In the end, Maria and Liam were given back their weapons and rides and sent back to Camp York with information on the Fortress Alpha. Hopefully, they would be the first step in establishing a solid alliance with the locals.

For the moment, the Phasewalkers had a brief moment of peace. As Ryan remained as the acting leader in the fortress on the other end of the Portal, Caity returned to Earth with Eric.

Crossing the Portal, Caity found herself facing what could only be described as a warzone. Bunkers. Tanks. Artillery. Numerous U.S. soldiers in full battle gear were stationed at this position. Compared to them, the 1st Phasewalker Battalion was like a child. Perhaps the Phasewalkers were capable, but the fact that they were mere teens weeks ago meant at this point, they were no match for professional soldiers.

Caity wasn’t quite intimidated, and nor was the 20 Phasewalker troopers that followed her cross. They have been notified beforehand that this would be the case to prevent any unwanted guests from sneaking past the Portal and onto Earth.

Several trucks were brought across the Portal by Phasewalker drivers. They were parked in an intermediate station, where Earth soldiers in full hazmat suits took over. Other soldiers, in similar gears, guided the Phasewalkers into a specialized facility, where they would be examined.

These were proper precautions, especially for people who just returned from a world that was crippled by an unknown virus. Ryan’s interrogation of the locals suggested that this virus could infect any living thing, including humans, animals, and plants. The weaker humans could potentially be mutated into a zombie-like creature that would turn on others of their kind. If one of the Phasewalkers was infected by this virus and accidentally brought it onto Earth, then all could be doomed.

On the other side, the trucks were driven into a quarantined location. They contained the bodies of Mutants that the Phasewalkers slaughtered before the walls of Fortress Alpha. There, these bodies would be studied by top Section X scientists to find out everything there was about them, including characteristics of the Alpha Virus, how it caused the Mutations, and a thousand other topics.

Of course, there was always the danger that the Alpha Virus couldn’t quite be pinpointed down by Earth technology, which was why anyone involved here, whether it was the Phasewalkers, the soldiers, or the scientists, would be kept here in the base for an unspecified period of time. Only if they didn't show any symptoms would they be released back into society.

Section X was doing everything it could to make sure this wouldn’t turn into a disaster, which was only appropriate after the President, General Kennedy, and the other decision-makers saw the carnage the Alpha Virus has unleashed.

In the worst case, if this virus somehow took over the military base around the Portal and every single defender was compromised, a tactical nuclear missile would be deployed to wipe out everything in the proximity of the Portal.

If even the nuclear hellfire couldn’t contain the virus, only then would Earth truly be screwed.

Inside a specialized chemical sanitation room, Caity quietly stripped down every single piece of clothes on her. Her soft, pale skin shined under the dim light of the room. Suddenly, beams of water darted out from all sides of the room and washed over her body. Caity stood there as the sanitation process completed.

When that was done, she walked out of the room, and a female soldier handed her a set of green uniforms. She put them on and walked out. Crossing several halls, she walked into an office, where General Kennedy was already waiting.

Despite his harsh and unforgiving way of doing things, General Kennedy was a true soldier. The base at the Portal was ground zero if an invasion or an outbreak was to take place. If something went wrong, chances were instead of reinforcement, the government would simply bombard the entire region. The general could stay back in safety, but he chose to put himself at risk to set an example for his men.

“Colonel Hunter.” As soon as Caity sat down, General Kennedy went straight to the point. “I have read the reports of what happened. You did well in the initial phase of the operation. With any luck, we will be able to establish a connection with the local faction and expand our influence.”

“Indeed, but we still lost 17 Phasewalkers in the engagement to kill a horde of mindless beasts.” Caity wasn’t as satisfied. “General, we need more units. When we cleared out those Mutants, we had all the advantages possible. Fire and air support. Defender’s advantage. Trenches. But we still lost so many of us. If we are to advance outside of our fortress, we need a lot more manpower and firepower.”

