Novel Full Chapter 164: The Night Begins
Chapter 164: Chapter 164: The Night Begins
Everyone had already gathered in the living area by the time Jaxon arrived.
Na-rin and the women in his family seemed to understand the situation without needing much explanation. They knew enough about Jaxon’s abilities to realize that if he had suddenly called everyone together in the middle of the night, then he must have detected something.
Jannah, Hiromi, and Sumiko looked noticeably more anxious, and the silence inside the room only made the tension worse.
Claire, Hannah, and Hae-in weren’t much better, but seeing Jaxon standing there completely calm helped ease their nerves, if only a little.
Elaine stood off to the side with her students. Every now and then, however, her eyes would drift toward Jaxon before quickly looking away again.
However, those small glances did not escape the sharp eyes of Natasha and Na-rin.
Natasha frowned slightly as she noticed Elaine looking at Jaxon again, while Na-rin remained silent, quietly observing her teacher. After what she had seen earlier, she could already guess that something had changed between the two.
Before anyone could notice the strange atmosphere between them, Jaxon finally spoke. "Get your weapons ready. They’re coming."
His words immediately silenced every other thought in the room. The tension grew heavier as everyone realized their fears had been right.
Almost at the same time, the speakers placed throughout the safe zone suddenly buzzed.
"Attention. This is an emergency alert. All civilians are ordered to remain inside their assigned residences. Lock all doors and windows and stay away from the streets. Do not panic. Military personnel are responding to the threat."
Outside, the safe zone that had been silent only moments ago suddenly became busy again.
Soldiers rushed toward their assigned positions while military vehicles moved through the streets. In the distance, the loud sound of helicopter blades filled the night as searchlights swept across the dark surroundings.
Inside the residences, fear quickly spread among the civilians. Everyone had already been on edge since the massive explosion earlier, and the sudden emergency alert confirmed their worst fears. Families locked their doors and windows, some gathering together in whatever rooms they believed were safest.
No one knew exactly what was coming. But no one dared to step outside and find out.
"Everyone, stay calm," Natasha’s firm voice rang, cutting through the tense living room.
Nearby, Cindy and Isabel were trying to comfort the anxious Sumiko, who were clearly shaken by everything happening outside.
"The doors and windows here are reinforced," Na-rin added calmly. "This building was prepared for situations like this. The infected won’t be able to get inside easily."
Her words seemed to work. Sumiko slowly nodded, while the twins moved closer together.
Of course, those who knew how powerful the mutated infected could be understood that these reinforcements might not be enough against the mutants. However, no one said it out loud. There was no point in frightening everyone even more.
"Claire, Hae-in, Hannah."
The three immediately turned toward Jaxon as he handed them a walkie-talkie. "You three are staying here with Jannah, Hiromi, and Sumiko. Keep everyone together. Don’t engage any infected unless you absolutely have to. If anything happens, contact us immediately."
Claire took the walkie-talkie from him and nodded seriously.
"You’re going out?" Elaine’s voice came from the side. A frown appeared on her face as an uneasy feeling settled in her chest.
"I’ll take Na-rin and the others with me."
Elaine opened her mouth, already wanting to say that she would go with him, but Jaxon looked directly into her eyes and gave a small shake of his head.
"You’re staying here," he continued. "I need someone I can trust to take charge while we’re gone. If anything gets through the military defenses, make sure everyone stays together."
Elaine lowered her gaze. A part of her wanted to go with him, however, she also knew that arguing with him now would not help anyone. Someone needed to stay behind, and Jaxon was trusting her with that responsibility.
"You’ll come back, right?" Elaine asked, forcing a small smile despite the worry in her eyes.
Jaxon stared at her for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face. "Of course. After all, I’d never leave someone I consider family behind."
Elaine’s eyes widened slightly. Hearing that single word from him strangely made something warm spread through her chest.
"Why do you have to go outside?" Hae-in suddenly asked. "Can’t you just stay here with us?"
Her words reflected what Jannah, Hiromi, and the others who did not know about Jaxon’s abilities were thinking. With the infected approaching, they could not understand why Jaxon and the others would willingly leave one of the safest places in the area.
"There’s something important we need to do," Jaxon replied simply.
He didn’t explain any further, and although Hae-in clearly wanted to ask more questions, she eventually held herself back. The others assumed that the military must have given Jaxon and his group some kind of task.
"I’ll protect everyone here." Elaine’s voice drew Jaxon’s attention. She looked at him for a moment before continuing in a softer voice. "So be careful out there... and make sure all of you come back."
"Mhm. Don’t worry about us." Jaxon nodded before looking toward Hannah and the twins. "While we’re out there, I’ll look for Bong-gu, Haris, and Elena too. If I find them, I’ll make sure they’re safe."
Hannah’s eyes widened at the mention of her brother, with the twins reacting the same way.
"Thank you," Hannah said sincerely.
"Thank you, Brother," the twins added almost at the same time.
The three had been worried about them ever since the emergency alert began, but none of them had wanted to bring it up and burden him.
With everything settled, Jaxon, Na-rin, and the others prepared to leave.
Their goodbyes were brief. They all knew this wasn’t the time to drag things out, but Sumiko seemed to be having the hardest time.
She stood quietly near the others, her hands tightly gripping the edge of her clothes.
Now that her mind was clearer than before, she understood just how dangerous the outside world had become. And after everything they had gone through together, the thought of losing the people she had slowly begun to see as her new family frightened her more than she wanted to admit.
Jaxon noticed the look on her face and walked over. "Don’t make that face," he said as he gently placed a hand on her head. "We’ll be back. Besides, I still owe you the present I promised."
For a moment, she seemed to struggle with what she wanted to say. Then, just as Jaxon was about to pull his hand away, she finally spoke.
"Stay safe out there... Brother."
Jaxon paused. Then a warm smile appeared on his face as he gave her head another gentle pat. "Thanks. I will."
With that, he gave Elaine one last nod before heading outside with Na-rin and his family.
The heavy door closed behind them, followed by the sound of several locks clicking into place.
Despite leaving the others behind, he wasn’t too worried about their safety.
The residences and the civilians inside them were among the military’s highest priorities, which meant the soldiers would do everything they could to protect this area. The building itself was also heavily reinforced, and with Elaine, Claire, Hannah, and the others armed, they were far from helpless.
They had been through enough since the outbreak began. As long as nothing completely unexpected happened, they should be able to hold their own.