Who will be the leader?

"I'll challenge this!"

Lenny's face turned grim as he took a step forward.

What a bunch of useless people. Even with so many awakened individuals, they could crush this bear with just one skill each!

Damn, no wonder The Licker could kill four or five people the last time!

"Sea Suppression!"

With a low growl, his body was instantly enveloped in green Spirit Energy, forming an armor. Mist filled the room, and the entire meeting room felt submerged in seawater, with a fine flow of water swirling around him.

The crowd was startled, and it was different from the awakened individuals who were previously killed by Arnold.

Lenny's talent level was as high as A-rank, and his water attribute talent could be used for both offense and defense, with incredibly high defensive power.

The last time the college killed The Licker, it was he who single-handedly withstood the damage and cut it down!

"Lenny, I'm here to help you!"

The college's awakened individuals quickly snapped out of it, and they formed various skills in their hands to help him.

"Shadow Strike!"

Dirk, seeing the situation, didn't hesitate and turned into a black mist, disappearing behind everyone, ready to strike at any moment.

"No need to help me!"

Lenny was filled with determination as he charged directly at Arnold.

Arnold had caught Edmund off guard and killed him in one blow earlier. It wasn't surprising since Edmund was an agile close combat awakened individual. However, this time, the strength of that one blow was far less than The Licker's!

"Bang!"

In a brutal clash, Lenny's Spirit Energy shield only slightly deformed, thanks to the defensive power of Sea Suppression.

Arnold slammed his palm down, but the shield mysteriously rebounded it. The awakened individuals who were initially willing to assist let down their guard and began to carefully watch for Dirk, who had disappeared.

"Lenny! Crush them! Show them who the real strong ones are!"

Seeing that Arnold's full-force palm strike couldn't penetrate Lenny's defense, he couldn't help but snort.

"You don't know your place! Do you think using a sneak attack on Edmund is impressive?"

Arnold was always annoyed by those who kept chattering on like they were performing in a play.

"Heavy Fist!"

"Impact Strike!"

Arnold's left arm, which he had yet to use, suddenly swelled up, and with the destructive power in his right fist, he surpassed everyone's reaction and lunged at the emerald shield. The force of his punch was so fierce that it tore through the air.

*Crack.*

The shield shattered without any resistance, and in an instant, it pierced through Lenny's once-proud defense and flesh.

"Gurgle, gurgle."

Lenny couldn't stop vomiting blood, and he lowered his head in disbelief at his abdomen. A forearm, about half the size of a human, had gone straight through his abdomen.

*Chirp.*

Arnold, with an expressionless face, casually pulled his left arm from Lenny's abdomen, leaving a transparent hole the size of a human head. As he withdrew his arm, various unidentifiable fragments fell to the ground.

"You should be grateful. I'm a good guy."

Severely injured, Lenny knelt slowly to the ground as if his strength had been drained away.

The entire room fell silent.

Gerard watched in shock as his nephew slowly fell, realizing that Lenny, as the most formidable pillar of support for the leadership of the academy, was his only ticket to survival in the apocalypse.

"What are you all waiting for?" Gerard's expression turned frenzied, and he was no longer the fearful man he was before. "Attack together! You bunch of idiots! Kill them!"

His breathing grew rapid as Gerard couldn't imagine who would obey him once his most powerful supporter was gone. Those among them who were truly strong had gone to the rear mountains. No one was fearless, and even if they could kill Arnold and the others, someone would still have to die. 

Unlike Gerard, who thought in his anger that Lenny was already dead, the other awakened individuals knew he still had some life left in him.

"Who do you want to kill?"

Just as Gerard was frantically pushing the awakened individuals around him, Dirk, with his elusive presence, emerged from the shadows, precisely placing a dagger at Gerard's neck. The ice-cold touch of the metal brought him back to his senses.

"As you can see," Dirk spoke calmly, "we don't want to kill anyone."

The meeting room was in chaos, and all eyes were on Dirk at the lectern. Arnold's hand, as large as a fan, gripped the trembling head of the principal. With no one willing to stick their neck out, the situation had become unbearable.

"If there are no objections," Dirk continued, "I will explain in detail the third reason for our visit." 

Despite their reluctance to accept the situation, when they heard Dirk's words, everyone instinctively looked toward the lectern.

"Whether it's the zombie tide or the global catastrophe that follows, in order to resist these disasters and protect more survivors, we must unite!" Dirk continued. "We need to establish safety zones, and everyone must participate. We should form a unified organization instead of fighting separately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, someone in the audience couldn't help but speak up, asking, "Safety zones? Aren't we already working on them?"

"We've already established a defense perimeter! If it weren't for you..."

Dirk remained unfazed. The safety zones he spoke of were not the same as what everyone imagined. He intended to explain this directly to the crowd, as Clark had already explained it to him before their arrival.

"First, a real safety zone is not something like what you've been doing, building walls and relying on manpower!" Dirk declared. "These types of safety zones are meaningless, and they can't withstand a large-scale zombie tide. A true safety zone is built around a spirit energy node, forming a well-fortified fortress!"

"All buildings operate based on spirit energy, and they receive a boost to their capabilities through the system's support! Just like in a game, once it's built, your territory features various functional facilities!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd erupted into chaos.

"Spirit energy node? Boosting capabilities?"

A tall male student couldn't help but stand up and ask, "I understand what you mean by spirit energy nodes, but the ones in our academy disappeared as early as the second day of the apocalypse. I think I understand what you're trying to say. Do you have a way to utilize spirit energy nodes to build a city?"

"The problem is that we no longer have those nodes here!"

Among the students, a group of female students included one whose appearance seemed a bit mature, and her eyes betrayed a hint of panic.

Dirk shook his head slightly.

"First of all, we are absolutely sure that you still have spirit energy nodes!" he said. "Otherwise, why would we come here and hope that you all join the construction?"

The crowd looked at each other with skepticism. If there really were spirit energy nodes still in existence, it would be a good thing for them. Awakening was reliant on these nodes, and during the later stages of the nodes' disappearance, many people found that being close to the nodes could enhance their abilities.

"Alright, we'll tentatively trust your words," a middle-aged man from the leadership side of the platform spoke in a deep voice. "We don't object to you wanting to establish safety zones, as it's beneficial for us as well."

"But the idea of uniting and building a powerful organization..."

"Even if I agree, it doesn't mean others will!" he continued. "Who will be the leader?"

"Or are we going to establish a council system, with each person having a vote?"

The man's question echoed the thoughts of the others. Who would willingly be subordinate to someone else, obeying the commands of another? While loosely organized teams might be willing to join, when it came to matters of power, no one would step back.