Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse

"Please, make yourself at home, Mr. Chase."

’Since Ronan brought him back, he must have his reasons.’ Although she was a bit displeased with Rhys Chase, feeling he was exploiting Ronan’s labor, Evelyn Ford didn’t let it show. Instead, she graciously arranged a room for him.

"Thank you, Mrs. Kendrick. You’re exactly as Ronan described—wise and brave, beautiful and talented, kind and generous."

Evelyn blinked. ’Is he talking about me?’

"You’re also just as I imagined, Mr. Chase. Very young."

The two began exchanging compliments. The others looked back and forth at each other before they all turned in unison to look at Ronan Kendrick.

Ronan took Evelyn’s hand and shot Rhys Chase a disdainful look. "Just put him in the guest room on the first floor. He’s getting old; climbing stairs will be hard on him."

Evelyn stifled a laugh. "Got it."

Rhys Chase didn’t get angry. Instead, he took out the various gifts he had brought and started handing them out.

"Your home is so lively. No wonder Ronan is always in a hurry to get back every day."

Evelyn poked Ronan’s arm and leaned in to whisper, "Someone’s not focused on his work."

Ronan’s expression softened. "Mmm, my body may be at the base, but my heart is at home."

Because they had a guest, dinner that evening was a lavish affair with a full twelve dishes. Joelle Finch and Wyatt Vaughn had both pulled out all the stops. The man sitting in their living room was, after all, the base’s highest-ranking Commander. They didn’t know Rhys Chase’s true identity and simply saw him as a soldier. For their people, the respect and trust for the military was something pure, untainted by personal gain. As such, even Taylor Vance and Zion Lowell were extremely deferential toward Rhys Chase.

During dinner, Quincy asked about the status of the resettlement housing, and Rhys Chase answered each of his questions.

"The resettlement housing will be fully completed in two months at most. All one hundred fifty thousand residents will be able to move in, and the refugee camps will cease to exist."

Hearing this news, Annie’s eyes reddened.

’Auntie should have a house now, too. With a home and food, she won’t have to struggle to find food outside anymore.’

Noticing Annie’s somber mood, Evelyn Ford reached out and patted his back.

"Aunt Ford, I’m not sad. I’m really happy."

"I’m happy too. You need to eat more so you can grow up big and strong, okay?"

Annie nodded. "Okay."

By the end of the meal, everyone’s respect for Rhys Chase had deepened into profound admiration and gratitude.

Ronan Kendrick sat to one side, silent. ’I never thought this guy, Rhys Chase, had a talent for acting,’ he thought. ’He used to say if the people in the refugee camps died, they died. Now he’s singing a different tune, promising everyone that the government would never abandon a single one of its citizens.’

Ronan felt nothing hearing this, but everyone else was deeply moved, including Evelyn.

Because of their deep love for their country, they chose to believe him, even though they knew he was just spouting platitudes.

"Mr. Chase, thank you for holding the line. I knew it. As long as the military is here, we will never be abandoned. As long as a single one of our people is alive, this country will never perish."

Taylor Vance stood up and bowed deeply to Rhys Chase, who quickly helped him up. To be honest, Rhys had heard this kind of flattery countless times before and felt nothing. But seeing this white-haired man bow to him with such a grateful expression, something indescribable stirred within him.

"That’s right. We will not give up. Please, believe in us. Believe in the military."

Taylor Vance nodded. "Thank you, thank you."

Taylor Vance carefully took a small bag from his pocket. Inside was a small flag—the same one from the photo taken on Whirlwind Highway.

"Mr. Chase, as long as the flag is here, so am I."

Rhys Chase might not have been able to comprehend such faith, but at that moment, he had to admit he was deeply shaken.

And so, Rhys Chase settled in. He naturally overheard the rumors spreading through the villa area, but he couldn’t reconcile the shrewish, domineering woman from the gossip with the Evelyn Ford before him. For Ronan to be so infatuated, there had to be more to her than just her exceptional beauty. In this home, she was, without a doubt, the one in charge.

As always, Liam Sterling came by every day like clockwork to deliver food. This time, in addition to the food, he also brought a case of Rhys Chase’s clothes.

"So secretive. Who knows what they’re talking about in there. Evelyn, haven’t you asked Ronan? Did Mr. Chase come to our house because something happened at the base?"

Seeing Quincy eavesdropping, Evelyn felt embarrassed for him.

After all, both Ronan and Rhys Chase were gene-edited humans; they could hear any movement outside, let alone Quincy practically plastered to the door.

"If you’ve got this much free time, I can find a task for you."

Quincy held up his trembling hands. "I just finished my chores. Let me rest for two hours."

"Fine. In two hours, help me grind some medicinal powder. I need it urgently."

Quincy pointed at the guest room door. "After Liam Sterling arrived, the three of them went in there for a meeting. It’s been two hours already. Even an international summit wouldn’t take this long."

Evelyn crossed her arms and looked at Quincy. "We common folk should just worry about our own daily needs. We don’t need to worry about others. By the way, has your hair started growing back yet?"

At the mention of this, Quincy got incredibly excited.

"That hair growth tonic you gave me really works! Some fuzz is starting to grow in."

Evelyn nodded. "Good. Keep at it."

Inside the guest room, Liam Sterling put away the documents and lowered his voice. "Mr. Chase, Mr. Kendrick, Vice Commander Zane has sent out another plane. Their destination this time is the South Pole."

Lying lazily on the bed with his eyes closed, Rhys Chase asked, "How many people did he send?"

"Excluding the three pilots, twenty people in total."

Rhys Chase opened his eyes. "Twenty people... Isn’t he afraid of a total wipeout? If the glaciers in the South Pole melt, will there be any habitable land left in the Southern Hemisphere?"

"Are we really not sending anyone? Mr. Chase, Lynn Pierce said the air quality has been very poor lately. The oxygen is starting to thin. We have to make plans soon."

"What’s the rush? The Undercity hasn’t been destroyed yet, has it?"

Liam Sterling felt a familiar sense of frantic urgency while his superiors remained completely unbothered. He simply couldn’t calm down.

"Mr. Kendrick, what are your thoughts?"

Ronan Kendrick looked impatient. "No thoughts. Is this meeting over? I have to get back to my chores."

Rhys Chase really couldn’t understand how a cold-hearted person like Ronan Kendrick could have turned into such a lovestruck fool.

’His genetic values must have gone haywire.’

"Ronan, that child, Annie... he isn’t yours and Mrs. Kendrick’s?"

Ronan narrowed his eyes at him. "What are you getting at?"

"The child doesn’t resemble either of you. I’m just curious what kind of offspring perfect genes would produce. Would it be a case where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, or would it be a net loss? If you combined with another gene-edited human, it would definitely be the former. But Mrs. Kendrick is an ordinary human, which introduces many uncertainties."

Ronan Kendrick snorted coldly. "That’s none of your business. You should worry about yourself, lest you have no one to care for you in your old age and see to your burial."

Rhys Chase took a deep breath. To be honest, the older he got, the more he feared death and aging. In this respect, he was the same as any ordinary human—perhaps even more so.

He looked at Ronan with a hopeful expression. "If that day really comes, I’ll have to trouble you to collect my body. And while you’re at it, make my grave look nice. I’m a perfectionist."

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