Chapter 242: A Friend Farewell

Gideon stepped forward first, he was still holding Freya’s hand. The rest followed after with clear and proud excitement in their face.

The children were already learning, the parents behind them were either laughing or scolding them.

It makes Freya smile

It wasn’t grand. Compared to the skyscrapers and luxury apartments of the Old World, this place looked painfully ordinary.

Only three floors without elevators. No polished marble pillars or decorative fountains welcoming visitors.

Just sturdy concrete walls, reinforced windows, and a roof designed to survive blizzards instead of impressing people.

"This is nice," Freya whispered as she watched the residents slowly enter the building. "They finally have a real home."

Gideon glanced at her before looking back at the crowd.

"Of course. It took time, money, and more problems than I’d like to remember, but..." A small smile appeared on his lips. "I’m glad we managed to build it."

Freya lowered her head. "I didn’t help with any of this."

"You did. In bed." He grinned.

A second later, her palm smacked his upper arm.

"Ow."

"You deserved that."

Gideon rubbed his arm dramatically before chuckling. "I was just joking. You’re way too tense."

Freya rolled her eyes, though the corner of her lips twitched upward.

She walked ahead, following the residents into the apartment.

Gideon followed shortly after.

The lobby was simple, just as he had envisioned during the planning stage. It connected directly to a modest hall large enough for community meetings, emergency briefings, or celebrations whenever the settlement had something worth celebrating.

Beside the entrance sat a small security office.

The staircase stood in the middle of the building, leading toward the upper floors where residents were already carrying boxes, blankets, and furniture to their new homes.

The first floor had been reserved for elderly residents and families with aging parents. Climbing stairs every day would only make life harder for them, especially during winter.

As Gideon watched everyone moving through the building, all those practical decisions faded into the background.

The residents were smiling.

Some stood quietly in front of their apartment doors, keys trembling in their hands as if they still couldn’t believe those rooms truly belonged to them.

Others laughed while helping neighbors carry heavy furniture upstairs.

It was a pleasant sight.

Especially considering the countless crises threatening the Safe Zone that most of them knew nothing about.

And Gideon intended to keep it that way.

He eventually turned toward William, who was busy answering questions from several residents.

"I’m heading to the quarantine area," Gideon said. "If anything comes up, write it down. We’ll discuss it during the next council meeting. The residential district still isn’t completely finished."

William nodded immediately. "I’ll inform everyone."

Gideon acknowledged him with a slight nod before turning away.

Without another word, he grabbed Freya’s wrist and gently pulled her along.

***

By the time they reached the military camp, the area felt noticeably quieter than before.

Most of the system personnel had already been dismissed. With the apartment project completed, Gideon no longer needed such a large workforce.

Every unnecessary salary meant fewer resources available for expanding the Safe Zone.

Another vehicle was parked beside the command tent.

He recognized it immediately. The rugged frame and reinforced armor belonged to Freebound.

’Professor Patrick is already here. Good.’

Gideon pushed aside the entrance flap and stepped inside.

Patrick was already discussing something with Kilian that looked exhausted, dark circles hanging beneath his eyes as though he hadn’t slept all night.

Otis stood nearby, unusually quiet.

Behind Gideon, Freya slowed to a stop.

Her eyes widened as she took in the enormous interior of the tent. What fascinated her the most wasn’t the equipment or the maps spread across the tables.

It was the transparent containment chamber standing in the center of the room.

"So you’ve already made a decision?" Gideon asked while approaching the three men.

Only then did he release Freya’s wrist, allowing her to wander around the tent.

She quietly examined everything she found interesting, carefully touching only the objects that looked harmless.

Patrick turned first. "Ah, Chief." He adjusted his glasses before nodding. "Yes. We’ve gathered enough data for now."

He glanced toward the containment chamber.

"And Jace is dying."

Patrick stepped aside, giving Gideon a clear view.

Jace was still standing inside or rather barely standing.

He continued pounding weakly against the transparent walls, his dark eyes following every movement outside the chamber.

Yet the massive man who had once towered over everyone in the room had almost disappeared.

His swollen muscles had withered away. Every rib showed beneath his pale skin.

His cheeks had sunken so deeply that the bones beneath were clearly visible, while his arms and legs had become little more than skin stretched over fragile skeletons.

