Chapter 317: Preparation for evacuation
The next day, Elena woke up early to feed the triplets.
Afterward, she spent some time playing with them, gently teasing and coaxing them until bright, toothless smiles spread across their little faces.
Only after making sure they were happy did she leave them in Grandpa Caldwell’s care.
With that, she headed outside and gathered everyone to finalize the route leading to the main base.
As soon as they heard the announcement, everyone immediately stopped whatever they were doing and headed to Paradise’s information center.
Once everyone had gathered, the meeting began, with Oslo and Xander taking the lead in presenting their report.
"Based on the route we scouted, we identified at least twenty-five abandoned buildings that can serve as shelters during our rest stops," Oslo began.
Xander quickly continued, "Along the way, we encountered many mutated creatures, so everyone must stay alert at all times. Aside from them, desperate survivors may also notice our convoy and attempt to ambush or rob us."
Over the past three weeks, they had been scouting a safe route to the main base.
During that time, they had encountered all kinds of strange threats, including mutated beasts, mutated pests, and even bizarre mutated plants.
However, the greatest danger was not the enemies that attacked head-on.
It was the ones hiding in the shadows.
Savage humans, bandits, and intelligent mutated creatures capable of setting traps had made every scouting mission far more dangerous.
Fortunately, they had finally managed to map out a route over the past few days.
Although they had not yet reached the main base, they estimated it was only a matter of time.
Now that the evacuation had been decided, the route they had painstakingly planned was finally ready to be used for the journey.
"I see. That is to be expected. Since humans are also mutating, it’s only natural that other living creatures would evolve as well," Elena said with a nod.
She then added calmly, "Don’t forget—we’re living in an apocalypse now. The people out there have already experienced the worst. That means many of them no longer have morals. They kill just to survive. It’s the survival of the fittest. So never lower your guard."
She swept her gaze across everyone before nodding at Oslo and Xander to continue.
"According to our estimates, the route will take about a month of travel, considering the size of our current base," Xander informed.
"By the way, how many refugees are currently in the center?" he asked, turning his attention to General Kaiser.
General Kaiser then straightened his posture before reporting.
"We currently have more than six hundred refugees. We’ve already given them sufficient notice. The elderly and the young will be transported by trucks, but the rest will need to make their own arrangements, as long as they follow the evacuation rules."
The military could not afford to provide everything for everyone. The burden had to be shared, especially by able-bodied survivors who still had the capacity to move.
For now, many of the refugees were already salvaging functional vehicles on their own.
As for fuel, they could either purchase it using jades and spiritual items from the Paradise Shop, or extract it from abandoned cars along the way.
Well, walking was no longer an option. They needed to reach the main base as quickly as possible.
"Are they ready?" Jetro asked.
"Whether they are fully prepared or not, we’ve already given them enough time," General Kaiser replied firmly.
"We proceed according to plan. No more delays."
Since the matter had already been settled, they moved on to discussing their respective roles during the evacuation.
Jetro and Lieutenant Fern would lead the evacuation of Building A. Together with their men, they would ensure that the people they had been nurturing followed them to the new base.
Well, they had invested significant resources into these individuals through the Paradise Shop, so handing them over entirely to the military would be a loss.
However, anyone who wished to leave was free to do so.
At present, they had around sixty people with some awakened elemental abilities.
On the military side, General Kaiser and Brother Elias would take the lead, coordinating between the military officers led by General Mason and the Paradise staff.
For this operation, the military had no authority over the route itself. They would follow the Paradise staff’s evacuation plan and focus only on protecting the refugees.
As previously agreed between both parties, the safety of the refugees remained primarily the military’s responsibility.
Elena would not tolerate unnecessary resistance. If anyone attempted to disrupt the agreed plan, they would simply be left behind.
And knowing that the Paradise shop held the safest route to the main base, the military ultimately agreed without objection.
On the other hand, Oslo and Xander would move ahead as scouts, accompanied by Ramon, Andrei, and Daniel, all wearing their Paradise suits.
They would use motorcycles for fast and efficient reconnaissance of potential threats along the way.
Whereas, the remaining core members would travel in RVs designated for the Paradise staff, led by Uncle Anthony and Aunt Liza.
As for Elena and Ethan, they would operate independently. This time, they no longer intended to hide their identities as Paradise staff.
They would travel as the Caldwells and openly present themselves as individuals backed by Paradise organization, so their healthy condition and resources would not appear suspicious.
Once they arrived at the main military base, Elena planned to stay within the designated area allocated to the Paradise Shop, as discussed with General Mason during their negotiations.
The allocated location would serve as a form of reward, while also allowing the Paradise Shop to be incorporated into the main base as an independent organization not controlled by them.
