Chapter 95 - 94: Invisible Flying Device

Sev Steele had no time to exchange further pleasantries with him. She pushed her handcart out of the house and headed straight for the safe zone’s main gate.

Passing through the gate, Guard A greeted her with a broad smile. "You just went digging for mutated potatoes yesterday, and you’re already out scavenging again today. You sure work hard, lady!"

"Well, winter is right around the corner, isn’t it? I’m planning to gather some firewood so we don’t freeze," Sev replied with a smile.

Her answer was watertight. Her cart was scattered with a few torn gunny sacks and a bundle of hemp rope—she looked every bit the part of someone going out to gather firewood. Guard B briskly scanned her payment code, deducted the ten-point entry and exit fee, and let her pass through the gate.

Rose was only a little over four years old and inherently frail. Combined with the fact that she was in a deep slumber with barely detectable breathing, the two guards remained completely oblivious to the child hidden on the handcart.

Having safely smuggled Rose out the gates, Sev finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Walking at a brisk pace, she soon arrived at the mutated locust grove, her designated meeting point with Doctor Jenkins.

During the spring, this was a favorite spot among Scavengers. First, they would pick the tender leaves, then the mutated locust flowers, and finally, the elm seeds. But now it was autumn, and the trees bore only yellowing, aged leaves. Not only were these old leaves tough to chew and stripped of their nutritional value, but more importantly, they were mildly toxic. Consuming them easily induced nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and sometimes even allergic reactions. As a result, passing Scavengers couldn’t even be bothered to glance in this direction, leaving the area exceptionally desolate.

Doctor Jenkins had chosen this location to meet up precisely because he didn’t want anyone from the safe zone to see them heading out together. After all, their pairing was bound to raise eyebrows no matter who saw them. Their meeting with the Head of the Stone Family had to be kept strictly under wraps; otherwise, perceptive individuals might connect the dots to the Genetic Potion left behind by Arvin Stone. He had no desire to bring endless trouble upon himself and Sev.

The Head of the Stone Family had taken this into account as well, which was why he had arranged for them to meet in the wilderness.

Seeing no one around, Sev quietly peeled back a corner of the sack to check on Rose. Finding her still fast asleep without any signs of discomfort, Sev’s mind was temporarily put at ease.

Pushing the cart aside, she pulled out a hatchet and put on a show of chopping branches by the side of the road. In this posture, anyone passing by would simply assume she was out collecting firewood. No one would suspect a thing.

When Doctor Jenkins arrived, he spotted Sev chopping branches from afar and couldn’t help but smirk. She took her charade quite seriously. If he weren’t in on the secret, he would have definitely assumed she was just out gathering firewood.

"There’s a dense thicket of brambles over there. Push your cart in and hide it!" Doctor Jenkins instructed.

Sev was stunned, unsure of what he was planning, but she obediently complied. As she emerged from the brambles carrying the sack with Rose on her back, she saw it materialize right before her eyes—a Flying Device!

It sported a minimalist design with a streamlined, fully enclosed cabin, looking much like a silver-gray clamshell. The contraption looked strikingly similar to the aircraft she had seen in sci-fi movies, leaving Sev rooted to the spot in shock.

Doctor Jenkins was equally dumbfounded for a few seconds, though his surprise stemmed from the sack she was carrying. Clever as he was, he understood at a glance—this woman had brought the child straight along with her.

"Don’t just stand there. Hurry up and get in!" Doctor Jenkins urged impatiently.

The cabin door opened automatically, and a hover-ladder extended to the ground. Sev climbed the steps one by one until she reached the entrance. The door was less than one and a half meters tall, forcing Sev to duck as she squeezed inside with the child on her back.

The interior of the Flying Device was extremely cramped, housing only two seats. A control panel resembling a simple small table fit seamlessly into the cabin walls, utilizing the limited space to its absolute extreme.

Sev recalled the night they had fought the Mutant Rat tide together. Doctor Jenkins could have escaped at any moment, yet he hadn’t brought out this Flying Device. That was because, no matter how hard they tried, it could never have accommodated her and the four children.

Sev pulled Rose out of the sack and let the little girl curl up on her lap. Doctor Jenkins slipped in after her. With a light tap of his fingertips, the small Flying Device set off silently.

Through the porthole, Sev watched as a faint golden halo rippled outward like water across the hull of the craft upon takeoff. The halo flickered and flowed, and wherever it passed, the exterior of the Flying Device rapidly blurred and faded, as though dissolving into the light. Within seconds, the Flying Device had perfectly concealed its tracks.

Sev was dying of envy. As expected of someone from a prominent family to possess such a treasure! This was a true lifesaver. At a critical moment, she could just shove her kids inside and whisk them away from danger. When would she ever be able to own a high-tech marvel like this?

Doctor Jenkins was an extremely perceptive man; from beginning to end, he didn’t ask a single question about her bringing Rose along.

More than ten minutes later, Sev noticed the Flying Device decelerating, though its altitude didn’t drop. Soon after, amid the clear blue sky, she caught sight of a beam of silver light. Had she merely been an ordinary passenger, she would have certainly mistaken it for the sun’s reflection glinting off the aircraft. But the sole purpose of their trip was to meet the Head of the Stone Family, so her eyes locked onto the silver beam.

Before long, a silver corridor materialized in midair. Without a moment’s hesitation, Doctor Jenkins piloted the Flying Device straight into it. Eventually, the Flying Device entered the belly of a much larger aircraft carrier.

Once they had parked securely, Doctor Jenkins was the first to step out. Immediately, an elegant, middle-aged male voice rang out, "Young man of the Jenkins Family, you’re quite punctual!"

"This junior pays his respects to his elder. Being punctual is only proper," Doctor Jenkins replied, his tone laced with a deference Sev had never heard from him before.

Sev followed close behind him, still cradling Rose in her arms.

Coming face to face with the Head of the Stone Family, Sev felt that, based purely on his appearance, he looked more like a middle school teacher. His features weren’t particularly striking, but he exuded a profound scholarly aura. Having always admired knowledgeable people since she was young, she formed a favorable impression of him at first glance.

"Is she the one who found the necklace?" Brandon Stone asked point-blank, his gaze landing on Sev’s face.

"Yes. Her name is Sev Steele, and she is my friend," Doctor Jenkins affirmed.

"Very well. Sev Steele, thank you for finding the necklace and not forgetting to collect my brother’s remains." Surprisingly, Brandon Stone offered Sev a deep bow.

The amount of information packed into that sentence was so staggering that even Doctor Jenkins couldn’t hide his shock. No wonder the Head of the Stone Family had set off the very day he heard about the skeletal remains, rushing to District Nine at top speed. It turned out that the deceased Master Arvin Stone was actually his younger brother!

Sev was a bit dazed. The Family Head of a prominent clan from the Third Safe Zone was actually bowing in gratitude to an ordinary person like her—his sincerity was beyond question!

"Head of the Stone Family, you’re too polite! Returning a lost item and collecting its owner’s remains was the least I could do.

"Moreover, I took the liberty of bringing my youngest daughter along this time. I was hoping to ask for your help in treating her illness. I’m truly sorry for the imposition!" Sev said, a look of guilt washing over her face.

She had originally picked up the necklace to sell it for a good price. Now that the man’s own brother had arrived, it was essentially the rightful owner coming to claim it. She had been taught since childhood to return money found to its owner, so by all rights, she should have handed it straight back. Yet she had deliberately brought her daughter along, making it blindingly obvious that she was using this favor to demand a reward.