The ground floor of the hotel was silent. Leon stood opposite Marie, his arms folded as he watched her fidget in front of him.

’Strange. She’s usually strong and confident. Why does she look nervous now?’

The auburn-haired lady pressed her lips tightly, seemingly unsure of where to start.

"Marie, speak."

Unable to withstand the silence any longer, Leon spoke in a stern tone.

She froze, then exhaled. Finally, she raised her head and started, "It’s about my... daughter."

Leon blinked in surprise, sized her up, then frowned. That didn’t seem right. She had a daughter? There was no way someone—

"She looks like someone who has never given birth," Thyra mused, interrupting his thoughts. "If it’s true, then she has a great body. I’m impressed~"

"Your daughter?" He asked to clarify.

Marie nodded, her gaze dropping low, "I know it’s hard to believe, but I do have a daughter. And she’s here in Manhattan. I just... don’t know where."

Hearing this, Leon was once again surprised. But then, he realized something, "You didn’t find her?"

Marie had gone out with the others in the squad this evening, so she must have had a chance to check around. Since she didn’t return with any little girl, the rest was obvious.

Marie nodded, finally revealing a troubled expression, "I couldn’t find her at our home. Actually, I left her alone with our neighbors, before coming for training on campus that day. However, I can’t find any of them in the house when I checked today."

She sighed, her expression darkening with worry.

"I didn’t even see any zombie or zombie corpse, so it’s obvious that they hadn’t turned."

Leon nodded slowly, "So you think they escaped?"

"Very possible," She nodded. "But I haven’t been able to check."

Leon frowned and asked, "Why haven’t you been able to?"

"Earlier, I was with the others, so I couldn’t impose a search on them," She answered. "Besides, I can’t go without your permission."

"Hah?"

Surprised, Leon didn’t even know what to say. He could understand the first reason, but the second reason seemed incomprehensible.

She couldn’t go search for her daughter without asking for his permission?

He lightly massaged his forehead, feeling emotionally exhausted.

’Although I demanded loyalty and devotion, I didn’t think it’d be this deep.’

Running a hand through his hair, he asked, "You want to go search for her, right?"

Marie nodded, her expression somber.

"Good. Go prepare. We’re going together."

As soon as he said that, he turned around and headed upstairs.

"Wait! Leon!" She hurriedly called out to him, causing him to pause.

"Hm?" He looked back at her.

Gritting her teeth, she said with a serious expression, "I only told you because I needed your permission, boss. I wouldn’t want to force you to do things for me."

Leon sighed, then walked back downstairs. Although it felt a little wrong, he still did it—he walked up to her and flicked her forehead.

"Since when did it look like I’m being forced?"

He frowned, a subtle glare in his gaze.

"If I don’t feel like assisting you, I wouldn’t. Now don’t waste my time and get prepared. I still want to sleep early."

Without hearing any of her nonsense again, he went upstairs to put on his armor and pick up his sword.

"Why are you helping her, Leon? Do you feel compassion for her?" Thyra asked, her purple eyes curving with subtle amusement.

Putting on the shoulder guard, he answered, "Marie is a strong, determined woman. Her strength is undeniable, and she’ll grow to be a strong subordinate."

He turned to pick his sword, sheathed it, and continued, "Helping her save her daughter is simply a way to build trust and devotion."

Then, he smiled faintly—a smile full of calculations.

"Besides, her daughter might be an important piece in controlling her."

Thyra blinked in surprise, feeling like she didn’t hear him correctly.

"Leon?"

Suddenly, he burst into laughter. Looking at her stunned expression, he strapped the sword to his back and said, "Do you seriously think I’d say something like that? It’s merely a line from a movie I watched. Don’t think too much about it. I’m helping her because she’s a friend."

Chuckling, he walked past her and out of the room.

Thyra watched him through the wall as he closed the door and headed downstairs, her heart filled with doubt.

Did he mean those words or not? Were those his true thoughts, or was he simply larping?

She didn’t know, but she couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

’Perhaps, I don’t really know this human’s true nature at all.’

Soon, she phased through the door and came downstairs to find him and Marie conversing.

"First, we’re going to search your neighborhood and see if we can find any clues," He said, placing his hands on his waist.

"I understand. I’ll lead the way," She nodded, holding the red spear as she went outside. Leon followed her.

Under the brightness of the moon, the two left the hotel and headed towards the eastern part of Manhattan.

A few minutes afterward, Leon stood atop a thirty-story apartment tower, staring east toward the river.

Eastern Manhattan stretched before him, a maze of apartment blocks, hospitals, schools, and shattered streets. It felt overwhelming to look at, but he wasn’t fazed.

Still, finding one girl in a city this large should have been impossible.

Thankfully, he had a lead about what to find and where to look.

He glanced at Marie who was standing beside him, and asked, "You said your neighbors live there, right?"

He pointed at a small apartment building not far away. It was a small bungalow, so it looked quite small from their view.

Marie nodded, her gaze shifting to the building beside it. "That’s our house there beside it. I checked earlier. No signs of people in both houses. They must have left for somewhere else."

Leon could sense the worry in her voice, so he placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed gently.

"Let’s start searching."

Climbing back down from the rooftop, they got back into the building and descended to the ground floor, finally stepping back onto the streets.

Leon didn’t know why, but he had a feeling the night was going to be long.