Chapter 85: Two Schools of Thought
She zoomed in, closer and closer, and began filming the executions in the distance.
Jason Lynch’s arrogant expression, his utter disregard for human life, was captured in perfect detail.
Before him, residents struck by bullets knelt and wailed, unable to break free. Behind him stood his haughty bodyguards.
The video was five minutes long. Eighteen people were executed, and toward the end, Jason Lynch even grew impatient.
He had his bodyguards start showing off, killing two or even three people with a single bullet. Smug smiles spread across the bodyguards’ faces.
Roman Rowe watched her film and quietly tugged on Frost Shaw’s sleeve. She shook her head at him, signaling him to keep quiet.
Once she finished filming, Lily Hart posted the clip to her social media account. She didn’t add a caption; the video alone was shocking enough.
After just two days of activity, her account had already amassed over three hundred thousand followers. Most were women who admired her freedom and carefree spirit.
The moment the video was posted, it was discovered by Central Command, which had been keeping a close eye on her account.
Civilization had collapsed, and many laws and regulations from before the apocalypse had been lost to time. But now, ten years into this new era, efforts were constantly being made to rebuild the legal system.
When the apocalypse began, seventy percent of humanity turned into zombies. Another ten percent were subsequently infected. Over the past decade, the human population has plummeted.
Central Command feared that humanity would go extinct... which was why "the sanctity of human life" was always their first principle.
If someone had truly committed a heinous crime, they could be handed over to the base for judgment. But this... this felt like there was no rhyme or reason, just a complete, flagrant disregard for life.
Central Command would absolutely not allow such a thing to happen.
The responsible official immediately contacted Jason Lynch.
Less than five minutes after Lily Hart posted the video, she saw Jason Lynch call a halt to the farce. He spoke to his Light Brain with an uncharacteristically deferential tone.
Soon, he ended the call, his face ashen. With a dark expression, he ordered The Guardian Corps to untie the hemp ropes binding the prisoners. "I’ll let you all go for today," he said.
"But if there’s a next time, your deaths won’t be as quick and easy as a bullet." Jason Lynch’s tone was sinister, his viper-like gaze clinging to the crowd and making their skin crawl.
Freed from the ropes, they collapsed to the ground in relief. It took a long while before any of them had the strength to get back up.
If Jason Lynch hadn’t been so treacherous—drugging the water distributed throughout the base this morning—they wouldn’t have been in such a wretched state, nor would they have lost dozens of their people!
Jason Lynch sat in his wheelchair, which was positioned on a high platform. He looked down on them, his eyes filled with contempt.
Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the right, landing on the entrance to the square. A few small, low-slung buildings stood there, used as rest quarters for staff and The Guardian Corps.
His eyes narrowed. His gut told him something was off. "You, go check it out," he commanded.
The bodyguards acknowledged the order, and five of them broke off to investigate.
Frost Shaw had already led the other two away long before Jason Lynch’s gaze had shifted in their direction.
Outside the base, Lily Hart was still seething. "Even if Jason Lynch let them go this time, what about the next? And the time after that? Do you think he’ll be so ’merciful’ again?"
She muttered to herself, feeling the urge to dethrone Jason Lynch for the first time. "No, this needs to get a lot bigger."
Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe exchanged a glance. ’How are we supposed to tell her that this *is* the apocalypse? This is normal. The ’sanctity of life’ is just empty words.’
Many systems were still incomplete. In the eyes of the rich and powerful, treating human lives as disposable was perfectly normal.
But she seemed so full of hope for humanity’s future. She believed this was wrong, that it had to be stopped. She was passionate and impulsive, like a roaring, blazing fire.
’It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone so pure, so naive...’ Frost Shaw thought.
She looked down and continued to operate her Light Brain, discovering the video was now trending. Many people were commenting below it.
[What base is this? How could they do something like that?!]
[Can’t you see the two big words in the square? Nutwood Base. They’re treating people like animals!]
[I’m begging Central Command to launch a full investigation. How can scum like that be a Base Commander?!]
[Exactly. The population is already small enough. With him messing things up like this, humanity will be extinct in no time.]
[Wake up, people. This is the apocalypse, remember?]
[So in the apocalypse we can just kill innocent people? We’re way past that stage, okay? Central Command is trying to restore civilization!]
Two opposing viewpoints clashed in the comments. One side argued that since it was the apocalypse, why get so worked up about it? The world was full of villains.
The other side countered that even in an apocalypse, you can’t just slaughter the innocent; life must be valued to preserve human civilization.
’It’s good that they’re fighting,’ Lily Hart thought with relish as she watched, even liking the more articulate comments. ’That’s how you get traction, how you get the attention of important people.’
Sure enough, she received a direct message from Central Command. They asked for the full story and mentioned that they had already contacted the leadership at Nutwood Base.
So, Lily Hart told them everything, from beginning to end.
After all, she had a clear conscience. Jason Lynch was the one completely in the wrong.
Soon, she received a reply from Central Command. They promised to intervene and investigate immediately to bring justice to the residents of Nutwood Base. At the end, they also casually asked if it would be possible to cooperate with her lottery shop.
Lily Hart laughed, but it was a laugh of anger. ’So they’re only willing to investigate this because they want something from me?’ she fumed. ’What about the ordinary people... What are they worth?’
Roman Rowe leaned over to look, his voice tinged with surprise. "I know this guy. He’s the head of Central Command’s foreign affairs department. I heard he’s really arrogant, so I’m surprised he’s being so polite to you."
He continued reading. "He’s actually willing to investigate this? That’s rare, really rare. It’s not like things like this haven’t happened at other bases, but they were always swept under the rug. The way he’s talking, it sounds like he’s planning to get seriously involved."
Hearing this, Frost Shaw looked up. "Logan Holland?"
Roman Rowe nodded emphatically. "Yes! That’s him! He’s the one who invited me to join Central Command back in the day. I turned him down, and he’s held a grudge ever since!"
"!" Lily Hart recoiled in shock. "If I refuse him, is he going to hold a grudge against me too?"
"Absolutely," Roman Rowe said with certainty.
Hearing this, Lily Hart immediately looked down, composed a message, and sent it: [Okay, please be sure to investigate this thoroughly. As for the cooperation, we can discuss that later.]
It was a decisive rejection.
Far away in Central Command, Logan Holland’s face darkened. He had been so polite and accommodating, and she still had the audacity to refuse him?
’So what if she has a lottery shop that can produce anything and everything? What’s so great about that!’
’Okay, it actually is pretty great...’ Logan Holland thought. He adjusted his attitude and continued his correspondence with Lily Hart, trying to appeal to both her reason and her emotions.
The video Lily Hart posted exploded online, sparking intense debate. Central Command saw this as a perfect opportunity to bolster its reputation.
It was a chance to show the wider survivor community that Central Command cared about the common person, while also serving as a warning to those who acted with impunity.
It would also be a way to do Lily Hart a favor, making her feel valued and hopefully improving her impression of Central Command.
And so, Central Command swiftly dispatched a team by helicopter.