Weapon System in Zombie Apocalypse-Chapter 81: What The Hell?!

Thomas Estaris sat behind his desk, exhaling deeply as he closed the last report of the day. His shift was ending, and for once, he was looking forward to a few hours of rest. The MOA Complex was running efficiently—food rations were stable, defenses were being reinforced, and patrol units had reported no external threats.

For a moment, things seemed… steady.

But peace never lasted long in this world.

A sharp knock on his door broke his thoughts.

"Come in," he said.

The door swung open, and Rebecca Langley, Director of Civilian Affairs, stepped inside. Her usual composed expression was gone—replaced by something grim.

"Supreme Commander," she began, shutting the door behind her. "We have a serious situation."

Thomas frowned. "What is it?"

Rebecca hesitated for just a second before she placed a tablet in front of him. "Patrol unit 164 responded to an attempted sexual assault on four civilian workers—members of ALAB and RAVE."

Silence.

Thomas's fingers hovered over the tablet, but he didn't touch it. His brain took a second to register the words.

"Say that again," he said, his voice quiet. Too quiet.

Rebecca took a deep breath. "Five men cornered the victims in an alley near the food distribution center. They were rescued in time by Gideon and Damian before…" She trailed off, her expression dark. "Before it could escalate further."

Thomas's grip on the table tightened. "Where are they now?"

"The victims were taken to the medical ward for evaluation. They're physically shaken but not seriously injured. The perpetrators are in custody, awaiting judgment."

Thomas stood abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. "I want to see them. Now."

Rebecca nodded. "I already arranged for them to be brought in."

Thomas grabbed his jacket, his mind racing. The MOA Complex had laws—strict ones. Everyone knew the rules. Stealing, sabotage, murder, and sexual assault were among the highest crimes.

And now, someone had crossed that line.

He exhaled sharply, his jaw tightening. This cannot go unanswered.

Fifteen minutes later, Thomas stood inside an interrogation room. Seated before him were Minji, Kai, Yana, and Nina. They sat close together, their faces pale, their bodies still tense despite being safe now.

Rebecca stood beside Thomas, her clipboard in hand.

"Tell me what happened," Thomas said, his voice controlled but firm.

Minji swallowed hard before speaking. "We were heading back from our shift when we noticed some men following us. At first, we thought we were just being paranoid… but then they cornered us."

Kai clenched her fists. "They blocked the alley, and there was no one around. No guards, no patrols. It felt like a trap."

Yana's voice wavered. "We tried to run, but they grabbed us. They laughed. Said we should be 'grateful' for their attention."

Nina, the youngest of the group, wiped at her eyes. "We screamed. We fought back. But they were stronger."

Thomas's fingers curled into a fist. "And then?"

Minji shuddered. "That's when the patrol arrived. If they hadn't…" Her voice cracked. She didn't finish the sentence.

Thomas inhaled slowly, keeping his emotions in check. "I see." He glanced at Rebecca. "That's all for now. Get them somewhere safe."

Rebecca nodded, motioning for the women to be escorted out.

As the door shut, Thomas exhaled, then turned to the next room.

The accused were waiting.

The five men sat in metal chairs, their wrists restrained. Scarface, the apparent leader, sat in the middle, his nose still bleeding from where Gideon had struck him.

Thomas entered, his expression unreadable.

No one spoke.

He took his time, studying each of them before finally speaking.

"You broke the laws of this complex."

"Technically, there are no laws in this complex," said Scarface. "The government has fallen, you guys aren't a legitimate one. So you can't sentence us."

Thomas's gaze hardened. He leaned forward slightly, his fingers pressing into the metal table between them. His voice remained calm, but there was an undeniable edge to it.

"You think the lack of a government means there are no laws?" He let out a sharp breath, shaking his head. "Let me make something very clear to you. This—" he gestured around the room, "is the law. I am the law. And the fact that you're still breathing is a privilege, not a right."

Scarface smirked despite the blood crusting his nose. "So what? You gonna play dictator now? Judge, jury, and executioner?" He leaned back in his chair, his confidence returning. "You need people like us. Fighters. Survivors. You're not gonna kill us over a couple of scared little girls."

