"I asked you a question, Colonel. What the hell are you doing?" Jackson asked, looking at Alan, who had caused an uproar.
"Freeing us from FEDRA and giving civilians the necessary information so they're aware of what's really happening out there, Major Jackson. Everyone deserves to know the truth." Alan pretended to be righteous and considerate toward everyone, though that wasn't truly the case.
"Shut the hell up! Do you think you're holier than the rest of us?"
"This is no time to withhold information. We all want this."
Major Jackson looked furious and shouted, "Under military code, you've just committed treason by disobeying high command's orders. You'll be detained until further notice. Arrest the Colonel."
Alan laughed when he heard the sentence passed against him.
All the civilians, who had learned of the great sacrifices Alan had made for them, were deeply moved, and many began to shout:
"If you touch him, we'll all fight back, and you won't have enough bullets to kill us all."
"Damned abusers! Don't you have a conscience?"
Jackson, seeing that a spark of fury had ignited within the crowd, furrowed his brow in desperation.
He now felt the urge to shoot Alan to restore order. Not only had Alan caused chaos on the base, but he had also revealed classified information.
An overwhelming number of people were now on the verge of attacking them.
"It seems your authority here is about to be revoked, Major Jackson. I'm giving you a chance to step aside without dying, as long as you surrender your authority without resistance." Alan's expression changed in an instant.
That look of nobility and empathy vanished from his eyes, replaced by the coldness that had always defined him.
The man he truly was had not come back to life—he had never died. Now, he simply showed himself without fear of being judged.
If Major Jackson didn't understand what Alan was saying, then without any mercy, his presence would no longer be required, and extreme measures would be taken to kill him.
People's weakness was their trust—and their fear.
"You're afraid, Major. You gave yourself to FEDRA and lost everything you had in Texas. Now you come here after we saved you, and you want to keep imposing your brutality. Killing civilians won't change anything." Alan spoke with a calm expression, though deep in his eyes there was a readiness for whatever might come.
"What did you say?" Jackson asked, as if he had just heard the greatest joke in the world.
Everyone went silent. Those who had been defending Alan now found themselves at a loss for words to express what they were feeling.
"Enough of this nonsense. Arrest that man!" Jackson was growing more and more nervous.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
Jackson nodded and said, "Of course, you idiot captain. You have no idea what's coming for you. Compared to the rest of the country, resisting won't save Texas."
The soldiers at his side moved toward Alan, but halfway there, they stopped and turned around—aiming their assault rifles at Jackson.
Sergeant Castro, standing behind him, took the pistol from Jackson's holster and said, "We're sorry, sir, but your way of leading would get us all killed sooner or later."
"Surprised? You're now stripped of all jurisdiction here. From this moment on, all orders will come from me, and I'll ensure these people get to safety with their families." Alan ordered Jackson's arrest, who wore a furious expression.
"What the hell is this supposed to mean?"
"Exactly what you're seeing. You've been revoked, and now the highest authority here is me."
"You know you're all committing high treason by disobeying orders from the highest-ranking general in the country? FEDRA will end up saving the nation, and all of you will be condemned for treason!" Jackson began threatening everyone.
But that didn't matter. Alan knew many bases had already fallen, and the fall of this one wouldn't mean a thing. In fact, if they died now, it wouldn't change anything.
To Alan, this situation was just a big game—and he held the winning cards.
"Please, come with me." Sergeant Castro wasn't discourteous toward Major Jackson, but he was firm enough not to back down now.
"You're making a huge mistake."
"Get him out of here," Alan said as he watched Jackson being dragged toward the exit.
Sergeant Castro approached Alan and asked, "What should we do with him?"
"I don't want him here. You can kill him outside the base. Can you do that?" Alan wanted to test the limits of Castro's loyalty to him.
"Alan, this is the wrong decision..." Sergeant Castro couldn't accept something like this under the current circumstances.
But Alan didn't waver and said, "I want him out of this base. Tomorrow at dawn, evacuations begin, and I don't want a single splinter stuck in my finger. Do what I've ordered."
Sergeant Castro clenched his fists and said, "Understood, sir..."
Alan understood his hesitation. This was a test to see how much he could trust Sergeant Castro and how far he could push certain soldiers.
"Sir, do you want me to handle it?" John was capable of carrying out Alan's orders without question.
"Just watch him. I want to see what decision he makes and how far he's willing to go for everyone's future." Alan began issuing orders to separate the sick from the healthy.