Chapter 53: Preparation (2) [CASTLE BONUS]
Nobody spoke after that.
The auditorium fell completely silent.
The people inside had known almost nothing about what existed beyond the university.
Now Cain had returned and told them that only a few kilometers away, creatures had already reached stages most of them could barely understand.
Worse, one of those creatures might eventually pursue Cain without ever stopping.
Evelyne’s hands slowly tightened beside her body.
Elara already knew about the mission, but hearing Cain explain the consequences to everyone again still caused her expression to become colder.
Cain looked around.
"Don’t panic."
Ron immediately snorted.
"You just told everyone that an unknown 2nd Echelon zombie will hunt you forever if you fail."
Cain glanced at him.
"And?"
"And you’re telling them not to panic?"
"I’m telling them because it changes what we need to do next."
Cain ignored Ron after that.
"The good news is that I don’t plan on failing."
He continued with a faint smile as his eyes shifted toward Ron. "Unlike a certain someone, I’m extremely strong."
"..."
Ron stared back at him.
’I should’ve kept my mouth shut.’
Cain’s confidence caused several people to look at him differently.
"I already fought multiple 1st Echelon creatures today." Cain said with a calm expression.
"I know I’m not strong enough to casually kill the 2nd Echelon yet."
That admission surprised several people more than if he had simply bragged.
"That’s why we’re going to prepare properly."
He looked toward everyone gathered throughout the auditorium.
"The 2nd Echelon isn’t alone."
Professor Holt narrowed his eyes.
"There are other zombies around it?"
"There has to be."
Cain nodded.
"When we encountered it, three 1st Echelon zombies and several dozen high-Level Unranked zombies chased us."
Cain continued, "The designated target itself belongs to me. But the zombies around it don’t."
Understanding gradually appeared on Professor Holt’s face.
"You want us to deal with everything surrounding it."
"Exactly."
Cain pointed toward Nathan, Elara, and Jack.
"We already have three 1st Echelon fighters."
His gaze then moved toward Ron.
"This idiot is also close to becoming one."
Ron immediately looked offended.
"Why am I the only one introduced like that?"
"Because you’re the only idiot."
"Fuck you."
A few people chuckled, causing some of the tension inside the auditorium to ease.
Cain let it happen before continuing.
"The problem is that three strong fighters still aren’t enough."
He looked toward everyone else.
"If dozens of zombies surround me while I’m fighting the designated target, even one of them interfering at the wrong time could lead to a dangerous situation for me since I don’t even know how strong the 2nd Echelon would be. But at least I’m confident enough to not get killed by it even if it’s extremely strong."
"That’s why everyone needs to become stronger as quickly as possible."
Professor Holt slowly nodded.
"How much time do we have?"
"Enough that I don’t need to rush back there immediately."
Cain deliberately avoided giving an exact number.
"But not enough for everyone to spend the rest of the day sitting inside this auditorium."
His gaze swept across the survivors.
"You’ve been relatively safe inside the university until now, so most of you haven’t seen what’s actually happening beyond it."
Cain paused.
"Neither had I."
That sentence made several people focus on him even more closely.
"I already knew the outside world would be dangerous."
A faint smile appeared on his face, but there was no amusement behind it.
"But after what we saw today, calling it dangerous doesn’t really describe it anymore."
He looked toward the entrance.
"The things outside are evolving much faster than I expected."
Then his eyes returned to everyone.
"So from now on, we will do the same."
Cain allowed the words to settle for several seconds, then continued.
"Some of you already know this, but I never intended for us to stay at the university permanently and wait for the rescue from the government or military."
Professor Holt remained silent.
Nathan already knew as Cain had told him about the plan when they first met at the cafeteria, back when securing transportation had still been one of their main concerns.
However, several others inside the auditorium were hearing it for the first time.
Cain glanced toward the vehicles parked outside.
"The original plan was to gather enough supplies, secure transportation, and strengthen ourselves before leaving."
He paused for a moment.
"I’m moving that schedule forward."
Cain looked across the auditorium.
"My destination is the Capital City."
A few quiet conversations immediately started among the survivors.
Cain waited for them to settle.
"Elara, Ron, Nathan, and Jack are coming with me."
Ron raised his head from the chair.
"You make it sound like I already agreed."
Cain looked at him.
"You didn’t?"
Ron opened his mouth, but then remembered that they were neighbors.
"...Never mind."
Cain ignored him.
"There are others who already plan to come as well."
His eyes moved across the people gathered near the stage.
"But nobody is being forced to follow us."
A few survivors exchanged uncertain looks.
Cain continued calmly.
"If you want to remain here after we leave, that’s your choice. If you have somewhere else you want to go, I’m not stopping you either."
He had no interest in dragging unwilling people across several cities.
The journey would already be difficult enough.
People who did not want to be there would only create problems later.
"So think about it carefully."
Cain stepped back.
"I’d rather know now than after we’re already outside the city."
Silence followed as nobody answered immediately.
Unlike Cain and his childhood friends, many of the survivors did not have a clear destination.
Some had families in other cities and others originally assumed they would remain inside the university until rescue arrived.
After everything Cain had just told them, that possibility no longer felt particularly convincing.
The outside world had changed too much.
They had survived until now largely because stronger people had cleared paths ahead of them, supplied them with weapons, and brought them into the auditorium.
Leaving Cain’s group meant abandoning that protection.
Professor Holt eventually spoke.
"I’ll go with you."
Cain looked toward him.
Holt continued, "I don’t have a better destination right now."
Professor Ian nodded shortly afterward.
Irina adjusted her glasses.
"I’ll come as well."
The people who had originally followed the professors exchanged a few words among themselves and all of them reached the same conclusion.
Doctor Owen did not take long either.
"I’ll stay with the group."
He glanced toward the hospital survivors nearby.
Several of them visibly relaxed when they heard his answer.
One decision led into another.
They simply considered their circumstances and chose the option that gave them the highest chance of staying alive.
By the end, nobody announced any intention to separate.
Cain nodded in satisfaction.
"Alright."
That saved him trouble.
He looked toward Professor Holt.
"When the time comes, help organize the people who can’t fight properly. We already have vehicles, so transportation shouldn’t be the biggest problem."
Holt nodded.
Cain then added, "There’s one more thing."
Elara already knew what was coming from the change in his tone.
Cain looked at the strongest people gathered near him.
"If my fight in the western park doesn’t go according to plan, you leave first."