Chapter 40: Found Among the Survivors

After that, they walked through the city. Unlike the dense, crowded metropolis of Neo Ark, Safe Haven was noticeably far quieter. Everyone carried weapons, but there were no G.E.M.A units and no one possessed bionic body parts. Everything appeared normal, except that almost everyone bore a grim expression forged by a harsh life. Clyde, Casca, Craig, and Corie tried to walk while keeping their eyes fixed straight ahead, without turning to look left or right.

"Where are we going?" Clyde asked Mary, who was walking beside him.

"We’re going up to the surface using that cylindrical lift. Selma’s residence is up top," Mary answered.

"Oh... okay," Clyde replied.

They eventually reached the edge of the city and stood before the extremely wide cylinder in front of them. Mary then led them around to the side, where a door was guarded by two armed men,

"Hey... we’re heading up," Mary said, showing the apartment key in her hand.

The guard glanced at the name written on the keychain, his eyes narrowing as he looked Mary up and down and up again. Suddenly, realization dawned on his face,

"Boss Mary? How are you, Boss? Go right on up," the guard said warmly.

"Huh... Boss Mary?" Clyde, Casca, Corie, and Craig asked in unison.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, didn’t I? I also played a part in founding this city, haha," Mary said, slipping the key back into her pocket.

"And who are they, Boss?" one of the guards asked, looking at Clyde, Casca, Corie, and Craig.

"New members. They just woke up and defected from Neo Ark," Mary answered.

"Ah, I see. Welcome aboard, you guys," the guard replied warmly to the four of them.

"Um... yeah, thank you," Casca replied nervously.

They were then gestured to enter the lift. Once the doors closed, Mary pressed the up button, as the panel featured only two buttons: up and down. The lift began its ascent. Through the glass cylinder in front of them, Clyde, Casca, Craig, and Corie could watch the city, which appeared to consist of only about twenty houses and five buildings from above, until they were swallowed by the cavern ceiling, causing the lights inside the lift to illuminate as darkness surrounded them.

Clyde, Casca, Craig, and Corie remained silent, the dream they had experienced on the train still vivid in their minds. When they reached the top, "ting," the lift chimed, revealing that they were inside a building. Once the doors opened, Mary led the four of them out of the lift. They walked through a lobby that had clearly been the lobby of an office building long ago. Stepping outside, the eyes of Clyde, Casca, Corie, and Craig widened at the sight of the bustling city before them.

The buildings in the city appeared to be repurposed structures from an old era, lined with modern minimalist-style houses, a wide three-story building that resembled a shopping mall, five-story residential buildings doubling as watchtowers with mounted weapons on their roofs, warehouse-like structures apparently used for storing weapons and vehicles, rows of three-story shop-houses selling various goods like those in Neo Ark, and roads that, while unpaved, were quite neatly arranged.

When the four turned to look off to their right, they spotted buildings resembling a command center, a station, and an apartment complex that appeared to be the tallest structures in the city. The entire city was enclosed by corrugated metal fences and walls featuring makeshift watchtowers, which were apparently used to monitor the surrounding expanse of concrete ruins merged with dense forest.

"So... this is Safe Haven," Craig muttered.

"That’s right... take a look to your left," Mary said.

The four looked to the left and were startled to see, just outside the city, a milky-white dome glowing with iridescent colors, the protective shield covering a farm.

"Huh... so there’s a farm right next to this city?" Clyde asked.

"Not strictly right next to it, but it is quite close. We intentionally built the city here knowing the military would have a hard time reaching that farm, and the giants no longer bother with it," Mary answered.

"Oh... I see. And Brother Craig came from that one?" Corie asked.

Mary turned to look at Craig, who was staring blankly at the farm visible from the top of the building’s balcony stairs where the lift was located.

"It seems so. Not long ago, the military targeted that farm with an AI-driven apocalyptic scenario," Mary replied.

"I see... so... I came from there? Are my friends over there?" Craig asked.

"That’s what we’re going to find out. Come with me, let’s check the headquarters," Mary answered.

They walked down the stairs and headed toward the military building they had seen from above. Upon arrival, Mary easily entered alongside Clyde, Casca, Corie, and Craig, as the building’s guards recognized her. Once inside, Mary led them to the reception desk. A female receptionist looked at Mary, her face showing surprise,

"Oh, Mary? I thought you became a soldier in Neo Ark?" the receptionist asked.

"Hello Vicky, how are you? I left the military. So... are there any newcomers here?" Mary asked.

"Huh... you’re just like Selma, always asking if there are newcomers whenever you drop by. Yesterday we rescued about twenty people from the neighboring farm. They’re in the medical ward now... some of them haven’t regained consciousness yet, but they’re stable," Vicky said.

"I see. May I go in and see them?" Mary asked.

"Go right ahead. Are you looking for someone?" Vicky asked.

"Not really, just showing the new kids how we operate," Mary answered.

Vicky turned to look at Clyde, Casca, Corie, and Craig, then smiled at the four of them before looking back at Mary.

"Ah... I understand. Sure, go ahead," Vicky said.

"Thanks, Vicky," Mary replied.

They walked further inside. After passing through the doors, Clyde walked alongside Mary, filled with curiosity,

"What is this building, Sis?" Clyde asked.

"This is the rebel headquarters, hospital, and rehabilitation center. We do the same thing here as Neo Ark, but we don’t force anyone to join us, and we take care of them until they fully recover," Mary answered.

"Oh... I see," Clyde replied simply.

After passing down a hallway, Mary led them into a room at the far right end. Once inside, Clyde, Casca, Corie, and Craig were rendered speechless, because beyond the door lay what looked like a ward filled with rows of clean beds, where numerous emaciated people lay resting. Alongside the beds stood ECG monitors, IV poles complete with IV bags, and wall-mounted oxygen units.

Equipment such as ventilators and mucus suction machines were also present beside some, though not all, of the beds.

"It seems these are the ones rescued just yesterday," Mary said, observing the condition of the survivors, who still looked extremely frail and weak.

"Yeah... their condition... is truly heartbreaking," Corie said.

"They were just freed from the pods where they were kept. Normally it takes about a month for them to recover, both physically and mentally," Mary replied.

"Truly terrifying," Casca said.

Clyde turned to see Craig examining the faces of the people lying in the row of beds, walking down the aisle, and Clyde could only follow behind him. He himself felt deep sympathy seeing the condition of the people inside; he imagined that if Monica, whom he had seen in the pod, were successfully rescued, she too would be asleep just like the people around them now. As they walked, "thud," Clyde suddenly bumped into Craig, who had abruptly stopped ahead.

Holding his nose, Clyde was about to speak to Craig, but when he saw Craig standing frozen, staring to the right, he followed Craig’s gaze. Craig was looking at three beds on the right occupied by two girls and a young man.

"Craig, don’t tell me they’re..." Clyde said.

"Yeah... they’re Lyra, Dana, and Nate... my friends," Craig said in a soft voice.