By day, the cannery was completely silent.

Though there were thousands of people in it, the strictest of order was maintained—no one who set foot by the front gates would even notice their presence crammed in such small buildings.

To minimize outside attention, Merlin had soundproofed a few buildings where mothers with infants could stay, so their occasional crying fits wouldn't be heard outside the factory.

Also, Merlin provided the dead soldiers and their families with mostly instant food to avoid leaving a trail.

The cannery already had a large stock of canned sardines, and Merlin had also prepared bread, crackers, luncheon meat, and fresh vegetables that didn't require cooking. Feeding thousands was easy with these, with each person having a fair-sized portion along with drinkable water and a sealable trash bag.

After each meal, everyone carefully placed their trash in the bag, which was then collected and sorted by respective team leaders. All the waste that built up over t