I Got Reincarnated as a Zombie Girl-Chapter 145 – Cracks Within the Iron Fortress

In the central command chamber of the human military’s main headquarters, the air was heavy and hot, even though no fire was burning. The scent of sweat, metal, and tension hung thick in every corner. A world map covered the wall marked with red and black symbols denoting lost territories, undead-controlled zones, and places deemed unsafe. At the center of the vast room, generals and high-ranking officers sat around a round table, their faces as stiff as metal shields forced to hold back cracks.

The debate was boiling over again.

"If we let the city of Nocture continue to grow, they’ll win the hearts of what’s left of humanity!" barked Colonel Marron, slamming his hand on the table. "We the military are the last bastion of human civilization! And now they want to live alongside zombies? That’s blasphemy!"

"And you want to attack that city?" a young lieutenant shot back, bitterness in his voice. "They’ve never attacked us. They even sent diplomatic communications—"

"Silence!" Marron roared. "You’re green! You don’t know what the world used to be! Our power is the only reason civilization is still standing! If that city is allowed to thrive, everything we’ve built will crumble! Discipline! Obedience! Hierarchy! It will all collapse if people start believing that coexistence with zombies is a choice!"

Other voices rose in response. Some agreed with Marron. But many simply remained silent. Not because they were cowards but because they were tired. The war had gone on for too long, and now before them was a place more stable, more secure. But to say such a thing here... was like sticking one’s head into a lion’s mouth.

In a corner of the room, General Ludovi sat quietly. His face betrayed no emotion, but behind his aged eyes, something churned something he could no longer suppress. He had seen too many wars, too much blood. But it was human greed the corruption of power over one another that sickened him most.

He turned the ring on his finger, the symbol of his service for over three decades. But now, he no longer wore it with pride.

"Ludovi!" Marron barked suddenly. "You haven’t said a word! Don’t tell me you still believe in negotiating with that Zombie Queen? Don’t tell me you believe in her sentimental ideals!"

All eyes turned to him.

Ludovi gazed at them one by one. Officers he had once trained. Some who had once been idealists now nothing more than extensions of human greed. Men who once raised weapons to protect humanity... now driven by nothing but their own lust for control.

"I’ve seen too many cities fall to decisions like this," Ludovi finally said, his voice deep and calm. "You speak as though power is the ultimate goal. But you forget our mission is to survive. To protect. To ensure the future of the human race."

"And what of Nocture?" one officer sneered. "You think a city full of zombies is humanity’s future?"

"If the future can be built through peace, without war, without burning the last scraps of hope... then yes, I believe it’s a future worth fighting for," Ludovi replied. "And I... will not be part of those who destroy it just because they fear losing control."

Silence fell over the room. Not because they agreed. But because many... were already beyond saving.

That night, Ludovi returned to his room with heavy steps. His wife was waiting behind the door, eyes filled with concern.

"They won’t stop, will they?" she whispered.

Ludovi shook his head slowly.

"They’ve gone blind. But we don’t have to follow them into that darkness."

He looked at the family photo hanging on the wall. His son was in it a young officer, full of ambition and fire. Always wanting to climb the military ladder, faster, higher. And now, he was among those who supported a plan to strike Nocture.

Ludovi knew what he had to do.

That same night, quietly, he began contacting a few officers and civilian staff who still had sense. Those who didn’t want their children fighting yet another war for the ambitions of their elders.

They began planning their departure.

And a week later, on a moonless night, Ludovi led a small group around fifty people, including his family and several civilian technicians out of the military base. There was no ceremony. No farewell. Only silence and hurried footsteps, chased by the fear of being stopped.

At the final gate, his son was waiting.

"So the rumors were true," he said coldly. "My father... is a coward."

Ludovi stopped walking. The arcane lamp’s glow made his son’s face look sharper, harder.

"If you leave tonight, then you’re no longer one of us. You’ll be just like them... the walking corpses."

"I’m not leaving because I’m a coward," Ludovi said softly. "I’m leaving because I know... a human who has lost all compassion is more dangerous than any zombie."

His son said nothing. He simply turned away.

