"Vivian, are you certain the commander is alright?"
Marcus voiced his concerns.
"He has been asleep for three days."
"Marcus, the doctors confirmed he collapsed from exhaustion."
Vivian assured.
"Have you forgotten how many sleepless nights he had?"
"Sighh..."
Marcus let out a heavy sigh.
"He is too soft-hearted. "
But precisely for this, he followed him unconditionally.
Marcus and Vivian stood near the door of the room.
The white lights reflected off the white concrete walls.
The Commander lay on the bed in the corner.
Suddenly, his body moved.
The Commander slowly opened his eyes.
Marcus's and Vivian's voices woke him up.
The lights blinded him.
"Commander," Vivian rushed to him.
"Vivian,"
The Commander's gaze softened.
He noticed the dark bags underneath her eyes.
They were not there before.
He leaned on the headboard.
"It must have been hard."
He bowed his head slightly.
"Sorry,"
Vivian grabbed his palm.
"Not at all."
She shook her head.
Their eyes met.
Within his heart, he knew her hardships.
Her hard work. Her effort.
Everything must have fallen on her shoulders—even his work.
The Commander's heart warmed in appreciation.
But he decided to drop the matter.
He knew her stubbornness.
She was adamant about refusing credibility.
His face darkened. Brows furrowed.
"How is the situation?"
His voice carried concern.
"Food supplies? Survivors? Ammunition reserves?"
Those were crucial matters.
They weighed on his shoulders.
With no food, they will starve.
And if the generators stopped, they would fall into complete darkness.
The base was underground.
"Marcus,"
Vivian glanced at Marcus.
"I'll trouble you to bring the doctors."
Marcus nodded.
He left the room, leaving both alone.
"Many died,"
Vivian started.
"The previous number of survivors exceeded 10.000. Now, only 1159 survived, including our soldiers.
The Commander's eyes trembled.
The gravity, he still underestimated it.
"Looking at the bright side, the remaining survivors are awakened. The deaths reduced the pressure on the food supplies. And we have enough fuel to last us several months."
The wrinkles on the Commander's face deepened.
"There is no bright side."
He glanced at the ceiling.
Eyes trembled. Heart ached.
Tears rolled down.
"They died. Thousands of innocent lives,"
Silence descended in the room.
A heavy silence.
"Did you clean the base?"
He broke the silence.
"Yes,"
Vivian responded immediately.
"We transported the corpses near the city. The zombie formed a flesh wall.
It'll hide our scent. The zombies won't be able to distinguish. It will buy us some time."
The Commander nodded.
"It'll also prevent other survivors from reaching us."
Vivian nodded.
"Unfortunately, we can't get the best of two worlds."
She pushed her glasses back.
"Securing resources is growing harder. Most buildings collapsed. Only the markets on the outskirts survived. Resources are very limited."
"I see..."
The Commander moved, standing from the bed.
"So, despite the increased number of awakened, it doesn't help much."
Vivian nodded unwillingly.
"The zombies are continuously increasing in number. The number of demons grows as well."
With each word Vivian uttered, the air grew heavier.
"Moreover,"
Her glasses slid down again.
"Commander, unless it's an awakened, we can't risk taking other survivors in.
The hierarchy in the base is unsteady. The governor is sowing discord. If we continue taking in, I'm afraid..."
Vivian paused.
A dreadful pause.
"We might collapse or starve to death."
The words sliced through the room.
The Commander nodded in understanding.
What was right? What was wrong? He knew it. And he didn't deny it.
His morality and rationality conflicted.
But in this situation, he could only choose his rationality.
In this new, rotting world, there was no place for morality.
It came in second.
And he was not alone. He had people depending on him.
All the more reason to follow his rationality.
Never could he choose to sacrifice the majority to save the minority.
"Sighh..."
A breath of turbid air escaped his lips.
"What about the awakened? Did you document their abilities?"
"We have. I divided them into several categories."
The Commander raised his eyebrows.
"Refinement category. Poison category, elemental category, healing category, and a few others."
