Chapter 1047: Then the Military Moved

Capítulo 1047: Then the Military Moved

After the soldier left, Ethan took a full lap around the compound.

Sure, Miles would be the one managing the compound he planned to build later—but that didn’t mean Ethan couldn’t offer a few pointers. He wasn’t about to look clueless in front of his own people.

The military compound wasn’t perfect, but there were definitely things worth learning from.

By the time he finished his walk-through, he’d picked up quite a few ideas.

Next, he headed toward the central administration building. He wanted to see how they handled supply distribution.

The layout here was completely different from Mayor Marks’s Safe Zone. Over there, the center was a private zone—off-limits to most. Here, it was clearly designed to serve the leadership and coordinate operations.

But just as Ethan reached the building, a familiar voice called out from the side.

“Captain!?”

He turned, a little confused—then spotted a stunning face lit up with surprise and excitement.

“Don’t call me Captain,” Ethan said flatly. “You’re not on my team.”

“You said I could be a reserve, didn’t you? Reserve still counts! That makes you my Captain!” Mia said, practically bouncing with energy. “What are you doing here? Did you change your mind? Are you joining us? I can get you the best room right now!”

“Nope. Not here to move in,” Ethan said, cutting her off. “I came to tell you something.”

“Mayor Marks is dead. We took him out. The Safe Zone’s a mess right now—you guys should head over and take control.”

“!!!”

“You actually killed Mayor Marks?!” Mia’s eyes went wide, her face frozen in shock.

“What’s so surprising?” Ethan said casually. “I told you last time—if he messed with me again, I’d kill him.”

“Unfortunately, the very next day, he sent the Harlan family after me with an AT-4.”

“So, I killed him.”

“…”

He said it so casually, like he was talking about stepping on a bug.

That was Mayor Marks. The leader of the biggest faction in Starlight City. And Ethan made it sound like he’d just swatted a fly.

Mia stared at him, trying to read something—anything—in his expression.

But there was nothing. Ethan’s face was as relaxed as ever, like this was just another Tuesday.

“Can you come with me?” Mia asked seriously. “This is huge. I need to talk to Major Taylor and the others.”

“You can talk to them. I’m not going. I’ve delivered the message—what you do with it is up to you. I’ve got somewhere to be.”

“Then… can you wait a minute? I want to bring you something.”

Ethan raised a brow. He figured she felt bad about letting him leave empty-handed after coming all this way.

“Sure,” he nodded. “That’s more like it.”

Mia smiled. “Great. Just wait in the lobby over there—I’ll be quick.”

“Alright. And since you’re being so cooperative, I’ll give you a tip,” Ethan added. “If the military takes over the Safe Zone, you’d better start planning an evacuation from Starlight City. There are way too many zombies here. You won’t be able to hold it.”

Mia blinked, then nodded seriously. “Got it. I’ll tell them.”

With that, she turned and headed straight for the Command Center, already signaling a nearby soldier to gather Major Taylor and the others.

Mayor Marks was dead.

That news alone was enough to shake the entire region.

The military would need to act fast.

Inside the Command Center, it didn’t take long for Zach and several other military officers to arrive.

“Mia, what’s so urgent you had to call us in like this?” Zach asked the moment he stepped in.

“It’s big. Mayor Marks is dead.”

“What?!” Everyone turned to her, eyes wide with shock.

“Where did you get this information? And how reliable is it?” Zach asked, his tone sharp.

“It should be solid. He wouldn’t come all this way just to mess with us,” Mia said seriously.

“He?” Zach narrowed his eyes. “Who are you talking about?”

“Ethan Cole. Captain of the Fallen Star Squad.”

“Him?!”

“Wait—are you saying Mayor Marks was killed by him?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Mia, it’s not that we don’t trust you,” one of the officers said carefully, “but you and I both know the government Safe Zone had tens of thousands of Enhanced. How could just a few people take down Mayor Marks?”

“If it were anyone else, maybe not,” Mia said firmly. “But them? I believe it.”

“Hmm…”

“Major Taylor, what’s your take?” someone asked.

“I trust Mia’s judgment,” Zach Taylor said, nodding. “But this is a serious matter. Mia, is he still in the compound? I’d like to speak with him directly.”

“He is,” Mia replied, “but I already asked him to come, and he declined. I don’t think he wants to get too involved with us. Better not push it—he might not take it well.”

She looked around the room, her voice steady. “But I can vouch for this. He wouldn’t bother lying about something so easy to expose.”

“Then why did he come here to tell us?”

“He wants us to take over the Safe Zone,” Mia said. “Mayor Marks’s death has thrown the place into chaos. If no one steps in soon, the hundred thousand survivors there could spiral into panic—and end up as zombie food. Someone has to stabilize the situation.”

That got everyone’s attention.

“Mia, are you saying…”

“We take everyone and move in,” she said without hesitation. “That Safe Zone is ten times the size of this place. It’s got more supplies, more infrastructure—and most importantly, more people. Over a hundred thousand survivors. That’s the real resource.”

“Mayor Marks was selfish. He only cared about building his own power. He didn’t care about the people. But if we don’t repeat his mistakes—if we distribute crystal cores and push for mass evolution—we’ll have a force stronger than anything he ever built.”

“That sounds good,” one older major said, frowning, “but what if this is a trap? What if Mayor Marks faked his death and this is all a setup? We’d be walking right into it.”

“He’s not that clever,” Mia said flatly. “And he definitely couldn’t get Ethan to play along. I told you—I guarantee this is real. Just trust me.”

Zach nodded. “Alright. I trust Mia.”

He turned to the others, voice crisp and commanding.

“Major Hayes, recall all units currently out clearing zombies. Get them back here ASAP.”

“Lieutenant Park, notify everyone in the compound. Tell them to pack up and prepare to move.”

“Captain Miller, take a recon team and head to the Safe Zone. Scout the area, confirm the situation, and map out any zombie threats along the way.”

Zach Taylor didn’t waste time. Once he made a decision, he moved fast.

“Yes, sir!”

The officers saluted and quickly filed out of the Command Center.

…