Mutagen

Vibrant colors filled the sky as sunset came on this day. It was only fourteen days before the marking of the first year after the apocalypse began.

Half of Mount Muria could see the vibrant colors of the sunset. Shadows of the incoming night already covered the other half.

But as night came and darkness enveloped the land, it was time for lights from torches and campfires to appear across the mountain.

Gunung Muria, or Mount Muria internationally. It was a dormant volcano situation on the northern coast of Central Java. To a lot of people, it was just another mountain. But to the locals, Mount Muria was a Sacred Mountain with heavy importance to the history of their religion.

When the apocalypse came, people became divided. Some tried to stay within their homes and fend for themselves, while others aimed to seek the protection of the military. 

And there were the third kind of people, who fled to rural places and avoided cities brimming with the [Infected].

One of the many places where people fled from the chaos was Mount Muria.

People fled to this mountain, thinking it was a sacred place. It was an arduous journey prone to many dangers. But as it turned out, it was one of the best places to be in the case of a zombie apocalypse.

It became the start of how this Sacred Mountain has become one of the remaining few bastions of humanity within the country of Indonesia.

There were several villages around the mountain, with two situated north and south of Mount Muria\'s peak. The steep mountain slopes protected both villages. Furthermore, turning them into self-sustaining settlements was possible due to crop terraces built on the mountain slopes and natural water sources.

As the factors coincided, these two villages became a safe sanctuary for refugees in the first few weeks of the apocalypse. There was food, water, and dwelling. Survivors could find necessities for survival within the villages and the forests.

But, of course, it was not smooth sailing.

While [Infected] encounters within Mount Muria were nearly non-existent in the early stages of the apocalypse, [Evolved Animals] were proven to be a threat.

There were countless times members of the survivors died, or their walls and houses collapsed because of these animals. But as they fought on, along with those who managed to evolve and mutate, those dangerous animals became part of their supplies.

Unfortunately, as the people in Mount Muria thrived, those outside collapsed one after another.

Military camps and settlements would become prey to the increasing strength and number of the [Infected]. People lost their new homes and had to find a new place to settle.

Soon, some of those people ended up in Mount Muria, joining the thriving community.

Unfortunately, as the community up the mountains grew bigger, the rumors among survivors outside spread faster.

The government and military encampments soon collapsed. But the greediest of them had a vile idea.

Those survivors from the government and the military went to seek shelter in the Sacred Mountain. The unsuspecting residents welcomed everyone, especially the military. After all, the military could provide protection with their level of training and weapons.

It was the worst decision they took after the apocalypse began.

Slowly, the leadership of the settlement shifted. The government soon took control of it.

As more and more military settlements and encampments fell, the survivors from those places gathered in the Sacred Mountain.

After taking control of the location, the government and the military began to develop it to the fullest.

Using most of the resources they gathered, including the materials from a mysterious source, the government and the military built a wall halfway around the mountain. They also built New houses and manufacturing facilities. And the food and water became properly processed.

But such development also came with devious changes and division between the status of people.

The two villages around the peak became the place for the rich, the strong, and the privileged. Those who did not belong there could only live outside the outer ring around the mountainous peaks.

Those with the lowest status could only stay within the settlements created along the walls surrounding the mountain. These settlements were not under the military\'s direct control. Different survivor groups hired by the military and the government manage these settlements.

Walls were not enough to protect from dangers. These walls also needed to be guarded. However, while they managed to build a wall around the mountain, it was too large to be guarded by the military alone. Thus, it resulted in the creation of these settlements, the so-called Satelite Settlements.

There were around a hundred of these Satelite Settlements around the mountain. The duty of these settlements was to guard the walls against attacks coming from outside. In return for their service, they would receive a fixed amount of weapons and supplies, and the survivor groups leading these settlements were free to do what they wanted to do within their settlement. Successful defense against attacks also resulted in bonuses when they allocated the supplies.

Constant support and freedom in exchange for what they could do the best, killing enemies, was quite a good deal for most of these survivor groups. Furthermore, they could stay within the safety of the walls. Thus, many survivor groups accepted the task.

But, of course, while leaving the guarding to survivor groups was a good method to ease the lack of personnel, having this many groups for the same task also caused quite an amount of problems.

The bonuses became a spark for the survivor groups to compete with each other.

Sometimes, attacks could happen right at the center of the allocated span of the wall between two Satelite Settlements. It would cause those two groups to contend on who would intercept the attack. Sometimes, it could get so heated that they would take on each other first before dealing with the enemies outside the walls.

Rivalries formed in these interactions. And sometimes, these rivalries became deep-seated to the point of sabotaging each other.

Furthermore, as natural as human nature, everyone has some differences. Some Satelite Settlements had good people managing them, while some were either bad or ignorant. When a good settlement flourished, the people of the worst settlements would get jealous, not even thinking about what was wrong with their management.

Unfortunately, the upper management did not care about the scuffles between the Satelite Settlements. As long as these survivor groups could do their job, the government and the military would not intervene with the Satelite Settlements.

