The connection was cut, but Elenor never stopped moving. After making sure she had taken everything from the kitchen, she checked the time.
"I finished in twelve minutes and twenty-three seconds. I need to get to the pantry immediately."
Elenor rushed out of the kitchen and returned with bags in her hands. She opened a door inside the kitchen and began stuffing the stored supplies into the bags. There were canned beans, vegetables, fruits, pasta, sausages, cured meats, dried nuts, jams, and pickled foods. She filled the bags with everything, then hurriedly carried them to the car. Half of the trunk was already full. Elenor checked the time again, bit her lip, and sprinted toward Amanda's room.
"The pantry and kitchen took twenty-five minutes and thirty-four seconds! Damn it! I should've been faster! Aunt Amanda went shopping before leaving! How could I forget that?!"
Elenor rushed into Amanda's room and grabbed a metallic, high-tech briefcase from the wardrobe. She moved to the nightstand beside Amanda's bed and quickly pressed several hidden points along its edge simultaneously. The nightstand slid aside. She repeated the same motion on the wall behind it, tapping in different rhythms, and the wall opened to reveal a high-security safe.
"Password: six, four, seven, nine, nine, two, eight… Okay, it's open."
The safe's door split into four sections as it opened, revealing stacks of banknotes, diamonds, jewelry, and gold. Elenor stuffed the cash into a bag, grabbed another, and transferred the gold and jewelry into it, then quickly gathered all of Amanda's remaining valuables. Once three bags were full, she immediately carried them to the SUV and loaded them inside. Then she sprinted toward the armory, glancing at her watch again as she ran.
"Time is running out! I still need to grab weapons, collect vegetables from the garden, and take seeds!"
Elenor reached the armory at a run and entered the code.
"The password was… BlackHunter 763567."
The door opened, and Elenor stepped inside, scanning the room.
"Heavy machine weapons, sniper rifles, assault rifles, handguns, shotguns, miniguns, military crossbows and bows… Every time I see this place, I feel the same thing… Aunt Amanda's armory… A bit excessive…"
She acted quickly. She grabbed a shotgun, an assault rifle, and three handguns, then rushed to the garage and loaded them into the SUV. She returned to the armory, took a sniper rifle, a bow, and a crossbow, and loaded those as well. After that, she filled bags with as much ammunition as she could carry and ran them to the SUV. She went back once more and took grenades, a high-tech military knife whose razor edge was coated with a concentrated energy field, and packed weapon maintenance kits into a bag.
Her gaze then fell on the combat armor resting in a side compartment. She lowered her head, glancing down at two large peaks. Her eyebrow twitched violently as she let out a frustrated, unhappy sigh and moved on.
"Why did my body measurements increase again? The armor doesn't fit anymore because my proportions changed! Such terrible timing!"
With those thoughts in mind, Elenor loaded the bags into the car once more, returned to the armory, and took whatever else she could carry. As she left, she activated the high-security protocols, and the armory was sealed shut behind heavy reinforced doors. Elenor went back and placed the remaining bags into the SUV, then checked the time.
[56 minutes 22 seconds]
"Damn it!"
She grabbed two large baskets and ran into the garden. As she did, she noticed the sky being painted purple. A bead of tense sweat slid down her face.
"It's starting, isn't it? Damn it!"
Elenor rushed through the garden, harvesting as many vegetables as she could, especially potatoes. If she was going to establish a field at the laboratory, potatoes would be the most efficient crop—both in terms of longevity and nourishment. Carrying the two baskets, she hurried back to the SUV and loaded them in. Finally, she gathered all the seeds from the house, placed them inside the vehicle, and closed the trunk.
She got into the driver's seat, fastened her seatbelt, and started the engine. She tapped her watch to open the garage door. As it opened, Elenor glanced at the silver motorcycle on the right and muttered with a deep sigh.
"I just bought that bike! It doesn't even have ten thousand kilometers on it yet! I was supposed to ride it this week!"
When she looked again, the garage door was fully open. She gently pressed the accelerator and drove out, then tapped the car's touchscreen to close the door. She activated the house's heavy security system through the panels. Metal shutters descended, sealing every entrance and exit, releasing a faint electric current.
Watching this, Elenor spent a few seconds checking the panels to ensure all security systems were functioning properly. Then she took a deep breath and looked at the home she had lived in for years one last time before stepping on the gas.
As she drove along the deserted mountain road, there was a fire raging in the town below. Two twenty-meter-tall mechas were fighting several ogres. In various parts of the town, blue, green, and orange rifts were open, constantly spewing monsters, while soldiers fired their weapons relentlessly. The ground was drenched in blood.
Seeing this scene, Elenor pressed the accelerator to the floor. She sped forward, handling the steering wheel with expert precision.
At that moment, her watch vibrated, and Elenor spoke.
"Eda, voice command: answer the call."
The call connected. While true artificial intelligence was not in use, some systems operated through voice commands. They were called semi–artificial intelligence, though in reality they were advanced search engines or calculators. The moment the call opened, the panicked, anxious voice of an elderly woman came through Elenor's watch.
"Elenor! Where are you, my girl?!"
Elenor froze for a brief moment. She thought for a second about who the voice belonged to, then realized it was Hena—the elderly woman who ran a clothing shop in town.
"Aunt Hena? What happened?"
"What happened? I'm in the shelter right now, but I can't find you! Didn't you hear the news?! There are multiple rift collapses in the area!"
Hearing this, Elenor's heart warmed. She hesitated for a moment, then spoke calmly.
"Aunt Hena, I'm in Azera right now. Yesterday, Aunt Amanda called and said she'd forgotten something very important at home and needed it urgently, so I had to go. I'm heading back toward the shelters by car right now…"
Hena let out a relieved breath; the worry in her voice was unmistakable.
"Thank goodness! At least you're safe."
"Aunt Hena, I need to hang up now. I'm driving fast and need to focus."
"I understand. As long as you're safe, my dear!"
When the call ended, Elenor sighed.
"I feel bad for lying, but very few people know that my grandfather is Soran Altarez. I can't explain the situation right now."
Elenor continued speeding through the dark forest. Her speed exceeded 176. She had lost too much time at the house—she needed to reach the laboratory as soon as possible. As she drove, a blue rift suddenly appeared directly in front of her.
"DAMN IT!"