CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 56- NEITHER ARE

Chapter 56 — Neither Are

Upon reaching the main area, he found it more active than usual. People were moving about, seemingly doing things. Jack could tell the atmosphere was a bit more positive than yesterday, but it wasn’t by much. Most of these people were either grieving, in denial, or simply trying to stay optimistic as they navigated this changing world. The hollow look on their faces was enough proof of that.

However, Jack noticed that they were trying to do useful things, which was a good sign. ’It seems he did talk to them while I was away.’

"Jack."

At that moment, he heard a soft voice calling his name. Luna walked toward him with a smile.

"Hey."

"Hey... How was your sleep?"

"Not bad," Jack replied, looking around. "What is happening here?"

"It seems they’re cleaning the place up and organizing it to be a bit more manageable to live in."

"I see... Did General Hermann talk to the people?"

"He did, and some have stepped in to volunteer. They want to help and get stronger."

"How many exactly?"

"... I think a few dozen people?"

’A few dozen out of almost ten thousand people... Yeah, that’s not good.’ Jack frowned, thinking for a moment. ’If we want to make any significant changes, the number needs to increase quickly.’

The boy knew words wouldn’t be enough to convince these cowards. He had to show them the results of accepting such an offer. To do that, he would work with the courageous civilians who actually wanted to do something.

"Okay, that should work for now. Where are the others?"

"They’re still resting," Luna replied. "They stayed with their parents for a while and then slept."

"What about you?"

"I just practiced a bit with my new weapon and then ate some food," she said. "I feel rejuvenated and ready for what we will do."

Jack could see the determination in Luna’s eyes. After yesterday’s events, she seemed even more hell-bent on being useful and helping Jack in every way she could. He had already intended to rely on her, but seeing her spirit reassured him.

’She seems to have recovered well.’

"Okay, let them rest. Since the number is small, we will work with them. Only the two of us," he said.

"Only the two of us..." Luna looked surprised for a second.

"Hm? Is everything okay?"

"Huh? Oh... Yeah, ehem, yeah, we will work together."

"I’m going to talk to the general, and then we will gather the group and leave."

With that, Jack walked away and headed to the general’s office, tucked in a corner far from where most civilians were. Passing several soldiers, he walked in without asking permission. At this point, Jack didn’t care for or fear the military; they were as powerless as every civilian in that base.

They were just glorified because of their uniforms and their ’weapons’, which were evidently useless against the Undead.

"Oh, Jack. There you are! I have been waiting for you." Hermann stood up when he saw the boy and put down the phone.

"Yeah."

"Come in. Take a seat."

Jack nodded and closed the door behind him before sitting opposite the general. Hermann’s eyes remained fixed on his phone.

"Any luck contacting the government?"

The man’s expression changed when he heard the question. He sat down and sighed. "No. The only orders I received are to protect the base. But... it doesn’t seem like there is any real progress being made."

’Not surprising. I’m almost certain that most branches of the government have already collapsed. They are not going to recover from this any time soon,’ Jack mused with a cold expression.

"In any case, I’ve lost hope of seeing a way out of this disaster. We have to fight our way through with our own hands. The military and law enforcement can’t protect the citizens anymore," the man said bitterly, clenching his fists.

"I see you did get a few volunteers, as I asked."

"Yeah. It took some convincing, but there were people willing to try. They realized there aren’t many other options. But the number is very small."

"Yeah, but it should be enough. Since you’ll be with them, they’ll be more encouraged to try and fight."

"Yeah..." Hermann seemed hesitant for a second, which made Jack raise an eyebrow.

"Are you afraid, General?"

"... No, it’s not that." The man shook his head. "It’s just... every time I look at those monsters outside, I get this feeling. What if there is another way to save them? What if we can reverse whatever happened to them? I’m afraid we’ll regret massacring innocent people in the future if we discover this disease—or whatever it is—has a cure. One that brings people and their loved ones back."

"..."

"I don’t want the blood of the innocent to tarnish my hands. I won’t be able to live with it." Staring at his shaking hands, the man looked completely devastated. The conflict between right and wrong, his fear of the future, and everything else weighed on him greatly.

"Sigh, you’re naive, General."

"Huh?"

"Afraid you’ll have innocent blood on your hands? So what? You’ve already killed many of them. I have already incinerated and sliced countless more. Morals won’t save you, and being afraid certainly won’t either," Jack said, standing and putting his hands on the table. "You either kill or be killed, General. If you don’t accept that, then I suggest you become their food sooner rather than later."

Staring into the boy’s apathetic eyes, a chill ran through the man’s spine. That look... those eyes. They terrified him. They weren’t angry, they weren’t happy, they weren’t even sad... they had nothing in them.

It was as if the boy were telling him about his day rather than the deaths of countless humans. The idea made the man tremble to his very core.

"No... N-no, I don’t mean it that way. Of course, I will fight. If I don’t, who will? I’m simply thinking as a human who cares for the people of his nation."

"Those people in the base..." Jack pointed behind him. "Those are your people. Those outside are your people as much as the rabid animals in the forest are your pets... Neither are."

***

After their conversation, Jack and the general left the office and headed to the main area. Hermann ordered the soldiers to gather the volunteers in the field outside. Meanwhile, Jack took a map of the city and, with a pen, began drawing possible paths and target areas.

Since he already had a rough idea of where the horde could be, he made sure to avoid the riskiest zones.

In the end, he had in his hands a rough plan he could use to train these people and make them stronger quickly.

’With this, those normal citizens will turn into useful fighters within a few days at most... I hope the massive waves of change that will hit the world will take longer.’

Staring up at the shredded sky and the pulses of energy coursing through it, he frowned. Was he early? Was he late?

Was it even a good idea to do this?

Jack couldn’t tell yet.