Chapter 75 The Assessment

• The sky was a dull, frozen gray when Lucy and Daren arrived at the compound. What used to be a public high school now bore the rough signs of reconstruction — military tarps over broken windows, makeshift barricades at the gate, and smoke rising from iron drums used as heaters. The painted name Talawan National High School was barely visible beneath the frost.
• The once-lively grounds were now crawling with people: soldiers, volunteers, and civilians moving in hurried coordination. Tables had been set up at the main gate for registration, and the sound of boots crunching on ice mixed with the echo of barked orders and the low hum of generators.
• Lucy tugged her coat tighter. “I didn’t expect this many,” she murmured.