Otherwise, Elena would never set foot inside the base if they attempted to interfere with the Paradise shop.
She had firmly made her stance clear during the negotiations, and even General Mason and the officers ultimately agreed, pledging to honor the contract and ensure the military would adhere to it.
This arrangement was a major advantage for the base, especially considering the valuable supplies the Paradise Shop was willing to sell.
From there, Elena intended to operate quietly, gradually expanding her influence in the background as a highly respected partner of the Paradise organization.
By allowing others to speculate about their importance within the organization, outsiders would think twice before targeting them.
This would let her continue building strength in secret while still assisting the military in facing enemies on the front lines, all while hiding her true identity as the owner.
Disclosing herself as the true owner was a big no for her.
She knew that if the military or other organizations ever discovered they were the true owners of Paradise Shop, constant scrutiny, demands, and sabotage would become part of their daily lives—and she had no time for that.
Simply put, it was far too exhausting.
It was better this way—to remain hidden and let everyone believe that the true owner was nothing more than a mysterious figure lurking in the shadows.
*****
With everything finally aligned according to plan, Elena and Ethan left the space to inspect the situation outside and check how well the military had prepared for tomorrow’s evacuation.
Elena wanted to personally oversee every remaining detail.
After all, once they set out on this journey, there would be no turning back.
Outside, everyone was busy gathering their belongings and loading them into improvised vehicles, trying to fit everything they would need for the long journey ahead.
Meanwhile, the military’s awakened ability users were still clearing out mutated beasts roaming around the base.
The distant sounds of gunfire and elemental explosions echoed through the area as battles continued.
It seemed they had already adapted to fighting and could now deal with tierless mutated creatures with relative ease.
"It seems everyone is already prepared. Let’s not waste any more time. Let’s head to Building C and hunt that Tier 1 mutated beast. The last time we were about to kill it, those nasty aliens got in the way," Elena suggested.
She wanted to gather as many Tier 1 cores as possible because she was planning to upgrade the Golden Tablet to the next level. Its experience bar had already reached eighty-four percent.
Of course, she had no intention of upgrading it the moment she gathered the required materials.
The previous upgrade had forced everyone out of Paradise, so this time she needed to plan it carefully, ensuring that the Paradise Shop could continue operating and that everyone’s safety would not be compromised.
Ethan nodded in agreement.
Since they would be leaving tomorrow, allowing the mutated beast to remain alive would only give it more time to evolve into something far more dangerous before they encountered it again.
Without another word, the couple quietly headed toward Building C, eliminating any mutated pests they encountered along the way.
While Ethan bombarded the mutated creatures with an endless volley of shadow arrows, Elena walked leisurely beside him, casually observing the small forest that had once been created by her youngest son.
Now, it was completely devoid of spiritual energy. The once lush, vibrant trees had become dry and withered beneath the scorching sun.
"By the way, what happened to the man we rescued during the alien siege?" Elena asked suddenly, the path they were taking reminding her of that battle.
Ethan paused his assault for a brief moment before replying, "He came from the northern base. According to him, the aliens massacred their small outpost and seemed to enjoy hunting ability users."
"He said there were ten people in his group, but he was the only one who survived. Aside from that, he didn’t have any other useful information."
"Right now, he’s already joined the military under General Kaiser."
Elena sighed and pondered for a moment, wondering where those damned alien bases were hidden.
She truly wanted to pay them a surprise visit.
However, she quickly dismissed the idea, knowing the aliens were extremely cautious.
She would simply deal with them when they finally met on the battlefield.
"I’m glad he survived," Elena said softly.
She was about to continue walking when she suddenly sensed a dangerous aura lurking in the distance, silently observing their every move.
"Hold on a second," Elena said before vanishing from the spot.
In the next instant, she reappeared atop a dead tree.
From there, she spotted a massive mutated boar emerging from the dead forest.
The beast locked eyes with her, thick smoke billowing from its nostrils as it snorted angrily, furious that intruders had entered its territory.
Judging by its aura, the mutated boar was already at the peak of Tier 1, only a step away from breaking through to Tier 2.
Four other Tier 1 mutated beasts lurked nearby, seemingly acting as its bodyguards.
’Tsk...’ Elena clicked her tongue before teleporting back to Ethan’s side.
"There are four Tier 1 beasts guarding a leader that’s already at the peak of Tier 1, almost reaching Tier 2," she reported.
"Let’s call the others to deal with the Tier 1 beasts. It’ll be good training for them."
"Alright. Let me finish off these tierless pests first," Ethan replied.
The next moment, a sea of shadow thorns burst from the ground, sweeping across the battlefield and mercilessly impaling every tierless mutated creature in their path.