"I’ll prepare that for you then. You both can have your seat." Albert replied with a light chuckle.

The children quickly climbed onto the wooden bench, their tiny legs swinging happily as they waited impatiently for their food. Their bright eyes remained fixed on Albert as though watching a professional chef at work.

Albert soon began preparing their lunch. Fortunately, all the ingredients he needed were already available in the kitchen area. Thinking about it now, he realized there were only two possible explanations. Either Ivy had expected him to prepare lunch for her children beforehand, or she had planned on making it herself after finishing whatever she had been busy with outside.

Still, Albert decided not to think too deeply about it.

He focused on the minced meat first, seasoning it carefully before adding chopped onions into the mixture. After flattening the meat into patties, he placed them gently into the frying pan with just enough oil to avoid burning them. The delicious sizzling sound instantly filled the air while the rich aroma drifted through the shelter compound.

Aria and Lila inhaled deeply at the same time, their mouths practically watering already.

Albert chuckled softly at their reactions before warming the hamburger buns over low heat. Once they were ready, he sliced them neatly in half and carefully placed the freshly cooked patties inside.

“Do you both love cheese?” Albert asked with a raised eyebrow. Unlike earlier, when he had been forced to clean the cooking area and prepare food for his teammates with visible reluctance, there was now genuine happiness on his face as he cooked for the children.

“Yes!!!” Aria and Lila answered once again in perfect unison.

Albert laughed lightly before adding generous slices of cheese onto the hamburgers. He even decided to fry some potato chips on the side, wanting the meal to look more complete for the children.

Just then....

“Hyah!”

A sharp cry suddenly echoed from Ivy’s direction.

The unexpected sound immediately caused Albert, Aria, and Lila to turn their heads at the same time. The moment their gazes landed on Ivy, their eyes widened in shock.

Several arrows were flying rapidly toward her from the direction of the trap she had constructed earlier. However, instead of panicking, Ivy moved with unbelievable speed and precision. Her body twisted gracefully as she dodged one arrow after another with fluid combat movements that resembled a trained warrior.

Albert’s eyes widened further in utter disbelief.

Aria and Lila were equally stunned. This was the first time they had ever seen their mother display such terrifying combat skills before them.

“Watch out, Mommy!!!” Aria and Lila shouted simultaneously, fear evident in their trembling voices as they noticed two arrows speeding directly toward Ivy.

But Ivy reacted instantly.

With incredible reflexes, she caught one of the arrows midair with her bare hand before tilting her body sideways to avoid the second arrow completely.

“Yahhhh!!!”

Aria and Lila immediately erupted into excited cheers.

“Mommy can fight!” they exclaimed proudly, their earlier fear vanishing completely.

Hearing her daughters’ excitement made Ivy let out a light chuckle. After confirming the trap had worked perfectly, she calmly made her way back toward the shelter compound.

“Hi, darlings,” Ivy said warmly after reaching them.

She bent down to the girls’ height before planting soft kisses on both of their foreheads.

“Mommy is so cool!” Aria exclaimed excitedly.

“You caught the arrow with your hand!” Lila added with sparkling eyes filled with admiration.

Ivy simply smiled faintly at them before brushing their hair affectionately.

“Uhmm... the hamburgers are ready, kids,” Albert announced awkwardly, still partially distracted by the unbelievable scene he had just witnessed.

Almost instantly, Aria and Lila rushed toward him excitedly and collected their plates. Each plate contained a hamburger, freshly fried chips, and ketchup carefully arranged beside them.

Sunny barked happily before running after the girls as they hurried back inside the shelter to eat.

“Bark! Bark!”

The moment the children disappeared into the shelter, silence briefly settled between Albert and Ivy.

Albert swallowed hard before finally speaking.

“I... I didn’t know you could fight like that,” he admitted honestly, still unable to hide the shock on his face.

“Well, I can,” Ivy replied calmly with a tired sigh, as though what she had done moments ago was completely normal. “And thank you for preparing lunch for my children.”

She paused briefly before continuing, “You should eat too. I want to get some rest before Darren and the others return.”

Without waiting for another response, Ivy turned around and began walking toward the shelter entrance.

Albert remained standing exactly where he was, staring at her retreating figure with a complicated expression on his face. The combat movements she had displayed moments ago continued replaying repeatedly inside his mind.

“No wonder she managed to gather all these resources...” Albert murmured under his breath. “And this shelter too... She’s really skilled.”

A slow smile gradually appeared on his face as realization finally sank in.

“I definitely need to tell Darren about this when they return,” he continued quietly. “With someone like Ivy around... our lives in this apocalypse might finally become easier from now on.”