Looking at the bloodied man, Jason signaled two of his soldiers to go in and secure the armory immediately. A few seconds later, a gunshot was heard from inside the room.
Bang!
"Clear, sir! There's no one else inside!"
"Very good. Shut that door and get in touch with the people outside. Make sure they secure this place and don't let any of these survivors do anything stupid."
As he said this, Jason looked at the man still lying on the ground. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Something tells me you're the reason that weapons room door wasn't opened. Can I ask why?"
The man, covered in blood, looked at Jason with wide eyes and said, "The cult is my enemy…"
"Then why are you here?" Jason asked again, intrigued.
"These people kidnapped me. Once I heard the gunshots outside, I managed to escape and reached this room. I saw a man panicking, so I attacked."
Jason nodded in understanding. It was a believable story, ignoring some obvious details. This black man was a bit stocky, had a fierce expression, and looked like he had been through a lot. "I'm Jason. I'm looking for a man named Teddy, so it would help me a lot if you happen to know where he is."
The black man hesitated a moment, then said without much thought, "I'm Vicktor Strand... I'll take you there. I know the way."
"Then I appreciate it. Now give me a few seconds while I clear up a few misunderstandings with the crowd."
Jason turned and addressed the group gathered in a corner with weapons pointed at them.
"My name is Jason, and I'm the leader of the people attacking you right now. I want you to know that I'm not the villain in my own story. Your people attacked one of my helicopters and ended up killing an important friend. At first, I had no intention of attacking this place, and I swear that's the truth…"
With a firm voice, Jason shouted at the crowd, "But then I found out your leader wants to screw over the whole world with nuclear weapons. That's a damn bad decision, and I'm here because I don't want to die from radiation."
"I tried to talk to Teddy, but that bastard wouldn't say a single word. My people and I are slowly rebuilding civilization. We need civilized people who still want to live. Maybe my people killed your fathers, your mothers, or your brothers…"
Jason looked at everyone and said coldly, "I can promise you that you'll live—as long as you choose not to hold any kind of grudge against my people. No one's truly evil in the end. We all just want to survive. If you want to live, then work for it, and together we'll be unstoppable. But if instead you try something stupid, I'll make sure someone else dies, and the one left alive suffers the consequences."
"Don't do anything foolish and I promise none of you will die. We can still fight together and forget all that crap about a new beginning. That doesn't exist. The real new beginning is in our hearts and our willpower. Ask yourselves if that's what you really want."
"Sir, walkers!"
At that moment, dozens of walkers reached the area. With indifferent eyes, Jason simply waved his hand and said, "Get rid of them. I want you to keep an eye on those survivors, and if they do anything stupid, you're free to kill them."
After saying this, he signaled two people and, along with Vicktor, headed directly for Teddy's office.
Just as the battle outside seemed to quiet down, Jason's group climbed a set of stairs, and before turning down a hallway, he had everyone stop. Once they were ready, Jason and the others proceeded with extreme caution.
Bang! Bang!
With two shots, both guards outside a room were taken down. Their bodies hit the ground with a dull thud. Seeing no one else around, the four moved forward and stopped outside the room's door.
Jason removed his rifle and handed it to one of the soldiers. After waiting a few seconds, he gently knocked on the door.
Knock knock knock!
"So you're finally here. What took you so long?"
An old voice came from the other side of the door. After motioning for the others to hold back, Jason nodded and opened the door. With weapons raised, two soldiers entered the room, followed by Vicktor, and finally Jason.
But the scene inside was chaotic—two bodies lay on the carpet, and then there was an old man who could only be described as Teddy, sitting on a couch calmly sipping tea.
"Your people have caused quite a mess out there. Was it really necessary to kill them all?" the old man asked, staring at Jason without a hint of fear.
"We're just surviving. They would've killed us if things had gone differently… But you and I both know who's really behind all this, don't we?"
Jason walked calmly to an empty chair and sat down, watching the old man closely.
"Haha… seems like we don't understand each other."
The man known as Teddy sighed and said, "What have you found out there besides death and decay?"
Seeing where the conversation was going, Jason replied plainly, "An opportunity."
"Is there really something that simple?" Teddy hadn't expected that answer, so he said, "Everything's dead—but not quite. You see? I was just trying to find a complete reset so life could be reborn on the right path. Is that so hard to understand?"
Jason frowned. He was beginning to grasp the mindset of the man leading this cult. It wasn't hard to understand—Teddy wanted a final judgment to eliminate both walkers and humans alike. But what kind of life could be born from that?
"There's a huge difference between our organizations. I thought your cult was something of a different class. I could've wiped you all out by sending a single combat helicopter, but I came in person because life is important, and I was curious to see if there were any good people here."
"I killed all your followers, Teddy. From now on, I'll personally take charge of leading the future. So, for that to happen, I need the key you have to open the submarine."
Teddy stroked his beard and asked with curiosity, "What do you need a submarine for if you don't plan to use nuclear weapons?"
"Who knows if I might use them in the future? I plan to establish a new order—something different from the fragmented, shitty society we had before. Hard times create strong people, and I want my people to stay strong even after we defeat the walkers."
"My name will be remembered even after I die. I don't just want to restore order in our country—I also plan to see the state of the entire world, and whether this is truly all that's left."
As he said this, he stood up and walked toward the window. By now, the gunfire had stopped, and Jason's people were rounding up the survivors and those who had surrendered, leading them to the center of the plaza.
"We've already won."