Amira’s expression was unreadable, but her fingers tapped rhythmically against the table, her signature habit when she was already crafting a strategy in her mind. "Is the entire military unit under his control corrupt, or is it just him and a few key people?"
gan shook her head, exhaling. "From what I rember, there are at least two or three high-ranking officers in that camp with clean records. They were well-respected even before the surge. But we don’t know what’s happened to them now. They could be dead, imprisoned, or forced to follow orders and we won’t know until we get there."
Bella, who had been sitting back with her arms crossed, narrowed her eyes and finally spoke. "And what if those so-called ’clean’ officers aren’t as clean as we think?"
The room shifted slightly at her words, and Amira tilted her head, waiting for Bella to elaborate. "I an, let’s be real. When society collapses, people show their true colors. Just because soone had a good reputation before doesn’t an they’re still the sa person now. So might have adapted, so might have fallen, and so might have turned into sothing worse."
No one disagreed with her logic. Trust was a luxury they couldn’t afford blindly.
Aiden leaned back, arms crossed over his chest. "Looks like we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us," he muttered. "First, we clear out all the villages in the second-phase area. Then, we deal with Vernon Town. And if even half of what I’ve heard about this bastard in charge is true, then those people need our help more than anyone."
His tone was firm, unwavering. "We clean up the villages fast, so we can focus on the town before things get worse for the people inside."
Everyone exchanged determined looks, steeling themselves for what was coming.
Aiden then turned his gaze to Amira. "Do you have anything else to add?"
Amira took a deep breath and straightened. "I think that’s everything for this eting. Everyone has their updates, and we all understand the situation ahead of us. But before we break, let sum everything up so there’s no confusion on responsibilities."
She turned her attention to Bella and Rina. "Bella, take Rina with you and start recruiting 2,000 awakened individuals as soon as possible. Train them alongside the 1,000 recruits already assigned to the walls. Build them into a proper unit, teach them discipline, combat tactics, everything they need to stand as soldiers."
Bella’s expression tightened—she was clearly not thrilled about sitting out the action—but she nodded regardless.
"Fine," she said, "but don’t expect to always be away from action. If they slack off, I’m throwing them to Rina."
Rina grinned. "I’ll make sure they regret it if they do."
Amira smiled slightly before moving on, turning her gaze to Elias and Ezzie. "Elias, Ezzie—gather all the materials and start producing as many of those ultrasonic surveillance devices as possible. Also, estimate exactly how much material we’ll need to set up a full network in the second-phase area. If we’re short on resources, we’ll make a list and prioritize scavenging them when we sweep the villages."
Elias nodded, adjusting his glasses. "Understood. We’ll take stock of what we have and report back on the shortfall."
Amira moved on, looking at Layla. "Layla, keep researching everything you’ve been working on—but also start prioritizing upgrades for the armored vehicles. Reinforce their durability, increase fuel efficiency, and find any alternative energy sources we might be able to use."
Layla scratched her chin thoughtfully. "I’ll see what I can do."
"Sure," Amira reassured her. "but keep pushing forward as we’ll need those vehicles when we move on Vernon."
Then, Amira turned to Eric, Bard, and gan. "You three are responsible for managing internal affairs. That ans keeping the peace inside the basin, handling any disputes, and ensuring there’s no unrest."
The three nodded, fully understanding the weight of their responsibilities.
She then looked toward Bard, the strategist and forr military man. "Bard, work on drafting a proper plan for the contribution system we discussed. Make sure there are no loopholes or weaknesses that can be exploited. We need it to function seamlessly before implentation."
Bard rubbed his chin thoughtfully, nodding. "Okay, will get on it as soon as possible."
She exhaled, finally taking a mont to let everything settle in her mind.
Looking around the room and seeing resolve in their eyes, as they all had their roles and responsibilities.
She then shifted her focus to Aiden, Tommy, Bella, and Elias. "Once this eting is over, we will discuss the division of our external forces. We need to finalize team assignnts, chain of command, and ergency response protocols. The next phase won’t wait for us, and we need to be prepared."
The four of them nodded without hesitation, fully aware of the work ahead. They had fought too hard to let things slip into disorder now.
"Now, before we close this eting, there’s one last matter." She leaned forward slightly, her voice carrying a weight that made everyone pay closer attention. "We need to na our ho."
The room fell into a thoughtful silence.
She continued. "We have built sothing here—sothing more than just a temporary refuge. We’ve created the outer wall, we’ve set up defenses, and we’ve created a community that people can rely on. But we still don’t have a na and we can’t just keep calling it the Icelorn basin forever."
Rina supported imdiately. "Yeah, it sounds more like a frozen wasteland than a stronghold."
A few chuckles rippled through the room, breaking so of the tension.
Amira continued, unfazed. "This place has beco a beacon of hope for many. People are looking for safety, for a future, and we need a na that represents that—a na that survivors can hear and know that they are welco here."
She reached for a sheet of paper and placed it on the table. "Earlier, we asked the people in our settlent to suggest nas. We gathered hundreds of responses, but we shortlisted four nas that stood out the most. Now, we just need to decide which one represents us best."
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