And so, Ludovi passed through the gates disappointed, but resolute. He brought his wife and daughter to the city ruled by the so-called Zombie Queen. But to him, that city offered hope, not destruction.

Days later, Ludovi’s group reached Nocture’s borders. They were met by an undead guard unit disciplined, organized, and non-aggressive.

One of them nodded and opened the path.

"The Queen already knew you were coming," the guard said. "We were ordered not to interfere. You’re free to enter... as long as you come in peace."

Ludovi looked at Nocture’s towering gate, rising like a legendary castle. But there was nothing terrifying about it.Only silence... and order.

"Yes," he said. "We’ve come not to destroy. But to help build."

And as he stepped inside, he knew this was not just a new beginning.

A gray dusk settled over Nocture just as the report reached Sylvia’s hands. On the high balcony of the central castle, she was enjoying her tea as usual, surrounded by development reports, updated maps, and scribbled notes on the city’s economic growth. Before her, thick clouds rolled slowly, and the magical lanterns lining the streets below began to light up one by one.

Zark arrived with the news. Without lengthy preamble, he handed the paper to Sylvia.

"The group from central military headquarters has arrived. Including... General Ludovi," he said flatly.

Sylvia took the paper without much reaction. She read it quickly, then set it down beside her teacup. Her gaze remained fixed on the reddening sky in the west.

"And?" she murmured, emotionless.

"He came with around fifty people. Mostly technicians and civilians. His family is with him. No signs of heavy weaponry or hostile intent. They entered through the eastern gate, as per protocol. No resistance."

Sylvia gave a small nod.

"Good," she said simply. "Let them in."

Zark turned to her, slightly puzzled by her overly calm demeanor.

"They’re from the main base, my Queen. These aren’t just regular refugees. You know their history with Sofia. And the military headquarters... is not a place of mercy."

Sylvia sipped her tea, then replied lightly:

"And you think I would waste energy caring about old grudges from people who’ve already lost the moral war?"

She turned toward Zark. Her gaze was sharp, yet calm.

"If they wish to live in Nocture, then they submit to its laws. Nothing more, nothing less. No special rights. No special forgiveness either. They must work, eat, and live like everyone else here."

Zark nodded slowly.

"We’ll place them in the western block, near the technician zone. There are some new generator projects underway there. They can start from there."

"Let them find their own usefulness," Sylvia added. "We don’t need retired officers or war heroes. We need workers. And if they can’t be that, then time will sweep them aside on its own."

Zark smiled faintly. He had always admired Sylvia’s way of ruling firm, cold, but never cruel. In a broken world, it was the most honest form of justice.

A few hours later, in the temporary shelter, General Ludovi was settling into a living space with his wife and several of the accompanying technicians. They were given an old building not yet fully renovated, but still clean and decent.

There was no grand welcome. No banners. Just a few undead guards making sure things ran in order.

But Ludovi expected nothing. In fact, he felt relieved.

"Here... we’re just ordinary people," he said to his wife as he unpacked their small bag. "And that’s better than being rulers over ruins."

Outside the building, several Nocture residents human and undead alike watched their arrival with curiosity. But no one pointed. No one mocked. In this city, everyone had a dark past. And in Nocture, what mattered was not who you used to be... but who you were now.

Meanwhile, Ludovi’s son who had refused to follow remained at central headquarters. But his thoughts began to stir. A part of him quietly questioned if the father he had always looked up to chose to leave... had he picked the wrong side?

Time would answer that.

For now, Ludovi and his group began to rebuild their lives. They joined as project laborers, assistant engineers, and civilian instructors at the academy. None of them asked for rank or privilege. They came to live... and that was what they would do.

High in the tower, Sylvia glanced at a new report from Celes.

The economy had grown 14% that month. The crystal reactor project was stable. The city was experiencing a surplus of food and light metals. Nocture... was slowly becoming more than just a place to live.

Sylvia allowed herself a thin smile.

"One by one... humans will come here. Not out of fear. But because they know... the place they once called home no longer holds meaning. And we will accept them. But not with open arms. Only with a place in the ranks."

The night wind tugged at her cloak.

And Nocture, the city that no longer slept, kept moving forward bringing with it the exiles of the old world, and slowly shaping a new civilization that could no longer be ignored.

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