Chapter 435 - 314: Mishap
Trying to hold a wedding in the apocalypse was probably a very difficult thing.
Just five days before Marcus Monroe and Paige Summers’ scheduled wedding day, the leader of the contact team Marcus had placed in Southreach sent a message: Harborcrest Base had been attacked by a massive horde of Zombies. No one inside survived; they were all dead. The base was now occupied by Zombies.
Harborcrest Base was located south of Southreach, about a day’s walk from the coast.
The base was originally built by local fishermen. Later, as coastal residents flocked to it for safety, it grew in size. Of course, it remained a small base, with no more than one hundred and fifty people in total—even smaller than the current Bloodfall Base.
However, it couldn’t be ignored that Harborcrest Base had a relatively high proportion of Superpower Users—forty in total. Its ordinary people were also fierce; some even had combat abilities rivaling those of Superpower Users.
This was one of the reasons for Harborcrest Base’s fame.
Another was the renowned stubbornness of its Base Chief and his people.
Leo Joyce had long wanted them to move to Southreach; after all, their proximity to the coast made it an unsafe location.
Creatures on land had mutated, and so had those in the sea. Some fish had even evolved into amphibious beings, coming ashore to attack humans.
They were said to be incredibly deadly!
While Leo Joyce’s motive was partly to recruit more fighting strength for Southreach, the move would have fundamentally benefited the people of Harborcrest Base. At the very least, Southreach was far more secure.
Unfortunately, Harborcrest’s Base Chief had firmly refused.
He had said that they were all born and raised by the sea and couldn’t bear to go a day without smelling the saltwater. Even if it meant death, they would die by the ocean’s side!
When Paige Summers heard his words recounted, a pang of indescribable sorrow welled up within her.
’At times like this, she truly hated the apocalypse and desperately wanted it all to end!’
’Far, far too many people had already been buried in the lands of Astoria...’
’But a massive Zombie attack... Isn’t this too sudden?’
"It is strange."
Marcus Monroe’s expression was just as grim as Paige Summers’s.
"Years ago, Southreach organized ongoing efforts to clear out nearby Zombie nests for the sake of security. Almost every veteran Hunting Party took part. If they encountered a nest that was too tough to wipe out, they would set up barriers or traps along the perimeter to keep the Zombies from spreading out. Leo Joyce has continued to send people to check on these locations regularly. It’s a matter of life and death, so I doubt he’d neglect it. The fact that he didn’t get any warning alarms means these Zombies didn’t come from any of the known sites."
Paige Summers bit her lip. "So, you’re saying they were missed during the original clearings?"
"It’s possible."
Claire Chapman frowned. "In that case, Leo Joyce was incredibly careless. How could he miss them? Weren’t there at least two hundred? A horde that large shouldn’t be able to move silently. How were they not detected?"
Marcus Monroe nodded. "That’s why I said it’s only a possibility. There could be other reasons, but we don’t know for certain yet. Our people will continue to monitor the situation. For now, those Zombies are staying near Harborcrest Base with no signs of heading north, but it goes without saying that this is temporary. Leo Joyce should understand that. He won’t ignore it."
"That’s true," Claire said. "If he deploys his forces, he can certainly deal with them. For now, let’s wait and see."
Paige Summers was silent.
A vague sense of unease crept over her.
’According to the messenger, after Leo Joyce returned to the city, he flew into a rage over a mission failure and began a city-wide crackdown. Because of this, far fewer Hunting Parties left the city, and those that did stayed close. Otherwise, the disaster at Harborcrest Base would have been discovered sooner.’
’This was all just too convenient.’
’The Zombies didn’t attack earlier, they didn’t attack later—they just happened to show up right when Leo Joyce was occupied with his crackdown...’
’Even the intelligent Zombies they had eliminated here in the past couldn’t have been capable of understanding human movements so well.’
’Unless... this wasn’t a simple coincidence!’
She couldn’t help but shiver.
But no matter what she suspected, Bloodfall Base could only do as Claire Chapman had suggested: wait and see what action Southreach would take.
「Two days passed.」
No word came from Southreach.
Paige Summers grew restless.
Just two days before the wedding, Sweetie returned from its task of relaying messages.
The leader of the contact team wrote that there was trouble in Southreach. The night before, an incredibly vicious monster had appeared in The Citadel. Leo Joyce had been injured and was still unconscious. Despite being surrounded by numerous Superpower Users, the creature had successfully escaped and vanished without a trace.
The city gates had been sealed, and no one was permitted to enter or leave easily.
A public announcement was made concealing the truth, stating only that spies and assassins had infiltrated the city and a strict investigation was underway. The people were somewhat alarmed, but the situation calmed down after the Deputy City Lord came forward to soothe them. Nevertheless, the mission to send troops to Harborcrest Base was delayed indefinitely.
The letter added that because the investigation was so intense, the team’s daily activities were greatly impacted. It had been a great struggle to get Sweetie out safely, and it was not advisable for it to return.
As Paige Summers and the others took turns reading the letter, their expressions grew grim.
It was one crisis after another.
Although they disliked Leo Joyce—Marcus Monroe had even contemplated killing him—they had never acted on it. It wasn’t because they were incapable of killing him, but because Southreach still needed him.
If Leo Joyce were to die now, there was no one under him in Southreach capable of shouldering the burden of being the City Lord. Instead, thanks to his political balancing act, various factions had all established their own power bases.
In such a situation, chaos was inevitable.
When a city descends into chaos, slaughter ensues.
And it would be the innocent who suffered.
Frustrated, Marcus Monroe rubbed his face. "Looks like we can’t wait any longer. We have to get involved."
It was impossible for them to stay out of it.
If Leo Joyce died and Southreach fell into chaos, it would inevitably entangle Bloodfall Base sooner or later. Worse, there was a horde of Zombies lying in wait. Southreach had to deal with this crisis, and they had to do it quickly.
Otherwise, if the Zombies were to wipe out another base, their numbers could very well double. Even if they were all just newly evolved First Order Zombies, a horde that large would be a massive headache!
Meanwhile, the number of humans would only continue to dwindle!
Paige Summers, Claire Chapman, and the others all nodded in agreement.
However, the question of how to intervene was another matter.
Paige Summers thought for a moment before speaking. "Let’s have Maisie Joyce come over. After all, she’s the one most familiar with the internal situation in Southreach."
No one objected to her suggestion.
Though Southreach wasn’t as large as Central City, its internal power structure was incredibly complex. They knew a few things, but their information was far from detailed enough. If Leo Joyce survived, that would be one thing. But if he died, or remained in a coma for a long time, then a new City Lord would have to take his place as quickly as possible.
The selection of a new City Lord was a major problem.
And given Bloodfall Base’s current strength, it was not impossible for them to influence the outcome.
Therefore, they needed a detailed plan!