Far from the central army base, Sergeant Castro drove a Humvee away from the base with Major Jackson, who was tied up, as his passenger.
"This is fucking madness. You're letting a mere special forces captain control an entire state's army? This is Texas, for God's sake—we should be under a single command."
Sergeant Castro replied in a calmer tone, "I saved my family."
"That's absurd. How could they let a captain with depressive issues take full control of Texas' military forces?" Jackson knew that choosing useless families wouldn't achieve anything.
This irritated Castro, who suddenly stopped and said, "We've arrived."
"What, are you going to kill me now? I'm not surprised. I always saw that contempt in your eyes—the lack of will to follow orders."
"Yeah, you've always been an idiot."
"Get your hands off me, damn traitor." Jackson resisted as Castro tried to pull him out of the Humvee, but that didn't stop him from being dragged out.
Sergeant Castro removed the bindings from Jackson's wrists and, without hesitation, tossed a knife. "Get out of here. Go find your family. Take any vehicle you want from here—I won't kill you."
"Do you despise me, Sergeant?" Jackson picked up the knife from the ground, and just as he was about to attack, a walker appeared in the distance.
Sergeant Castro walked back to the Humvee and said, "If you come back, you'll be killed. Just leave while you still can."
He knew there was no need to kill anyone—Alan had already gotten what he wanted. Without opposition, there was no need for bloodshed.
"I hope I didn't make a mistake," Sergeant Castro muttered as he watched Major Jackson walk away, distancing himself from the walker.
…
Provisional Central Base, Final Line of Defense in Front of Texas
"I don't want any delays. We need to move now toward the coast, where we'll take control of what remains of the coastal forces." Alan looked more serious than usual when he said this.
"Zz… Understood, sir. The locations where we'll establish two emergency bases will be ready in less than fifteen hours."
"Then keep me updated at all times on any changes." Alan no longer needed to hide his communications with his subordinates.
Cole was surprised by this. When he entered the room, he said, "Boss, Claire is here. Should I let her in?"
"Yes, no problem." Alan nodded, having little to hide and seeing no need for strict hierarchy in a place filled with capable people.
Strong people followed the intelligent and well-informed. Alan wasn't just smart—he had vast knowledge, allowing him to make the best decisions and gradually turn his group into one of the strongest forces around.
He was confident in their strength now that they had secured a massive power plant to supply electricity to their territory.
Simply put, if he could take full control of the Texas coast and remain strong, that would be enough for him to feel secure.
Alan could take advantage of Texas's geographic position. Not only would he gain coastal power and seafood, but also the connection to Mexico and potential access to Latin American countries. He could even acquire naval equipment if he managed to contact frigates or warships.
Without food, warships would eventually be abandoned along the shores, and that's when Alan would seize the power freely offered to him—if he could control the sea.
As far as he knew, the infected couldn't reach the water. Civilians even less. And as for those who might try to take something from him—not a chance.
Alan felt Daniel enter the room but waited for him to speak.
"Looks like everything turned out just like you planned. What will you do now?" Claire asked after a moment.
Claire had spent a lot of time helping survivors, so it was the first time they had seen each other in days.
To him, Claire was more than just an elite fighter—she was a friend, someone he could trust.
"What do I want? I want all of this to be under control eventually—but we both know it won't happen. The collapse is inevitable. So we need to take advantage of the little time we have to move as many resources as possible to the island designated as our base." Alan was determined to carry out his plan: take the island, turn it into a base, and, once everything had fallen, begin reclaiming what remained.
"So, when are we leaving?" Claire walked over to where Alan stood, watching the outside movements as the evacuation progressed.
"As soon as possible. Our outermost base by the sea is a large stadium that's completely free of infected. That place will serve as a temporary shelter while we move supplies to the island. I'll keep the survivors there," Alan explained.
"Just the weak and the sick?" Claire seemed to understand Alan's plan quickly.
Alan nodded and said, "The children too—those who can't help speed up the work. But we won't abandon anyone. I'm not that heartless. If a leader abandons his people, he gets nowhere."
Of course, Alan wouldn't tell her he might leave the weakest behind. The last thing he wanted was for his people to feel disheartened.
Claire was about to respond when Riya entered the room, immediately pushing aside the soldiers blocking her way.
"Who is she?" Claire asked, having noticed how close Riya had been to Alan lately.
"She's…"
"You haven't told her?" Riya's tone turned cold, and Claire noticed it more than anyone else. "Forget it. We have a problem."