Chapter 174 — The Night of Twenty
S.C. 1512 — Midnight
Gray Terminal — South Scrapyard Edge
Ren crouched in the shadows between two collapsed wooden shacks, Zemo pressed low beside him.
The Terminal smelled the same as always:
burnt cloth
rot
fear
But tonight, the desperation felt heavier.
More people were awake.
More stomachs were empty.
More eyes searched for anything edible.
Ren exhaled quietly.
"…This place won't last much longer."
Zemo gave a low, uneasy growl.
Ren placed a hand on his head.
"Let's move."
He began walking—slow, careful, memorizing which piles were stable, which paths were too noisy, which corners drew violent groups.
Ren wasn't afraid of fighting.
He just didn't want to fight the starving.
He wanted to save them.
---
Selecting the Twenty
Ren's plan was simple:
Pick only the weakest today.
The ones who wouldn't survive another week.
The ones already collapsing.
He analyzed quickly:
✔ High dehydration
✔ Bone-thin children
✔ Elderly dehydrated but conscious
✔ Adults with collapsing muscle mass
✔ Injured but salvageable
One group at a time.
Zemo stayed alert, scanning every sound, every shifting shadow.
The first target was a bundle of rags near a broken cart.
Except it wasn't rags.
It was a child.
Barely breathing.
Ren lifted him gently.
"You're coming with me."
Zemo nudged the child's legs carefully.
---
Snowball Effect
As Ren moved deeper, the pattern repeated:
A coughing woman leaning against a rusted barrel.
An old man lying beside an empty crate.
A small group of three siblings huddled under a torn canvas.
Ren gathered them one by one.
They didn't resist.
They lacked strength to.
Some whispered a faint, "Please…"
Others didn't speak at all.
By the time Ren reached the fourth corner of the terminal's outer ring, his group had grown to nine.
But this wasn't enough.
He needed twenty tonight.
He scanned the shadows—
—and spotted two teenagers dragging their unconscious mother.
Ren rushed forward.
"Let me help."
The boys tensed, protective.
Zemo stepped up silently, eyes calm but firm.
The boys hesitated.
Then slowly nodded.
Ren lifted the woman onto his back.
"Follow me. Stay close."
---
Danger at the Tin-Fork Alley
When the group reached Tin-Fork Alley, Ren stopped.
A group of aggressive scavengers loomed near the only exit.
Six men.
Desperate.
Armed with metal rods.
They weren't evil.
They were starving.
And they saw Ren's line of refugees.
Zemo growled low, like thunder.
The men froze for a second.
But only for a second.
"…Food," one hissed.
"We saw you carrying them," another said. "Where you taking them?"
Ren stepped forward, calm but firm.
"There's nothing to steal here. I'm just taking people away."
"Where?"
"Somewhere safe."
The men exchanged looks—disbelieving, suspicious, hungry.
One moved first, stepping toward the unconscious woman on Ren's back.
"Safe for you maybe—"
Zemo bared his fangs.
Lightning-fast.
The man stumbled backward.
But the others edged forward too.
Ren whispered:
"Zemo… don't attack. Just warn."
Zemo snarled louder, stepping between Ren and the gang.
The men hesitated.
Then Ren spoke again—steady, cold.
"If you touch any of them, I won't hurt you… but he will."
Zemo's growl deepened.
And the men broke.
They scattered into the dark, too weak and scared to challenge the beast.
---
Completing the Twenty
Ren continued.
With each corner passed, he found more:
✔ A young mother with twin babies
✔ A man with a broken leg
✔ Two elderly siblings holding hands
✔ A small girl who couldn't stand
✔ A silent boy whose eyes looked empty
By the time they reached the Terminal boundary—
Ren counted:
Twenty.
Exactly.
---
The Escape Route
Ren mapped out the safest path:
Through the iron pile
Past the mud trench
Across the burnt scaffolding
Toward the hidden coastline
He lifted one child onto his hip and carried another on his back.
Zemo herded the group, nudging slow walkers, staying next to the weakest.
A few collapsed halfway.
Ren picked them up, one by one.
No one was left behind.
Not a single one.
---
Reaching the Coast
The moonlight shimmered on the waves.
The small transport boat awaited, hidden behind a boulder.
Ren turned to the group.
"We're leaving now. It might feel scary on the water, but stay low and hold the rope."
The children nodded weakly.
The adults had no energy to speak.
Ren lifted them into the boat slowly, arranging them to avoid crowding.
Zemo jumped in last, positioning himself at the bow—eyes scanning everything.
---
The Silent Journey
No one talked.
Some cried softly.
Some clutched the boat's sides, terrified of the sea.
Ren rowed with slow, steady strength.
No waves.
No wind.
Just exhaustion.
And relief.
The island fog swirled gently as they approached.
---
Arrival at the Island
Ren guided the boat onto the hidden shore.
Subordinates—Mira, Leo, and Bram—were already waiting with stretchers and blankets.
Kiro stood behind them, jaw tight, eyes wide.
"…How many?" Mira whispered.
"Twenty," Ren answered.
Her breath caught.
Together, they carried the refugees toward the prepared shelter.
Zemo guided the last few, nudging them gently.
Ren looked at the long line of starving people entering the island's protection.
Then he whispered under his breath:
"…We begin now."
The island had taken its first step toward becoming a sanctuary.
---
End of Chapter 174