The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 149: Ch : I’ll not get Involved- Part 2

"We can get started on the construction of our help center now. Man, it sure took us a lot of time to get here."

Zara complained as she raised her arms and popped them. Doing this made the tension in her shoulders better.

"We sure came a long way. But let’s not be too confident now. The real test has yet to begin."

Zara pouted at Selene’s words, but followed after her with an almost bounce in her step.

Finally, they reached the gates of their site and the people Selene had asked for were waiting for her there.

Selene stood at the front of the gathered volunteers, scanning the crowd with a mixture of curiosity and wariness.

She had expected a handful of people to show up, given the recent smear campaign against her thanks to Madam Verta.

But to her surprise, the turnout was much larger than anticipated.

’This idea must be more popular than I thought ... .either that, or these people have families and friends that need help. I better get to work quickly.’

Men and women of different ages stood ready, some adjusting their equipment, others chatting amongst themselves.

There was a shared determination in their eyes, a willingness to contribute to her project despite the rumors surrounding ’Miss Shadow.’

Zara, standing beside her, chuckled at Selene’s obvious astonishment.

"Don’t look so shocked. Not everyone buys into Madam Verta’s nonsense. Some people actually think for themselves."

Zara said, crossing her arms.

Selene blinked, her expression unreadable, but something inside her tightened.

She had spent so long thinking that the world would always see her as a monster—that people would turn against her at the first sign of doubt. Yet, here they were. Willing. Ready to help.

"...I see. Maybe next time, we should increase the scope of our volunteering to include non-awakened people. It will be good motivation for them as well."

Selene murmured.

There were a lot of people who wanted to help but had no abilities. The center would be a good place to give them employment and a sense of belonging.

That was something Selene wished she had in her past life.

Despite her calm exterior, her instincts stirred. Something felt off.

She turned to Orion, her voice low but firm.

"Set up a barrier. Protect the project and our people."

Orion immediately caught onto her unease. His playful demeanor faded as he nodded seriously.

"Understood."

With a flick of his wrist, energy crackled around his fingers as he began constructing a defensive field around the work site.

Selene felt a bit more at ease as she watched the construction begin.

Volunteers moved efficiently, following the system-generated instructions.

\arth ability users worked on reinforcing the ground, metal manipulators shaped sturdy foundations, and others handled smaller but equally important tasks.

It was going well.

But then—

A lingering presence caught her attention.

Near the edge of the worksite, a man stood alone.

He wasn’t doing anything—just standing there, watching.

Selene narrowed her eyes.

Unlike the others, who were following the system instructions with ease, this man looked out of place. He had no equipment, no sign that he had received any directives.

He simply observed, his arms folded as if waiting for something.

Selene’s gut tightened. Something wasn’t right.

With quiet, deliberate steps, she approached the man.

"Hey, Are you having trouble following the instructions?"

She called out, keeping her tone neutral.

The man’s head snapped toward her, his eyes briefly widening in surprise before he quickly schooled his expression.

"Ah, no. I, uh... I just—"

He hesitated.

Selene’s eyes sharpened. That was the first mistake.

"What instructions?"

He asked, before immediately catching himself.

A cold chill ran down Selene’s spine. She had him.

Selene tilted her head, feigning ignorance.

"The system instructions. You know, the ones sent to every registered volunteer?"

She said smoothly.

The man visibly tensed, but then forced a casual smile.

"Oh, those! Yeah, yeah, of course. I just, uh, didn’t check them yet."

He said, scratching the back of his head.

Selene kept her expression unreadable, but inside, she was already piecing things together.

1- If he had truly been registered as a volunteer, he would have received the system’s construction directives immediately.

2- If he were just a confused newcomer, he wouldn’t have instinctively denied knowing about them.

3- His body language screamed ’liar.’

Selene knew.

This man wasn’t supposed to be here.

And worse—he knew that she knew.

Selene’s voice dropped to a quiet, almost conversational tone.

"We didn’t recruit any non-ability users. So... what exactly are you trying to pull?"

The man’s entire demeanor shifted.

His easygoing act shattered as his eyes grew cold, sharp. His stance changed, his body tensing like a coiled spring ready to snap.

A sigh of annoyance left his lips before he suddenly lunged forward—

Straight for Selene.

In an instant, Selene’s instincts took over.

As the man’s hands shot toward her—intending to grab her, restrain her—she sidestepped smoothly, evading his grip by mere inches.

"Ah, so you’re not even gonna try to talk it out?"

Selene mused, her tone eerily calm as she took a step back.

The man clicked his tongue.

"I don’t have time for that."

His hand lashed out again—faster this time.

Selene ducked, her reflexes kicking in as she twisted out of the way. The moment his fingers brushed past her arm, she grabbed his wrist in return, twisting it sharply.

The man let out a hiss of pain, but to her surprise—

His skin hardened, darkening as if covered in an unnatural armor.

Selene’s brows furrowed.

’Enhancement ability? No—this is different.’

Realization struck just a moment too late.

With his free hand, he lashed out toward her face.

Selene reacted instinctively, releasing his wrist and flipping backward just in time to avoid the brunt of the attack. His fist grazed the edge of her chin, barely missing its mark.

Her boots skidded against the dirt as she regained her footing, eyes narrowing.

’Tsk! This is going to be a pain. To think that a druggie decided to make himself know so soon.’