He explained.
"Those in the refinement category can refine or create items.
The elemental category wield the elements. There are many unique abilities. But a lot of abilities repeat. Mainly the element-related abilities."
"Good thinking"
The Commander praised.
"With those categories, we can make better use of the people."
"Commander, there are also many useless abilities."
"Ohh? How so?"
Curiosity flashed in his eyes.
Were there useless abilities?
"Take the city governor's ability, for example."
Disdain flashed in Vivian's eyes.
"He calls it Endless Gluttony. But all it does is increase his appetite several times. His body strength improved, like every other awakened. But that's all. His body still processes the food at the same speed."
An involuntary smile flashed on the Commander's face.
"Truly a leech,"
What an irony.
He had such grand ambitions, but awakened a useless ability.
Ironic and pathetic.
"But it's for the better," He added. "He would've been a huge headache with a strong ability."
Vivian continued her report.
She filled in everything that had happened since he fell asleep.
But she left out the incident with the old man.
Creak!
The door screamed.
Marcus and the doctors walked in.
They checked on the Commander.
"He is fine,"
One of the doctors quickly confirmed.
They breathed in relief.
"Are you certain?"
Vivian frowned.
Her eyes piercing.
The doctors trembled.
"Yes, yes..."
They nodded repeatedly.
The scenes of her coldly ending the old man flashed in their minds.
Gulp!
A lump went down their throats.
They gulped hard.
"I can guarantee it."
They quickly added.
Their foreheads drenched in sweat. Hearts tight.
The Commander frowned.
It didn't go unnoticed.
Vivian let out a sigh of relief.
"You can leave then. Thank you,"
"Vivian, it's rude to send them away just like that."
The Commander observed their reaction.
"See them off yourself,"
The doctors shook.
Vivian hesitated.
But she stood up and left the room with them.
"You should rest some more, Commander. I'll leave."
Marcus turned to leave.
"Wait a second,"
Marcus stopped.
"Yes?"
"When facing Vivian, the doctors trembled in fear. What happened?"
Noticing the Commander's serious tone, Marcus couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.
"She didn't tell you what she had done?"
The Commander's expression darkened further.
Everything hinted at something unpleasant.
"Sighh..."
Marcus shook his head.
He briefly informed him of the events between Vivian and the old man.
The Commander's eyes continuously widened.
He couldn't believe his ears.
"Everyone fears her now,"
Marcus finished.
"You are angry?"
He raised an eyebrow.
The Commander's knotted.
He gritted his teeth.
"When had she become so emotional? She took an innocent life? Because their opinions conflicted?"
"Never mind that,"
Marcus turned dead serious.
"You are angry. But you'll say nothing to her."
His voice tore the room.
It carried authority.
"Are you ordering me right now?"
Battle intent flashed in the Commander's eyes.
Red hue emerged.
"I dare not,"
Marcus replied straightforwardly.
"You are the Commander. But this time, you are wrong. Her actions are justified. Whether he was innocent or not is irrelevant.
He tried to sow discord among the survivors. We can't have the people divided. Right now, we need the survivors united under your banner. It's the only way to survive."
The Commander went silent.
"Had it been me, I would have killed him and the others following him."
Marcus added.
"My words might be extreme. And your words may carry absolute order. But it's time to stop acting like a child. You can't save everyone. No one can.
A great leader does not fear making choices. He leads despite the risks and takes full responsibility for his actions. He takes paths that are most beneficial to the group. He doesn't act like a spoiled child living in Wonderland."
His words cut deep.
He expressed everything hidden in his heart.
Every dissatisfaction he had with the soft-hearted Commander.
"This has become a world of pain, suffering, endless slaughter, and bloodshed."
The words echoed in the room.
The Commander fell into deep thoughts.
Marcus didn't interrupt.
Having said what he had, he left the room.
The door closed.
The corners of the Commander's lips curled into a smile.
"Good job, Vivian,"
The facade fell.
"Dirty, but effective."