Chapter 203: Three in One
"Jaxon."
"Alright, alright." His smile faded as he leaned back against the hammock.
"Yes. I want them with us."
Neither of them looked surprised.
"We’ve been through a lot together," he continued. "After everything that happened tonight, I trust them enough to bring them in."
"Today also showed us how limited we are when we only rely on ourselves. We survived because we stayed together, but in the end, we were still forced to run from that safe zone just like everyone else."
Natasha nodded slowly.
"That’s why I think we should finally establish the organization we’ve been talking about."
Natasha and Na-rin nodded slowly, already understanding where he was going.
"We take our own missions, protect our own people, gather our own supplies, and decide where we go and what we do. We don’t have to depend completely on the military or another safe zone to survive."
Na-rin thought about it for a moment before nodding. "After what happened today, I don’t think anyone will argue with that."
Jaxon then looked at both of them. "I’m also planning to tell them about my Storage Space."
Natasha didn’t seem surprised. "There’s not much point hiding it anymore. They’ve already seen you pull things out of nowhere."
"And I’m going to tell them about the upgraded weapons."
Natasha’s expression immediately became more serious. "Are you sure?"
"I am."
He understood her concern. Those weapons were far more powerful than anything ordinary survivors could get their hands on. If the wrong person got hold of one, it could easily become a problem.
"If they’re going to work with us, they need to know what we can provide. Besides, I can still control the weapons. If someone steals one or decides to leave with it, I can make it useless."
"It might waste some of the coins I spent upgrading them, but that’s better than letting someone turn those weapons against us."
Natasha and Na-rin exchanged another glance before nodding.
"Then I think it’s time," Natasha said. "The safe zone has fallen, and they already saw part of what you’re capable of. There’s no point pretending we’re just another group of survivors anymore."
"They know we can’t depend on a safe zone forever," Na-rin added. "Not after watching one collapse in a single night."
"So, how do you want to organize everyone?" Natasha asked.
"Nothing complicated," he answered after a moment. "I don’t want a bunch of unnecessary ranks. We’ll keep it simple. There’ll be a leader, a vice-leader, core members, and regular members."
Natasha nodded. "Simple enough."
Jaxon looked at her. "And I want you to be the vice-leader."
"I expected that much."
Jaxon smiled. "I’ll handle the bigger decisions, but I can’t be everywhere. If something happens to me, I need someone I trust to take charge."
Natasha crossed her arms. "So you’re dumping most of the work on me."
Jaxon laughed. "Pretty much."
Despite her complaint, a faint smile appeared on Natasha’s face.
She then glanced toward Na-rin. "What about her?"
Jaxon turned toward Na-rin. "Na-rin will work with you. She’ll be your deputy. Help manage the group, handle things when I’m away, and take charge if you’re not around."
Na-rin’s eyes widened slightly. "Me?"
"You."
She hesitated. "I don’t know if I’m suited for something like that."
Jaxon leaned slightly closer, meeting her eyes. "You are."
Na-rin remained silent.
"I’ve seen how you handle yourself," Jaxon continued. "You’re calm when things get dangerous, you think before you act. You don’t need to be perfect. Just do your best."
Na-rin looked down for a moment before finally giving a small nod. "I’ll try."
Jaxon leaned back again. "We’ll talk to everyone after they wake up."
Natasha nodded. "That’s probably for the best."
Jaxon looked at the two exhausted girls, a faint smile appearing on his face. "Since you’re both refusing to sleep, come here."
He pulled the two girls toward his hammock, making room for them on either side of him.
"What are you doing?" Natasha asked, staring at him.
"Letting you sleep with me as a reward. You don’t want to?"
Natasha glanced toward Na-rin, who was now lying on his other side. The sudden pull had caught her off guard, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks as Jaxon wrapped an arm around her.
"With her too?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
A vein seemed to pop on Natasha’s forehead. Na-rin immediately looked away, her cheeks turning even redder.
Jaxon looked between the two of them and couldn’t help but chuckle. "Don’t bully her. She worked just as hard as you did tonight."
Natasha reached over and pinched his side.
"Ow!"
"You’re the only one benefiting from this," she muttered with a pout.
Jaxon laughed quietly before wrapping an arm around her and pulling her closer. "Alright, alright. Enough, just sleep."
He then looked toward Na-rin, who was still avoiding his eyes.
"You too, Na-rin. Get some rest."
Na-rin gave a small nod and slowly settled against him. Her hands rested lightly against his chest as she tried to find a comfortable position.
For a while, the three of them remained quiet. Then Na-rin suddenly looked up.
"Jaxon."
"Hm?"
"What exactly is your relationship with Elaine?"
Jaxon blinked.
Before he could answer, Natasha’s eyes immediately snapped open.
"Wait. What?"
She lifted her head from his shoulder and stared at him. "What did you do with Elaine?"
"What? I didn’t do anything!"
"I saw the two of you together in that room before the infected attacked," Na-rin said calmly, though the curiosity in her eyes was obvious.
"You really want to talk about this right now?"
Natasha narrowed her eyes. "Then explain."
"There’s nothing to explain."
"Then why were you hugging her at the bed?"
"Oh, I wanted to"
Na-rin tilted her head. "And?"
"I like her"
Natasha immediately reached over and pinched his side again. "Jaxon..."
"Alright, alright. I’ll explain everything tomorrow."
"No," Natasha said immediately. "I’m asking now."
Na-rin nodded in agreement.
Jaxon stared at them for a moment before letting out a helpless sigh. "You’re both supposed to be resting."
"We will after you answer."
He could only shake his head.
For several more minutes, the two girls continued questioning him from either side. Every time Jaxon answered one question, another immediately followed, leaving him with almost no chance to escape.
Eventually, even their curiosity couldn’t overcome their exhaustion.
Natasha was the first to fall asleep, her head slowly settling against Jaxon’s shoulder. Not long after, Na-rin also relaxed against his chest, her breathing gradually becoming slow and steady.
Jaxon looked at the two sleeping girls and smiled helplessly.
"Finally..."
He carefully adjusted his position so neither of them would wake up, then closed his eyes.