If Clark's purpose for this trip is to establish a safe zone, shouldn't he be recruiting people there? As fellow human survivors, not everyone should be as hostile as the ones we encountered before, right? I don't know why, but he always feels like Clark's arrangement is more like... starting a slaughter. The scenery outside the window flashed by frame by frame, and Clark fell silent for a moment.
"They might not necessarily be our enemies," he finally responded to Dirk's question. "But I need to kill."
In the basement of the LJ City University, located in the sports building's second floor underground, a dim storage room contained fitness equipment that had been moved to one side.
At the center of the room, an indigo-colored sphere floated in the air. The radiating beams from the sphere filled the entire room.
A dark-skinned young man with disheveled hair, named Norm, stood in front of the sphere. His face, cast in the indigo light, had a somewhat grim appearance. His chest heaved as he took in deep breaths of the air in front of him.
Occasionally, wisps of gas-like substance would escape from the sphere and be absorbed into his lungs, giving him a slight, temporary boost in strength.
"Luminous node..." Norm muttered to himself, his gaze mesmerized by the sphere in front of him. The desire in his eyes made everything in the world pale in comparison to the sphere.
Thump, thump, thump.
The iron door on the ground floor had a faint, dull sound when it was opened. Though it was much quieter by the time it reached the underground second floor, Norm could hear it clearly. An expression of irritation flickered across his face.
"Clang." Iron chains wound around the storage room's iron door. Norm took a few steps to the entrance of the storage room and carefully secured the door before heading upstairs to open it.
Outside the first-floor door, several young athletes appeared somewhat anxious.
"I wonder what Norm is up to inside, always so secretive."
"Someone went in a bit further when delivering food last time and saw him coming out of the basement. Nearly got beaten half to death."
"You mean Trevor? Heard if it wasn't for Professor Desmond intervening, Norm would have beaten him on the spot!"
"Can you call Norm the Chairman, you bunch of waste?"
Among the five, a girl with heavy makeup and a somewhat mature appearance stared with condescension at the burlier guy, scolding him with an authoritative tone.
"You..."
The athlete who spoke earlier was a bit irked by her retort, but was quickly restrained by his companion.
"What? You dare lay a hand on me? Believe me, when the Chairman Norm shows up, you'll see what's coming for you!"
The four of them suppressed their anger and glanced at each other, instinctively closing their mouths, unwilling to continue discussing further.
What a load of rubbish, calling him the Chairman Norm. Clearly, just ten days ago, he was a broke student, insisting on giving himself a title.
Since the sports institute area was cleared out, Norm has been wielding authority, taking advantage of being an awakened individual, speaking with the same tone as the school leaders.
But these few dare not voice their thoughts. Many students who previously disapproved of Norm's manner were severely taught a lesson.
Norm, with his fast pace, standing just over five feet, short and stout, walked to the door, his face filled with impatience.
"What is it now!?"
"I've already said, if there's nothing, don't come to find me!"
"Chairman Norm, the school leaders have called for a meeting."
"It seems to be related to the back of the campus."
The iron door opened, and Norm's expression softened upon hearing the words "Chairman" and "meeting," appearing quite pleased. The girl with heavy makeup quickly moved close to him, wrapping her arms around him.
"Chairman Norm, there are so many things I'd like to discuss with you."
Speaking with a seductive tone, she intentionally or unintentionally brushed her chest against Norm's arm, with a flirtatious expression.
"Okay! I'll come find you after the meeting."
Norm glanced at the girl with heavy makeup, feeling a burning desire within. His right hand, which was being held, couldn't resist discreetly slipping into her pants from behind.
LJ City College Road, in an off-road vehicle.
"Clark, are you saying that the survivors at the college might not accept us?"
Dirk hesitantly asked Clark, still somewhat shocked by Clark's earlier words.
Clark's intention was to establish dominance through fear, killing until everyone was terrified.
Clark nodded after a moment of thought.
In a previous life, LJ City College was one of the first factions to complete their missions and obtain safety badges due to the high number of awakened individuals. It was naturally one of the first places to establish a safe zone within the entire war zone.
However, because of the large number of awakened individuals, they divided into two rival factions early on, vying for power.
One faction was represented by a close-knit team of students, while the other was comprised of college leaders, teachers, and some students. It was quite comical; even though it was just a school, they had managed to create a department that mimicked a government. It had to be said that power was like a drug, and no one could resist its allure.
With his thoughts organized, Clark spoke slowly, "Although the apocalypse has just begun, you've probably already sensed it. When social order is disrupted, the value of power skyrockets."
"As long as you have enough strength, you can get anything you want."
"Women, status, money, power, and even the absolute authority over the life and death of the weak."
"Originally, you were just an ordinary person, but once you become an awakened individual, as long as you beckon, ordinary people will kneel before you, flattering you, and letting you do as you please."
"Want to kill? Kill. Want someone to die? Make them die."
"Who can resist such pleasure?"
"So, no one is willing to give up their existing power and become someone else's vassal."
"Therefore, the best and simplest way to subdue the awakened individuals at the school."
"Definitely."
"Use force to stop the use of force! Directly intimidate them with military power, killing until they fear and submit."
"Only when they realize that resistance means death can we quickly unite all the resources and manpower to establish a safe zone."
"We have only one month; we must implement military management and a high-pressure policy."
"Everyone must obey my orders; the entire faction can only have one voice!"
"Otherwise, squabbling and infighting will waste a lot of time."
If too much time is wasted, they will face a zombie wave under hasty circumstances, and more people will die.
Clark, unlike his usual self, decided to lay out his entire thought process and innermost feelings to the team members. There was no hiding anything, from the impending zombie waves after establishing the safe zone to the zombie uprising six months later, he disclosed everything truthfully. There was nothing to hide, as these crises would be known sooner or later. Only the constant pressure of the imminent threat of death would provide the motivation needed.
People always have their own thoughts, and expecting blind obedience from his subordinates, relying solely on dominance, was fundamentally unrealistic.
Dirk remained silent after hearing Clark's words, with nothing to rebut.
"So, Clark, can't we just tell them about the zombie wave uprising six months from now?"
"If everyone can't work together to build a safe zone and instead fights individually, then there's only one road, and it leads to death."
Arnold, after much thought, finally voiced his thoughts. His brutality and cruelty were directed at those he despised, and he wasn't inherently inclined toward wanton killing.
Clark shook his head and posed a direct question in response.