The entire room went quiet; Zerra was utterly embarrassed and shocked that she just stood there, rooted to the spot. Her hazel eyes were full of innocence.
Darren cleared his throat. "That’s your fox, Cassias?"
Oh, she seemed to have crashed onto the scene of an important meeting. There was also Theron there, Darren’s younger brother.
"Yeah," Cassias answered with his eyes looking at her. With a look that said she should come over.
Zerra ignored it, pretending not to see the look on his face. She was only a tiny, ignorant little fox anyway. She had thought about dashing out of the room, but soon dismissed the idea.
Her crystal cores weren’t in the bag yet.
In the end, it wasn’t Cassias who picked her up, but Laziel. She didn’t resist this time, crawling around his neck.
Soon, the pair of Valez brothers excused themselves.
"Please don’t forget to inform us, Cassias," Darren muttered before they walked out of the door.
Zerra craned her neck. They were talking with vague words after she appeared, and it was unknown what they were discussing before.
But did that concern her? She was only here for the crystal cores.
"Why do you stick with Laziel now? Don’t you dislike him?" Cassias suddenly asked, as if speaking to a fox wouldn’t make him look like a crazy man.
Zerra, licking her paw, stopped. She glanced at him briefly before continuing to do what she was doing.
Laziel coughed awkwardly. There had been something that compelled him to pick up the fox upon seeing her unusually well-behaved appearance.
He had expected her to bite him, but she was obedient this time, even crawling onto his neck of her own accord. As a result, he also hadn’t expected Cassias to show such a jealous side.
It was the first time he had seen it from him.
"Maybe this is a different fox?" Laziel muttered awkwardly. His hand reached to grab the fox, who was hooking his short hair on her paw; she was slippery enough, always managing to dodge.
In no time, his hair now resembled a bird’s nest, sticking in various directions.
Zerra was quite satisfied with her masterpiece. What different fox? This foolish brother of hers, sigh...
"Do you want crystal cores? Better quality this time." Cassias narrowed his eyes.
Zerra perked her ears, staring at him in anticipation. Under her watchful eyes, a small hill of crystal cores formed on the table. She didn’t hesitate to jump down from Laziel’s head, not forgetting to give him a small kick on the head.
Laziel widened his eyes; was it his illusion or did this fox just express her disdain for him? He rubbed his head, stunned.
"Eat a lot, Foxy," he muttered.
"Zizi." Cassias corrected.
Laziel pressed his lips together and immediately changed the nickname. "Yes, Zizi."
The atmosphere turned into a comfortable silence. They watched as Zerra’s soft, fluffy tail waved back and forth, revealing her content mood. She ate with relish. Crystal cores from zombie level two!
There were even some at level three. They were truly delicious! Previously, when Cassias handed her the level three crystal core from the zombified Brown family’s man, she almost couldn’t resist eating it.
Fortunately, she managed to hold back. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be able to explain if Cassias asked for it and the crystal core wasn’t there. After all, the attribute didn’t match her space power.
"How did Darren know that you can help to increase the possibility of surviving zombie transformation?" Laziel broke the silence. He was now a bit envious of Cassias, who had helped himself to rub the fox’s soft fur.
Cassias hummed and didn’t answer. It was a secret that only a few of them knew. Although Cassias never openly told them to keep their mouths shut about it, they had a tacit agreement.
His ability was too rare — a mental power ability user.
Some desperate people might come to harass him if they knew what kind of ability he possessed. There were also the emerging power factions; they might target him because of his ability.
In short, his situation could be dangerous once news got out.
Laziel thought about it, and a figure emerged in his mind. His breathing became heavy all of a sudden. He closed his eyes.
He was also in disbelief, but what could he do...?
"Sorry, Cassias." He suddenly apologized, taking a deep breath, his emotions chaotic.
It was Cassias who had revealed his secret ability just to guide him in dealing with the zombie virus on his body. He had done that in front of Nyra, and the fox...
The fox couldn’t talk, but someone else could.
He was also thinking about the Brown family men that Cassias had saved. Maybe it could have been him. Only one person remained out of three — the ice ability user, Draven.
However, it was also unlikely. That man was still working under Henry until this day, and the news that a close aide under Major General Valez had been bitten by a zombie had been kept tight under wraps.
Cassias merely responded to him with a slight hum. He was still concentrating on teasing the fox in front of him, gliding his slender finger on the fox’s ears or poking the fox’s tail.
His face held no trace of anger.
Zerra perked up, sensing that the atmosphere in the room wasn’t right. Her fox eyes glanced at the disheartened Laziel on the sofa, then Cassias who was staring at her.
Their eyes accidentally met, but she looked away. Her hazel eyes blinked innocently, appearing oblivious.
"We might be going to the capital soon." Cassias suddenly opened his mouth.
Laziel was taken aback. "So soon? It’s not because of them, right?"
The fox’s eating speed slowed down a little; her heartbeat quickened. They were now finally going to the Capital?
However, it was unknown whether Nyra would agree. She still had some resistance toward their parents. On top of that, she was the most stubborn person among them.
When the morning came, her eldest sister’s reaction was just as she guessed. "Going to the Capital. Why? After the fog, the world is still dangerous and unpredictable."
Her eyes inadvertently swept over Zerra, as if she were quietly blaming her for throwing a tantrum and demanding to go to the Capital. After all, it was in line with Zerra’s personality.