Mutagen

Day 248 - 1:02 PM - Village, Barangay Sayao, Municipality of Sibonga, Province of Cebu

Led by Emilio's group of people that gathered water and edible plants, Mark's group arrived outside the settlement. Emilio and the people who lived here apparently called it a village rather than a settlement. There was not much difference between the two names, but the term settlement meant more general while calling it a village gave a homey feel.

Most of all, calling it a village implied that they all decided to settle down in this place and stop traveling. It was to make a home and take a stand against dangers instead of running away forever.

By the way, Emilio talked to Mark, the former officer seemed to have gotten rid of his nervousness. Back then, Mark's aura and show of contempt were enough to make Emilio nervous. It was different this time as he spoke with Mark properly.

They approached the walls and the southern gate. All of which were made from stripped coconut logs, which were abundant in the area. This valley was filled with coconut plantations before the apocalypse, and it seemed that most of the coconut trees in the area survived the [Fusion of Dimensions].

The guards were surprised to see other people aside from Emilio and his group that left to gather supplies.

As Mark had thought. It was easier to enter a settlement being invited than coming straight to the gates.

When arriving at the gates of a settlement, it was no surprise to get stopped by the guards.

It was the protocol in large military-managed settlements. They only had such rules for the safety of the people living inside. After the procedure was done and one was let in, that was it. Of course, unless the outsiders caused trouble inside.

In small secluded settlements, however, the situation was different. They did not have as much fighting power as large settlements putting them on edge all the time. As such, they would not take outsiders lightly. Most of the time, their entry had to be approved they the leaders of the settlement. And even with that, the people would be wary towards those outsiders.

Mark still remembered the last time when his group entered the temporary outpost led by Emilio. After entering, they were told to wait in a small room near the gates. The eyes of the guards were glaring at them. And with the slightest unnatural event, the guards did not hesitate to point their guns at Mark's group.

If Mark and his group did the same thing today, it would not be surprising if the same events happened. After all, there would be no guarantee that the guards would recognize Mark's group. And even if he used that reason the moment he talked to the guards, he would only be met with suspicion until it was confirmed by those that recognized him.

Still, while Mark's thoughts were on point, the results might have been different from what he initially had in mind.

They did enter the settlement easily because of Emilio, but the guards at the gate actually recognized Mark, Mei, and the three girls. These people were new additions to Emilio's group, but it was not the first time for them to see Mark and the girls.

It was because they were among the survivors from Barangay Matutinao. The very same people the [Tamawos] captured and turned into slaves. There was no way they would easily forget the people they owed their lives to.

And the moment Mark stepped into the gates, the guards along the gate approached the group, showering them with gratitude as the poor people they saved were never able to properly give back then.

Mark was troubled. This situation was something he did not expect. More than a month had passed already. There were also more things that happened on Earth for these people to dampen this kind of enthusiasm.

But it seemed that Mark underestimated the gratitude that these people felt.

Back when they were saved, these poor people were still in a state of shock and trauma. Rather than being unable to thank Mark's group, it was more like they were even questioning whether it was true that they were saved or if they were only dreaming. When the realization finally sunk into their minds, their saviors were nowhere to be seen. Some of them even thought that their saviors died because of them.

Their lives were saved when their hopes had already sunk to the depths of nothingness. They would bear this gratitude for the rest of their lives.

Now that they finally have the chance to properly convey that gratitude, they would not hesitate to do so. And it seemed that their gratitude was far stronger than the usual aura Mark had that made people avoid him for the most part.

Fortunately, these people were not tactless. The guards here were all males. They approached Mark, the only male in the group, the leader, and the person that walked in the lead.

The victims of the [Tamawos] knew well how it felt for their women to be approached by strangers, especially during the apocalypse. Despite their good intentions, they instinctually avoided approaching the women in Mark's group. It seemed they mistook the group as Mark's harem, considering he was the only male currently present. It was a misunderstanding, but it worked rather well in Mei's situation.

"Now, now," Emilio approached Mark and the guards. "Our guests just arrived. Let them rest. They must have had a rough journey."

"Ah... Yes, sir!"

The guards understood the blunder they had made. They were troubling their saviors, who had just arrived from a long journey.

After apologizing to Emilio and Mark's group, the guards returned to their posts, although it seemed that they would not shut up about the things they witnessed during the battle of Mark's group against the [Tamawos]. It also seemed that they remembered the other members of Mark's group at that time that were not present today and were wondering what happened.

Emilio then told the members of his group to store the things they collected while he would bring their guests to the village center.

