The council members got busy, especially Vivian.
The entire workload fell on her shoulders once again while the commander disappeared.
Questions lingered in her mind.
She wanted to find the commander immediately, but suppressed her emotions.
Time passed.
She handed the responsibilities to the council members, briefly explaining the workload and showering them with documents.
Only after finishing that and sending someone to find the new council member could she finally see the commander.
.
.
.
The three moons hung in the sky.
The entire city bathed in silver moonlight.
But from the once-prosperious city, now only ruins remained, and rot lingered in the air.
Along the once bustling streets, only mindless corpses walked.
And outside the city, a dome-shaped metal building stood.
Moonlight shone, falling onto the face of a man.
The commander stood in the room, his hands behind his back and his gaze fixed on the distant mountains.
Clack! Clack!
Silence ruled, only interrupted by the occasional collision of fingernails.
The commander picked his nails.
His expression kept darkening.
The scenes of the massive demon horde replayed in his mind—the battle with the tentacle demon. And the monster that appeared at the end.
Those weighed on his mind. He feared the future.
Swoosh!
The door leading down into the base slid open.
Vivian walked in.
"Commander,"
She called.
"Vivian,"
The commander turned back, glancing at her eyes.
He knew why she came.
She wanted answers.
"Commander, why did you give them authority?"
She cut straight to the case.
"We were holding on just fine? Even if you couldn't, I would've kept everything running!"
But the commander shook his head.
"Vivian, how long would we been able to keep things running before we collapse from exhaustion?"
Vivian clenched her fists.
"But at least that way, we had complete control over the entire council! And the base! What was the purpose of you doing this?"
Even she couldn't blindly follow him this time. He brought significant changes to the council, mainly to their disadvantage.
Vivian glared at him.
"And, why did you make Lucian a council member!! It only gave the governor one extra vote! It changed nothing!!"
"Sight,"
A sight escaped the commander's lips.
"Introducing Lucian into the council served more than one purpose. First, it revealed who is with me and who has sided with Orson."
Vivian's brows knotted.
"It should be Sareth, right?"
The commander nodded.
"Marcus is with us, and Leila, although still hesitant, also showed more interest in us than Orson."
"Marek, you appointed him to train the soldiers. He will start spreading his influence among the soldiers. And you gave Sareth the command over the ordinary civilians. The control of the base will quietly slip out of our hands."
Vivian reminded in concern.
"Sighhh..."
Another sigh escaped the commander's lips.
A sight weighing with emotion.
"Human greed...how far can it go?"
It was a question out of nowhere.
"What do you mention that for?"
Even Vivian was confused.
The commander directed his gaze at the sky.
His breathing grew heavier, as if the things that weighed on him were coming out.
"They are already blind, blind to compete for little influence within the base."
He clenched his fists.
"How do they not see the looming danger outside? The jaws of death are closing in on us, threatening to devour us."
'Blinded by greed…Jaws of death closing…'
Confusion appeared on her face.
Swoosh!
But suddenly, her eyes widened.
A realization descended on her.
'I see,'
She lowered her head.
Only now did she realize that she, too, had been blinded. She had mistaken the real threat.
"I gave the soldiers to Lucian, and I understand your concerns. But you are mistaken about one thing."
A strange light flashed in the commander's eyes.
"He won't be under his father forever. And if he sways the soldiers, he won't sway them to Orson's side, but to his own."
Vivian's fists tightened. The nails dug in her skin.
Her mind raced, contemplating his words.
Swoosh!
Her eyes flew open once more.
"You mean..."
She realized.
A smile curled up on the commander's face—a scheming smile.
"Yes, I gave him a way. A way to build his power and defy his father. I ignited the flames."
But the smile quickly went away.
"As for Sareth, you don't need to worry. Marcus will restrain his influence over the survivors. And I gave him that position to warn him.
I know what he is doing. He has been secretly going around the survivors, trying to sway them to his and Orson's side."
Vivian nodded once again.
Now, she understood his reasoning.
'I have been busy with other things...to think I didn't realize such dangers started appearing,'
She felt terrible. She didn't notice their true intentions.
"But commander,"
She pushed her glasses back.
"Is it worth it to give up your control just for those warnings? And for sowing discord between Lucian and Orson? And what about the new council member? Was it necessary? I could've handled it."
She still didn't see the benefits. He put them in their place in the short run but gave them enormous benefits in the long run.
"Vivian..."
The commander's brows knotted.
"I want to move out of here."
Vivian's expression froze.
The words descended like a blade, echoing in the silent room.
"What..."
Words barely escaped her lips.
Her pupils trembled in disbelief.
Thoughts clashed in her mind.
Where will he go? What does he mean?
And worse, fear crept into her heart.
Did he give up? Did he finally break?
"Tell me, Vivian, how long do you think we can last?"
The commander shifted his gaze from the mountains to the ruined city in the distance.
The dark, demonic tower penetrated the clouds.
"Marek, you can't give..."
"Vivian," He interrupted her. "Stronger and stronger demons are emerging. The zombies grow in number. An experiment is out there, and we don't know when it'll attack. Just how long can we last?"
Vivian raised her hand, wanting to comfort him.
But her arm froze midair.
She realized the truth within his words.
The face of the deceased Jin flashed before her eyes.
It was getting harder to secure supplies.
"Then...w-what do you intend to do?"
She asked, her voice breaking, fearing the answer.
"I want to move to the mountains,"
He revealed.
"Build a mini city, an impregnable fortress in the mountain."
'Thank goodness,'
Vivian's brows relaxed.
"Seems like you already constructed a plan?"
The commander nodded in confirmation.
"We'll use the iron mine in the mountains as a base. We'll reinforce it and build the city around it. The goal is to become self-sufficient and not rely on city resources, at least not for food.
This is also why I gave up control of the base. We must focus on this project. For our future."
Vivian fell silent.
She calculated.
Her eyes shone with a strange light.
She was using her ability.
"Commander, can we do something like this without informing the council?"
She broke the silence.
"There is no need,"
"But, Commander, Orson must have already influenced some of the soldiers. They will report it to him."
The commander smirked.
"I know. But he wouldn't dare interfere. After all, it'll reveal his mole, and he can't stop me anyway."
Vivian nodded.
"I'll organize everything that's needed. Once the preparations are done, we'll send the group."
The commander nodded.
"Thank you, Vivian,"
"I'll also include Jim in this. It would be good for him to clear his head and get away from the city."
"No problem,"
The commander agreed.
He and Vivian discussed the matters for several hours.
And as dawn approached, Vivian left.
She started the preparations.
The days flew.
Assembling the group, educating them on securing the area and building a temporary base, preparing supplies, fuel, and everything took time.
And having to keep some degree of secrecy only added to it.
In the blink of an eye, 18 days passed.
Alpha completely assimilated into his role as Jim.
And now, the day came.
To depart for the mountains.
...
A/N: This is the end of the first arc, which marks the end of the introductions and the descend of the apocalypse. The real story is just starting.
Arc 2: Mutated Forest