Late at night.

The lights in the last small section of the Central District in Zone 19 went out, plunging the entire city into complete darkness and silence.

A cold wind howled, whipping up snowflakes. The streets of Zone 19 were practically deserted.

Zone 19 had already entered winter, the season for battling the Mutant Species. The Beastmen living here consciously remained indoors.

Only the four major defense fortification bases were bustling with activity.

Figures moved about in orderly lines, patrolling the construction site or moving in and out of the buildings. Some gathered in small groups, talking in low voices, with arguments occasionally breaking out.

In the darkness, the sounds of orderly yet chaotic footsteps intertwined, creating a strangely lively scene.

"What is the meaning of this?"

In the hallway of one of the buildings, Kloer was at a standoff with two Beastman squads.

"You expect us to live here?"

Leo shone his flashlight back and forth across the three vacant rooms. The wolf-like scent wafting from them soured his already bad mood.

"Get us a clean room. We don’t want a dog kennel," Philinos, the captain of the Bird Team, said with a frown. He was leaning against the wall, glancing at the messy rooms with disgust.

Kloer was getting a headache. "These three are the only rooms left. You’ll have to divide them amongst yourselves."

One of those three rooms was his, and the other two belonged to Seth and the others. Now, they’d all been cleared out for the men from the Military Department.

"There are so many of us and only three rooms. How are we supposed to split them?" Leo’s flashlight beam swept over his squad, and he briefly flashed it at Philinos, earning a sharp glare in return.

Kloer said, "You’ll have to squeeze in. The other rooms have six or seven people each. It’s a place to sleep and shower, that’s all. It can’t be that much worse than your barracks in the military district."

"Our Bird Team has private rooms in the military district," a member of the Bird Team spoke up.

Kloer fought the urge to roll his eyes. "Then I guess the Bird Team will have to make do for now. These are the conditions on our site. Even our boss has to squeeze in with the rest of us. Once the housing in the Central District frees up, you’ll have better accommodations. Just bear with it for a bit longer, brothers."

Hearing this, Leo asked, "Your boss’s place is bigger than this, isn’t it?"

Kloer replied, "First time in Zone 19? All the rooms here are the same. No one gets better or worse quarters. If you want a nicer place, head to the Central District right now. Their higher-ups live better than we do."

Leo snorted. "Once we’ve dealt with the Mutant Species, we’ll take over those losers’ nests sooner or later."

"I’m in full support of that," Kloer said.

While the two were talking, Philinos had already led his squad members into the middle room—the one Kloer had been living in.

"Hey, we haven’t picked yet!"

Seeing Philinos go inside, Leo went to argue with him, only to have the door slammed in his face.

Now, only the two rooms on the left and right remained, both reeking of a wolf-like scent.

Leo immediately wanted to find Kloer, but when he turned around, Kloer was nowhere to be seen.

"Where’s that bear?" Leo swept the hallway with his flashlight.

"He just ran off," one of his squad members said.

Leo cursed under his breath, kicked hard at the Bird Team’s door, and then had no choice but to pinch his nose and lead his squad into the other two rooms.

As soon as Philinos had chosen a room, Kloer had slipped away to report back to Alex.

In truth, that just meant going downstairs. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He and some of the Wolf Clan members lived on the floor above Alex.

"There still aren’t enough rooms. I had to give them my room and Seth’s."

Kloer lowered his voice. "Boss, why did you put those two in the same building as us?"

Alex glanced at the slightly ajar door behind him, then pushed Kloer by the shoulder to the side before speaking. "Admiral Andrew’s orders."

Kloer hissed. "Is he deliberately making you watch over these two hotheads?"

Alex said thoughtfully, "They’re the best-performing captains in the vanguard this time. The Admiral intends to promote them."

Kloer understood. Alex was the general manager of the defense fortifications project. He was also the one who contributed the most and shouldered the most responsibility. Sticking with him was naturally more convenient—any issues could be dealt with immediately, and they could gain access to more useful intelligence.

Kloer yawned, hugging the only pillow he’d managed to grab from his room, and started walking toward Alex’s room. "Well, Boss, I guess that means Seth and I will have to bunk with you for the next few days."

"..."

Alex put a hand on his shoulder. "Go sleep in the office downstairs."

Kloer said, "The office is packed too. The young wolves all gave up their rooms. I took a look—there’s no room to even stand, let alone squeeze another person in."