The rumors then spread through the small settlement like wildfire. Many people watched from the side as Mark's group followed Emilio to the center of the settlement.

The people were like they were welcoming celebrities. But with half the current population being Emilio's initial group and the other half being mostly the survivors of the [Tamawo's] invasion, it was no wonder that Mark's group was welcomed warmly and reverently.

It was like a hero's welcome. Even the contempt that Mark showed the soldiers in the past was completely forgotten.

Mark being at the center of this kind of attention, felt uncomfortably itchy.

"Just what the hell did you guys do in this place?"

Spera uncomfortably whispered at Mark and Mei.

It was worse for Bella and Donna. They did not know anything about what was happening at all.

Mark and Mei only looked at each other with troubled faces and did not reply.

Now, Mark was kind of regretting stopping by this place.

Furthermore...

Mark stared at Emilio's back. This guy was purposely slowing down their pace towards their destination.

After several minutes, they reached a cluster of huts that seemed larger than most of the structures in the settlement. Since these huts were in the center, it was very likely that these structures were used in meetings and as facilities for important matters. And as Mark detected, one of the huts was being used to tend to the injured as he felt several weakened people inside.

Mark's group was brought to the largest hut. It was built circularly with wooden foundations with the walls and roofs were made of coconut leaves stitched together with vines. There were no doors, but a large piece of old cloth was used to cover the door entrance. It really looked like some sort of meeting room, considering the number of chairs and the large table at the center.

"Please sit down."

Emilio said, inviting everyone to take a seat around the table.

"Sorry, but we don't really have anywhere to accommodate guests," Emilio apologized. "In the least, this hut had more chairs for you guys to sit down on."

Then, Emilio turned to Mark. He felt the latter's stare earlier.

"Also, sorry for parading your group through the village," Emilio admitted. "We're doing better than before, but the morale is still kind of low at the moment. I'm kind of troubled about how to increase our people's morale for a while now. And today, your group came at the right time."

It was the reason Emilio slowed down the pace when they arrived. It was to let as many people in the settlement see Mark's group. The group that fought hundreds of enemies and saved the people of Barangay Matutinao from the [Tamawos].

Since Mark's group left immediately after the battle against the [Tamawos], some presumed they died, especially since everyone witnessed that beam of light that tore cracks in the sky along with the tidal wave that swallowed the entire coast. As their deaths were a very possible outcome due to their immediate disappearance, many felt dejected while thinking their saviors died because of them.

And now that Mark's group was safe and sound, it was a good opportunity to raise the morale of the people that Emilio led.

At this time, the cloth by the door moved.

"It's actually true."

A middle-aged woman's voice was heard by everyone as someone entered through the door.

There were several people who entered, and all of them were familiar faces from Emilio's initial group of survivors from Liloan.

The voice just now was from Doctor Janice Reyes. The very same doctor that looked at Mark's group before they managed to speak with Emilio for the first time.

At that time, Doctor Janice was terrified of Mark for some reason. This time, it seemed that she was calmer. Probably because she already had seen Mark before and could not be surprised anymore.

There was also Caudillo Alcoseba, the former fisherman who now led the construction of this settlement. He did not have any interaction with Mark's group before, but he still came as one of the pillars of this place.

The last one was Private Tanya Monteroso. She was the one who guarded Mark's group during their stay. Back then, she was just a soldier at the bottom of the grid. Now, it seemed that she shared the same authority as Caudillo.

Why were they suddenly here?

"I called for them."

Emilio said before Mark could ask anything.

"It looks like you are only welcoming us," Mark shrugged. "But you have other intentions, right?"

The people here were not all the pillars of this place. Mark remembered that there was also that flirty former actor, and other soldiers. However, there were only three currently present. The other leading soldiers were not called. As for that actor, it seemed that he was resting in the infirmary of the settlement.

Mark took a look at the three people Emilio called as they took a seat around the table. There was clearly one reason why Emilio called them. It was because these people were the ones he trusted the most compared to everyone following his lead.

And once everyone gathered around the table, Emilio took a breath. He showed the strict attitude he had before, although he contained it mostly for appearances.

Emilio then stared at Mark.

"Thanks to you, the people the [Tamawos] captured were freed. Now, they are all integrated with our group, and I treat them equally as my people... But that was not all. Without any basis and warning, you gave us that advice, which I followed with insight. And thanks to that, we mostly survived. Not only once, but twice."

Emilio then turned serious.

"Considering the things which happened afterward, it was too good to be a coincidence. You also mentioned privilege before which I did not have. Then, I won't be asking about how you predicted such things would happen. But please, answer this question..."

"Who are you?"

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