Now the only thing left for Lucien was to grow stronger. The deadline was one month, and once he failed or if he failed, that would be the end. The zombie would evolve into a one-star existence, and Lucien would have failed completely.
He would also be unable to complete the system’s tasks, and on top of that, he still had to pay back the SP he owed as well as the fact that he could die if the zombie attacked after it’s breakthrough.
"Well... Mai, I’m going to need your help," Lucien muttered as he grinned.
---
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Finally, the shelter had expanded multiple times, with numerous patrols acting as security. A gigantic fence, five meters high, surrounded the entire territory.
Humanity had adapted to life inside the shelter and even more so, to surviving the apocalypse.
Smiles returned to people’s faces. Friendships were formed again, love bloomed once more, and the one who benefited the most from all of this was undoubtedly Lucien.
"System, show me my stats and territorial status," Lucien muttered.
He was dressed in a rather fancy coat, seated on a high-end office chair, inside a standing skyscraper.
This was the main building where the elites stayed, and the upper floors were used for meetings that determined the future of the shelter.
At the moment, Lucien was alone, gazing down at the clean, bustling city.
Although it still lacked a bit when compared to a full-sized city, it was worth noting nonetheless.
The corpses had been cleared out and burned. Some buildings had been torn down for materials to rebuild others.
Basically, humanity had regressed slightly. Most of the current buildings were made of wood with a bit of iron.
However, they were reinforced and carefully designed.
As for the buildings that still stood like the skyscraper Lucien was staying in, they were reserved for special purposes.
(Ding)
Host: Lucien
Rank: Beginner-Level Awakener (Limit)
Strength: 50
Speed: 50
Stamina: 50
Territory Status
Territory Name: Lucien Shelter
Territory Level: Advanced City Settlement
Population: 14,000
Controlled Area: 90% of City
Followers
Loyal Followers: 14,000
Awakeners Under Command: 100
Semi-Awakeners: 3,900
Awakener Breakdown:
Beginner-Level: 42
Middle-Level: 38
High-Level: 15
Peak-Level: 5
Limit-Level: 0
Total Combat Personnel: 4,000
Ability
Ability: All Must Bow (Used)
Next Available Use: 21 Days
Skills:
Eyes of Desire
Appraisal
Luck: 30
Sexual Points: 0 (Recently Spent)
----
A smile spread across Lucien’s face as he looked at the updated status.
This meant progress. This was real change.
He had spent all the SP he possessed to ensure that nearly his entire army became semi-awakeners. The original ninety-three guards had grown into one hundred awakeners. More importantly, they had conquered almost the entire city and gathered every surviving human, bringing the total population to fourteen thousand.
Lucien had gathered them recently and used All Must Bow on them. Now, he had to wait twenty-one days before he could use it again.
"I guess it’s time..." Lucien murmured as he looked at the bright green clouds above.
It was morning, and today marked the end of the one-month deadline.
It was finally time to accomplish everything he could.
He had to defeat a half-step one-star zombie, break through to one star himself, and gain full control of the city.
There was a lot to do and today was the final day.
To be honest, Lucien wasn’t completely sure they could win.
---
Host: Leader of the Zombie Hordes
Rank: Half-Step One-Star Zombie
Race: Zombie
Strength: 93
Speed: 87
Stamina: 54
Ability: Berserk
(All stats double for one minute, followed by weakness. Afterward, normal stats are reduced to half.)
---
These were the stats of the half-step one-star zombie. Lucien had personally gone to observe it in order to mentally prepare himself, and all he could feel was shock.
He and the zombie were worlds apart.
Lucien was at the limit of a Beginner-Level Awakener, with all stats capped at fifty.
For a normal Beginner-Level Awakener, the peak was forty in every stat.
This zombie’s strength alone far surpassed them, and its overall stats were leagues above.
If this had been a month ago, Lucien wouldn’t have had the confidence to face it.
But now...
Knock. Knock.
"Yes," Lucien replied as the door opened.
"Leader, the army is ready," a middle-aged, bearded man said as Lucien nodded.
"Thank you, Jeff," Lucien replied.
Jeff saluted and left.
In just one month, Jeff had changed drastically. That was the result of becoming a general of an army especially an army of this scale.
He was no longer commanding a mere hundred guards, but a force of four thousand men. The pressure and responsibility had shaped him into the man he was today.
It didn’t take a genius to realize that Jeff would become one of the most powerful figures in the shelter’s future.
As Jeff left, Lucien smiled.
"I have an army of four thousand. Most are semi-awakeners, and over one hundred are full awakeners, including Jeff, Daemon, the original five awakeners, Mai... and myself," Lucien muttered.
"No matter how strong you are, no matter how terrifying you are ..you will fall today," Lucien declared, his eyes turning cold.
"Mai... let’s go," Lucien said.
A familiar feminine figure emerged from the shadows.
She had a petite face with a gentle smile, her curves clearly outlined by her clothing.
Lucien paused.
"Wait... what is this?" he asked, confused.
They were about to head into a battle no, a war that would determine the fate of the city and their very lives.
Yet Mai was dressed so revealingly.
Why?
