The big man's eyes went wide, and he let out a furious shout. On the other side, the older brother saw his younger brother get hurt. He panicked, slipped, and Tyler kicked him straight to the ground. Tyler's fingers shifted into wire-thin blades and short blades. Copying what Caroline had done earlier, he cut the tendons in the older brother's hands and feet. Caroline and Tyler shared a look. They both saw a hint of approval in each other's eyes. Just then, a sharp boom echoed across the sky. Everyone looked up. A few dozen feet away, someone was lighting fireworks! They must've been old fireworks left over from before the apocalypse. No one dared set them off at night anymore. It was too risky and might attract people with bad intentions. So someone climbed an abandoned building and set them off in broad daylight. Only then did everyone remember that tonight was New Year's Eve. "Tomorrow, we'll move," Caroline said. Everyone agreed right away. A new year needed a fresh start. Caroline felt that deep in her heart. On the ground, the brothers whose tendons had been cut and who could no longer move just lay there silently. Did you forget something? Are we really that easy to ignore? "Come on," Caroline said with a cold smile. "Take these two down. We'll send Commander Zimmer a nice gift." Meanwhile, Francis and his group marched forward with the casket. The group quickly headed toward the burial site they had chosen. This place sat a few miles from the shelter. Before the apocalypse, it was nothing but an empty construction site—flat ground with no buildings around it. After everything fell apart, even fewer people came here. When the great heat arrived, the area was turned into a graveyard.Rows of headstones stretched across the open field. Beneath them were fallen soldiers. Some died fighting mutated creatures on the front lines, some lost their lives during clashes inside the shelter, and some didn't survive the deep freeze and were cremated. Nathaniel was one of Hornvale's top commanders. He was given a grave at the very center of the field. The grave had been dug. All that was left was to lower the coffin into the ground. Francis and his team stayed silent as they lowered Nathaniel's casket. After it touched the earth, they stepped back and gave a firm military salute before covering the casket with soil. Many of them had tears in their eyes. A few choked back quiet sobs. Philip and his men stood behind them, watching everything without saying a word. When the others saluted, they also stood straight and returned a sharp, respectful salute. Philip sighed in his heart. He knew Nathaniel had been a good man—brave, strong, and the kind of commander everyone trusted. But he was older now. His beliefs had clashed with Andrew's more and more. The two had stood on opposite sides for years. Now, being here for Nathaniel's funeral—letting Francis give him a proper farewell—was the last thing Philip could offer. There were no flowers. No long speeches. No grand ceremony. In the apocalypse, everything had to be simple. Even goodbyes. Only the quiet sobs of a few young soldiers broke the stillness, adding a deeper sadness to the funeral. When the casket was finally lowered and the mound of fresh earth rose over it, Francis led the entire unit in one last salute. "Safe journey, Commander Ball!" Francis said, his voice shaking. Behind him, the soldiers followed with a shout, "Commander Ball, safe journey!" Their shoulders trembled with grief. Tears gathered in their eyes but didn't fall. A long time passed before Francis finally let his hand drop. He took a slow breath and stood in front of the grave, completely still. The soldiers behind him didn't move either.They held their perfect posture, staring at the grave with eyes full of sorrow and loyalty. Then, someone moved. Footsteps rushed in from behind, messy and fast. In seconds, the quiet circle was surrounded. Francis frowned and glanced sideways. Philip had arrived with his group, and they had completely encircled them. Worse, every one of Philip's men held a weapon. Philip himself pointed a gun straight at Francis's forehead. "Francis," Philip said, "I don't have a choice. Now that Commander Ball is buried, you know Hornvale belongs to Commander Zimmer. " Before he could finish, Francis let out a cold, sharp laugh. "So before the official orders even come down, while the commander is just being buried, you're already rushing in to take over Hornvale. What's wrong? Can't wait to blast my head open? Worried I'll get in the way of your big plans?" Philip knew Francis was trouble—hard to scare, hard to control, and impossible to push around.