General Kennedy tapped the wooden desk with his fingers. “We can provide any amount of armor or artillery you may need, but Phasewalkers…” He sighed. “we have finished the recruitment of 500 more Phasewalkers, but they still need time to be trained. Deploy them now and they may route at the first sign of trouble.”

“Without reinforcements, advancing outside the fortress will be suicide. We don’t have the forces to defend the fortress and send a detachment out. A force too small will be overrun with ease.” Caity complained. Tier 1 Mutants could shoot down helicopters. Even enough of Tier 0 Mutants could swarm a small army. She was well aware of the necessity to take action, but that didn't mean she would send those under her to their death.

Not afraid of sacrifice didn't mean choosing meaningless sacrifice over survival.

General Kennedy nodded slowly before replying. “I still need to have my advisors look over the proposal, but is it possible to use the locals for our advantage?”

“I will see what I can do, but if these locals survive this long, I doubt they will be easily manipulated. We can probably establish a peaceful relationship with them, but using them to achieve substantial gain...”

Caity sighed again in a mixture of annoyance and frustration. Ultimately, she was still just a teenager. The pressure of having not just hundreds of lives, but also the fate of the world and the billions in it, on her hands weighed her down, driving her sanity to its edge with every passing second. “The Gauss weapons. Did the scientists find a way to duplicate them?”

Just like she feared, she got more disappointment in return.

“No.” Kennedy shook his head again. “The best of the nation are working on it 24/7, but these are technologies decades beyond us. We must give them time…”

“We don’t have time!” Caity suddenly snapped at the leader of Section X. “The enemies we face on the other side of the Portal have superpowers! I watched as a porcupine shot down a full attack helicopter! I saw a cow charge into a bunker against a wave of machine gun fire and rip it off the ground! We need help!”

“And help will come.” Kennedy sighed, ignoring the outburst. He knew what Caity was going through. The fear. The anxiety. The burden of responsibility. These were things that could break a man.

“I will talk to the President and initiate the third round of recruitment. Meanwhile, I have the supplemental ammunition ready. I also added in 1,500 land mines, as you requested.”

Caity nodded. Aside from reporting back to General Kennedy, part of her reason back here was to get the replacement for all the bullets, rounds, and missiles the Phasewalkers have exhausted. She has taken a particular favor in the landmines. They worked fantastically against the unsuspecting Mutants. Most importantly, they didn't require some of the already stretched out Phasewalkers to use.

With all that needed to be said spoken, Caity stood up and retreated out of the office. As she left, General Kennedy picked up the phone.

“Yes. Tell all the instructors to come to see me. They need to pick up the pace...”

The sound of engines roared across the open field.

A convoy made up of four motorcycles and a single SUV rode across the ruins of a highway. The four motorcyclists and the two drivers of the SUV wore blood-stained civilian clothing, but the Gauss weapons strapped to their side and the fierce look on their face meant they weren’t just nobodies. The wreckage of cars that happened to be in their path were easily evaded.

In the backseats of the SUV, two men sat there. One was older than the other. The elderly man had his eyes shut. Even in this apocalyptic world, he wore a black suit and tie, as well as a pair of shining leather shoes. He leaned back in his seat as if he was asleep.

The other man was younger. He was dressed flamboyantly, with a black t-shirt with a giant skull on the front, He looked out of the car’s window in boredom. Finally decided that the lack of things happening was too much for him, he spoke to the elderly man without turning.

“This group of survivors better be worth my time.” He complained. “I could’ve been having a threesome right now, or watching the performance of Joker. Instead, I am stuck here in this fucking car, with three fucking dudes.”

The two men in the front ignored his words, but the elderly’s eyes snapped open. “Don’t be rude, Jacob.”

That simple statement was enough to make Jacob apologize. “Sorry, Aryan.” He whispered.

