49 Chapter 49
A general, she said?
PQ could hardly contain the emotions brewing in his heart. He never in his entire life imagined himself meeting a high and mighty general, an individual who controls and commands entire armies of troops.
Their hollow footsteps scraped against the comb-like plates of the escalator, barely loud enough to conceal their subdued breathing.
Light welcomed PQ and his friends as they ascended the malfunctioned escalators, leaving the stale stench of unfinished construction behind. Sheltered under the vintage roof of the subway entrance, PQ peered towards the streets.
Tire marks, ammunition, and corpses lay waste across the asphalt road where moonlight graced. On the right, partially hidden behind a hotel was the towering figure of the obelisk, illuminating the night like a beacon of hope.
"Over here, follow me," Mary whispered as her tiny hands escaped PQ's grasp. She waddled towards the direction of the obelisk where a trail of tire marks led, her braids hopping with every step.
Staring at her silhouette, PQ envisioned a mature soul lingering within Mary's husk. He couldn't imagine what this little might have been through in her past life, the brutality of an apocalypse.
He and his friends followed her tracks, advancing past a roundabout where they eventually found the prototype of what seemed to be a military base. Barbs wires and barricades formed by sandbags scattered across the multiple laned roads, creating a defensive fortress.
As Mary led the way, maneuvering through a discreet pathway, PQ and the rest mimicked her movements, narrowly evading being prickled by the sharp iron thorns. Some corpses hung over the barbed wires, their crimson blood tainting their surfaces.
PQ had always dreamed of working in the central part of the city, relishing the bustling atmosphere; crowded vendors; and vibrant colors of the contemporary city. Although an introvert, he sought comfort in the perpetual flow of life.
But he no longer recognized the environment around him. The urban city landscape of Sap-East City had altered drastically.
Metallic infrastructure and military tents wove together befittingly, circumscribing a towering obelisk that scintillated with the records of superhumans.
"Woah…"
PQ gasped in amazement as he witnessed a glorious pillar of flawless white linking the earth and the sky. This was his perception of the centerpiece, a masterpiece as grand and stunning as the transient concentration of light that brought it to Terra.
It was more beautiful and imposing than he could ever imagine.
Men and women in military uniforms shuttled hastily between the many tents laid out across the path walks and road intersections, their expressions stern and distressed. Heavy transportation vehicles traveled in and out of the vicinity of the military base. Civilians escorted by soldiers entered and exited various military tents, and are then allocated to various buildings heavily guarded by uniformed units. Few soldiers gathered around a fireplace, cutting out soul fragments from creatures and zombies like butchers.
Unlike the usual, astir streets of Sap-East City, the coexistence of the military and the modern city landscape was hectic and disrupting. Yet it was humanity's semblance of a sanctuary.
"Come on, guys. Stay close to me if you want to lessen the hassle, you don't want them asking questions." Mary said as she guided them past the barbed wires and towards the central camp.
Many soldiers and personals shifted their attention onto the group, but after seeing the little girl leading the way, they quickly averted their gaze to mind their own business.
The choking gunpowder and pungent stench of blood that tainted the air gradually subsided as they made their way closer to a tent. Significantly larger than others, the matte green tent stood out, signifying authority.
"Are you the daughter of the general? I mean, there's no other reason why we haven't been intercepted." Teresa said softly, scurrying beside Mary. Other than PQ, no one else knew the true identity of Mary, only acknowledging her as a random stranger whom PQ had saved as an act of kindness.
Mary shook her head. "No, I'm just close to him."
Teresa batted an eye of suspicion.
"Really, really close to him." Pausing before the tent, she prepared to raise open the curtains. "We are about to meet the general of an army, but don't worry, he's like a kind, big brother."
Before PQ could query further, she had pulled open the curtain and allowed herself inside.
"I think I'd prefer to stay outside. He's not particularly… kind like she said." Kansan, the soldier who had joined PQ in the tunnels, stammered hesitantly as he backed away. He stood guard by the tent, giving PQ a supportive thumbs up.
"What are you guys waiting for? Come!"
A small hand reached out from the closed curtains, dragging PQ inside.
Abruptly intruding the tent, PQ anticipated a party of high-ranking officials raining down glares. Instead, there was only one man seated at the very end of the tent, burying his head down into piles of paperwork.
The interior of a general's tent wasn't as fancy as PQ thought. Other than an advantage in volume, it seemed to be fairly bland. An office table, most likely taken from an office building, sat forlornly in the empty space, barely supporting the mountains of files and reports weighing it down.
"That's General Sheridan. He ignores the world around him whenever he's concentrated, so try to not irk him too much."
General Sheridan's pen danced across the document without pausing like a machine. He had thick sharp brows, enhancing his piercing presence. Shuffling through the pages of documents, he eventually stopped his scribbling and lined up the papers before dumping them to the side.
Adjusting his posture upright, he raised his head. "Oh hello, you're back, Mary." He massaged his neck, murmuring. "The guards I assigned to you lost track again, which I'm already used to by now."
"They're just not competent enough. Try finding better ones, perhaps one of the top ten in this district."
He laughed and shook his head. "You know it's nearly impossible, right? No one at that level wants to stoop that low and protect a literal child when they could be slaughtering zombies."
"How bout Top 20? I can settle with that too!" Mary bargained.
Top 20? Top 10? Perplexed, PQ remained stationary, uncertain whether he should even budge under the presence of a mighty general.
"Behave a little. How about you introduce us to our new guest? He's heard quite a lot of our conversation already." The general stood from his seat promptly and strutted towards PQ.
Like adding a cherry on top, General Sheridan was tall, nearly 1.9 meters in height. Paired with his domineering demeanor, he felt like a perfect human being, specially designed to command inferior humans.
"P… PQ, sir!" PQ attempted to salute, failing miserably in the progress as his arms trembled incessantly.
He is speaking to a General! A man who controls over thousands of military troopers!
"PQ, huh?" Sheridan scrutinized him, inflicting a suffocating pressure.
"Tone down the aggression, Sheridan. He's a reincarnated person like us." Mary blurted. She sprinted to his office chair and claimed it, rotating the seat playfully like a merry-go-round.
Instantly, the forbidding expression on Sheridan's face faded and a welcoming smile surfaced.
"You should have told me that earlier! Welcome, PQ! Nice to see another fellow human from Earth!"
