A Core Ship From The Start
Chapter 1444 - 979 Choice

Chapter 1444: Chapter 979 Choice

Although there’s no concrete evidence, Duanmu Huai believed that the core focus of this mission was most likely centered around the Salvation Army.

After all, think about it, wasn’t Joel planning to take Ellie to find the Salvation Army too? Things in this world aren’t usually that coincidental, are they?

Hmm, probably not.

Hopefully not.

This is how mainline and side missions can blur together...

One of the reasons Duanmu Huai had this conjecture, aside from the overlapping missions, was because of the survivors—afterwards, Duanmu Huai confirmed that the next stop would be heading to the Salvation Army, while the other survivors discussed among themselves and decided to stay behind to help rebuild this settlement. Thanks to Duanmu Huai’s earlier intervention, this city could currently be considered safe, at least for now. They wouldn’t have to worry about a zombie invasion for a while, even during a Blood Moon. With all the surrounding zombies cleared out, this Blood Moon shouldn’t pose much of a threat.

Additionally, this settlement urgently needed manpower and held such a strategic location with its oil warehouse. Several students, including Komuro Takashi and Aiden, decided to stay behind here—after all, they wouldn’t be able to contribute much by going to the Salvation Army, right?

Since their staying behind didn’t trigger any special plot, it indicated that these survivors weren’t the core characters. Now, the only people left on the train were Joel and Ellie.

Given that both groups’ destinations aligned, it seemed like the key to leaving this world hinged on the tasks related to these two individuals.

But why did Joel need to take Ellie to find the Salvation Army?

Joel himself didn’t know either. He and Ellie were neither related nor close. At first, Joel merely treated Ellie as just another mission—but after journeying together, they had built some semblance of a bond. Yet despite this, when Joel asked Ellie why she needed to find the Salvation Army, she remained silent, refusing to say a word.

This continued until they arrived at the city occupied by the Salvation Army.

Compared to the previous settlement, which barely managed to survive by occupying a food processing plant, the Salvation Army’s territory was indeed much larger. They took over half a city and even built towering walls. Armed soldiers carrying guns patrolled everywhere. Clearly, the Salvation Army had grown into a formidable organization.

"Alright, I think you all know what to do next."

Duanmu Huai glanced at Mary, Ogis, and Gavi, then shifted his gaze back to Joel and Ellie.

"First, we’ll get Ellie to the Salvation Army—Joel, do you have a way to get in touch with these people?"

"Of course."

Joel nodded.

"Good, then once we drop her off, you’re free to do whatever you want. We’ll investigate the Salvation Army. If they really are conducting experiments to create mutants out of humans, as we suspect, then we’ll completely destroy this settlement... Is everyone clear on the plan?"

"Mr. Duanmu..."

As soon as Duanmu Huai finished speaking, Mary raised her hand impatiently.

"This settlement seems... to have a lot of people. Do we really need to annihilate everything here?"

"The Tribunal does not permit any heretical actions, including creating aliens."

Duanmu Huai shook his head.

"I could come up with hundreds of reasons to justify their actions, but at the end of the day, it’s meaningless. The right methods lead to the right results. Remember—many of those so-called ’we had no other choice’ moments are merely the beginning of corruption. Short-term benefits cannot outweigh long-term threats."

On that note, Duanmu Huai couldn’t help but think of those Green Orcs, originally created by the Ancient Saints for combating the Fear of Death and the Star Gods. In the end, not only did the Ancient Saints lose control, but the Green Orcs themselves turned into an indelible menace across the Universe.

Although at present, it might seem like mutants could aid humans in fighting zombies and enduring the Blood Moon, it’s certain that in the distant future, these mutants would become a calamity akin to the Green Orcs.

Sure, some might argue that if they couldn’t even survive the present, there was no point in worrying about the future—but that’s mere sophistry. People can find a thousand excuses to rationalize their actions, yet reality remains indifferent to such trifles. It’s like how the Ancient Saints creating Green Orcs for protection was understandable, but it doesn’t erase the reality that the Green Orcs ultimately became just as terrifying a threat as the Fear of Death and Star Gods.

In fact, even within the Judges, opinions on these matters varied.

For example, when a planet becomes polluted by Chaos and is on the brink of extinction.

In that situation, should they evacuate the majority—ordinary civilians without notable skills, essentially just brute labor?

Or prioritize skilled officials and noblemen with connections?

Or simply avoid any risk and issue an Extinction Order, eradicating everyone indiscriminately?

Every Judge had their own approach. Some believed in saving as many as possible. Others reasoned it was better to preserve the noble class, as civilians generally lacked skills or usefulness, whereas noblemen offered more capability. Still, others deemed it safer to rescue no one—after all, who could guarantee how many cultists or Chaos-infected remnants existed on that planet? By wiping out everyone with an Extinction Order, they could eliminate all potential threats.

As for which choice was right, that’s something impossible to determine definitively. Every person had their own perspective, so essentially—everyone acted as they saw fit, and the results were whatever they turned out to be.