The Spare's Second Chance in Apocalypse-Chapter 151: Ch : I’ll not get Involved- Part 4

The atmosphere had changed after what happened.

Selene could see uncertainty spreading across people’s faces.

The fight was over, the unknown attacker had been subdued, but the damage had already been done.

The volunteers stood frozen, eyes darting between the lifeless body on the ground and Selene, uncertainty clouding their expressions.

Some had already taken a few steps back, uncertainty turning into fear.

’This is bad. I need to control this situation before these people come to their own conclusions.’

Selene could feel it in the air. Doubt. Fear. Hesitation.

They had gathered here to help build something—a future, a place where they could have some stability in this broken world.

But after witnessing such a sudden attack, reality had come crashing down.

"Everyone, calm down! This situation is under control now. You no longer have a need to panic.’

Selene’s words helped a little. A scared crowd was easier to control than a calm one. And although Selene hated to use their weakness against these people, it felt necessary this time. frёeωebɳovel.com

Especially with how these people behaved like sheeps. If not her, then someone else would take advantage of this situation and make it worse.

Not all of these volunteers had signed up to put their lives at risk, so it was understandable why they were scared as well.

She sighed inwardly, feeling bad for them. This wasn’t what she wanted.

Taking a deep breath, she stepped forward, raising a hand to gather their attention.

"You’ve all done well. Go home for now. Rest. Think about whether you still want to be here."

She said, her voice calm yet firm.

A few exchanged glances, surprised that she was giving them a choice. Some nodded in relief before quickly departing, while others hesitated, clearly conflicted.

Selene watched them leave, eyes scanning the crowd. She noticed that some people looked more shaken than others—their hands trembling slightly, their postures tense.

She didn’t miss the guilt flickering in some of their eyes before they hurried off.

Her mind quickly pieced things together.

Some of these people... were not normal awakeners.

They were people who had forced their awakening through drugs.

Selene’s gaze softened slightly. She understood them.

There had been a time in her life when she, too, had desperately wanted to awaken—to have power, to break free from the chains of helplessness.

She knew what it was like to feel powerless in a world that only respected strength.

But at the same time... she also knew how foolish it was.

Power obtained through shortcuts always came at a price. And from what she remembered of the drug awakenings in her past life, that price was never-ending.

She exhaled slowly. It wasn’t her place to lecture them. They had already made their choices.

Ethan, standing beside her, crossed his arms. His sharp gaze followed the retreating figures before he let out a low hum.

"What do we do about them? The ones who aren’t true awakeners but managed to trick the system? Should we weed them out?"

He asked, voice steady but edged with curiosity.

Selene didn’t answer immediately. She considered it for a moment before shaking her head.

"We let it go."

She said simply.

Ethan’s brows furrowed slightly, clearly not expecting that response.

"Let it go?"

Selene nodded.

"They won’t last."

She turned her gaze toward the setting sun, her eyes reflecting something distant.

"That power they stole won’t stay with them forever. Either their bodies will fail, or their tempers will get the best of them and expose them."

Ethan studied her for a moment before clicking his tongue.

"If you say so."

He didn’t argue further, though his expression showed that he wasn’t entirely convinced.

Selene didn’t blame him. It was only a matter of time before things unraveled.

______

When the morning came, significantly fewer people arrived to continue the work.

Selene had expected it, but it still left a strange feeling in her chest as she looked at the half-empty worksite.

The previous day, the place had been buzzing with energy. Now, it was quieter, more subdued.

Zara, stepping beside her, crossed her arms.

"This feels wrong. We had so many people yesterday."

She muttered, kicking at a stray rock on the ground.

"They were scared. Some left for good, some are still deciding."

Selene answered simply.

Zara exhaled, shaking her head.

"I get that. But still... we’re already short on hands."

Selene looked at the remaining volunteers. The ones who had stayed behind were mostly awakeners who had confidence in their strength—or at least, those who weren’t afraid of danger. But that alone wasn’t enough.

She glanced at Orion and Ethan before making a decision.

"We’ll open the project for non-awakened people too."

She announced.

Zara blinked at her.

"Huh?"

"We’ll accept regular people as volunteers. They’ll be given food, shelter, and a sense of purpose.""

Selene clarified.

Zara frowned.

"But what can they even do? It’s not like they can fight."

"They don’t have to. There’s more to this than just battle. We need people for basic construction, organization, management—there’s a place for everyone. We’re not just building something physical here. We’re building a community."

Selene replied smoothly.

Zara still looked uncertain.

"And what about safety? It’s one thing to lose awakened volunteers, but normal people?"

Before Selene could respond, Orion finally spoke up.

"I’ll handle it."

Both Zara and Ethan turned to look at him.

Orion met their gazes evenly, his posture calm but firm.

"I’ll keep them safe. My shields will protect them from any external threats until we find more people to complete this task in my place."

His confidence was unwavering.

Zara studied him for a long moment before she finally sighed.

"...Fine. If Orion’s backing it, I guess I can’t argue too much."

Selene smiled slightly.

"Then it’s settled."

She turned to Ethan.

"You’re with me on this, right?"

Ethan rolled his eyes, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"You don’t need to ask. You already know my answer. Besides, I have my eye on another shielding awakener. I will talk to them about volunteering. That way, we don’t have to send Orion to help there and instead, we can take him to dungeons."

Selene chuckled, relieved that, at the very least, her core team was still intact.

As she looked at the remaining volunteers, she felt a renewed sense of determination.

This wasn’t going to be easy. The attacks, the fear, the uncertainty—there would always be obstacles.