I walked through the Federation, greeting citizens as I passed. The place was packed—far more crowded than usual. Seeing this only reminded me that I needed to speed up my plans. Time was running out. Soon, the Federation would begin claiming several nearby islands as official territory, and I had to clear those islands of walkers before that happened. Islands were easier to secure; once cleared, they could be fully closed off, and hordes of walkers wouldn't be able to cross. If I wanted the Federation to have a true safe haven, this was the first step.
The unit system had also been integrated faster than I expected. People were adapting well, using their phones to manage everything. This place would eventually become the Federation's main entry point. Later, I planned to relocate most of the population to those secured islands—an important piece of my long-term plan for survival in this violent world.
As I continued strolling, I noticed Alex approaching from a distance. His expression was serious.
"Hey, Marcus. Do you have a minute?" he asked.
"What is it, Alex?"
He hesitated before speaking. "I heard you're heading out soon. Can I come with you?"
I looked at him for a moment. "Alex… your family is here. Don't you want to stay and protect them?"
"That's exactly why I want to come," he said firmly. "I need to adjust myself. I need to get stronger. If I can grow stronger out there, I'll be able to protect them better."
I noticed the katana strapped across his back. "You're good with a sword?" I asked.
He shrugged slightly. "Well… I can manage," he replied.
I nodded. "Alright then. You can come with me. We leave this afternoon." I gave him a pat on the back. "And since I also use a sword, let's make sure we spar sometime."
Alex's face brightened, and he nodded. "All right," he said with determined confidence.
I headed toward the dock, and as soon as I arrived, I spotted Troy already waiting there. He waved when he noticed me approaching.
"Troy, where's Jessy?" I asked, looking around for any sign of him.
"Marcus, you're looking for Jessy?" Troy replied. "He's still out there. Haven't seen him come back yet."
"Hmm… is that so?" I muttered, a bit surprised but not worried.
"Yeah, he's been working hard these past few days," Troy added, sounding proud of him.
"I'm going out for a while," I told him. "I already informed Max, so just let Ray and Jessy know once they get back."
"All right, no problem," Troy said with a nod.
I glanced around the dock again, hoping to spot Ray, but he was nowhere to be found. "I've been looking for Ray for a while now, but I still can't find him. Where could that guy have wandered off to?" I thought, slightly annoyed.
"Well, I'll see you later, Troy," I said.
"Likewise, Marcus," he replied.
I turned and made my way back, reminding myself that there was still that Federation meeting scheduled. The moment I arrived, they started immediately. The meeting was surprisingly short; I laid out the solutions and plans, and the Departments accepted everything without much argument. It was rare for things to go that smoothly.
With the meeting finished, I headed straight to the school. It was already late noon, and I promised Taylor and the kids that I would fetch them today.
When I arrived at the school, the kids immediately ran toward me and wrapped their arms around me. Angel and France were both smiling brightly, their energy contagious. It made me happy knowing they'd had a good time today. Even though we weren't blood related, I adored them as if they were my own. And soon… I hoped I really would have another child. The thought made me smile to myself.
My eyes drifted to Taylor, and she seemed to shiver a little when she noticed my stare. Maybe it was the way I looked at her, or maybe she just sensed what was on my mind. We usually walked home from here—vehicles moving around the area would only disturb the peace. People here were working, rebuilding, trying to live normally despite the world outside.
We had lunch together as a family, enjoying the rare calmness of the afternoon. After eating, the two kids immediately bolted out the door, saying they had made some new friends and wanted to play with them. Watching them run off so excitedly made me feel relieved—we were giving them a childhood despite everything that happened to them.
As the kids disappeared around the corner, Taylor leaned closer to me. "Hmm… I heard Sofia tried to secure you," she said casually.
I coughed, caught off guard. "Cough—cough—where did that come from?"
"You don't have to hold yourself back," she said quietly. "I can see it in your eyes. You want her too."
"Huh? What do you mean?" I tried to act clueless, but even I knew my reaction was terrible. This is bad, I thought.
Taylor sighed, not angrily but with a strange calmness. "Marcus… the world has already gone to hell. If you want to build a harem, I won't stop you. It's better than you hiding it, right?"
"Well… yeah," I admitted. There was no point pretending anymore.
She looked down for a moment, her voice softer. "Just… don't leave me. All right?"
I stepped closer, wrapped my arms around her, and hugged her gently. "I won't," I said before I kissed her. She hugged me back, and for a moment everything felt right.
While holding her, I took the opportunity to tell her about me heading out again. As expected, she hesitated—after all, I had just returned not long ago. But I whispered something in her ear, something only meant for her, and her entire face turned bright red like a tomato.
In the end, she agreed.
After spending some time with Taylor, the moment finally came. I stood up, adjusted my gear, and sent one of the guards to inform Alex that we were heading out. Max had already prepared everything we would need—he never missed a detail.
The team going with me was small but reliable: two pilots, one guard, Alex, and myself. Five people in total. The supplies were already loaded—food, water, medical kits, ammo, spare blades, and a few emergency tools. Everything was strapped down beside the chopper.
As the helicopter lifted off the ground, the familiar vibration ran through my body. The rotors roared to life, and the wind from the blades kicked up dust around the landing pad. We slowly ascended, the Federation shrinking beneath us.
I looked out the window as the landscape spread wide below.
My thoughts drifted to Rick.
I'm excited to meet you, Rick, I thought, feeling a strange mix of anticipation.
And soon… our paths would finally cross.