"What's the current situation at the other bases? Is there any way to find out?"
In a room somewhere inside a building.
Shane, Sam, and Jason were gathered around an exaggeratedly large table, constantly scanning the map spread out over it.
"I'm afraid it's impossible."
Upon hearing the question, Shane—who had been facing one of the strongest bases on the front line—smiled bitterly and said helplessly, "The beliefs and composition of the community we attacked are completely different from other survivors, and the chances of infiltrating silently are extremely low."
"Several scouts were sent out and we gathered intel on the cult's main base, but only half of those sent out returned. Basically, they have solid defenses, and it's not a good sign for a silent entry."
Hearing the news, Jason frowned slightly and said, "So that means we can only go in directly, try to talk, and get them to surrender—but not before hearing from the other bases still connected to the cult."
"For now, that's right."
Sam looked at the map and said, "Right now, two-thirds of our forces are focused on attacking the last two shelters that aren't part of the cult. According to our plan, this base would be ideal to draw the cult's attention."
As he spoke, he pointed to the map, clicked on a red-marked spot, and said, "This is the location under our full control. In the red zone, we have the walkers, currently being moved by our people."
Then Sam slid his fingers to the lower right and lower left areas of the city and continued, "Aside from the people moving the walkers, this is where the helicopters with the White Sweets are standing by, ready to act..."
"Our main combat force is silently surrounding the cult. A few kilometers away, armored vehicles are on standby, waiting for updates from the search team currently locating the submarine."
Hearing this, Jason showed a look of sudden understanding and said, "Once I make a move, a lot will happen. I need strict control over the cult-linked bases, control of the submarine, and open communications."
"The cost of a direct confrontation for the cult is too high, and I'm sure they'll consider facing our group."
Shane looked at Jason, seemingly in full agreement at this point, and said, "In the past, we were far too passive just to avoid killing too many people—and even back then, we could've won easily. If we hesitate now, we'll suffer total loss. We have to understand that who we're up against aren't just humans. We need to act knowing these people are completely insane."
"Right now, it's not easy for the cult's people to go all out either. And we haven't fully considered that we're attacking bases that belong to the cult."
Regarding this plan, Jason didn't commit and said, "Are you sure we can find the second submarine key if we destroy everything with the Apache helicopters? We need their resources; at the very least, they'd make up for the loss of eliminating them."
Upon hearing this, Shane looked at Jason and asked, "I've got a question—do we really need the submarine's second key? Those are nuclear weapons inside. Just having them in our hands is terrifying enough."
"We need a weapon powerful enough to defend against any kind of threat…"
At that moment, Jason was a little lost in thought. To be honest, he had ignored everything else besides obtaining the key to that submarine—and, if possible, taking it to Atlanta. With that kind of weaponry—if the CRM is made up of a portion of the military and has the same level of armament—then they'd be on equal terms when they clash.
Seeing the silence in Shane and Sam's eyes, Jason's expression turned serious. Though he had taken part in many battles, facing this enemy stirred many thoughts.
So far, he had done his best to deploy defenses as much as possible. He attacked two important cult vanguard groups and thought carefully about securing the cleanest possible victory.
Considering the future conflicts he'd have with other survivors and the deaths of many of his own followers, Jason knew that one day, he'd have to become like the CRM—eliminating the enemy base without playing these little games.
"We need that power in our hands. It must not fall into enemy hands—and we need it as insurance in case another community has the same," said Sam, answering Shane's question.
"No, it shouldn't be that easy... I just hope not too many people die."
"We'll win, like we always have... for Billy and everyone who died at the hands of those bastards."
Seeing that neither of them spoke further, Jason looked up at the sky, which was slowly beginning to brighten, and unexpectedly realized he'd lost track of time during the conversation.
Jason smiled and said, "Alright, we just need to wait for our team to report in so we can move."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Enemy attack!"
Just then, a sudden noise came from outside the room, followed by someone shouting about an enemy attack.
This movement made the three in the room immediately stand, looking at each other and seeing the solemnity in each other's eyes. They hadn't expected the closest enemy base to make a move right now.
They knew that being here so openly would provoke an attack from the nearby external base. This, too, was part of the plan—to truly understand what they were capable of.
Thirty minutes earlier.
Among the buildings near the largest base below the cult's main headquarters...
Dark, dense shadows moved through the still-dark streets, pressing forward while taking advantage of every second of darkness, perfectly hiding their figures. They slowly halted in a lit area not far from their position.
At that moment, the slowly rising light in the sky revealed their shapes, reflecting their silhouettes.
Wearing rough, simple clothing and wielding extremely sharp spears, machetes, bows and arrows, and all kinds of weapons in their hands—with colorful markings painted on their faces like ancient tribes—they seemed ready to attack the temporary camp ahead.
At the front of the crowd stood a tall figure, very different from the people behind him. He wore light armor and had a long sheathed knife at his waist. He looked like a medieval sword—like a general leading his troops into battle.
If Jason had seen the other side at this moment, he would've recognized him in an instant. The man standing there was the leader of the community Jason had once considered turning into an ally. But this man was named Neil—the same Neil who had once unknowingly stolen millions of dollars from Jason without either of them realizing who was the thief or the victim.
Neil led his people, all of whom stood behind him, surrounding the target location. It was the first time so many warriors from the community had moved out together in such numbers.
For now, Neil remained silent.
He stared intensely at the lit-up building in the distance, which had once been abandoned, his eyes deep with emotion. His fists clenched tightly at the thought of being attacked by these people.
"Those damn bastards really are the ones who massacred my friend's community. I'll cut them all down and make them suffer torment until their last goddamn breath."
At that moment, an old man approached Neil and said, "Sir, these people seem to be from the military base, and their firepower is something we need to consider before attacking. If they have snipers in the distant buildings, we won't be able to kill them here."
"Without the supplies the cult provided us, facing them in this disadvantaged situation is not good at all. This past week, the walkers have blocked our main trade route—we have to take that into account."
Speaking of this, the old man seemed a bit hesitant, unsure whether to continue. But after thinking for a moment, he went on, "If we go back now, rest, and return to keep observing them, we could be more certain of the choice we make."
"Return?"
Upon hearing those words, Neil's eyes flickered with sorrow, and he said, "If we go back now, that betrayal alone will be enough for the cult to burn us alive. The cult wants these enemies—who destroyed three major groups—dead, and they'll definitely find out if we back down now."
As he spoke, a look of resignation but determination shone on his face. He said, "There's only one path ahead of me now—to impale these bastards on a spike, wipe out all their people, and take their resources."
Then Neil raised his arm, ignoring the hesitant elder beside him, and shouted loudly, "Prepare for the first stage of the attack! Believers, Christ our Lord will open the gates of heaven to receive you! Do not fear death—attack!"
"Ahhh!"
Following Neil's command, a group of elderly men and a shockingly young group of child soldiers began advancing toward the building, holding all sorts of weapons and charging ahead.
Seeing this, the elder lowered his eyes and murmured, "I hope these people really do make it to heaven."
Hearing this, Neil turned and looked at the old man, pressed his lips together, and said softly, "Don't be sentimental. The sacrifice of these weaker people is necessary. I need to know the enemy's firepower distribution. And we have too many mouths to feed. Only by reducing our numbers can we sustain the stronger ones back at the base. We have to breed hatred within our group."