Early morning, Texas.
Several flags with irreconcilable patterns crossed vertically at the guard post at the entrance to Neil's base, fluttering slightly in the occasional breeze.
In the central area of the shelter, many people wore strange clothing with matching patterns and were all heading in the same direction. Their behavior was odd. A few who seemed normal looked completely out of place.
After standing guard for a while, this group of people lazily found places to stand or sit, chatted with familiar companions, and laughed wildly among themselves—as if they paid no attention to the enemy that had been attacking since morning.
But in a building outside that base, Shane carefully positioned his head, set up the scope, and placed his hand over his eyes, watching the situation inside the shelter.
His eyes scanned the area near the main entrance, mentally noting the patrol routes. But when he looked at the eighty or so people gathered in the center of the town, he couldn't help but scoff slightly.
"Zz… This is Shane. I'm in position."
...
Doomsday Cult Base. Shopping mall.
"My God, there are so many people here."
At that moment, Alicia and Nick observed through telescopic sights the mall where Teddy and his people were supposed to be. Outside, there were makeshift walls made from shipping containers, guarded by a crowd of armed men, and they couldn't help but marvel.
Hundreds of people might have been a small number before the end of the world, but after everything changed, that was still a considerable force.
If Jason were present in that building and saw their astonished expressions, he'd silently say that this tiny number was absolutely nothing.
Not to mention the number of people and equipment at his own camp—whether it was the two bases supporting Teddy's cult that spanned much of the southern region, or the mysterious organization called Firefly—none of them compared to the CRM or the S.C.T. With their combat capabilities, they could crush these people without all the theatrics Jason was using now.
Of course, when he thought of the Fireflies, he didn't give them much credit—he didn't really know them—and that would happen often as his community continued to grow. What he needed to do now was take over all those bases and add them to his strength, increasing in numbers and power.
"Everyone's in position to attack… I don't know how many of them will survive."
Through the binoculars, Nick saw two trucks moving from the right side of the base toward the center. Soon, some cult members climbed into the rear compartment, while others walked alongside the vehicles, slowly heading toward the center.
Their pace was slow, and their attitude seemed careless.
"They're really not taking us seriously. Those people have no idea what's coming."
Seeing the cult's actions, Daryl spat on the ground angrily and cursed, "A bunch of scum—it's ironic they want to destroy the world with nukes!"
"Yeah, it's honestly terrifying that those people are united by some purpose."
"Maybe they don't even know."
Alicia looked at her brother, shook her head, and said, "You don't know them. How can you be so sure they don't know what they're doing?"
"Yeah, and we didn't know Jason's people either—and now we're here helping destroy a shelter."
Daryl stayed quiet, watching. It seemed he and his brother weren't the only ones constantly arguing, so he said, "We don't have time to figure out if it's right or wrong. You guys don't really know what these people have done. It's better that way."
Knowing that three shelters would be attacked simultaneously, Alicia's eyebrows didn't relax. She still looked a bit worried: "So… the others. Will everything really go as planned?"
"One base in the south is sending kids with knives to attack our people. That's why we're striking now. Some of these folks don't seem to have a decent leader who cares for them. When Jason warns the cult to surrender and they don't, we'll attack."
Daryl didn't seem worried at all. Thinking back to what Jason had said the day before, he smiled faintly so no one could see and added, "The cannibal group was wiped out a few days ago by our people. We thought we could negotiate with Teddy's cult, but it seems they're all bad people."
Then, Daryl looked back at the people behind him, who were silently listening, and said:
"If you're sure you want to follow us to the end, then do it once we finish what needs to be done here. If you think we're the bad guys and that we don't care about others, you can walk away. Everyone here knows we're just trying to survive. I don't want to die because of some goddamn bomb—at least I don't."
"Radio in our position!" After receiving the order, Ian picked up the radio without a word and walked to the window, ready to report in.
"Zz… Jason, we're in position!"
"Awaiting word on negotiations!"
...
At the same time.
Territory of the Doomsday Cult, a few kilometers away.
As a key area where the cult resided, this place took up a large space and had several outposts spread around the mall.
Even though their purposes clashed, Jason couldn't deny this was a well-constructed, secure area built with great effort.
But now, several armored vehicles and Humvees with machine guns were placed at the base's blind spots, ready to launch an elimination operation. Everyone already knew the submarine had been confirmed, so now they just had to wipe these people out.
Walls made from cars and shipping containers surrounded the base—perfect for the planned assault.
At Jason's main position, a shirtless, tattooed man stepped out of a booth, flanked by two armed men and followed by a man holding a hammer.
At that moment, Jason picked up a radio and said: "Teddy, I've heard a lot about you from the Vultures... I also happen to have a key you've been looking for."
"You have five minutes to gather everyone in the open area of your base. Honestly, I no longer care who lives or dies inside your walls. But for anyone who still wants to live, gather in the main plaza and do not carry weapons under any circumstance."
"This is the only way you survive. I also passed this message on to your other two bases, but they didn't understand the true meaning of our purpose."
"The Vultures killed some of my men, and that's why they're being attacked. If they die, I want them to at least know why. Teddy, I heard you were a reasonable man. Surrender, and I'll let you live—but if in five minutes no one shows up, everyone dies."
After saying that, Jason handed the radio to one of his men and signaled everyone to prepare.
As everyone knew, there were hundreds of eyes watching the cult, tracking their every move.
"Well... Looks like there are about... three hundred people out here…"
Holding the binoculars in his hand, Jason confirmed the patrol personnel's positions and memorized every single one.
Once everyone was confirmed, he raised the radio again and said:
"Shane, what's your status?"
Joel's reply quickly came over the radio: "On my end, about two hundred…"
"All right, let's confirm the battle plan. If they don't come out in five minutes, two helicopters will deliver some lovely presents. That'll be more than enough for Sam and me to move in and eliminate as many enemies as possible before they realize what hit them."
"I want the snipers positioned high. I need the ground team ready to storm and kill any threat."
"Everyone else, wait for orders!"
"Understood, sir!"
"Good…"
As Jason gave the orders, he grabbed the radio again and said: "I want the White Candies to approach the mission!"
"We'll arrive in three minutes, sir. Awaiting orders."
"Then let's wait."