The sun was already high in the sky by the ti the base started to stir.
A few were still half-asleep, leaning against walls or lying on the ground with blankets pulled over their heads.
"Get moving! Outside the wall’s a ss. I want all those corpses gone before noon!" Jun commanded, wasting no ti after waking up.
So of them groaned. Others looked at each other, unsure if he was serious.
A few already knew better and stood up without a word, picking up shovels, masks, and gloves from a nearby pile.
Jun didn’t let up. He pointed toward the outer gate.
"You think we can just sit here and let that stench draw more of them in? Burned or not, they’re still bodies. If we wait too long, this place will be contaminated.
A young man near the back muttered, "Didn’t even finish eating yet..."
Jun turned his head. "Hurry up and finish your al. You want to end up like them?"
He jabbed a thumb toward the wall, where the smoke stains from last night’s fire still clung to the tal panels.
"The boss did everything he could to keep us safe. The least we can do is prove we’re worth keeping around. Or do you want him to get fed up and walk away? Anyone here strong enough to replace him?"
That shut most of them up.
Kana and Luck were sothing else entirely. Their powers made them seem less like people, more like symbols.
Even imagining them gone made everyone tense up.
No one said anything more. They just moved.
Jun nodded in satisfaction. This was part of the strategy Luck had laid out for him.
By taking the role of the strict second-in-command, he would absorb the group’s frustration—leaving Luck virtually untouchable.
’The boss really is a genius. Hard to believe he already thought this far ahead.’
At first glance, Luck seed impulsive—easygoing, a bit of a show-off, sotis even overbearing.
But everything he did was part of a bigger plan.
His unpredictability made it hard for anyone to see the full picture.
Jun stood on top of the wall, arms crossed, watching everyone work.
Outside the gate looked like a giant trash pile—but it wasn’t garbage. It was bodies. Burned ones.
The fire from last night had left behind blackened corpses, twisted limbs, and piles of ash that covered the ground like a thick blanket.
The sll was worse out here. Even with cloth tied over their faces, people were coughing and gagging.
So tried not to look too closely. Others kept their heads down and just worked.
Shovels scraped the dirt. Buckets were filled with ash, bones, and body parts. Few of the bodies were still smoking a little.
A few people used tal sticks to move them, making sure they were really dead and not just half-burned.
One girl, around fourteen, froze. Her shovel hung in the air as she stared at a corpse that still had a face.
The mouth was open, almost like it had died screaming.
Yuna saw her and walked over.
"Don’t look at it. It’s not a person anymore. Just clean it up and keep going."
She nodded.
Inside the wall, the elderly and those in charge of cooking started handing out the rations.
The sll of warm food drifted across the camp.
People lined up near the fire pits, where large pots and open cans were being passed around.
The usual pork and beans were there, but today, plates also carried chunks of corned beef and scoops of canned curry.
It wasn’t fancy, but after days of eating the sa thing, it felt like a feast.
So sat on crates, others on the dirt or scrap wood benches, eating slowly, like they wanted the mont to last.
"This is good," Lor said between bites. "Corned beef that doesn’t taste expired."
An elderly sitting next to her nodded. "Curry too. Where did they even get this stuff?"
"It ca from boss," Rick answered.
"Figures," Another elder spoke.
More people joined the conversation. The topic shifted from the food to the base itself.
"This place’s holding together better than most," one of the teens pointed while licking curry off his spoon. " I feel very safe here."
"Yeah, and he’s not hoarding stuff either," another added. "He could’ve kept this for himself."
Soone chuckled. "Man... We really lucked out."
The teen raised an eyebrow. "You an we ’Luck’ out?"
A few groans followed, but so laughed anyway.
Jun stood a short distance away, arms crossed, listening but not joining in.
He didn’t say a word, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward for just a second.
His boss’s na and reputation were now firmly planted—even among the newcors.
People who had only just arrived were already speaking of him with respect.
Still, he kept his eyes on a few faces in the crowd.
