Logan nodded and stepped through the barricade. The showroom had been stripped bare, mattresses propped against the windows, and bookshelves turned into barricades. People watched him from behind half-walls of chairs and upended dressers.
Wei Shen stood near the back, his stance wary, arms crossed. A blunt-edged machete was strapped across his back. He didn't look surprised to see Logan, just tired.
"You're not Jasmine," Wei said flatly.
Logan gave a nod of acknowledgment. "She sent me. Said it was time to talk."
Wei Shen studied him for a beat. "Talk about what?"
Logan's expression darkened slightly. "Marco's team is dead."
The words dropped like a stone.
Wei didn't speak. Just closed his eyes for a long moment, letting silence honor the man. His fingers flexed against his arms, jaw tight.
"…He was stubborn," Wei finally said. "But he had a good heart."
"Yeah," Logan agreed. "Tried to do the right thing. Went down fighting."
Wei's eyes opened again, harder now. "So what does Jasmine want?"
Logan stepped closer, voice even. "The goblins aren't just random monsters anymore. They're building a community, and they are here to stay unless we eliminate every last one of them. The food court's crawling with them. There's a breeding den. Marco saw his daughter there."
Wei inhaled sharply, a curse dying in his throat.
"We can't clear this place alone. We need numbers. Fighters. People who can hold the line and want to escape this nightmare of a dungeon. Jasmine's offering a spot: safety, food, and a plan to escape this dungeon."
Wei didn't answer right away. The silence stretched again.
Then a voice cut in from behind a divider. "They have women down there?"
A woman stepped into view, lean, older, fierce-eyed.
Logan nodded. "Yes. And from what Jasper saw, it's… bad."
She didn't need more than that. Her voice was low, but firm. "Then we go."
Wei turned toward her, his jaw tightening. "Mei, no. That's not our fight."
"It is now," she said, stepping forward. "Those women could've been me. Or our daughter. You want her growing up in a world where we turn our backs on people like that?"
Wei shook his head, frustrated. "I want her to grow up. That's all. Alive. With us. Not dead in some hallway because I was trying to play hero."
"This isn't about playing hero," Mei said sharply. "It's about clearing the dungeon. It's the only way out of here, Wei. You've seen it too; the monsters aren't going to stop. Jasmine's group is the only one organizing, the only one with a plan. We hide here long enough, and the goblins will come for us, too."
Wei looked between her and Logan, his expression pained. "So we risk her life instead? We join a war we didn't ask for?"
"She's already in it," Mei said, quieter now. "We all are."
Wei hesitated, the weight of it all settling over him. His eyes lingered on the makeshift defenses and the tired faces in the room. The people he'd kept alive. Barely.
Then a voice came from behind.
"I'm glad you changed his mind, Mom."
Their daughter, lean, dark-haired, maybe seventeen, stood at the edge of the room, arms crossed. Her eyes flicked toward Logan, then back to her parents.
"If you hadn't, I would've gone looking for Jasmine myself," she said. "If we're going to survive in this world, we can't just hide behind doors and hope the monsters don't find us. We have to fight."
"Lian—" Wei started.
"I'm old enough to make my own decisions," she said. "And strong enough to back them up."
A beat passed. Then Wei let out a long breath and placed a hand gently on her head.
"You're braver than I am," he said quietly.
She didn't smile, not really, but the tension eased from her shoulders.
Logan, watching all of it with a soldier's stillness, gave a nod. "We'll make room for you."
Wei straightened. "We'll pack. Give us ten minutes."
The walk back was slow but steady. No one spoke, just the occasional grunt or quiet exchange between Wei Shen's people as they shifted their gear. Lian stayed close to her mother, but there was something alert in her stance, something sharper than fear.
Logan kept to the front, eyes scanning their path. It was strange, leading a group without Jasmine or Nicole beside him. They were the spearpoints of the camp: driven, decisive, always in motion. But right now, they were gone. Out there facing Nadia. And until they returned, it was on him to make sure this place didn't fall apart.
When they reached the second floor, one of the lookouts spotted them and called down a greeting. Relief crossed a few faces among the newcomers. The camp had become more than just a shelter; it was a fragile kind of safety.
"We've got ten new mouths," Logan called up. "Friendlies. Let them in."
By the time they all gathered inside the store, a few people had gathered, curious but cautious. Karen stood nearby with her arms crossed. Liam gave a nod of acknowledgment and moved to help someone with a heavy pack.
Wei's group started settling in near the east wall, the quieter side of camp. Some pulled out sleeping bags, others just sat, soaking in the new surroundings. Mei spoke softly to a pair of older women, helping them find a spot to rest. Logan noted the way Lian moved, not like a sheltered kid, but someone who'd been trained to survive long before the world fell apart.
Logan's hands moved over his gear, checking each piece before he exhaled. One mission down. The hard part was still ahead.
Jasmine and Nicole were still out there.
And the clock was ticking.