Shaking his head, Jaxon headed toward the residential area. By the ti he arrived, everyone was already there except for Elena, Haris, and Bong-gu, who were on duty as soldiers. Even Sumiko was present, held securely in Isabel’s arms.
He approached the little girl and patted her head. "How are you doing now, Sumiko?"
"I’m fine now..." she replied softly, then her voice dropped to a whisper. "...Brother."
Jaxon froze for a second, surprised. It was the first ti she had called him that again. A smile spread across his face as he patted her gently once more. "I’ve got a present for you later."
"Mm..." Sumiko gave a small, shy nod.
Turning back to the group, Jaxon noticed the concern on Hae-in’s face. "What’s going on outside? Are we going to get attacked?"
"Maybe," Elaine said, her tone calm but serious. "Before Elena left yesterday, she ntioned the bombing operation. The sound would attract infected to this region, so the soldiers are on high alert now."
"Makes sense. If that’s the case, we need to make preparations too," Jaxon said. "But before that... it’s ti we build sothing of our own here."
"Hmm? What do you an?" Everyone turned to look at him, while Natasha and Na-rin exchanged glances, both sensing what he might be hinting at.
"I want to build our own organization here," Jaxon said suddenly, and the words seed to hang in the air. Everyone stared, surprised, except his family and Na-rin, who had already guessed part of his intention.
Claire broke the silence. "Why would you want that? Are you unhappy with how things are in the safe zone?"
"It’s not like that," Jaxon replied, shaking his head. "We can’t keep operating under soone else’s orders. I want to build sothing for ourselves, and I want all of you to be part of it."
He looked at each of them in turn. "The special forces... the moving maze... they existed before the chaos... The ti when Sam and his team were taken... I can’t shake the feeling that there’s sothing they know that we don’t. There’s sothing going on behind the scenes, and I refuse to get swept along by it."
Na-rin and his family stayed quiet. They weren’t surprised as Jaxon had already told them about it before they entered the safe zone, and naturally, they were already committed to being part of it.
"You want to create an organization with just us?" Elaine asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It’s easier with just a few of us for now," Jaxon replied, "but we can accept more mbers later."
They all exchanged thoughtful looks. After a pause, Elaine stepped forward. "Ever since the world changed, I’ve felt lost. Even though we’re back in a place with other people and society seems functional... I know it’s not the sa anymore." She took a deep breath, then nodded. "Alright, I’ll join you, Jaxon."
"You sure about this?"
"The mont I started following you, I knew I might follow you until the very end," Elaine said, letting a small smile cross her face.
"Tch," Natasha snorted beside him, and Elaine quickly looked away, feeling Natasha’s intense gaze on her. Na-rin, noticing the tension, smiled gently, trying to calm her down.
"Jaxon, let join too," Hae-in spoke up suddenly, determination in her voice. "I’ve always wanted to help you after everything you’ve done for us. Let help this ti."
"Of course," Jaxon replied with a smile. "You’re always welco."
"Yes!" Hae-in said, her excitent breaking through, and she grinned widely.
"Brother..." Sumiko’s voice was quiet, almost hesitant. "I’ll follow you too."
"You’ll be with us whether you like it or not," Jaxon said with a wink, making the small girl pout adorably.
Then Hannah spoke, her voice hesitant and worried. "I... I don’t know yet... I just... I want to live normally again."
Jaxon nodded calmly. "I understand. This is completely voluntary and I won’t force you."
"It’s not that I don’t want to help or join you," Hannah continued, "but... can you give so ti to think?"
"That’s fine," Jaxon replied.
Claire stayed silent, her eyes quietly following Elaine and Hae-in, especially Na-rin, who, though she didn’t speak, seed already decided to follow him.
Jaxon glanced at Claire. He didn’t interact with her much, but he knew her, she was soone who observed first, silently weighing her options. She might seem passive, but she was sharp and capable of making her own decisions.
"Can you give ti until tomorrow?" Claire finally said. "I’ll give you my answer then."
"No problem."
Nearby, the twins, Jannah and Hiromi, looked on, almost on the verge of tears. "Big Brother... sorry, it’s..."
Jaxon held up a hand, smiling softly. "It’s fine."
"We wanted to talk to Big Sister Elaine first," Jannah said softly.
"Mm. Make sure to tell her what I said today," Jaxon replied.
"We’ll convince her to join," the twins said in unison, their faces lighting up with determination.
"So, what do you want us to do?" Elaine asked, bracing herself as if ready for action.
"For now... nothing," Jaxon said with a slight shrug.
"What?" Elaine and the others exchanged confused looks. "What do you an, nothing?"
"You’ve misunderstood," Jaxon continued. "We’re not going up against anyone. The organization’s purpose is simple, to look out for ourselves. We act independently and prioritize our own first. When situations like this happen, we gather, protect each other, share information, and help each other out."
Elaine tilted her head, still trying to understand. "Isn’t that what we’re already doing?"
"Exactly," Jaxon said, nodding. "But in the future, we’ll take it a step further. We’ll create our own base, our own groups. We’ll be another force, sothing that can operate alongside a safe zone, not under it."
The others looked at him, stunned. It seed impossible for such a small group to ever match the high walls, the soldiers, and the weapons of a safe zone. And yet, there was sothing in Jaxon’s tone, in the certainty of his words, that made them believe him.
He looked at them seriously. "Once this chaos is over, you’ll resu whatever positions you currently have right now. For now, I’ll take the lead... and we’ll figure things out together." Then he turned to Elaine. "But Elaine... I want you to join us. Beco a C-5 like the rest of us as soon as possible."
Elaine nodded silently. She neither rejected nor complained, and strangely, she felt a small warmth in her chest at the thought of working with him again. The safe zone might seem secure, but with him, she felt even safer.
Hae-in crossed her arms and pouted. "Why just her?"
Jaxon glanced at her with a small smile. "I’ll bring you along soon too, but not just yet."
"Promise?" Hae-in’s eyes shone with hope.
Jaxon nodded. "Promise."
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