Chapter 44: Electricity formula

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Electricity formula Betty’s gaze lingered on the picture frame hanging crookedly on the wall. She gave a faint nod. "I’m getting more and more curious about who your mother is, Calista..." Her eyes softened as she turned toward Sophia, who was still fast asleep, her breathing steady and calm. "Calista, I’m heading out. When she wakes up, let her know." Without waiting for a reply, Betty’s figure blurred and vanished. Calista floated gently down from the ceiling beam, her form shimmering before collapsing back into that of a small child. She plopped onto the bed beside Sophia with a pout. "She’ll know my mother soon enough," Calista muttered, hugging her knees. "But she really has to stop being such a lazy ass and hurry up with leveling the space... hmph." --- "Huh... what happened here?" Standing in her room, Betty narrowed her eyes at the splintered door. The lock hung in twisted pieces, as if someone had bashed it with a heavy object. Her fist clenched instinctively as faint footsteps echoed in the hallway. Rustle... rustle... The door creaked open. Betty’s tense expression eased into a sigh when she saw the figure step in. "Oh... It’s you." Hazel froze, her eyes widening. A stranger was standing in Bennett’s apartment, an unfamiliar woman with red eyes and a calm stance,"...Huh? Who are you, girl?" Betty blinked, taken aback by the reaction. "What do you mean by ’who’... I’m—" She stopped mid-sentence, glancing down at herself. The swell of her chest under the thin shirt caught her attention, realization dawning. ’Right... Hazel’s never seen me like this.’ Her lips twitched as she straightened, eyes widening when Hazel leaned in until her face hovered just inches away. "Ah—you don’t have to be that close," Betty murmured, shifting uncomfortably. Hazel arched a brow before finally stepping back, arms folding across her chest. "Are you Bennett’s sister? Where is he? We’ve been worried about his disappearance." Betty froze, stunned at being mistaken for her own sister. "Hah, I’m not. Why did you think I’m Bennett’s sister?" Hazel again looked her up and down. "Of course, you look like Bennett; this is the only possibility unless you are his mother and look very young." Betty’s face darkened. "Tch. I’m not Bennett’s sister, or mother, I’m Bennett myself." Hazel let out a sharp cough, clutching her stomach as she struggled not to laugh. "You expect me to believe that? Do you take me for a fool? Who would believe you if you claimed to be male when you are a female?" Betty nodded. "Yeah, understandable, but I was not male; that was just a fake persona." Hazel stops her laugh, looking suspiciously at her. "If you really are Bennett, then why hide your gender, and why is your face a little different?" Betty shrugged, jumping on the couch, sinking her back on the cushions. "Personal issues, I would say.... but where is Maria? I didn’t see her with you." Hazel looks at her sometimes without responding. "Okay, I believe you, and about Maria, she said she is going to meet with a new friend of hers, but yeah, I have to say it, you are going to break someone’s heart." Betty raised her head, looking at her strangely. "What do you mean by that?" Hazel sits beside her, crossing her legs. "Do you want to go see the base? We didn’t have to explore it properly. After that, we will go outside again to collect stones. Your friend has upgraded again and is now in grade three." Hearing her chattering, Betty tilted her head in confusion. "Which friend.." Hazel patted her shoulder, "Of course, that friend David, now he is in grade three, currently the strongest in base, we need to collect twenty-five rank two cores for each person." Betty nodded, lost in her thoughts. ’Did he upgrade, but I’m stronger than him now, even if he is ranked above.’ "Seriously, Bennett, I’m still shocked that you are a woman, not a male, hey, are you listening?" "Huh, oh yeah, I’m listening." With an awkward smile, Betty stood up. "Okay, let’s go then, I also want to go see the base properly." --- Lilian, sitting in the living room, was lost in thought, her chin resting on her hand. ’This system has given many useful items, but I don’t understand why it wants to force me to become friends with important characters.’ her gaze fixed on her thigh, looking at an invisible purple screen. The living room lit up with new kinds of light bulbs, lighting the room fully, not leaving any darkness. [Objective 1: completed: go to the base where the original story happened.] [Objective 2: completed: Make friends with Hazel’s biological sister, who was introduced in the second series: Reward" formula to make electricity with zombie cores.] [Objective 3: Completed: In five days, make yourself the core figure of this base: Hint: you can use the second reward: Reward" 60 attribute points] ... [Objective 7: uncompleted: Make friends with Leon, male lead friend and secret hidden boss: Hint: Roam around the base: Reward: grade four core.] ’That’s now a big problem, this Leon was described as an unpredictable character.’ The sudden knock awoke her from her review. "Click" Looking away from the screen, she noticed General Samuel standing on the open door, knocking lightly. "Ah, General, come in." Samuel nodded with a smile, sitting across from her. "Miss Lilian, I have personally come to thank you for the formula you provided. Because of you, we don’t have to remain dependent on stored electricity." Lilian smiled awkwardly, nodding along. "Don’t worry, general, it’s a fifty/fifty deal. I have become a core figure of decision-making in exchange for this little thing." Samuel raised his brow, hearing her, shaking his head. "Miss, you are being modest, you know. If you don’t provide that formula, then the stored electricity would be exhausted, and then we will not be able to use heavy weapons." "Ah, I forgot to tell, there are three boxes of supplies in front of the door, think of it as a little thanks." --- "So, where were you this entire time, Bennett? Is this your real name?" Betty, walking on the road, looks beside her at Hazel. A thoughtful look crossed her face. ’Should I change my name, it will ensure that nothing is related to Betty’s name; it’s not like there are documents now to identify anyone, nah, it’s okay, Betty is the name of thousands of people.’ "You can call me Betty, Betty Alison." Hazel nodded, rubbing her hands together. "Hmm, Betty Alison, it’s strange to call you Betty suddenly from Bennett, but yeah, you don’t look like a boy now anyway, I’m still curious why your face has become so feminine suddenly." Betty frowned, wrapping her hand around Hazel, squeezing her neck playfully. "What do you mean, was I not feminine before?" Hazel rubbed her head, pretending to be hurt. "Ouch, my neck, ahem, well if I didn’t know you are a female, then there would be a bang on your head right now." Betty gets a picture of a punch she got for putting her hand on Maria’s shoulder. "Tch, I don’t understand why punch for only putting a hand on the shoulder." Hazel, freeing her neck, looked at Betty’s short hair and her wild style of combing hair, and no trace of any grooming. "What are you looking at so intently?" Hazel raised her brow and said mischievously. "Betty, tell me the truth, are you a tomboy?" Betty: "..." "What the hell are you talking about, hmm, I didn’t think about it, I guess I don’t know." Hazel nodded. "Okay, then we will find. Tell me, do you care if someone sees you covered in dirt, or without makeup?" Betty closed her eyes, thinking about it. "Nah, I guess I don’t care if anyone sees me. I like to do whatever I want." Hazel flicked her finger, nodding happily. "Then it confirmed," Betty opened her eyes, hearing her. "What confirmed?" "You are a tomboy, it confirms, now walk quickly, we only have walked half base." --- "Here you go." Lilian put coffee on the table and sat across from Maria with her legs crossed. "Ah, thanks, I didn’t know you were a genius, you alone have made a formula to generate electricity, now civilians can also use electricity." Lilian smiled strainedly. ’Ugh, I didn’t make it, and I’m not a genius, I cant take praise at all.’ "Well, forget about it, tell me, did you find your friend you were talking about?" Maria’s smile fell, and a sad look crossed her face. "No, it’s been fifteen days, and he is missing and also his daughter; I guess he has gone to some other base." Lilian sighed, seeing her sad face, her finger holding the coffee cup clenched. "Don’t worry, he would be alright. Which level are you on now?" She changed the conversation, not wanting to make her more sad. Maria’s face lit up slightly, her earlier mood becoming normal. ’Yeah, he would be alright.’