The following morning, an announcement went out throughout the five floors. Veronica and Jake were given conditional permissions to enter the fifth floor.

Verdana found herself alone on Floor Three. She had, like the others, attempted to leave her assigned floor and found she couldn’t.

The announcer that morning was Veronica. Kain had been surprised when he checked the system that morning to find that Veronica’s loyalty had gone up 90%.

He hadn’t expected that distance would create loyalty.

Now, she stood in the living room near the intercom, and, as Kain had instructed, she used her best airline-hostess voice to send a morning message.

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to Nightfall. Stepping into these hallowed halls means you have decided to become a part of the Nightfall Faction. Should you wish to leave, the gates will be open to you."

Veronica looked at the paper and frowned. She couldn’t believe she was reading this.

"It’s been two weeks since the world was swallowed. Time flows and the days blur together, but today we have good news.

Floor One has been completely submerged. Floors Two to Five are currently above water. We have mountains to the back and waters to the front. Should any of you make it to Floors Two and Three, you will be able to see our new neighbours.

If there are any of you among our Floor One occupants who have special talents which include but are not limited to cleaning, cooking, butchering, security, and engineering, please let us know."

She glanced at Amelia. She could see her shoulder shaking. Taking a breath, she continued, "Floor One has been relegated to our marrow extraction and bone processing plant. It will also double as the punishment floor. Floor Two is where our skilled workers will be living. We look forward to your creation. Floor Three is the beginning of your new life.

Food will be rationed and can be taken from the pantry. Each person only has a set amount of food each day, so make the most of it."

Seeing the last part, she couldn’t help scowling. Her eyes met Kain’s, who seemed oblivious to how embarrassing this part was. He sat there with his eyes down, playing with Amelia’s fingers as if none of what she said had anything to do with him.

"Within the next hour, the voice of our noble leader will be gracing your ears. We hope you enjoy your time at Nightfall and remember: Loyalty is rewarded. Betrayal means death."

Those on multiple floors heard the announcement. Hearing the need for skilled workers, many of them were not sure what to think. The apartments here aren’t for those doing menial work.

Most, if not all, who live here are high-level executives. Possibly an executive’s lover could be added to the mix.

Hearing the remark about food rationing, some people became agitated.

Matthew was one such person. He had planned to take control of the pantry. However, earlier that morning, when he got up before everyone. He found it empty.

Only he knows how angry he was. He decided to teach whoever it was a lesson. But hearing the announcement, he knew Kain and the others were the ones who took the food.

Back on Floor Five, Veronica was embarrassed with herself. Amelia leaned against Kain, laughing openly.

She didn’t say anything to the couple, leaving quickly.

Once the door closed, Kain raised his eyes, and his posture became more relaxed.

"You," Kain looked dotingly at Amelia. "You know she thinks I wrote that, don’t you?"

She hummed, "That’s the point."

He shook his head and stood up, pulling Amelia with him. Today, he decided to take a look at the outside world. Being inside is indeed comfortable, but he feels more and more that things are too comfortable.

The few days on the water were tension-filled, and while he complained, he felt he was honing himself.

After being holed up for so long, he wanted to see the outside world again.

He walked to the rooftop with Amelia.

Inside, the system had regulated the air flow, so it was all filtered air. Outside, there were none of those pleasantries.

The heat was stifling. It permeated the air, creating ripples. Kain could feel the hot air surrounding him and entering his lungs. His throat felt parched after a few breaths.

He frowned, his eyes surveying the area.

He first scanned the mountain area. The lush green was a contrast to the amber hue of the water. The once dirty brown had changed colour, indicating the water would, at some point, become clear.

As he stared at the mountain, he could spot animals that had somehow managed to avoid the tsunami. They were large, and though he could not make out exactly which animals they were, he was certain they were aggressive.

"If you can’t handle it, you can go back down," he said softly to the woman leaning against him.

She shook her head. Just like him, she wanted to see the world as it is now. If they always stay inside, inevitably, they will not temper themselves.

If others can face the harsh realities, so can they.

On the other side, away from the mountains, there was endless debris. Large trees floated by, building were leaning yet still standing.

In the distance, they could make out a large barge.

It would take some time for things to settle down. At that time, he would see his new neighbours. In the meantime, what he needed to do now was find proper subordinates and keep things running.

As he was planning to go inside, Amelia touched his arm.

"Let the kids out, they need to see this."

He nodded, and without a moment’s hesitation, he took the children from the space.

Avery came out running. He had to grab her collar to stop her from running into a pole. Dominic had obviously been lying down. Ashton was covered in blood, probably from one of the bodies he had given him earlier.

"Dad," the three called out.

Kain shook his head, "You two, can’t you be more like your brother. Lie down for once. I’ve got a ton of toys for you to play with."

The thought hadn’t even crossed his mind properly when he felt a jolt, like the feeling of static electricity.

[Host, don’t even think about it. These children were born to be who they are.]

’Fine, I hadn’t even formed the thought, and you already want to zap me.’

"Brother wasn’t lying down. He was helping me with my experiment. Look."

Ashton opened his hand, and inside was a small, inconspicuous bead.

"Brother was helping me make it grow."

His wide eyes shone with happiness.

Kain said nothing. He sighed inwardly, ’Looks like I can’t stop brilliance.’

"Alright. Let me know how the experiment goes. But right now, I need you to take a look at where we are."

Only when Kain mentioned it did the three children come back to their senses. They noticed they were outside.

"We’ve already seen it," Avery said with a smug smile.

"Where did you see it?" Kain asked, confused.

She pointed at Dominic. "In big brother’s room. You can see everything in there."

Kain felt a vein throb in his head.

’Is the system his or does it belong to his son? He hasn’t even had time to check what tier two looks like, now I find out that Dom’s room has a view of the outside.

His eye twitched, and he resisted the urge to run to Dominic’s room. He was ready to be a profound teacher when they came out, but now it seems...not necessary.