novelzi Chapter 672: Homecoming (Part 1)
Chapter 672: Homecoming (Part 1)
Night had settled fully over the outskirts of Santos City by the time Don reached the forest.He moved through the trees without slowing, his boots sinking into soft earth layered with dead leaves and broken branches.
Every step produced a muted crunch beneath the canopy, though compared to the chaos he had left behind, the sound felt insignificant.
The city still lingered at his back. Even from this distance he could hear it occasionally—distant sirens, the low rumble of vehicles, the faint groan of a wounded metropolis trying to survive the night.
Ahead, the forest gradually thinned.
Moonlight filtered through widening gaps in the branches overhead, painting pale streaks across the ground.
Don kept his pace steady. Not hurried. Not relaxed. His injured hand remained tucked close to his chest while his other arm hung loose at his side. Ready.
His eyes moved constantly.
Between trunks, across patches of brush and toward every shadow that looked slightly different from the last.
Thankfully, nothing moved.
They were no infected and no animals.
Only wind drifting through the branches above.
Compared to Santos City, the area felt untouched.
That didn't make it safe.
It simply meant whatever nightmare had consumed the city hadn't reached this far.
Eventually the trees ended.
Don stepped out onto cracked asphalt.
The abandoned G-Tech facility sat ahead in darkness, its silhouette barely visible beyond the perimeter fence.
From a distance it looked exactly like what it was supposed to be.
Forgotten and unused.
He walked alongside the fence until he reached a familiar gap in the metal.
Then slipped through.
The grounds beyond remained empty.
The dummy laboratory stood where it always had so Don crossed the lot without hesitation and entered the building.
Minutes later he was descending underground.
The further he moved beneath the surface, the more the outside world disappeared. The distant sounds of the city faded. The wind vanished.
Only the hum of hidden machinery remained.
The reinforced doors ahead slid apart after a few seconds.
CLANK~
Light spilled in.
And waiting on the platform beyond were the people who had been expecting him.
The moment Samantha saw him, her expression collapsed.
Relief, fear and worry all appeared at once.
She rushed forward before he had taken more than two steps into the lab.
"Don!"
Her arms wrapped around him immediately.
Half a second later Summer crashed into both of them hard enough to drive a breath from his lungs.
Don grimaced.
Not because of them.
Because his ribs still hated him.
His good hand rose automatically.
First Samantha.
Then Summer.
His fingers moved through their hair while they clung to him.
For the first time since leaving Camp Shepherd, something inside him finally loosened.
Behind them, Miss Claire remained.
Her posture stayed composed as always, but the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. It wasn't much.
For Miss Claire, it might as well have been cheering.
Winter stood beside her with the same unreadable expression she always wore.
"I told you not to worry," Don said quietly.
Samantha pulled back enough to look up at him.
"I know."
Her voice came out smaller than usual.
"But I couldn't help it."
Summer opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Her eyes settled on the bandages wrapped around his forearm.
The damaged hand.
The stitched cut crossing his cheek.
Her expression immediately darkened.
"What happened?"
Don saw the change instantly.
The concern beneath her usual attitude.
Samantha noticed it too.
Her gaze followed Summer's and her grip tightened around his arm.
He couldn't ignore it.
Not completely.
Don rested his hand on Samantha's shoulder and gently guided both girls back enough to create some space.
Then he lifted his injured hand slightly before letting it fall again.
"I got hurt trying to help a mother and her kid."
The memory of the Ebon Crest building flashed briefly through his mind.
The gunfire.
The blood.
But he pushed it aside.
"It's not easy fighting when you're protecting people."
His voice remained calm. "But don't worry. It was under control."
Summer's frown remained firmly in place.
Samantha's lips pressed together.
Neither looked convinced.
Don reached over and ran his fingers through Summer's hair again.
A small gesture.
Probably more effective than anything he could say.
"I'm just tired," he continued. "I'll tell you about it in the morning."
Summer looked ready to argue.
The words reached the edge of her mouth.
Then stopped.
She closed it again.
Samantha released a slow breath through her nose.
For a few moments nobody spoke.
Then Don looked past them.
Toward Winter.
He still had things to handle before he could rest.
"Is there enough places to sleep?"
Winter tilted her head. "Yes. Though basic, there are enough bed spaces and common necessities."
Summer immediately folded her arms.
"The beds are like something from a boarding school."
She glanced toward a darker section of the facility where several makeshift sleeping areas had been assembled.
"I don't know how Sylvia and Aunt Amanda managed to fall asleep on them."
As if summoned by her complaint, blankets shifted faintly somewhere in the distance.
Samantha finally stepped away from Don completely and touched Summer's arm.
A silent request. Come on.
Give him space.
Summer hesitated.
Then looked back toward Don.
"You're not going out again, are you?"
Samantha's head snapped toward him immediately.
The concern returned.
Don shook his head.
"No. I'm not."
This time he meant it.
"I just need to go over a few things with Winter. Eat something. Then sleep."
Summer studied him for several seconds.
Long enough that Don almost expected another argument.
Instead she pointed at him.
