Investing in My Harem in the Apocalypse Makes Me Stronger

Elara’s group had barely settled near the buses when Cain clapped his hands once.

The sound was not particularly loud, but several people nearby immediately turned toward him.

”Everyone has ten minutes.”

Cain looked around the temporary base.

”Eat something, drink, check your weapons, and use the bathroom if you need to. We’re leaving after that.”

The relaxed atmosphere that had started appearing after the groups reunited disappeared almost immediately.

Those who had been sitting down pushed themselves up. Others began checking their equipment, tightening straps around armor or replacing damaged weapons with better ones gathered during the afternoon.

Professor Holt walked toward Cain.

”We’re moving already?”

”Yeah.”

Cain glanced toward the western side of the city.

”There’s no point waiting longer.”

The sunlight had already begun shifting lower in the sky.

Cain had no intention of confronting the designated 2nd Echelon zombie after darkness fell. Even with his Sense, voluntarily fighting something that dangerous at night would only create unnecessary disadvantages.

Ten minutes was enough.

He had already spent most of the day preparing.

So, now it was time to see whether that preparation meant anything.

Cain walked toward one of the buses where the food supplies had been organized.

”Give me two sandwiches.”

The student standing nearby quickly handed them over.

Cain looked at the drinks.

”And two of those.”

He pointed toward two cans of fizzy drink.

Ron happened to walk past at that moment.

He raised an eyebrow as he asked Cain, ”You’re eating now?”

Cain opened the first can.

”I haven’t eaten anything proper since before the apocalypse started.”

Ron stared at him.

”How the hell did you forget to eat?”

”I was busy.”

”Busy doing what?”

Cain didn’t answer immediately as he glanced toward Sonya.

Sonya smiled in response.

Ron followed his gaze, then his expression changed.

”Oh, you ate something—”

Cain kicked his shin.

”Not that.”

”You didn’t even let me finish.”

”I know what your face was thinking.”

Cain carried the food toward a relatively open area beside the buses.

Nathan, Elara, Jack, Alex, Professor Holt, and several of the stronger people were already gathering nearby.

Ron followed while rubbing his shin.

Evelyne approached as well.

Sonya remained a little farther back since she was basically a newcomer and still weak enough to attend such meetings.

Cain sat on the front step of a bus.

He unwrapped one sandwich and took a large bite.

Everyone looked at him.

Cain chewed slowly despite everyone’s gaze was on him.

Nathan eventually frowned.

”You called everyone over just to watch you eat?”

Cain swallowed before responding, ”I’m going to explain the plan.”

”Then explain it.”

”I’m hungry.” Ron said as he reached toward the second sandwich.

Cain slapped his hand away.

”Get your own.”

”You asked for two.” Ron knitted his eyebrows.

”They’re both mine.”

”Greedy bastard.” Ron snorted and left to find food for himself.

Cain took another bite before looking toward the people gathered around him.

”Alright.”

His expression became more serious.

”We’ve talked about the western park before, but I haven’t explained exactly what I intend to do.”

That immediately drew everyone’s full attention.

Cain looked west as he continued, ”The 2nd Echelon zombie hasn’t left the park even once as far as we know. Every time something happened nearby, it sent zombies outside instead of coming personally.”

Nathan nodded.

”That happened when we were there before.”

”That gives us the first possibility.”

”What is it?” Ron returned while carrying his own food and finally sat on the hood of the jeep nearby.

Cain raised one finger.

”Naturally, it might send its subordinates again after we provoke it from outside the park.”

Cain took another bite.

”This time, I expect them to be stronger since the weaker groups it sent before never returned.”

”I think so too.” Nathan nodded.

Cain swallowed before continuing, ”If that thing is intelligent enough to control the zombies around it, then it should already realize that whoever is outside the park is strong enough to kill the subordinates it sent before.”

Professor Holt rubbed his chin.

”So it will definitely send a stronger force.”

”That’s actually what I want to happen.”

Several people looked at Cain with interest.

He ignored them as he continued, ”The best situation is that it keeps sitting inside the park while sending everything else toward us.”

Alex rested one hand on the handle of his greatsword.

”So we just need to kill them outside.”

”Every single one.” Cain nodded and continued, ”Because I don’t want anything interfering once I fight the 2nd Echelon Zombie.”

Everyone here already knew the condition attached to Cain’s Advancement Mission.

The 2nd Echelon zombie had to die by Cain’s hand alone.

No one must not help him.

If another zombie attacked Cain while he was fighting the target, the others could kill that zombie. What they could not do was affect the designated target itself.

That meant clearing the surrounding area beforehand was important.

A battlefield filled with hundreds of zombies would make an already dangerous solo fight unnecessarily chaotic.

Cain finished the first sandwich and opened the second.

”The second possibility is that the bastard finally gets annoyed enough to come out personally.”

The atmosphere became quieter.

”That’s the problem.”

Nathan’s expression grew serious.

”If it comes out with everything inside the park?”

”Then we judge the situation first.” Cain shrugged before continuing with a serious expression. ”If their overall strength is too much for us, everyone retreats.”

Jack frowned.

”Immediately?”

”Immediately.” Cain answered without hesitation.

”We don’t stand there proving how brave we are.”

His gaze moved across the others as he continued, ”For example, if we see like thirty 1st Echelons and thousands of zombies coming behind that thing, we will immediately leave without a second thought.”

Ron nodded in agreement.

”Finally, a plan I like.”

Cain ignored him as he continued again, ”In case the worst case scenario happens, we will draw them away from the main group and will move in another direction. The buses stay far enough behind the scouting group so they have time to react.”

Professor Holt glanced toward the vehicles.

”That’s why you want everyone ready to move.”

”Yes.” Cain nodded as he drank from the can.

”The buses are our lifeline. If the situation goes bad, nobody argues. Everyone gets inside and leaves.”

”And if they aren’t stronger than us?” Elara asked.

Cain smiled faintly.

”Then that becomes the best version of the second possibility.”

He crushed the empty can lightly between his fingers.

”We bring them toward the others and wipe them out.”

The answer was simple.

Their group was no longer the same collection of frightened survivors that had gathered inside the auditorium.

Most of their strongest fighters had entered the 1st Echelon.

Ron was already Level 46.

Alex had reached Level 42.

More importantly, they now had enough experienced fighters to support weaker people safely.

A large zombie horde was still dangerous.

But it was also an experience field for them.

Cain had learned very quickly that the apocalypse rewarded the people who were willing to fight.

If hundreds of zombies conveniently walked toward them, Cain had no intention of wasting the opportunity.

He finished the second sandwich.

”So based on those possibilities, I have different plans for what happens afterward.”

Nathan looked toward him.

”How many?”

”Plan A is the one I want.” He replied as he stood up, then continued. ”We will provoke the park. The target sends its subordinates. We kill everything it sends until the surrounding area is clean.”

Cain looked directly toward Elara.

”Once that happens, all of you stay away from the target since I’ll fight the 2nd Echelon Zombie by myself.”