May Peace Grace Us

Chapter 77: Network

Relieved of their duties, Aila and her team could finally get some rest. The first thing she did was to plant herself in the bed and sleep for hours. Even if she has dozed a few of the energy enhancers, it really cannot make up the wariness in the mind and body in the long run. A much needed sleep is the best medicine for a tired mind and body.

It was only six hours later did Aila wake up by the sound of the alarm she had set up earlier. Her work does not stop as a part of the combat power, she is also in charge of other things that relate to the base management. The inventory issue was a pain in the ass, but currently she does not need to deal with that one for now.

Stretching her body, Aila took her laptop to the side to start working on her part of the paperwork. She might need to print them out later for dissemination or just for formality. Despite the fact that sending and making reports is easier using digital methods, nothing is safer than storing them physically. Firewalls especially were apparently a thing in the past if the gleeful words of Alexa were interpreted as such. The girl has great field days breaking into other bases' intranet for fun.

At the moment, Aila was making a summary of the expenditures for her team. Because she was someone without a supernatural ability, her team was the biggest user of bullets and weapons in the active combat team. In the long term, Aila is sure that her father will make sure the last of their bullet supplies will be given to them just because of that fact. So she was making a preemptive report of their usage to prevent as much dissatisfaction as possible.

After that, she made use of the time to make some connections with her relatives and with people she had invested in some efforts earlier before the apocalypse started. For example, Jemma was the most informative person she had connections with. As Aila had made the girl close to people who cherished her earlier, she was more or less in a very well-cared of position now in a rather powerful team. And given that Jemma is actually a supernatural person herself, the things she knew are crucial enough to make Aila place great importance on her. The last thing she heard was that she and the team she was with were traveling base to base to find family members or at least a trace of them if they were still alive.

“Hey.” Aila said as Jemma’s face came into view. It had been months since Aila had contacted her like this because she was being careful not to expose their location, but with Alexa basically reconstructing their firewalls as well as cyber security, she had been using this way to communicate with others.

“Aila!” Jemma said in pleasant surprise. The blonde looked more spirited than the last time Aila had interacted with her. “What did you call this time around?”

“Just a few words to see how you are,” Aila smoothly said. “And to find out the situation over there. Here in my area, we were living under the harassment of the mutant birds as well as a flow of zombies coming in batches. How are things on your side?”

“Well, we are currently in Z City, you know the famous port city,” Jemma said as another voice could be heard in the background. Vaguely, the girl made a reply before continuing to answer Aila’s question. “Honestly, I don't know much about this place as of now. We just arrived a week ago and things are rather subtle with undercurrents that are suffocating than the high school drama our lives were. For sure, there are plenty of mutated animals underwater and there are quite a number of zombies coming by once in a while. By the way, do you know about a family named Cloves? I strangely heard someone mentioning your name here. It might be a coincidence, but it was a creepy coincidence to hear that the world is already as it is now.”

“....I do know a person with the last name of Cloves and there is indeed a high chance that the one they mentioned was me.” Aila said, as she thought that those people were already connecting the necessary dots to trace them down. “I just did not think that the whole family settled in the port city when their home base was in M City.”

Hearing her answer, Jemma’s gossiping aroused. “Funny thing that you mentioned M City, we were heading there to see our luck for our team’s relatives. M City was indeed too far from where we are, but strangely from what we hear in this city, the place was close to a dead city at the moment. Maybe this was the reason why the Cloves were here, but we are still going there to see it with our own eyes.”

“Knowing that the place is estimated to be highly dangerous, you still risk going there?” Aila chuckled at the bravery of the other she normally did not see from the other. “Was this because you are completely letting yourself free from everything? Or your friends as of now are enablers of this side of yours that was never seen to life before.”

“Maybe both? I actually liked the changes.” Jemma smiled more brightly than she ever has in both past and present life that Aila remembers. “I finally found myself and found happiness that needs no vanity. I drowned myself as a social butterfly in our high school days and those times were more tiring than the bright and beautiful scenery that was in the outsider’s eyes. And now losing all those, I find everything I truly wanted, even though everything is now so uncertain.”