Shane and his group hadn’t said much, but that didn’t an they were loyal.
They ate quietly, stayed near each other, and avoided joining the conversations.
That silence spoke louder than words.
Jun didn’t trust them. Especially Shane.
His gut told him the guy was bad news.
.
.
.
About an hour later, Luck and Kana finally ca out of the hotel. They looked well-rested.
Right off the bat, people started gathering, waiting for him to speak.
He took a breath, then spoke.
"Yesterday, we faced sothing no one should ever have to deal with... but we’re alive today thanks to m—"
Luck cleared his throat quickly, catching himself mid-sentence.
That old habit of sounding a bit too full of himself slipped out again.
"We won because we fought together," he corrected, trying to smooth it over.
Of course, only the kids seed to believe him.
Most of the adults knew exactly what he was about to say.
"No one here could’ve survived that alone. Not , not Kana, not anyone. But we held the line. You did that. Every one of you."
He paused to let that settle.
"You followed orders. You trusted each other. So of you fought even when you were afraid. So of you stayed back and kept others safe. That’s what kept this place standing. Not power. Not weapons. Teamwork and a unified goal to live."
A few people clapped quietly. Luck raised his voice just a little.
"Now listen—this world doesn’t give second chances. But this place? This community? It’s ours. And as long as you’re loyal to it—and to —I will protect you. That’s my promise."
A short silence followed his speech, but it didn’t last long.
Dima clapped. Then another. Within seconds, more joined in.
The sound grew louder, turning into real applause.
Not forced, not polite—just honest. Even if so of them rolled their eyes at his usual ego, they couldn’t deny what he did for them.
Then one of the kids, probably no older than ten, stood up on a crate and shouted,
"LUCK! LUCK! LUCK!"
A few laughed—but they joined in.
Soon the crowd was chanting his na, voices rising together like a wave.
"LUCK! LUCK! LUCK!"
He raised one hand, pretending to be modest, but anyone who knew him could see the grin he was holding back.
But his speech was just the start.
Kana carried a half-busted plastic bin filled with snacks.
She set it down near the table and started handing things out .
One by one, she pulled out potato chips, chocolate bars, small candy packs, even a few sealed pastries.
This wasn’t just food anymore.
It was a feast.
People laughed—not the nervous kind, but real, open laughter.
Soone shouted, "Yo, save a Snickers!"
And another tossed a wrapped candy at their face.
Then, out of nowhere, soone appeared with an acoustic guitar.
They didn’t say anything—just sat down on the motel steps and started strumming a soft, familiar tune.
Others recognized it quickly and began humming along. A couple of voices joined in, a bit off-key, but no one cared.
A few survivors dragged out crates and old chairs, forming a loose circle around the table.
"Screw it," Fernando pulled out a hidden stash of alcohol.
Glass clinked. Bottles were passed around with little cheers.
Kana glanced at Luck with raised eyebrows. "Are you sure about this?"
"Let them enjoy it. They’ve earned it."
The two of them observed in silence.
"Co on, Kana!" Samantha called out from across the clearing, waving her over.
She hesitated for a mont.
"Let’s join them," Luck grab her hand.
He talked briefly with the group, cracked a few jokes, and gave Samantha a thumbs-up after she made him laugh with a story about a teacher they all used to hate.
But his stay didn’t last long.
He stepped away from the group and headed toward the watchtower.
Next, he made his way across the street, his boots crunching softly over dirt and ash, until he reached an old truck.
The area looked empty
"How about you stop hiding and co out?" Luck spoke aloud.
"Co on . I’m not in the mood to chase anyone today."
A few seconds later, a beautiful woman stepped out from the shadows, though she positioned herself to keep her body hidden from the view of the base.
"How did you know?" she inquired.
"I can feel the vibration in the air."
It was a lie, of course. The real reason was the system’s warning when she passed the periter.
"From that distance?" she tilted her head slightly, clearly not buying it.
"What’s impossible for you doesn’t an it’s impossible for . Now quit wasting ti. Why are you here?"
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