Mai chuckled softly and replied courteously,
"It’s all for you, Master. I don’t want you to be bored looking at rough men all day, especially while fighting zombies. Wouldn’t it be nice to have something... more pleasant to look at?" she asked, lightly biting her lower lip.
Lucien could feel a vein popping up on his head. And no, this wasn’t the first time.
Lucien noticed Mai had changed. Even if she was not under the All Must Bow ability, it seemed he had broken her in one way. Her self-esteem, her ego, her pride, her arrogance, everything was crushed by him, and she turned into a being that strove to please him in all ways. But the more she acted like this, the more Lucien was tempted to kill her.
Killing a human might be a first for him, considering he would be using his own hands, but for someone who had tried to kill him twice? Yes, Lucien wouldn’t hesitate.
He only didn’t do it because she was of value to him based on SP.
But she seemed to be running low, and Lucien wasn’t getting the amount he should. According to the system, it had to do with a lot of conditions, with the most common being her strength.
"It’s fine. Just go out and merge with the guards," Lucien said as he held his forehead.
"Aye aye, Captain," Mai saluted as she stuck out her tongue.
Lucien watched as Mai walked out, shaking her butt.
Lucien took a deep breath.
Today was special, yes, but more than that, he felt it held a lot.
He felt that once he took the whole city, more things would be opened to him. Maybe he would understand this world better. But seriously, controlling an office was far below controlling a shelter in the apocalypse.
You had to be a tyrant. You had to make decisions others wouldn’t.
While others looked at the present situation, you always had to think about the future when deciding, so what seemed wrong to others was necessary for survival.
"Controlling ants is difficult," Lucien muttered as he used one hand to cover his eyes. His left eye was seen glowing pink in color as smoke spiraled behind him, showing the form of a humanoid being.
---
Outside...
Jeff had arranged for the army to gather outside, but of course, the whole four thousand wouldn’t go. Daemon had already told a thousand to stay back, and Lucien agreed, but still, even the remaining three thousand were all strong.
The strongest of the bunch were chosen for this battle.
According to the intelligence and logistics company, information about the zombie horde was released.
Half-step one-star zombie
24 elite zombies
10,000 normal zombies
It was a huge horde. Of course, if they had attacked this half-step one-star zombie earlier without clearing the city, the number would have easily been ten times more.
"Everyone..." Just as everyone was anxiously waiting for Lucien and thinking about the upcoming battle, a familiar voice was heard.
Lucien appeared at the front, wearing a suit. His hair was tidy, and a lit cigarette rested between his lips as he smiled.
It contrasted sharply with the tense atmosphere filled with worry and fear.
People were stunned. Their leader was mysterious and had only been seen on a few occasions, yet he always seemed... weird.
Well, actually, just different.
Maybe it was because he saw things from a different point of view. He saw paths where there were none, methods in fixed points, and success in failure.
Maybe that was one of the reasons he could lead the shelter and they couldn’t.
"Cheer up, everyone. Yes, I understand everything seems difficult, tense, and dangerous. To tell the truth, at least..." Lucien paused as confused eyes were cast on him, even from Daemon and Jeff.
"A lot of you will die today. Even though we have over a hundred awakeners, even ten awakeners might not be able to take down an elite zombie. That aside, the half-step one-star zombie has to be attacked now. The best we could do was weaken its power by erasing the surrounding zombies, which we did. So rejoice even if the chances are one, at least they’re not zero. Anyway..." Lucien said as he took a puff.
Smoke flowed out of his lips and drifted upward.
Just as everyone felt tense lucien spoke up...
"I’m smoking the last cigarette..cough just letting you guys know," Lucien finished, causing laughter to burst out.
Really, in such a serious situation, Lucien was worried about cigarettes running out.
Based on what he had done for the shelter, even if he took all the cigarettes, would anyone complain?
Lucien looked at everyone laughing and shook his head.
"I’m serious. The cigarette is gone. This is the last one," Lucien paused as he looked at the faces in front of him.
"That aside... your partners, your new friends, most won’t come back with you today. And those who do, some might not be complete," Lucien said, his face filled with melancholy as the laughter died down as everyone felt heavy.
"A lot of you will die today. A lot of you will weep today. You will lose your colleagues, your comrades. A lot will be gone today. No matter how powerful I may seem, no matter how strong you perceive me to be, there are things I can’t promise."
"I can’t promise that all of you will come back. I can’t promise that I will keep you all safe. The truth is, there will be deaths, a lot of deaths. So I’ll give you all a chance. If you want to leave now, leave. Go home. Stay with your families if you have one. If you don’t, stay with your friends. Go enjoy life," Lucien said, his eyes neutral as he swept them over everyone.
Seconds passed, yet no one moved. No one ran away from this war.
"Since you stayed, then I’m taking it that you are prepared to die , prepared to lay down your lives for this shelter. Prepared to die for your colleagues, to risk your lives and put everything on the line to give us a chance at victory."
"Humanity has fallen. The world has changed. Everything is new and broken but this is a chance. Our chance to take the first step, to explore, to go out, to lead, to create a future."
Lucien’s voice traveled far and wide as thunder echoed, lightning struck, and for the first time since the apocalypse, rain fell.