Chapter 47
"Da, da, da, da, da..."
The sound of approaching footsteps echoed in the corridor as Aina and Saria made their way to Yoren's isolation room.
In the adjacent cubicle, Ifrit lay on her bed, turning her face away at the sight of Saria. Whether it was fear or resentment, it was clear she wanted nothing to do with her.
Yoren stood behind the metal railing, lost in thought.
He had been at Rhine Life's Base No. 4 for twenty days. In all that time, he hadn't seen Saria, nor even a single security guard from the first to the fourth floors. It wasn't surprising. The base was completely sealed off, making it nearly impossible for outsiders to enter.
But now, Saria was here. And that set off alarm bells in Yoren's mind.
Something was off. The anomaly could be tied to him and Ifrit—or maybe they were both the anomaly.
Aina parked the cart in front of the railing, flashing Yoren a friendly smile before turning to introduce Saria.
"This is Commander Saria from Rhine Life's Defense Department. She came from Base No. 1 under orders from the higher-ups to assist. 020, you should get along with Xiaoya from now on."
"Xiaoya?"
Aina smiled at Saria before turning back to Yoren. "Oh, it's just a nickname. Saria and I were college classmates. We shared a dorm for four years, and our relationship was—"