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The uneventful journey along the provincial highway only heightened their anxiety, feeling like the calm before the storm.

Everyone was on high alert, unable to rest or even close their eyes.

Rose’s subordinates, in particular, kept a constant, intense watch over her, eyes burning with worry, making sure she was still breathing and hadn’t begun to turn.

They barely dared to blink, afraid they’d miss a critical moment.

If anyone could remain relaxed and even sleep during this tense time, it was Clyde. While his friends were nervous and jittery, he seemed completely unaffected, almost as if he were living in his own world. His calm demeanor stemmed from the fact that, as he had explained, he wasn’t close to Rose.

He believed that since they had already drawn a conclusion and decided to wait and see, there was no point in stressing himself out. In his view, torturing himself with worry would only worsen his condition and put his life at risk when they inevitably faced the unknown dangers ahead.

Clyde wanted to rest both his body and mind as much as possible so he could remain battle-ready when needed. Reeve, who had been grouped with Clyde due to their similar age and presumed compatibility, found Clyde’s approach almost too logical.

He couldn’t fully understand how Clyde could remain so calm, yet he also knew he had no grounds to judge him. Clyde’s actions, though seemingly detached, were rooted in practicality, something Reeve was beginning to grasp, even if he couldn’t completely agree with it.

What they didn’t realize was that Clyde chose this approach because he valued his life above all. He was out on a dangerous mission, knowing full well that his mother and sister were back at the base, anxiously waiting for his safe return. They had no one else to rely on but him.

Clyde believed that if he let his guard down or allowed himself to fall into the same emotional state as the others, he might end up in danger—and that was a risk he couldn’t afford to take.

In his mind, staying calm and preserving his strength was the only way to ensure he could protect himself and avoid future regrets.

Moreover, he believed that worrying over something they couldn’t control was pointless.

Why should he feel anxious when he wasn’t even an awakened ability user?

His survival depended entirely on his physical strength, so it was essential for him to keep his body in peak condition.

Stressing over things beyond his control would only weaken him, and that, to Clyde, was the real foolishness.

Reeve finally took his eyes off Clyde, and it seemed as though he began to understand Clyde’s approach.

Either that, or he was simply exhausted after his nerves had been on edge since they left the base.

With the steady, smooth motion of the truck lulling him, Reeve’s tension eased, and he too drifted off to sleep.

Sparrow handed the wheel over to someone else, given that the road was relatively clear and safe. He took the passenger seat and allowed himself a moment to rest, feeling the exhaustion from everything that had unfolded.

Meanwhile, Bell mobilized the Scarlet Bees, organizing them into four rotating scout groups to ensure no ambushes or surprises lay ahead. This way, they could stay vigilant without pushing themselves to the point of exhaustion.

Everyone had a moment of silence, luckily, since Port City was a major hub of foreign goods, the government made the provincial road wide enough so many trailer trucks could go smoothly without needing to worry about traffic which made Sparrow’s team’s travel smoothly, by 4 PM, they reached the outskirts of the Port City.

The trucks came to a halt on a high ridge along the mountain road that separated Port City from the rest of the region.

From their vantage point, they could see the vast expanse of the sea and the ships docked at the port.

The gloomy sky overhead only deepened the sense of unease that weighed heavily on their chests as they stared down at the city.

The buildings had turned a charred black, possibly the aftermath of a massive fire or the work of survivors and looters who had ravaged the city.

From their vantage point, they could see the city streets densely packed with zombies, their numbers causing a collective shudder of fear among the group.

Sparrow had witnessed such scenes so often that fear no longer gripped him.

In fact, he had once lured large numbers of zombies to clear a path for Kisha and the others.

The proximity to these undead creatures had dulled his sense of dread, allowing him to view them more like a child’s game—something he could handle with practiced ease.

But of course, an evolved zombie was a different matter entirely.

After assessing the situation, Sparrow drafted a plan and summoned all the team captains.

With Rose unconscious, her vice-captain stepped up to lead in her absence.

The captains gathered at the front of the truck, while their team members stood guard around the perimeter.

Meanwhile, Bell’s Scarlet Bees took a well-deserved break to rest.

When all the team captains arrived, Sparrow crouched down on the pavement, unfurling a map of Port City and using stones to weigh down each corner.

As he spread out the map, the other captains followed suit, crouching beside him.

Those watching from a distance couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight, as it resembled a group of children engrossed in a game, which briefly lifted the mood.

Port City was shaped like a crescent moon.

The western side, the upper tip of the crescent, extended out as the farthest part of the port, while the eastern side formed the other end.

The northern and southern parts, located in the middle of the port, were the most bustling areas, while the western and eastern sides primarily served as warehouses.

Sparrow circled the western side of the port, where cargo trailers were stacked and stored.

This area also featured some warehouses, primarily containing machinery and transport vehicles such as trucks, sports cars and others.

In contrast, the warehouses on the eastern side housed a variety of smaller imported goods, including food items.

However, if other groups had arrived at Port City before them, they would likely have focused on the eastern side to seize the valuable goods there. Since their goal was different, Sparrow gave little consideration to the eastern side and instead directed his attention toward the western side.

However, the rest of the team had a different perspective.

They reasoned that if other groups were likely targeting the eastern part of the port for its valuable supplies, it would be prudent for them to secure those resources before they were taken.

They decided that the cargo trailers in the western part could wait, and their immediate priority should be to access the eastern side.

Additionally, since their journey took only a day, they could return to the base and then come back to Port City after gathering all the necessary supplies. They could then focus on the cargo trailers required for setting up the protective walls at the base.

After all, Kisha and the defense team wouldn’t be able to establish the wall’s perimeter immediately, and even after collecting the cargo trailers, Kisha’s team would need more time to put them to use.

So, thinking of this, it would be best to focus on the other supplies first before others.