And if a Satelite Settlement got destroyed or its people died from an attack, there were other survivor groups waiting to take that position. It was not a problem for those in the upper management.

It was the awful truth that the people of the Muria Sacred Fortress had to live through day after day.

***

"Luna, it\'s almost time to change shifts~!"

Inside the bedroom of the Moon Chasers group, the loud voice of a lively woman echoed.

The loud voice caused the person sleeping inside to open her eyes slowly as her drowsiness slipped away.

As the woman lifted her body up, her purple hair shined even within the darkness of the room.

"Bajing, I always told you. You don\'t need to shout."

Luna complained to her lively member.

"Ah... I forgot."

Bajing scratched her head with a giddy smile.

Luna could only sigh. This member of hers never really learned.

"I\'ll get ready," Luna sat on her bed, ready to stand. "You wait outside."

"Yes~!"

Bajing finally left.

Luna swiped the curtains of the closed windows open. She looked at the sunset sky outside. The first stars began to come out, and before long, the moon would come and illuminate the dark night.

Just like her current name, Luna, they were the strongest during the night.

After donning her armor and picking up her weapon, Luna went out of her bedroom. Bajing was there, waiting not far away. The two then made their way out of the house they built up a high slope. This house could oversee the entirety of the 39th Satelite Settlement, situated at the southeast of the wall surrounding Mount Muria.

Looking over the settlement, Lune could see many people. It might be a good sign as a settlement. However, the large number of people just made it harder for their group to manage this place.

In fact, in terms of supplies, the 39th Satelite Settlement was barely scraping by.

How many times had it been that Luna and her group almost faced death to feed all these people? It was not like having more people would mean more supplies from the upper management. Unfortunately, it was not like Luna could abandon or extort these people. After all, most of them were non-combatants, children, and permanently injured.

It was not wrong to say that the 39th Satelite Settlement was where the garbage of the apocalypse gathered. It was a pretty bad name to call these people, but to most people in the apocalypse, people who could not do anything to contribute might as well be better dead.

The people in the 39th Satelite Settlement were not slacking either. They were trying their best, even the children. But unlike regular people, they sure had more incapabilities than capabilities.

"It\'s been a while since Limabela visited us, isn\'t it?"

Bajing voiced out while looking up the mountain.

"Her family is pretty strict. She got caught when she slipped out last time. It will be a while before she can meet us again."

Luna sighed, thinking of their friend who luckily ended up in the upper district because of her rich family.

But then again, it was better for Limabela. They should not meet for a while. After all, someone had been targeting the Moon Chasers for a while now.

It was unnatural that every time the Moon Chasers went for a supply run, they would end up encountering hordes of [Infected]. Furthermore, it was a different horde every single time. Although they had no evidence, it was clear that someone was luring those hordes to their position.

Now, the members of the Moon Chasers could only lay low and stay within the settlement. But with their supplies running out, they would need to do another supply run sooner or later.

While walking along the street, Luna received greetings from almost everyone they passed by. Everyone here really appreciated Luna and her group due to their kindness and hard work. Other groups would abandon these people, but the Moon Chasers did not. While these people could not do much, they could at least convey their gratitude.

Soon, Luna and Bajing reached the lookout post by the wall.

"Luna, Bajing! Goodevening."

A man at the outpost greeted the two. Then, the greetings of the five members present in the lookout followed.

"Edge, I\'ll leave the lookout to you," Luna waved to return the greeting. "Me and Bajing will patrol today."

"You\'re not going to stay on the lookout?"

Edge asked.

"I want to take a little walk today."

Luna answered.

"Okay, leave the lookout to me."

Edge said, thumping his chest with his fist.

"Hey, we\'re also here!"

One of the five other members chimed in, causing a fit of laughter from everyone.

After a few more exchanges, Luna and Bajing left to patrol the walls outside the settlement.

But as the two got quite a distance away from the settlement, someone startled Bajing.

"Uwa~" Bajing took a step back. "Oh, it\'s you."

However, Bajing immediately recovered after seeing who it was.

"Thirteenth, good evening."

Luna politely greeted the girl with numerous eyes in front of her.

"You\'re not going out tonight?"

Thirteenth asked Luna.

"Yeah," Luna bitterly smiled. "We almost died during the previous supply run. Everyone is laughing it off, but I know everyone is afraid right now."

"I see," Thirteenth shrugged. "It\'s good to take a good rest. Don\'t push yourself too much."

"Are you going to accompany us tonight?"

Luna asked Thirteenth.

"Hmm... I think I can. I\'m free until midnight."

Thirteenth replied, gladly taking the offer.

"You seem to be in a good mood."

Bajing chimed in, asking Thirteenth.

However, Thirteenth did not reply to the lively woman.

"Hey~! Don\'t ignore me~!"

Bajing complained.

"Bajiing, leave it at that," Luna intervened. "You already know she only talks to me."

"Booo~ It\'s unfair."

Bajing continued to complain, and Luna could only shrug her shoulders.

However, it was clear that Thirteenth was in a pleasant mood. After all, the help that Luna needed would be coming soon.