"You better not be lying."
Fair.
He'd earned that suspicion.
Summer finally turned away.
Samantha followed, though she kept glancing back over her shoulder every few steps.
Miss Claire joined them without a word.
As she walked, she glanced back once and her eyes met his briefly.
A silent acknowledgment.
Then they disappeared near the end of the platform and descended into another area.
Only Winter remained.
Don released a low breath.
Then stepped off the platform and into a working area.
The workstation area sat slightly below the main floor. Rows of monitors lined reinforced desks beneath harsh white lighting that made everything look colder than it actually was.
Winter followed him quietly.
Don dropped into the nearest chair and slouched backward.
His injured hand rested on the armrest.
His other hand rubbed briefly across his forehead.
"Alright."
Exhaustion settled deeper into his bones now that he had finally stopped moving.
"Let's go over everything that happened tonight."
He paused.
Then looked toward Winter.
"Is it possible to get Gary or Elle on the line?"
Winter folded her hands neatly in front of her.
"Though this facility possesses a high-level communications system, the security is lackluster and would likely be flagged by UPSDF monitoring."
Her tone remained completely neutral.
"In my opinion, it is not worth the risk."
Don nodded slowly.
"Alright. Just bring me some food."
He gestured vaguely toward the monitors.
"You'll share your observations from drone footage."
Winter tilted her head again.
"I have also gathered substantial footage from street and private cameras."
She stepped toward the terminal and activated it without even touching it.
"I hacked multiple cellphones, laptops, and weakened servers on Gary's orders."
Several monitors flickered to life.
"We have amassed a significant amount of information. Audio, video, text, and more."
Don raised an eyebrow.
"And?"
"The proxy used during these operations may connect us to the intrusion attempts."
Winter looked toward him.
"This makes communication even more risky."
The technical details mostly passed over his head.
But the conclusion didn't.
Stay quiet and stay hidden.
He could work with that.
Don pointed toward the screens.
"Have you already organized everything according to importance?"
"Yes."
Winter turned away and headed back toward the platform.
The monitors brightened.
Moments later her face appeared on the central display.
The real Winter disappeared onto the platform while her digital counterpart began cycling through information.
News reports filled one section.
Surveillance footage occupied another.
Images shifted continuously.
Street cameras, building entrances and even emergency broadcasts.
Winter's voice filled the workstation.
"Unfortunately, we could not access UPSDF classified information. However, based on available data, I believe Gary may have successfully led a team into SHQ and extracted assets."
Footage flashed across the screen.
Hallways.
Security checkpoints.
Access records.
"We will need confirmation once communication becomes available."
Another image appeared.
Captain Miller.
Director Graham.
Weapons storage access logs.
"But based on surveillance footage, the cause of the incident appears connected to Captain Miller and Director Graham. Video confirms both entered the weapons storage facility. Only Miller and her personnel exited."
A brief pause.
"It is possible Graham was not a willing participant."
Don waved a hand dismissively.
"It's fine."
He leaned back in the chair.
"Our concern isn't the cause."
Whatever had happened inside SHQ had already become larger than him.
Larger than most people in the city.
"It's beyond our scope."
His eyes remained fixed on the monitor.
"I'm more interested in what we've gained."
The system's rewards briefly crossed his mind.
They felt strangely hollow compared to everything he'd seen tonight.
The rewards Winter was about to show him felt more real.
More useful.
The display shifted.
Financial records appeared.
Account information, transaction logs and currency transfers.
Winter's voice continued.
"The home of Martin Cross, a financial manager responsible for multiple client banking systems, was accessed. Funds have been siphoned into the Citadel's Iranian account."
Don's fingers tapped once against the armrest.
The next screen appeared.
More names.
More numbers.
"Several high-value cryptocurrency holders, some confirmed deceased, have also had their accounts siphoned. Assets have been transferred into the Argentinian account."
Columns of figures scrolled steadily across the display.
Don watched them without visible reaction.
A hero would probably be focused on something else.
Investigating the outbreak. Searching for whoever caused it. Trying to prevent the next disaster.
Don didn't care.
Knowing the cause wouldn't make him stronger.
Solving the mystery wouldn't pay for future operations.
The gains mattered, resources mattered.
And of course, power mattered.
Everything else came afterward.
Winter continued.
"Additionally, our operatives successfully infiltrated the residence of Victor Langham, a well-known collector of luxury vehicles."
New images appeared.
Garages, storage facilities and transport trucks.
"Several limited-edition vehicles have been extracted and are currently being transported to secure storage."
The report continued.
It covered money, assets, properties and leverage.
Eventually the specifics blurred together.
The pattern was enough.
Things he would need moving forward.
The monitors hummed quietly while Winter's voice became background noise.
Don released a slow breath.
Hours ago he had been fighting for his life inside a city collapsing around him.
Now he was back underground.
Alive.
But exhausted.
And somehow richer than before.
Eventually the report ended.
The screens dimmed.
The workstation grew quiet again.
Don pushed himself out of the chair.
Food to boost his recovery.
Then sleep.
Tomorrow he could figure out what came next.