soon, the two people appeared before them. One was a middle-aged woman with attractive features and a face that strongly resembled Cassie’s.

The other was a young boy in his teens, having black hair and a relaxed expression on his face.

Both mother and son were surprised to see more than one person in the living room.

"Oh, looks like they’re even—"

The woman said, then froze when her gaze landed on Cassie.

"C-Cassie...?"

"Huh? What are you—"

The young boy followed his mother’s gaze, then his expression shifted to surprise.

"Wha...! Big sister!"

He immediately rushed towards Cassie and buried himself in her embrace, his body trembling.

"Big sister! It’s really you! Ahhhh! I’m not dreaming, am I?"

He began crying.

Cassie said nothing, merely patting his head and holding back her own tears as she looked at her mother.

Ava stood rooted to the spot, staring at her daughter without blinking. She was afraid that if she blinked, Cassie might not be there anymore.

After a few seconds, Cassie opened her mouth and spoke. "Mom..."

Ava’s lips trembled, and she hurried over to her, pulling her into a tight hug. Despite being crushed between the two, Sean didn’t complain. He was far too absorbed in the reunion to feel uncomfortable.

From the stairs, Mark watched with a calm smile. His family was now complete—almost.

Only his mother remained a problem. Still, he believed that there was going to be a solution.

’God won’t leave me stranded,’ He thought.

Leon watched the reunion silently, wondering if it’d be the same when he reunited with his little sister. Even if she was a zombie, he wouldn’t care. As long as she was alive and kicking, he would do anything to reach her.

Gwen watched with a soft smile, thinking about her cousin, whom she was going to meet soon. Suddenly, she felt even more eager to reunite with her family.

Reymond was of the same mind, wondering if his parents were fine. He was going to confirm once they got to the Newark camp.

Only Selene had no reaction to the family reunion. Her expression was ice-cold as always, and something different entirely was on her mind.

’This requirement...’