The Place Where Everything Begins

"And... Remy stopped breathing before the meeting started..."

After hearing Mitchell pressed for the answer with a slight frown, Karina told the truth with an even more downcast expression.

When Mitchell and other people had heard Karina's sad news about one more of their brothers had just passed away, they could only sigh in melancholy.

Regarding the one who had died, Remy was a man with an upright disposition. He had fought very hard against the monsters for the sake of everyone else, but that was also the reason for his early demise, as he had been severely wounded by a wolf biting his neck.

And now, Remy, in due course, finally passed away...

At this time, everyone felt even more downhearted than before because of the sudden bad news.

Nonetheless...

After so many deaths of their comrades in every passing horde of monsters, they eventually started getting accustomed to such a thing as dying.

Although they might get used to it, they still felt numbed every time someone passed away right in front of their eyes.

After all, they felt and grew closer and closer to one another after every life-and-death battle...

It was usual for them to grow mentally attached to their comrades whom had fought bloodily alongside them.

"Alright, we will move his body after the meeting ends." Said Mitchell towards everyone while shaking his head slightly in regret and dismal.

Regret for the world that had lost one good person...

Dismal of himself having lost yet another good brother...

'Life must go on...' Mitchell thought inwardly.

Afterward, Mitchell turned towards a muscular man with tanned skin, Grayson, who used to be a carpenter on Earth.

"Grayson, how are the barricades and traps?" Mitchell asked Grayson for a report.

"Some are broken lightly, some permanently. We need to build new ones, new stronger ones for the next battle." Grayson, who stood among the crowd, replied with a tired expression.

"Even more damaged than the sixth horde?" Mitchell asked Grayson again for confirmation.

"Yes, we need to rebuild, repair, and fortify most of them..."

"How many people and what materials do you need?"

"We need some woods, ropes, and metals, which might need extra SP from everyone else. Regarding the workforce, if including the elderlies and kids, I still need four or five more..."

"Alright, I got it."

When the report about barricades and traps was done, Mitchell turned towards other people and spoke for everyone to hear,

"Everyone had heard him, right? I won't force anyone to repair or rebuild those things, as all of you should be very tired and want to sleep already. That's why... if you think you have some stamina to spare, please help him rebuild the barricades and traps. After all, our survival chances increase exponentially because of those things."

After saying so and seeing many people nodded their heads in understanding, Mitchell continued with the next topic,

"Next, how about the foods, water, and medicine?"

"We have enough to spare..."

"Next, abo..."

"..."

"Next..."

"..."

After some minutes of asking and answering, the reporting part had finally come to an end.

Then Mitchell dived right in towards the question and answer part, which was considered the last segment of this meeting,

"Alright, that is it for the reports. Now, does anyone have anything to suggest before I let everyone go and do their own things?"

Speaking till this point, and the meeting would come to an end soon, Mitchell thought to himself lightly,

'Well, where is Jeremy? Didn't Joshua tell me that he would come? Anyway... let's continue with the plan first...'

Having thought so, Mitchell shifted his eyes stealthily towards Eddie, whom stood silently among the crowd.

When the two pairs of eyes finally met, Mitchell and Eddie nodded their heads to one another subtly without letting other people notice.

'Hoh...'

A certain someone exclaimed to himself in amazement when he saw that brief exchange between the two...

Of course, that certain someone was Jeremy, who stood right behind the crowd. Well, it was pretty bizarre that no one actually noticed him...

From the momentary exchange earlier, Jeremy, who saw all that, only had one thought within his mind,

'It seems like the two had planned something again...'

That was indeed the case because...

"Mitchell..."

Eddie, who had long been on standby within the crowd, suddenly called out to Mitchell before anyone could snatch his chance to speak.

"What is it?" Mitchell asked while looking at Eddie among the crowd.

"As we've just lost three more people in the previous horde, I think we lack quite 'some' fighting force for the next wave. I also think that everyone is thinking the same thing as me that we indeed lack 'some' fighting force for the next battle..."

Eddie spoke with a serious expression, as he even repeated two times that they lack 'some' people to emphasize everyone's inner thoughts, which had been lingering silently within their minds for quite some time.

That's why the last sentence of his speech was like a matchstick.

That's also why...

Like a bomb fuse had been lit, people from all around started murmuring to one another incessantly.

In the first place, that topic was something that had been lingering within their minds for quite some time.

At the same time, 'some' people kept quiet with their mouths shut tightly, not daring to look at anyone or let out a single sound.

Undoubtedly, the people who kept quiet now were the elderlies and teenagers who had stayed safe and sound from the start of the first wave till the end of the seventh wave. Moreover, they also didn't have to do anything much to help out at all.

Even though the elderlies and kids had tried to help out with pitching tents, tending the injured ones, and building the barricades, but that's it. They had only done and helped that much while other people risked their lives to save everyone else.

*Murmur* *Murmur*

*Murmur* *Murmur*

As the eyes of the murmuring people shifted towards those quiet 'people' occasionally had only caused the atmosphere to become more strange and distinct.

The people's murmuring sounds continued for quite some time because Mitchell, their leader, had 'intentionally' let it happen.

It was his plan, after all...

How could he not?