Thomas's expression didn't change, but the air in the room dropped several degrees. The silence stretched, suffocating.

Then—CRACK!

Thomas's fist slammed into Scarface's jaw, sending the man sprawling onto the floor with a grunt of pain. The other men stiffened but remained in place, restrained by their cuffs. Scarface groaned, coughing up blood as he tried to lift himself back up.

Thomas shook his hand, flexing his fingers before speaking again. "Let's get one thing straight." His voice was dangerously low. "This isn't some lawless wasteland where you can do whatever the hell you want. We built this place so people could be safe. You violated that."

Scarface coughed, glaring up at him. "You're bluffing… you won't kill us."

Thomas didn't answer immediately. He simply turned to Rebecca. "What's the punishment for crimes like this?"

Rebecca, who had remained composed through it all, flipped through her notes. "Banishment. Anyone guilty of sexual assault, murder, or treason is thrown out of the complex. They won't survive for long."

Scarface's smirk faltered slightly. The realization was starting to set in.

Thomas let the words hang in the air before adding, "You won't be the first ones we've thrown out."

The younger thug—the one who had tried to downplay the incident earlier—shifted nervously in his seat. "Come on, man, we—we didn't actually do anything! We didn't—" His voice broke off when Thomas's cold stare landed on him.

"You think that makes you innocent?" Thomas asked. "You think that because my men arrived in time, you get a pass?" He turned his head slightly. "Rebecca."

"Yes, Supreme Commander?"

"Would you let someone who held a knife to your throat walk free, just because they didn't get the chance to stab you?"

Rebecca's lips pressed into a thin line. "No."

Thomas nodded and looked back at them. "Exactly."

Scarface gritted his teeth. "If you kill us, it makes you just as bad as—"

"I should execute you," Thomas cut him off sharply. "Because if I let you live, you'll do this again. If not here, then somewhere else." His jaw clenched. "But Rebecca believes banishment is enough. Do you know why?"

Scarface wiped his bloody mouth but said nothing.

"Because it's still a death sentence," Rebecca answered for him, her tone matter-of-fact. "You won't last out there. No food, no shelter, no weapons. You'll either starve, get torn apart by the dead, or worse—run into a real bandit group. They won't be as merciful as we are."

Thomas stared at Scarface, waiting for him to grasp the reality of his fate.

And slowly, he did.

The cocky expression faded. He looked at the others—his fellow attackers—who were pale, sweating. The young one looked ready to cry.

"No," Scarface muttered, shaking his head. "You can't—"

Thomas cut him off. "You made your choice the moment you touched them."

He turned to the guards. "Strip them of everything. No weapons, no food. They leave at first light."

The guards saluted and moved to haul them away.

Scarface thrashed, his voice breaking into something desperate. "No, wait—WAIT! You can't do this! We'll die out there!"

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

Thomas didn't flinch. "Then you should've thought about that before."

The door slammed shut as the men were dragged away.

Silence.

Thomas exhaled slowly and looked at Rebecca. "This doesn't sit right with me."

Rebecca tilted her head. "Why?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "If they survive? If they run into another group of women?" His voice lowered. "They'll do it again."

Rebecca sighed. "That's speculation, Supreme Commander."

"Is it?" Thomas muttered. "You and I both know what men like that do when they have power over someone weaker." He exhaled sharply. "Banishment is a gamble."

Rebecca folded her arms. "Execution makes us look like tyrants."

Thomas leaned back in his chair. His gut told him the right decision was to put them down before they became someone else's nightmare. But Rebecca wasn't wrong, either.

Banishment was already a death sentence.

And if, by some miracle, they did survive?

Well.

The world outside would deal with them.

Thomas clenched his jaw, then exhaled. "Fine. But make sure everyone sees them being thrown out."

Rebecca nodded. "Understood."

"Also, I want to draft some laws, give this place some semblance of a working ministate," Thomas said. "I expect it in the morning so you'll work overtime."

"We will finish it."