Myles watched as Ryan got up from his seat, his expression looks hardened and resolved.
The captain turned to his four soldiers and gave the order to kill the restrained mutated humans.
The weight of the command settled over the room like a thick fog. The soldiers didn't look like they like that idea.
Myles couldn't help but feel a sliver of approval for Ryan. The man wasn't just playing leader, he understood what needed to be done and was willing to make the call, no matter how unpleasant.
But of course, not everyone shared his mindset.
One of the soldiers with a tense grip on his rifle, shook his head.
"Captain, we can't just execute them based on one guy's word," he argued. "We don't even know what this System thing he's talking about is. What if there is a way to fix this? If we kill them now, we're no better than... than some crazed militia in a zombie movie!"
Another soldier, a woman with dark hair tied back in a tight ponytail, nodded in agreement. "Deciding to just kill them like this was too cold-blooded. We've been holding on and trying to protect people, not wipe them out."
Myles sighed. He had expected resistance but hearing these naive protests still irritated him.
He turned his gaze to the first soldier and said. "You're thinking about this all wrong. Those things you've got tied up? They're not people anymore."
The soldier clenched his jaw, but before he could fire back, Ryan spoke up.
"This man," Ryan gestured toward Myles with firm voice, "managed to kill two giant monsters by himself. You all saw it. Not just any monsters, those things were bigger, stronger, and faster than anything we've gone up against. We try to kill that giant woman but our bullet does nothing, right? And despite that, he killed it and one other giant dog, and still made it here alive while protecting someone else."
His sharp gaze swept over his squad. "So tell me... who else in this room has done anything even close to that?"
The next moment there were only silence.
Ryan let his words sink in before continuing again.
"Right now, his words are the most trustworthy ones we've got."
The soldiers gritted their teeth but none of them had anything left to say. Their hesitation was cleat because of what they were about to do, but Ryan had given the order. He was their captain and despite their personal feelings, they had to obey.
Ryan turned without another word and led the way. Myles followed alongside him, his hands casually resting in his pockets while the four soldiers trailed behind.
When they arrived at the designated area, Myles look at the scene before him. The restrained infected were packed into what had once been a large lecture hall, now repurposed as a holding area.
Some were tied down with thick ropes and bound against overturned desks and chairs so they can't use their limbs to move.
Others were secured with whatever the soldiers could find like electrical cords, belts, even bicycle locks scavenged from the campus.
Myles studied them without emotion. These people were already gone.
The soldiers hesitated at the threshold, their gazes shifting between their prisoners and Ryan. Even now, they were reluctant. Myles could practically hear their thoughts.
Ryan exhaled sharply and looked at Myles. "How do you want to do this?"
Myles smirked slightly. "You're the one who gave the order, Captain. Are you asking me for a method, or for permission?"
Ryan's jaw tightened, but he nodded. He turned to his men. "We do this quickly. No suffering. We put them down, one by one."
Still, none of them moved. The weight of the act was suffocating them.
Myles clicked his tongue in irritation.
"You guys still hesitating?" He stepped past them, carrying the combat knife from Ryan and approaching the nearest restrained infected who was a young man who looked no older than twenty. His white empty eyes were open.
Without hesitation, Myles drew the combat knife, grabbed the young man's head, and drove the blade clean into his skull. A wet, sickening crunch filled the air as the body convulsed once then went still.
[You gained 10 EXP]
The silence in the room became suffocating.
Myles pulled the knife free, flicking the blood off with a casual motion.
"That's how you do it," Myles said.
Ryan took a deep breath. Then, with grim determination, he stepped forward, raising the knife that Myles had given back.
The others followed. One by one, they began the execution.
One by one, the restrained infected were killed. The air filled with the sickening sounds of blades piercing skulls.
Each soldier suddenly tensed, their eyes widening in alarm. They flinched as a translucent screen appeared before them.
[You have successfully defeated a Rank F-Mutated Soul.]
[You have been granted The System.]
The room was now thick with stunned silence.
"What the hell...?" one of the soldiers muttered, stepping back as if he could physically distance himself from the message. His hands went to his head, eyes darting around as if trying to shake off the illusion.
"I see it too," the woman with the ponytail whispered. "It's... it's real?"
Ryan furrowed his brows. He remained quiet, his sharp gaze scanning the others before finally turning toward Myles.
Myles just nodded. He had been expecting this.
"Welcome to the new world," he said flatly.
The soldiers looked at him.
"This is the thing I was talking about," Myles continued. "The System. It's what's gonna make you stronger and what's gonna keep you alive."
One of the soldiers swallowed hard. "This looks like a game screen. So... you're saying we have to kill to get stronger?"
"Yeah. The world isn't the same anymore."
The reality of his words settled in. The fear in the soldiers' eyes didn't fade and now they knew about this disturbing fact.
Ryan took a slow breath, then glanced at the System screen still hovering in his vision. "Then now we need to learn how to use this."
Myles nodded. "Once you got the system, everything will be much easier."
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