Even lifting his fists seemed to require tremendous effort now. His entire body trembled uncontrollably.

Otis stared at the figure in silence. Sadness filled his eyes.

He searched Jace’s face as though hoping to find even the smallest trace of the old friend he once knew.

But the man inside the chamber no longer resembled that person at all.

"We tried everything we could. Nutrients through an IV, aberrant meat, ordinary food... anything that didn’t involve human flesh. None of it worked. His body simply can’t process them anymore."

Gideon fell silent. His thoughts drifted back to the giant ant colony in Arthur’s note.

The workers had wandered aimlessly like corpses, their bodies riddled with wounds.

Countless dead ants had been scattered throughout the nest, only to disappear later through the mycorrhizal network that fed everything back to the queen.

Jace was no different.

Whatever transformation had taken over his body demanded human flesh. Everything else was rejected until nothing remained except starvation.

A slow, inevitable death.

"I understand." Gideon let out a quiet sigh before meeting Patrick’s eyes. "If you’ve already gathered enough data, then let him rest."

"He’s suffered long enough."

Patrick nodded before turning toward Otis.

"Then the decision falls to you."

His voice remained calm, though noticeably heavier than before.

"You can let him starve to death naturally..." He paused. "...Or you can end it yourself."

Kilian frowned immediately. "Oh, come on, Professor. You’re not seriously asking him to choose that."

He glanced toward Otis before looking back at Patrick. "Can’t we at least sedate him first? Use the medicine... like an execution?"

The tent fell silent. Almost instinctively, everyone’s attention shifted toward Gideon.

Gideon slowly raised both hands. "I’m sorry. My power is on a very tight budget right now. Every bit of energy I spend has to be reserved for something more important."

He looked directly at Otis. "I can’t help you this time."

Otis remained quiet for several seconds before slowly shaking his head.

"No. It’s alright."

He looked at Jace through the transparent wall, his tired eyes tracing the face of the man who had once fought beside him.

"He was my friend. We were on the same team. Arthur is already gone. Now... I’m the only one left."

His hand slowly rested on the pistol holstered at his waist.

"If I’m the one who’s still alive, then it’s my responsibility to end my friend’s suffering."

Gideon studied him quietly.

Otis looked noticeably thinner than the last time they met. The exhaustion on his face had become impossible to hide after days of watching his friend’s condition deteriorate.

Yet despite everything the determination in his eyes had never faded.

Otis slowly approached the containment chamber. He stopped just outside the transparent wall and whispered something to Jace.

Gideon couldn’t hear a single word.

Whatever he wanted to say it was meant only for his friend.

After a long moment, Otis entered the security code and slowly pulled the containment door open.

Jace didn’t lunge. He simply staggered forward, his frail body barely able to support its own weight.

Every step looked painful as he dragged himself toward his prey or perhaps the only familiar face he could still recognize or

Otis silently raised his pistol. For a brief second, neither of them moved.

The gunshot echoed throughout the command tent. Jace’s body collapsed onto the floor without another sound.

No one speaks, even Freya lowered her head, instinctively gripping Gideon’s sleeve.

Several system workers wearing full protective equipment entered only after Patrick gave them permission.

They carefully placed Jace’s body inside a sealed body bag before carrying it outside.

No one knew whether the parasite remained active after death. No one knew whether it could infect another host.

They couldn’t afford to take unnecessary risks.

Outside, a funeral pyre had already been prepared.

The flames burned brightly against the endless white snow, the orange glow standing in stark contrast to the frozen landscape surrounding them.

Otis remained closest to the fire. As the flames slowly consumed Jace’s body, the strength finally left his legs.

His knees hit the snow. The quiet sound of restrained sobbing was almost drowned out by the crackling fire.

No one offered comforting words or told him everything would be alright.

There were moments when grief couldn’t be lessened by advice.

Kilian simply stepped beside him and rested a large hand on his shoulder.

When the fire finally died down, the remaining ashes were carefully collected and placed inside a small ceramic urn.

It would be buried properly.

Patrick watched the workers finish their task before turning toward Gideon.

"Let’s speak with the Controller." His expression became serious once again. "We don’t have much time left in Climber Rift."

Gideon gave a silent nod. He took one last glance at the small urn resting in Otis’s hands before turning away.

The man they had just lost was no longer the greatest threat waiting for them.

There was someone far more dangerous still alive.