Chapter 11 Trouble

 "Is this ointment?" Jimmy sniffed the ointment.

 "It is." Abby admitted," It's a trauma salve I made."

 Jimmy looked at Abby with a puzzled look in his eyes, "How do you know how to make salve?"

 "Jimmy, listen."Abby knew it was time to come clean with Jimmy. She said calmly, "I'm actually an Awakened." 

 "What?" Jimmy looked shocked, " You're an Awakened?" 

 "Yes."

 "But as I recall, you're not an Awakened." Jimmy frowned as he scrutinized Abby, as if to make sure that the person before him was his sister or not.

 "This may sound crazy." Abby explained," When I woke up in the hospital, I realized I was awakened."

 Abby did not tell Jimmy about the system, and she was going to hide it until she figured out where it came from.

 "Then why didn't you tell me earlier?" Jimmy pursued.

 "You would have worried about me if I had told you earlier."

 "Of course I worry about you." Jimmy had a worried look in his eyes, "Awakened people have super powers but they are also in danger. Mike's whereabouts remain unknown. I don't want you to be like him. I don't want to lose you."

 "You won't lose me." Abby said, "I will protect myself."

 "That's what Mike told us at first. " Jimmy's tone became low and full of sadness.

 "Oh ,Jimmy." Abby hugged her brother as she softly reassured him, "Mike will be fine, I'm gonna find him."

 Jimmy buried his head in Abby's arms as he whimpered, and Abby comforted Jimmy for a few moments before he finally calmed down.

 For dinner, Abby made Jimmy his favorite steak and grilled corn, and Abby made a separate tomato soup for Mom, which Abby had to take to Mom's room because she rarely left the room when she was sick.

 Abby and Jimmy were the only two people eating dinner in the dining room, and Jimmy asked Abby offhandedly as she ate her steak, "Do you know what happened at the end of the alley today?"

 "Yes. I saw two bodies when I went out this morning."

 "I heard that the two dead men were bodyguards for the White Wolf Hunters Union. " Jimmy said. 

 "White Wolf Hunters Union?" asked Abby curiously as she put down the fork in her hand," How do you know they were bodyguards for the White Wolf Hunters Union?"

 "My classmate's mom is an employee of White Wolf Hunters Union, and it was his mom who told him." replied Jimmy in an affirmative tone.

 Abby was silent for a moment. She remembered that it was the same two men who had followed William the night before. Had William killed the two men, and was there a connection between William and the White Wolf Hunters' Union?

 "What are you thinking?" Jimmy asked.

 Abby came back to her senses, she shook her head, "Nothing."

 "This area hasn't been very safe lately, you shouldn't spend the night at your classmate's house from now on." Abby admonished Jimmy.

 Jimmy nodded his head.

 When supper was over, Abby went to her room. Lying on her bed, she pulled out her cell phone and searched for information about the White Wolf Hunters Union. The Internet shows that the White Wolf Hunters Union is one of the largest hunters' unions in the country. This hunters' union is also involved in pharmaceutical research and other areas of scientific research. They also have their own research laboratories and research bases. Beyond that, Abby could find no further information about the White Wolf Hunters' Union.

 So Abby put the phone aside and fell into a deep thought. Her brother was a hunter who belonged to the White Wolf Hunters League before he disappeared, and the two men who died this morning also belonged to the league. Is this really just a coincidence?

 Outside the window a gust of night air came into the room. Abby felt an unaccountable chill, and unconsciously clasped her body.

 ......

 The next morning, Abby arrived at the cleaning company. Jeanne tells Abby that their mission today is to go to the wilderness and assist government troops in setting up a temporary base.

 "The government intends to set up a temporary base in the wilderness area? " Abby was a little surprised to hear this news.

 "Yup." Jeanne said, "I heard that recently the government's army eliminated a lot of Mutant monsters in the wilderness area, and they seized a survival area. So the government decided to use that area to set up a temporary base."

 "So we don't need to clean up Mutant monster this time, right?"

 "We just need to sterilize the base to prevent the virus from growing, that's all. " Jeanne patted Abby's shoulder as she gave a gentle smile, "Just relax, okay?"

 Abby nodded reassuringly.

 As a result, Abby and the others travel to the wilderness area in a special vehicle from the cleaning company. After about half an hour, the vehicle entered the confines of the temporary base. As they passed the sentry post, the driver presented the guard with proof of employment, whereupon the guard waved them through.

 The car was parked in a vacant lot. As soon as Abby gets out of the car, she sees an armored vehicle driving slowly into the base. The armored vehicles were parked in an orderly fashion at their assigned positions. A group of soldiers in camouflage quickly surrounded it, deftly opening the doors of the armored vehicle and starting to load it with supplies.

 Not far away, a handful of researchers in white jackets crouched on the ground, concentrating on collecting vegetation specimens. Wearing protective gloves and carrying special collecting tools, they carefully uprooted some rare plants and placed them in prepared sample boxes. Every now and then, during this time, they exchanged low voices.

 At this moment a deafening roar burst from the sky. Abby subconsciously raised her head to the sky only to see several silver-gray fighter jets flying in the direction of the base. In the sunlight, the fighters glittered with a metallic sheen, and the weapons mounted under their wings demonstrated their powerful deterrent. The fighter slowly landed on the improvised airstrip, its tires grinding against the runway and sending up a cloud of sparks. The cabin doors slowly opened, and one by one, fighters in black combat fatigues stepped out from the inside.

 A tall back appeared in Abby's view, and the man seemed to be William. Could he be here, too?

 "Abby, we need to get to work." Jeanne's voice interrupted Abby's train of thought, and she instantly averted her eyes.

 Jeanne gathered all the cleaning staff together and then said to everyone as she pulled out a map, " Next we will be disinfecting these areas. In groups of three, each group will be responsible for sanitizing an area. Is that clear?"

 "Yes." Everyone replied.

 Soon everyone was dressed in protective gear and getting to work. Due to the amount of work this time, the hours were extended, and by the time they had finished, it was dusk and Abby and the rest of the team were dragging their tired bodies to the return car. All along the road there was silence, save for the roar of the motor which echoed through the empty wilderness.

 Abby was about to fall asleep in the car when a loud noise broke the silence. The sound of the car tires exploding was like a bomb going off in her ears, and instantly roused Abby from her confusion. Instantly her eyes widened, and her body tensed instinctively.

 "What happened?" Jeanne asked hurriedly.

 "We got a problem." There was a note of uneasiness in the driver's voice.