Published at 5th of June 2023 6:10 am

Chapter 385 The walls of the fortress are not safe

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Getting the hands was just the first step in Mathew’s plans for the expedition. And bringing them all the way to the pile of rubble that replaced the once glorious staircase that connected the central point of all the floors was a mere second step.

‘They are not here yet?’ Mathew thought once he emerged from the long corridor of the wing he used to descend down to the ground level.

There were only five out of six surviving hunters. And while Mathew could easily locate their quasi-leader, Frank… The only other one that he remembered, the annoying Kasper, was nowhere to be seen.

‘Is this another round of him annoying everyone around?’ Mathew thought before heaving a deep sigh.

“Frank!” he then called right as he emerged from the corridor and gently brought both of his bags down on the ground.

“Yes, sir!” the only volunteer of the group stepped forward when called, quickly locating Mathew via the direction of his voice. Upon seeing the de-facto leader of the survivor’s group, Frank stretched his chest out and saluted in a military manner.

This event wasn’t something that Mathew organized out of everyone’s view. That’s why, with some of the refugees from Peter’s camp passing by, Mathew could feel their stares penetrating deep into his back.

‘So cringe…’ he sighed and took a step forward.

“Where is Kasper?” Mathew then asked while giving the area a quick look. Yet, even those few more moments that it took him to get to the rally area weren’t enough for the annoying hunter to show up.

“He is…” Frank turned his eyes away, his face turning extremely uncomfortable. “I’m guessing he is with one of his…”

“One of my what?” Frank asked, coming out from behind the massive pile of rubble still stuck in the middle of the main reception hall.

He didn’t come alone, though.

“One of your bitches,” Frank finished up his sentence, refusing to let Kasper’s angered voice intimidate him. “It’s been a while since you freed yourself from between their legs!”

‘Are we for real?’ Mathew thought, too baffled to even react out loud. ‘Is this really the kind of high-school drama that we have while the world is literally falling apart all around?’

The quick exchange between the two hunters didn’t go unnoticed by all those who just happened to be nearby. And now, what was supposed to be the first rally before the expedition now turned into a live show for all the survivors.

Then, he turned around and waved at the two guests that came with him but ended up sticking to the shadows.

A shudder moved down Mathew’s spine when he noticed a quick glance Kasper threw his way.

‘No!’ he instinctively screamed out in his mind. ‘Don’t you fucking dare to bring me into…’

“I’m just following in the footsteps of our real leader,” Kasper then announced before lowering his arm and pointing at the two girls that came with him with his open palm. “Meet Kathia and Ann,” he introduced the girls, “they are my wives!”

‘Oh, you can’t be for real!’ Mathew raised his eyes to the broken ceiling only to close them down and take a deep, deep breath.

“Why the hell did you bring them here?” Mathew asked as he brought his face down and looked directly at the annoying hunter for the first time since he made his appearance. “We are not going on a road trip. No, even that’s wrong!” Mathew shook his head.

He then took a moment to steel the look on his face, killing all the friendliness and sentiment still left in his eyes.

“No. We are not going on a road trip. In fact, we are not going anywhere,” Mathew announced, jumping on the chance to push aside Kasper’s folly and focus on the matter at hand. “It’s you guys who will be going out to kill some zombies.”

That was it.

That was the entire message…

Or rather, the part of it that the hunters needed to hear right now.

“Say your farewells, make your peace with what might come, and prepare to set out.”

Mathew only gave the hunters a few moments to absorb the news before dropping another reality check on them.

His words proved that what he announced wasn’t a joke or an intelligent way of scaring them with some mundane task.

No, his orders were real.

Then, Mathew turned his eyes back to Kasper.

‘The more I try to avoid this topic, the harder it will get to bring it up later.’

Mathew looked at the two girls Kasper brought with him. He could vaguely recognize the pair. The older one was the same age as Mathew and according to his memory, was a part of the volleyball team.

Despite her passion for balls, she didn’t have the height that some people associated volleyball players with. Still, one couldn’t take away the damn athletic build that she boasted by wearing what Mathew could only call a slightly more modest version of lingerie.

On the other hand, there was the younger of the girls, Kathia.

Despite all the stereotypes that surrounded her when she first moved into the school, she had nothing to do with the Slav rowdiness of the fallen empire to the east.

Instead, she was the angel of the book club, a sweetheart who, despite her tiny building, would go to great lengths to help one find the book they were looking for.

A person that ushered in her passion for literature and was more than driven to share it with others.

“Kasper,” Mathew finally called the man out after eyeing the two girls that came with him. “Do you really think it’s a good idea to bring those two out to where even I would be in a potential danger?”

Mathew didn’t hold back his punches.

‘There is no doubt that the zombies around the castle ruins won’t be as low-leveled as I would wish for them to be,’ he thought, gritting his teeth. ‘And I can’t hope that we will gather enough cores from the weak zombies on our way there.’

This was the crux of Mathew’s plan.

Instead of going all in to conquer the castle ruins in one swoop, he wanted to give his hunters a trail of blood and fire. And by doing so, he could gather enough cores to outfit the more talented ones with a system.

But those two girls?

Although sweet and clearly enjoyable in bed, they didn’t look like someone who would happily come out of the safety of the fortress and come charging at the nearest horde of zombies with nothing but a handgun and courage in their hands!

“No sir, I don’t think so,” Kasper turned his face to match Mathew’s eyes. The two of them looked at each other for a while… but neither ended up willing to just give up and look away.

‘This guy…’ Mathew clenched his jaws, doing his best not to let his annoyance appear on his face.

Letting it appear would be the same as announcing Kasper’s victory!

“No one would be happy to risk their lives rather than just staying behind the safety of the walls,” Kasper admitted… but he then took a step back, sliding right between the two girls only to tap them on the back, making the two of them step a single pace forward.

“But as things are right now, there is no safety behind those walls,” Ann stated.

“Not unless some are willing to keep those walls safe,” Kathia finished the revelation, showcasing the motive that pushed both of the girls to actively risk their lives.

‘So it’s not like they want to do it,’ Mathew thought before breathing a long, deep sigh. ‘But they are aware that someone has to do something.’

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