Chapter 428: Meeting with the Board (Part 2)

"I’m ready to assist in any way I can," I assured her. "So what’s the agenda?"

I settled into my seat, feeling the weight of the room’s collective gaze upon me.

The gravity of the moment was not lost on any of us; with the scenario set to begin in less than an hour, our time to strategize was very short.

What had struck me about their whole organizational hierarchy was that it looked more like a company than a settlement for Gifteds.

Loking at them, you wouldn’t blame anyone for assuming that they were shareholders of a company and that they were discussing business and profits.

A whole different vibe from Paul’s Gifted Human Alliance, smaller too in contrast when you considered the followers.

I liked it because it was dissimilar to Paul’s cult.

No one person was revered above the others, flamboyant words hadn’t brought them together either.

They were just a band of people doing what they could to survive the forthcoming scenario.

Lyra broke the silence first. "So the thing is our mini city is well-prepared with enough resources to sustain us throughout the scenario," she began, her eyes scanning the faces around the table.

There were nods from the gathered leaders for her to go on with what she was saying.

"However, our primary concern is gathering enough points to avoid extermination. We have less than an hour for the scenario to begin."

The room seemed to tense at the mention of extermination. It was a harsh reality of the new world we lived in, a reality that dictated survival by the numbers.

Though they didn’t show it, I knew that they were also nervous about the impending Scenario about to start.

It was only natural.

Given the horrors witnessed in the previous one, they knew that the forthcoming ones had to be worse.

"So Masked man," Lyra continued, turning her full attention to me, "what do you suggest we do to gather the necessary points?"

I wanted to object to the improvised name she had come up with but I knew it wasn’t the time or place to do so.

I hadn’t given them a name so I couldn’t exactly blame her.

I took a moment to gather my thoughts, aware that the options I was about to present would define their opinion of me though I was sure that they would have a problem with it. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"There are a few ways to earn points," I began, my voice steady. "One way is by killing Demons. That’d be a hassle for the average Gifted, but I don’t see that anyone in this room would have a hard time with that as you are all strong. We will yield a substantial number of points though doing most of the work."

A murmur of agreement rippled through the room. It was a rather straightforward approach and the first sensible thing to think of.

Regardless, I had their full attention

"Another option is to rescue people from the destruction that inevitably follows the start of the scenario," I continued. "Saving lives can earn us points, though it requires venturing outside our safe zone."

The faces around the table remained focused, weighing the risks and rewards of each suggestion.

"There is another way but I’m not sure you all will like it. You would have to be brutal." I said looking at their faces in turn.

"Let’s hear it out first. It’s good to put everything on the table regardless of how it may sound," Harun said almost immediately.

I shrugged in response preparing my reply, they were desperate at this point.

"Well," I said, leaning forward slightly, "the most surefire way to earn a significant number of points is by destroying other settlements. When a settlement is destroyed, its starting points are automatically transferred to the attackers. It’s ruthless, but effective."

A heavy silence fell over the room as my words sank in. The implications were clear: survival might require acts of aggression that none of them relished doing.

Hypocrites.

They knew that I was right but of course they would all have to assume a moral front so they wouldn’t be thought callous.

Aric was the first to speak. "It’s a grim choice, but if we have to consider all options, it seems the best. If it comes down to that, we’ll need to be prepared to defend ourselves and possibly be prepared on the long run to be on the offensive."

Like I predicted, the murmurs started as soon as he was done talking.

There was a barrage of arguments amongst themselves.

"So you’re actually in support of taking out other settlements that are equally looking for how to survive. How could you think of such?"

"Isnt it the only thing that would save us at this point? What happened to doing whatever to survive."

"How then are we better than the demons after us. Think about it."

"We must prioritize our survival, even if it means making difficult decisions."

Elena, the logistics director, spoke up next. "We need to ensure we have the necessary supplies and weapons to undertake any of these actions. Our resources may be plentiful, but they’re not infinite."

"Agreed," Harun, the defense overseer, added. "We should also fortify our defenses further. If we become a target, we’ll need every advantage we can get."

I nodded, appreciating the pragmatic approach of the group. "We can also use scouts to gather intelligence. Knowing our enemy’s movements and weaknesses will be crucial."

Mira, handling communications, chimed in. "We should establish a network to monitor other settlements and Demon activity. Information will be our most valuable asset."

"Why are you all taking it for granted that this is what we are going to do? We haven’t collectively agreed on it." Lyra said putting her head in her hands as she appeared to be thinking.

To my surprise, everyone quietened down even her superiors. There was definitely a weird rulebook they were following.

It seemed that as the person who came in contact with me first, her opinion carried weight amongst them.

She raised her head and with a final glance, looked at the clock while we waited to hear her decision.