“The scouts said this group had ample firepower and ammunition. They even took down a handful of Tier 1 Mutants. That’s why Lord Apollo sent us to see what they’re up to.” Aryan slowly explained before giving Aryan a warning glance. “I wouldn’t underestimate them if I were you.”

“Well, you’re not me.” Jacob quickly changed the subject before he actually pushed Aryan's nerves. “Do they have any Mutants on their side?”

“The scouts didn't see any in the fight.”

“Well, if they don’t have any Mutants, I don’t give a damn if they have a thousand cannons. I can kill every single one of them before they even realize what happens.” Jacob relaxed again.

Aryan knew exactly why. Indeed, ordinary human beings were incredibly fragile in front of Mutants. Yes. Firearms, if used correctly, could threaten Mutants, but Jacob was far smarter than the Mutated Animals that charged the defenses straight-on and got targeted by enemy artillery.

If Jacob was the one doing the attacking, he would catch the defenders completely by surprise and mow them down before they could even bring their armor and batteries online. Even the best guns couldn’t do shit if their operators were choking on their own blood.

Aryan could support that with his own experience. As one of the four Tier 2 Mutants in Camp York, Mutated Animals and Mutated Plants weren’t his only enemies.

So were his fellow human beings.

As a matter of fact, at one point in Camp York history, a group of ordinary people, tired of being oppressed by the Mutants, decided to rise up. They managed to gain control of a number of Defender series Gauss Rifles and even a single Predator II tank. At that point, the power of the Mutants still wasn’t fully understood. People were a lot more...naive.

What happened next was a disaster for the rebels. Hundreds were burned alive without even having the chance to pull the trigger of their precious rifles. The Predator II tank that the rebels placed so much trust in was transformed into molten steel by the snap of a finger from Apollo. Dozens of Mutants loyal to Lord Apollo mowed through any resistance. At the end of the day, every member of the resistance was killed. The organizer of the rebellion was taken alive. Apollo lit him up from his toe and burned him alive over the course of a full day.

The chilling, endless screams of agony made sure no one else would be foolish enough to challenge the self-proclaimed god of the sun.

“And this group of humans doesn’t seem to be alone.” Aryan continued. “One of the scouts said the group’s leader claimed she and her people were merely a vanguard of another powerful faction. If that’s true, we need to be careful.”

“Another faction? That’s weird,” Jacob commented, but he didn't seem to be too concerned by the claim. Instead, he moved onto something much more exciting. “she? This group’s leader is a woman?”

“A girl. No more than 20 years old.” Aryan saw Jacob’s thoughts almost immediately. “Don’t even think about it. This is not your ordinary human survivor who can only sit there and cry after you are finished with her. She has an army under her command.”

“Yeah. Yeah.” Jacob shrugged. Suddenly, outside the SUV, a Mutated Wolf leaped out of the ground. It growled at the convoy, but before it could do anything else, Jacob raised his hand and held it into a fist.

The next second, the mutated wolf exploded into a ball of blood and gore. Instead of collapsing, the red ball started folding on itself, twisting and condensing until it was no more than a single dot. Only then did Jacob allow it to collapse.

Aryan glanced at Jacob. He knew the Tier 1 Mutant wouldn’t just let this go and forget about the girl. Some people, when given a superpower, would see it as a responsibility and use it for good, but that wasn't what most people would do. Most people were selfish. Jacob was the primary example.

Throughout his times in Camp York, Jacob has assaulted and killed over 50 survivors, with 30 of them being young women. Before the apocalypse, he was practically nobody. His life consisted of working at a McDonald’s store during the day and sitting in his parents’ basement and writing down meaningless comments on online forums at night. He had no future, nor did he really matter in the real world. In a sense, he was an absolute loser.

For people like him, the apocalypse wasn't a curse. It was a blessing. A liberation.

For people like Jacob, the Alpha Virus and the Mutations gave them a chance to unleash their darkest desires like they never could’ve in the past.