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Jack shrugged casually, his tone relaxed, as if nothing serious had happened at all.
"Alice, what you said makes sense," he said. "The situation earlier was… a little unconventional. Everyone calm down. There's no need to be frightened by my actions. In fact, I'm a very gentle person."
Ortiz swallowed hard. His throat felt dry. He stared at Jack, panic flashing uncontrollably in his eyes.
Is this man really human?
Crystal and the diminutive South Korean man were equally pale. To them, Jack felt far more terrifying than any zombie they had encountered. Zombies could be predicted. Jack could not.
"Everyone should do what they need to do," Jack continued with a friendly smile. "Move freely. Don't worry about me."
Luther struggled to stand up, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. He glared at Jack.
"Damn bastard…"
Jack smiled faintly.
"I'm patient. Don't push it. Otherwise, things won't end so simply next time."
The White Queen yawned lazily, clearly bored.
"Humans are so complicated. Being an artificial intelligence is much better."
Claire laughed lightly.
"You're so young, yet you're already sighing like this. How can you talk about being an artificial intelligence so naturally?"
"No, no—just nonsense, nonsense," the White Queen hurriedly corrected herself.
Jack shrugged again.
"There's actually no real conflict among us. A fool caused unnecessary noise. Ending it quickly was the wiser choice."
Luther stared at Jack for a long moment, then finally said,
"Everyone… do what you need to do."
"That's right," Jack replied, a faint glint flashing through his eyes.
Alice stepped in front of Luther.
"The Arcadia you mentioned—what exactly is it?"
Ortiz answered quickly,
"It's what the broadcast said. We received it a week ago. They talked about food, shelter, safety, and no contamination."
Luther nodded.
"We thought you were sent to rescue us. To get attention, we launched flares for several days."
Alice frowned.
"Flares? They probably couldn't see your flares all the way from Alaska."
"Alaska?" Luther and Ortiz exclaimed at the same time.
"Yes," Alice said. "Arcadia. I've been there. It's in Alaska—a small town."
"A small town?" Luther shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Look," Ortiz said, handing Alice a telescope. "Look toward the coast."
Alice raised the telescope and focused. Her breath caught.
Out at sea, a massive ship floated silently. On its hull were large letters:
ARCADIA
"That's not a small town," Luther said with a bitter smile.
"It's a ship…" Alice murmured. "Arcadia is a ship. I understand now. They came from Alaska, following the coastline, searching for survivors. They arrived here."
Jack smiled approvingly.
"I think your reasoning is very sound."
"Claire," Alice said, handing her the telescope, "look at it. Maybe it will help you remember something."
Claire stared through the telescope for a long time before lowering it.
"Do you remember anything?" Alice asked.
Claire frowned slightly.
"I remember the beach… and people riding kayaks toward the shore."
"Then what happened?" Alice pressed. "Why didn't you go with them?"
"I don't know," Claire said softly. "I can't recall anything beyond that."
Alice turned to Jack.
"Do we need to go to that ship? Can the helicopter reach it?"
"The coastline is about five or six kilometers from here," Jack replied. "The helicopter probably has fuel for three or four kilometers. If you don't mind falling into the sea halfway, we can try."
---
Night
Darkness fell slowly. Fires flickered weakly across the prison rooftop. Below, zombies roared endlessly, their howls echoing through the night.
Claire stood alone at the edge of the rooftop, staring down at the swarming undead.
"What are you thinking about?" Jack asked as he walked up beside her.
Claire looked at him.
"Jack… are you really—"
"You don't need to doubt this," Jack interrupted gently. "I am the person closest to you in this world. I will love you forever."
Claire gazed into his eyes.
The sincerity in his voice shook her.
"I heard from the White Queen," Claire said softly. "She said you fused with the T-Virus and gained superpowers."
"Yes," Jack nodded. "After I sent you away, I was prepared to die. I went alone to the Umbrella base."
His voice grew lower, more emotional.
"They observed my mutation. They expected me to lose control. But I didn't. The power supporting me was you. I had to see you. I couldn't become a zombie."
Jack looked deeply into Claire's eyes, weaving the story with absolute conviction.
"They didn't expect that I wouldn't mutate—instead, I successfully fused with the virus. I obtained incredible power. I killed them all and went to Alaska to find you. I never expected you'd end up like this…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"What hurt me most was that you didn't remember me."
"Jack…" Claire's eyes softened.
She leaned forward and rested her face against his chest.
"I'm sorry I don't remember," she whispered. "But I know you're telling the truth. I was your woman. You were my man."
Jack inwardly praised his own acting skills.
"It doesn't matter," he said gently. "As long as you're safe, I'm happy. Even if you never remember me, I'll bear everything."
"Jack… my man."
Claire lifted her face and kissed him.
[ HERE IS A SEXUAL / INTIMATE SCENE – OMITTED AS REQUESTED ]
---
"Cough… cough…"
The sound cut through the moment.
Jack and Claire turned.
Alice stood there, her expression cold and sharp.
"Do you have any shame at all?" Alice said icily. "This is no different from animals. Claire shouldn't be deceived like this."
The night wind howled over the rooftop.
Tension hung thick in the air.