"Are you sure about this, Darren?” Erick asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at him carefully. “You made a decision to serve her because of me....so you could save my life, and for that, I’m truly grateful. But I’m not asking you to abandon your promise to Mrs. Ivy. I only want to spend a little more time with you. Come back to the base with us, fight alongside us as teammates for one last night, and then you can return here afterward.”

“There’s no need, Captain,” Darren replied calmly. “Ivy is my new master now, after all. Don’t worry about me. You can return to the base if you want. I’m sure you can still come here whenever you wish. I doubt Mrs. Ivy would have any problem with that.”

As Darren spoke, his expression remained firm and unwavering. There was no hesitation in his eyes, no sign of regret. He had already made up his mind.

Silence followed immediately afterward.

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy, and for a brief moment, nobody knew what to say. The team members exchanged glances amongst themselves, their emotions complicated. Some were sad, others shocked, while a few simply looked unwilling to accept reality.

Finally, Erick let out a soft sigh before a warm smile slowly appeared on his face.

“Alright then,” he said at last. “I accept your decision to stay with Mrs. Ivy since that’s what you truly want.”

Even though he smiled, there was still sadness hidden deep within his eyes.

“I and the others will leave tonight.”

The remaining teammates couldn’t object to Erick’s command. Since their captain had already made his decision, they had no choice but to obey. Besides, there was no way they could abandon him when he wasn’t dead. As for Darren, they understood his reasons perfectly well. He had chosen to serve Ivy in exchange for saving Erick’s life.

Even so, it still felt painful.

After all, Darren had fought beside them all these while. For years even before the apocalypse.

“Let’s go, everyone,” Erick ordered seriously.

The others nodded quietly in response.

Ivy folded her arms beneath her chest while watching the situation unfold.

I wonder why he wants to leave immediately after waking up, she thought inwardly with a small scoff. What exactly is the reason? Though honestly, I can’t really stop them. I’m more concerned about Darren instead.

Ding!

{He’s a captain. You don’t expect him to serve under a woman.}

I see...

Ivy’s eyes narrowed slightly in understanding before another faint scoff escaped her lips.

Just then, Albert suddenly stepped forward and walked toward Ivy.

“Please take good care of Darren,” Albert said sincerely. “He may seem strong, but he’s not as strong as everyone thinks.”

“Albert,” Darren called out immediately, a slight frown appearing on his face.

However, Albert ignored him completely.

“He agreed to serve you,” Albert continued with seriousness in his tone. “Darren always keeps his promises. Since he wants to become a good assistant to you, then you also have to become a good leader to him. You seem like a good leader though.”

His words were filled with genuine concern, causing Ivy to stare at him for a moment before her expression softened slightly.

“Don’t worry, Albert,” Ivy replied warmly. “Darren will be fine with me. Of course, he’ll never starve either. We’ll both enjoy meat and fish every single day.”

The moment those words left her mouth, several members of the group instantly became envious and jealous, though none of them dared to say anything aloud.

After all, everyone knew just how luxurious Ivy’s meals were compared to theirs.

Albert chuckled softly before his expression gradually turned sad once more.

“And please give my regards to Aria, Lila, and Hope,” he said quietly. “I’m sure they’re asleep by now, but I won’t be around to prepare food for them anymore.”

As he spoke, his eyes dimmed with visible sadness.

“Tell them I’ll still come over to visit them whenever I can. I’ve always been Darren’s most beloved brother because he’s always treated me well. And your children have become the people I cherish the most too. Just as I’m being separated from Darren today, I’m also being separated from your children.”

Albert paused briefly before forcing out a smile.

“But I’ll come back, okay?” 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

There was so much sadness in his voice that even a few of the team members lowered their heads silently.

“I will tell them,” Ivy replied with a warm smile of her own. “They’ll miss you too. Especially your hamburgers.”

Albert laughed softly at that.

Just then, Erick stepped forward once again and offered Ivy another deep bow before turning around and entering the truck. The others quickly followed after him, each of them bowing respectfully toward Ivy before climbing into the vehicle one after another.

Soon, the engine started.

The loud rumbling sound echoed across the quiet surroundings before the truck drove out of the compound.

Neither Ivy nor Darren spoke.

They simply stood there silently as the truck drove farther and farther away till it eventually disappeared completely out of sight.