Chapter 56: Chosen Prey

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Chosen Prey Unaware of the game the leadership was playing, the morale of the base was at an all-time high. More people were being given opportunities to prove themselves and were being rewarded for it. The plethora of rewards included better food, better housing, women and men of their choice. But the most sought-after reward was access to the sauna. In a place where most people weren’t allowed to take showers, the sauna was a luxury only a few could have. Michael made sure of it. One’s rank didn’t matter. Their social standing definitely didn’t matter. What mattered was their achievements. Or in some cases, the power they awakened. Alaric’s experiment led to a rise in some powerful abilities. To tame these wild horses, Michael let them experience the luxuries that awaited them. It fed the fire in them to get those things again. Hence, ensuring their loyalty. Hailey would have never done it, but Michael didn’t hesitate to show blatant favoritism. Right now, two such individuals were headed towards the sauna. Their towels hung around their necks, and their flip-flops slapped against the wet floor. Jared and Bono, two formerly low-ranking ensigns, found themselves ranked higher than most of their superiors in the new regime. It was safe to say they were enjoying the changes. After awakening a couple of days ago, it was their first time visiting the sauna. Naturally, they wanted to make the most of it. "I heard they sent another expedition today," Jared said, yawning. "Another one? Didn’t they send one out just a couple of days ago?" The bald Bono asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yup. And they sent a new one today. Heard it from the chief." "They are wasting resources, in my opinion," Bono scoffed. "It’s not like the world is changing anymore. Everything is stable. The maps we have are more than enough." "Yeah, that’s what I thought," Jared said. "But apparently they are worried about the undead forming territories of their own." For a moment, Bono thought Jared was joking. Those brainless zombies, who didn’t have a single brain cell, could form a territory? That was the strangest idea ever. However, Jared wasn’t joking. "You seriously believe those zombies are building cities overnight?" Bono scoffed. "I’m not saying anything. It’s the superiors. That’s what the expeditions are all about. To find and sabotage these lairs, as they are called." All of a sudden, the two went silent. Perhaps contemplating what it would mean to fight intelligent undead. End of the world. That’s what. Suddenly, the strange expeditions didn’t seem so strange anymore. If the zombies could build, then it was important to eliminate them as soon as possible. "Wait... no one has returned from an expedition..." Bono mumbled. "They all—" "Don’t say it! Just don’t... Let’s not think about all that," Jared shook his head. "Whatever it is, let’s leave it up to the higher-ups." "Y-Yeah, let’s focus on the sauna." The duo didn’t speak after that. They reached the shower cubicles and stepped into separate stalls, enjoying the feeling of all of their worries melting away. Jared was right. As long as they kept doing as they were told, everything would be under control. "Nothing to worry about—" "ARGH!!!" Jared screamed from the next stall. "Jared! What happened?" Bono rushed out without bothering to cover himself when no reply came. He kicked open the door and saw the place was a mess. The room was full of steam, but even through that, Bono could see blood splattered everywhere. Most of it was concentrated around a hole in the ground. "Argh..." "Jared!" Bono was about to rush in but froze when he saw his friend. Jared was covered in blood as he desperately tried to claw his way out of the hole. He even raised a hand towards Bono, but with his throat crushed, he couldn’t even ask for help. As for Bono, he was too scared to move. He stood there, frozen with fear, as something dragged Jared into the hole. It wasn’t until Jared’s scream faded that Bono snapped back to his senses. "HELP!" Bono screamed, charging out. He wasn’t worried about Jared, but about himself, and rightfully so. *** Sometime later, inside Michael’s office. Bono was wearing a bathrobe, and kept shaking in fear. The room was quiet except for Michael’s table taps. Bono had just finished retelling them what had happened, and everyone had gone silent in disbelief and worry. Perhaps some were even scared. Most people inside the base had been living a carefree life, as it was the safest place in the city. Now, someone or something had threatened their safety. With a deep sigh, Michael got off the chair and walked to the window. His arms were crossed behind as he stared at the courtyard below. Thousands of camps had been set up there. People without influence or power lived there. In other words, the creature had plenty of prey to take. All of that food, yet the creature targeted a place frequented only by the Chosens. As much as Michael wanted to think it was a coincidence, his intuition screamed that it wasn’t the case. Someone had deliberately waited to hunt a chosen. He rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming. He was busy preparing an army to take down the zombie king. Every single chosen who visited the sauna was in that army. Thankfully, they didn’t visit the sauna, and they only lost a recently awakened soldier. The loss would’ve hit him even harder if it were someone from the list. That was the only solace he had. "Clear the ground floor in its entirety," he said, without turning his gaze away. "The barracks are to be moved immediately. No Chosen can go to the ground floor without my explicit permission!" "Affirmative." Two guards got up and left, along with Bono, to execute the orders. But there was someone who wasn’t happy with Michael’s decision. "Um, sir... what about the people in the outside camps?" The room went silent. It was Jenkins, a young recruit, unknown to the ways of the army. A few older staff exchanged glances, wondering if the kid had lost his mind to question Michael. Everyone knew the people in camps were cannonfodder that no one cared about. However, to their surprise, Michael didn’t lose his mind. Instead, he nodded and smiled at the kid. "Good point," he said before turning to the other staff. "Shift all the camp residents to the terrace. Fortify the doors. I don’t want anything crawling up the drains again." He continued, pointing towards Jenkins, "I want you to be in charge of the relocation. In fact, I’ll have someone help you. Jacob!" "Yes, sir!" a burly-looking man with missing eyebrows replied. "Give the young man a tour of the terrace. Make sure you explore everything thoroughly." Jacob smirked and nodded, understanding the codeword. "It will be done, sir," Jacob said, tossing his arm around Jenkin’s shoulder. "We will explore everything, won’t we, Newbie?" Before Jenkins could reply, Jacob dragged him away.