The council meeting continued.
Vivian suppressed her emotions, and the commander had to lead the meeting.
As for the other council members, they didn't care about Jim's condition or his brother's death.
After all, they never knew him. In their eyes, he was just another soldier.
Such tragedies are daily occurrences now- the new normal.
"Now, to get to the most important topic of today,"
The commander said.
He leaned forward and took the document he brought - the report.
The council members looked at him with curiosity.
Even after voting Lucian for a new council member, he still says this is the most important?
Seeing their curiosity, the corner of the commander's lip went up.
"It's good news,"
He said.
The brows of the council members went up.
Good news?
It was their first time hearing those words in a long time.
Could there even be good news in this new, rotting world?
"It's a report from the scientists, the ones working with the equipment we brought back."
The commander explained.
His eyes flashed with excitement.
"It's a way to get stronger,"
All the eyes flew open.
The breathing of the council members quickened.
Especially the governor.
His gaze kept going to Lucian. He barely contained the corners of his mouth.
'He gave such a position to Lucian and now even a way to get stronger.' The governor's thoughts raced. 'If Lucian grasps everything and gets stronger...'
Just thinking of the power they could gain made him tremble in excitement. They could rival the commander.
'NO!'
The governor's eyes widened. His pupils trembled.
His mind went a step further.
'Overthrowing him won't be impossible,'
The council fell silent.
Their minds raced, calculating, scheming.
The air tensed up, as if an invisible weight crushed the room.
"Cough,"
The commander cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
"They had conducted several experiments and had concluded."
He started.
"The body absorbs mana from the air on its own. The more mana the body absorbs, the stronger it is."
The council members listened intently, not interrupting, even as a dozen questions sprang to mind.
"However, everyone has a limit. The body is a vessel, and each vessel has a limit. Once the limit is reached, the body stops absorbing mana. In other words, the stronger the vessel, the more mana we can absorb."
The commander explained and paused, looking around the room.
"The scientists had come up with a way to classify our strength—a Superhuman system, going from tier 1 Superhuman to tier 3 Superhuman. Tier 3 Superhuman is the strongest."
"Commander, what are the differences between each tier?" Leila raised her hand, asking.
The commander nodded and continued.
"Tier 1 Superhuman, is someone who has just awakened and has punch strength of 500 kg.
Tier 2 Superhuman has a punch force of 600 kg and has some understanding of his ability.
Tier 3 Superhuman has 600 kg punch force, but the ability has evolved."
He pointed at Lucian.
"For example, Lucian. During the battle, in a crucial situation, his ability became stronger. It evolved."
A sight escaped his lips.
"Both Lucian and I are tier 3 Superhumans. As for why the system only ends with tier 3 Superhuman, we have no further information.
We have no one to pave the way for us. We ourselves must pave it and learn."
The council members lowered their heads.
This was the difficulty of the situation.
Everything happened suddenly. The invasion, the zombie virus outbreak, the awakening. They have nothing to rely on except themselves. They are on their own.
"I am willing to take the role of pathfinder."
Determination flashed in the eyes of the commander.
"I'll pave and explore the road forward for the other awakened,"
In other words, the commander declared that he would continue improving and remain the strongest.
"You missed the most important."
Sareth, the elderly man, raised his hand.
"How do we get stronger? How do we strengthen our bodies to hold more mana?"
He questioned.
The commander nodded.
"Actually, it's not as complicated as you think."
He flipped to another page of the report.
"There are three ways to get stronger. One, exercise. Good, old exercise.
Previously, before the towers descended, exercise allowed us to grow, but only within the limits of our genes and bodies. But now with mana, we don't know how far we can take it."
The council members unconsciously nodded, accepting the answer.
"Second, is by using our abilities until we collapse from mana deficiency. In this way, we train our control over our abilities, and each time we dry out of mana, our mana capacity increases slightly."
"And the third is to combine both. To go outside into the battlefield. Faced with a life-or-death battle, you'll grow. Just as Lucian and I have grown, when you are about to die, you'll unlock potential you never knew you had."
As the commander finished speaking, silence descended into the room once again.
The council members didn't mind the first two methods, but they didn't want to do the third.
They were the council members, the leaders of all the survivors of the base.
Previously, only in name; now, they even have power. They didn't want to risk their lives. The losses far outweighed the benefits.
But Lucian cast a secret glance around.
'Fools,'
He mocked internally.
In his eyes, they were all fools.
How could they not see, in this world, that only power matters? Now, it's survival of the fittest.
He cast a secret glance at the commander.
'They are satisfied with the little power he gave them,'
Lucian had suspicions; suspicions that the commander purposely gave them power to blind them.
The commander didn't speak.
He gave them time, time for the information to settle in.
"Now, I want to fill the eighth chair."
The commander broke the silence.
The council members' eyes flew open.
Another shock.
'Right after putting in Lucian on the council, he wants to bring another one?'
Even Vivian couldn't hide her shock.
"I want someone to take over the responsibility of the resources. He will be responsible for managing and overseeing all supplies in our base." The commander revealed.
Instantly, a name sprang to Vivian's mind.
The commander raised his hand.
"I recommend..."
"I recommend Jim."
Vivian interrupted.
"Jim?"
The commander glanced at her, puzzled.
'Could it be...' The governor's brows furrowed. 'They brought Lucian in, so now they want to bring in someone close to them, to neutralize Lucian's vote?'
His mind raced.
"Yes, it would be a good thing for him. It would take his mind off what happened."
Vivian proposed.
"I disagree."
The governor protested.
"Especially after what had happened to him, it would be unwise to give him such massive responsibility."
The other council members nodded in agreement.
"This time, I'll have to agree with the governor."
The commander supported his decision.
'Was I wrong?'
Doubt crept up into the governor's mind.
"But I want to propose another person." The commander glanced at Lucian. "Lucian, you know him too. The man with the ability to multiply."
The gazes turned to Lucian.
And the commander explained the man's unique ability.
"I have to say, that's a handy ability," Sareth nodded in agreement.
"Imagine," The commander leaned forward. "With his ability, we will never run out of bullets. And if we lack some resources, he can make more with just one sample."
Indeed, the council saw the usefulness of the ability.
"I agree to give him the seat in the council,"
Even the governor had to agree.
The council formally voted.
Jim fell out.
Little did they know, they dodged a bullet.
They almost let an impostor inside the council.
But in the end, the man with the multiplier ability was voted for.
With that, the council meeting concluded, and everyone went their way.
The commander left the council room and headed to the surface.
Occasionally, his step swayed.
His shoulders hung low, weighed down by the responsibilities.
Weighed by the decision he had in mind. Weighed by the uncertain future.