“Good for you Jemma.” Aila was sincerely happy for her. Exchanging some more words, they stopped the call in favor of doing other things they should be doing. Though before cutting the line, Aila made sure to give enough precaution to the others about certain things on their journey.

Next, Aila put Honeylet on the line. The woman was in B City and the place Aila was most wary of because of the existence of Alfred. Honeylet was the one who made them keep up with the news happening there and, in exchange, Aila contacted her former neighborhood to take care of the woman and her family of old and young, should they need it.

“Miss Justine.” Honeylet greeted her formally. Ever since Aila and her family had hastened the process of her divorce, she had been quite formal to them. Thankfully, her uncle had made sure the marriage between Honeylet and her former husband was cut off formally just a day before the outbreak had fully descended. It was a thrilling wait for all involved in the affair, but it was a great thing to have ended quite peacefully with legal proof in the case that the snake of a bastard ex did something despicable to her and her young child.

“Just call me Aila.” Aila said to the woman who was the most sensible person there was.

“You and your family are my benefactors. It is inappropriate if I just call you directly by your name.” Honeylet was a stubborn woman after she had shed the identity of a madam and a wife. She plays by her principles and is quite contrary to the timid person everyone was accustomed to.

“I can’t change your mind, right?” Aila helplessly said. She genuinely liked the woman for who she was, but she liked to draw lines between others the moment she could.

"Because it would not be proper," Honeylet replied with a smile. "Although my former husband and I did not have a good relationship, it is undeniable that, because of my timid character, your family was harmed. If I was a little stronger and had exercised my rights, perhaps I could have prevented something that my power could have reached."

Aila could only sigh at the clear-headed words of the other. Knowing that talking about the topic will not get them anywhere, Aila then asks about the latest events in the city.

“The leader of the city is still Mr. Geroy. There was some increase in soldiers here and militant practices being implemented here and there. The neighborhood you and your family once lived in was tightly restricted a week ago. The former mayor and his family have moved to somewhere else. And there was a rumor going around that Mr. Geroy was thinking of arranging a team to visit bases later this year or the next year.” Honeylet said the major things she was aware of. “I had a hard time getting this information. Nowadays, it is hard for a single woman to wander around without attracting people’s eyes.”

Aila then remembered that there was a shortage of women after the end of winter for various reasons. Honeylet, who was single and the only one who was more able than her companions, was really a good target for some deprived people. Her father-in-law could deter most of them, but his age cannot scare people much if tricks were employed. It might sound quite discriminatory to women, but this was their reality and will not be improving for at least a very long time. Unless they are supernaturalists with good firepower and deterrence, they are not safe at this time period.

“Sorry I did not foresee this happening.” Aila said her apologies for not arranging something for this situation.

“There is no need to be sorry about something that was not expected at all. Although it will be harder for me to get out without flies following me around, things are actually better than when I was still a wife of James.” Honeylet assured her. “If things get bad, I will have to use your old house to take shelter in. The security there is quite adequate and it is said that the neighborhood was almost the same before all these things came to be.”

“Feel free to go there if you need to. We have already told the guards about you, so you can get there directly. But do mind that, other than your old in-laws and your young daughter, you cannot bring people there arbitrarily. I think you have heard that the land there is sensitive to who lives there.” Aila said, her words turning graver at the end of her words.

“I heard of that.” Honeylet felt cold as she said this. “I heard this was the reason why that place is tightly guarded. The land was precious because in this whole city it was the only place that could grow and rear animals without turning them into a monster of sorts. Anyone who is not recognized or not invited there by the residents will make the plants wilt should they forcefully set their foot there.”

“That was indeed the case. I cannot tell you much as to why, but I hope you will not be foolish enough to invite people inside who meant harm.” Aila said seriously.

“Worry not about us. We know our place well enough.” Honeylet said, as if saying a vow.

“Good.”

Aila gave her some instructions as well as some reminders before she cut the line. The woman was not weak and was also a supernaturalist herself. Aila does not know how strong Honeylet was and what ability she has, but the woman can definitely take care of herself and her companion well enough. But Aila cared for her enough to take care of the meticulous matters that might trouble the other. Who made her attract her eyes even before any of these happened? Aila could only do things until the end.