Zombie Domination

Chapter 442: Chapter 442- Past

The meeting room was a large, circular chamber on the facility’s fourth floor. A holographic projector dominated the center, currently displaying a map of the wasteland with Eclipse’s fallen territories marked in gray. The walls were lined with data screens, most of them dark, a few displaying scrolling lines of code and energy readings.

Around the table, the key players gathered.

Julian was not there. He was still in the regenerative pod, his body slowly repairing itself. Emma was beside him in the critical care wing, also unconscious. freewebnσvel.cѳm

But everyone else had come.

Fey sat at the table’s left side, her data-slate in front of her, her blue hair still slightly damp. Zoe sat beside her, silent, her blue eyes tracking every movement in the room. Dori was next to Zoe, her hands folded in her lap, her expression tense but no longer trembling.

Veronica sat across from them, her arms crossed, her sharp eyes sweeping across the room with barely concealed impatience. Aya was beside her, quiet as always, her hands resting on the table.

Beatrix had claimed a seat near the holographic projector, her alchemist’s coat draped over her shoulders, her tired eyes fixed on the map. She had been analyzing samples from the Cradle for the past hour and looked like she hadn’t slept in days.

Celestia sat at the head of the table, her silver hair catching the holographic light, her silver-thread skill coiled loosely around her fingers. Clarissa was beside her, her warm presence a quiet anchor.

Nox leaned against the wall near the door, his arms crossed, his pale eyes half-closed. His two crew members stood behind him, silent and watchful.

Aris Thorne stood at the holographic projector’s control panel, her white coat wrinkled, her hair messy, her eyes sharp despite her exhaustion.

Dr. Aris Thorne stood at the holographic projector’s control panel, her white coat wrinkled, her hair messy, her eyes sharp despite her exhaustion. She tapped a few commands, and the map zoomed in on the Eclipse stronghold, now marked with two pulsing red dots.

"Let me start with a summary," Aris said. "Eclipse’s central stronghold has fallen. Their outer territories are either destroyed or under new management. Vex has consolidated control of the agricultural sector with Lena’s help. Rain is still reporting to us. Neo’s mineral stockpile is in our possession. Xlomoph’s energy grid is rerouted to this facility."

She paused, letting the information settle.

"However," Aris continued, "Darwin is not dead. He has fused with a creature designated ’Subject Zero’—the original bioweapon created in the Cradle. Our analysis suggests this fusion has amplified his abilities significantly. He is no longer simply a skill user. He’s become more dangerous."

Aris’s fingers moved again. The holographic display shifted, showing a grainy image captured from a security feed—Darwin’s transformed body, pale and gaunt, with empty white eyes and cracks of crimson light along his arms.

"The second entity is unidentified," Aris said. "We’re calling her Subject Omega for now. She appeared during the final confrontation and demonstrated abilities that suggest natural, adaptive evolution. Prolonged exposure to her presence results in increased mutation rates in surrounding organisms. She is, by all definitions, a walking biohazard."

The room was silent.

Aris turned from the projector and looked directly at Nox.

"Now," she said, her voice flat, "I have a question for our guest."

Nox raised an eyebrow. "Me?"

"You." Aris crossed her arms. "Your crew is known as the Dark Void. You’ve been active in the wasteland for years, operating outside the faction system. Your methods are aggressive, your reputation is brutal, and you’ve destroyed at least three factions that I know of for ’crimes against humanity.’" She paused. "So why did you help Julian? What do you gain from this?"

Nox was silent for a moment. Then a slow smile spread across his face.

"Hoh," he said softly. "So you already know about me."

Aris’s expression didn’t change. "Dark Void. The name is... cringe. But your record speaks for itself."

Behind Nox, the tattooed woman shifted slightly, her hand moving toward her weapon. The scarred-faced man didn’t move, but his eyes hardened.

Nox raised a hand, stopping them without looking back.

Celestia’s silver-thread skill coiled tighter around her fingers. Her voice was calm but curious. "Aggressive enough to destroy factions? What exactly did they do?"

Aris glanced at Celestia, then back at Nox.

"Human experimentation," Aris said. "Forced mutation of children. The sale of infected tissue as a commodity. Things that even the worst wasteland warlords consider unacceptable." Her eyes narrowed. "Dark Void didn’t just defeat those factions. They erased them. No survivors. No records. Nothing left but ash."

The room’s temperature seemed to drop.

Fey’s eyes flicked to Nox, studying him with renewed intensity. Zoe’s golden eyes narrowed. Dori’s hands tightened in her lap.

Veronica, for once, didn’t have a sarcastic comment.

Aris continued. "Recently, someone destroyed the remnants of New Order, the faction that controlled the Mark of Scales. The one that branded people like cattle." She tilted her head. "That was you, wasn’t it?"

Nox’s smile didn’t waver.

"Maybe," he said. "Maybe not."

"You’re not denying it."

"I’m not confirming it either." Nox pushed off the wall and walked toward the table. His footsteps were soft, almost silent, but everyone tracked his movement. "But let me ask you something, doctor." ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom

Aris raised an eyebrow.

Nox stopped across the table from her, his pale eyes meeting hers.

"If I told you I helped Julian because he’s my brother," Nox said quietly, "would you believe me?"

Aris stared at him.

"Brother," she repeated.

"Not by blood." Nox’s voice softened, just slightly. "We grew up together. We survived together. He’s the only family I have left."

The room fell silent again, but this time the silence was different. Heavier. The weight of Nox’s words pressed against everyone present.

Celestia was the first to break it.

"Family," she repeated slowly, her silver eyes studied Nox’s face with careful intensity. "Julian never mentioned you."

Nox’s smile returned, but it was smaller now. More tired.

"No," he agreed. "He wouldn’t."

"Why not?" Veronica’s sharp voice cut through the quiet. Her arms were still crossed, but her posture had shifted, less dismissive, more... curious. "If you’re so important to him, why wouldn’t he say anything?"

Nox didn’t answer immediately. He walked to the table and pulled out an empty chair, settling into it with the easy confidence of someone who had nothing to prove. His pale eyes swept across the women gathered around him.

"Because Julian doesn’t talk about the past," Nox said simply. "Any of it. Not the good parts. Not the bad parts." He glanced at the holographic map, still displaying the fallen territories of Eclipse. "He’s always been like that. Even when we were kids."