Chapter 43: The Captain

The noise outside, of course, woke Charles.

Charles was about to sleep, knowing that tomorrow was unpredictable, so he needed to sleep early and wake up early to better face the next day.

The location of Jones' house was indeed excellent. It not only retained some heat during extreme cold but also isolated a bit of the external temperature during extreme heat.

They covered their house with reflective cloth, and Jones' house had a special thermal insulation layer, making living here a reward for Charles' subordinates—apart from him, a few of his trusted men were also residing there.

At this moment, they rushed to the living room together, as they too had heard the sounds from downstairs while they were in bed.

These people, living in constant crisis, always had high alertness, or else they would have died long ago.

"The army has come," said Jacob, slightly lifting the curtain. In a low voice, he added, "Damn, we should never have let them go."

Charles frowned, "Why are they here? At this time?"

"Do we need to deal with them?" asked Jacob.

"No," replied Charles, "unless they fire first, we absolutely must not initiate an attack."

"But with so many of them here, it's surely not for friendly negotiations," another person said worriedly.

"Get the brothers ready for battle. I'll go downstairs to meet them," said Charles.

"This is too dangerous," one of them said. "How about Jacob and I go?"

"They won't think you're qualified enough," Charles said with a glance and a smile. "They're either here for David or for me. You two going down won't satisfy them."

The two fell silent, but as Charles was about to leave, Jacob spoke again, "Should we inform David?"

He had absolute trust in David, believing in his ability to solve any problem.

After pondering, Charles said, "Just inform David about the situation here. Don't ask for his help. Let him know there are people downstairs."

"Alright, I'm on it," Jacob immediately left the room and ran upstairs.

Charles tidied up his attire and then also left, while the remaining person went to wake up the other brothers in the building, preparing them for battle.

Charles, alone, walked downstairs, quickly reaching the second floor.

Previously, the hail had accumulated up to the second floor, but now, as the hail melted into water due to high temperature, entry was needed from the second floor.

However, the water level was much lower than the previous ice level, as some of the hail hadn't entered the house and had spread in after melting.

The entire first floor was submerged, and the second floor was also covered, almost up to the level of a person's calf.

Charles stood at the door and window, looking at the people approaching in the night, and loudly said, "Gentlemen, what brings you here in the middle of the night?"

Charles was not lacking in courage, and with the training from the apocalyptic environment, he was fearless of death.

After all, Charles' current status was hard-earned step by step.

He believed that the army would not tear their face with him. If he was unarmed, they had no reason to target him. If he was armed, they would have to think about how many men they would lose.

Unless they came with a warship or dragged over a cannon, having the terrain advantage, he was not an evil force that could be easily eradicated.

In normal times, they might use planes and tanks against him, but now...

Even if they could, it would be very difficult.

Therefore, Charles believed that as long as the military personnel hadn't lost their minds, they wouldn't kill him, so he dared to face the external army alone.

At this moment, he spoke out loud.

The voice of the military man who came yesterday afternoon came through, "Don't panic, we are here to discuss something with you."

Hearing this, Charles was even more certain that the other party would not start a war. He relaxed a bit and said, "Speak freely. As long as I can help, I will do my best!"

"Since you say so, I'm relieved," the military man replied with a megaphone.

Charles made way for them, and about a dozen people entered.

Charles led them to the third floor, then spread his hands and said, "Let's talk on the third floor. It's late... the neighbors are asleep, and it wouldn't be good to disturb them."

He wouldn't let them go to higher floors, as many of his people lived there. They had been prepared yesterday, but they hadn't had time to hide their guns yet.

The military man looked at Charles intently, and a middle-aged man beside him said, "Alright, let's talk on the third floor. We are soldiers who protect citizens. We can't invade homes and disturb people's rest."

"And you are?" Charles looked at the middle-aged man, knowing he was the leader.

"I'm Henry, the captain of this army unit."

Hearing this, Charles realized the importance of the person before him. In the current apocalyptic situation, a military identity was far more useful than a political one.

He quickly extended a hand, saying, "My apologies."

Henry shook hands with Charles and then glanced at the empty room, saying, "I heard you've managed this area well. We've been to many places, but none as orderly as yours."

"Thank you," Charles smiled. "In these tough times, we need more than ever to build hope in people's hearts. As long as there's hope, no disaster is insurmountable."

"That's good," Henry smiled. "We came here actually with a small request, hoping you can agree."

Looking at his expression, Charles sensed something was amiss, but still said, "Of course, if it's something I can help with, it's always my honor to serve the country."

If it had been just a soldier, Charles might have refused.

But a captain...

He really couldn't easily refuse.

Because this signified the military's high regard for the matter!