now it seemed all too real

The entire venue fell silent as if Clark's name possessed a magical power. All eyes instantly turned towards the stage, fixed on Clark. 

"What does Clark want to say!?"

"Hush, be quiet!"

The crowd eagerly waited, curious gazes assessing the mysterious yet powerful man before them. With an invincible aura, he effortlessly defeated the nightmares in their hearts, creating an indelible mark in their memories.

On the high platform, Clark nodded slightly, gesturing for everyone to quiet down. Before he could speak, another wave of thunderous cheers erupted.

"Clark! Clark! Clark!"

Fanaticism, spontaneous.

Guided by awakened individuals intentionally, the crowd lost rationality, chanting his name in unison.

Clark remained calm, extending his right hand in a gesture for silence. Like the sound in a movie being muted, the crowd instantly quieted down, eagerly anticipating every word he was about to say.

A brief silence, complete and utter.

Empowered by his strong psychic influence, Clark slowly began to speak.

"Firstly, I am not a hero, nor am I your savior."

Clark's voice was magnetic, calming with the influence of his powerful psychic aura, evoking a sense of trust in those who listened.

"I am just a member of a special forces unit from the military, here to convey a message to all survivors around LJ City."

Military special forces? As soon as those words landed, a spark of realization flashed in Gerard's and others' eyes.

They had speculated before that Clark and the others might be from the military, which explained the shocking information they had shared. Hindered by Dirk's reluctance to confirm and the brutal methods that didn't align with typical military conduct, they hadn't delved deeper into this idea.

But now, with Clark admitting it himself, everything suddenly made sense to them. A special forces unit would naturally have different methods than regular forces. No wonder their actions seemed so ruthless, and the mention of impending events gave off an air of military secrecy.

For ordinary people, the internal workings of the military were beyond their understanding. Although Dirk hadn't confirmed their suspicions and the brutal methods seemed inconsistent with military conduct, Clark's admission instantly made everything fall into place. The mysterious and powerful image of the military added to their fear and awe.

Clark paused briefly, sensing the change in Gerard and the others' thoughts through his psychic abilities.

This explanation was something he came up with on the spot. The background of a military special forces unit could save him from a lot of unnecessary explanations, and it also enhanced the mysterious and powerful image he wanted to portray.

As for whether it made sense or not, well, survival often required compromises. People wouldn't question too much, especially considering the chaotic state of the world. Clark knew that in this post-apocalyptic scenario, claiming to be a part of the military would instill a natural trust in the minds of the public. After all, in times of crisis, who else would you follow but the military?

In the previous life, he had never heard of any actions or messages from the military. Of course, it's possible that the LJ City Academy War Zone where he was located was too remote, and there was no relevant information in the chat channels. However, regardless, he was not worried that the military would trouble him by exposing his claims. Moreover, strictly speaking, Clark did not lie. Before retiring, he was indeed a member of the military special forces, just that...

"Boss, you are too modest."

The vice principal respectfully hurried to the front with a quick step, indicating a rare light Awakener behind him to illuminate the podium. How could the pitch-black podium highlight Clark's glorious image?

The light Awakener, who had been reminded by the vice principal in advance, nervously transformed his combat skills into a soft glow, instantly illuminating the elevated platform.

"In any case, you are the benefactor of LJ City Academy. For such great kindness, Cuthbert represents all the students in sincerely thanking you!"

Cuthbert clenched his teeth, and, with several Awakeners, bowed to Clark.

"Boss Clark, you must remember my name!"

He felt uneasy, and a hint of resentment flashed in his eyes.

Damn Gerard, you wanted to compete with me for the position of the principal back then! Now, you even want to compete with me for the only chance to survive! Compared to Gerard, his worries were even more justified. After all, Gerard just put on airs and was impatiently taken away by Arnold, but he had truly participated in the plan against Clark!

He could imagine with his buttocks that this matter was definitely not concealable! There would definitely be Awakeners confessing to Clark tomorrow and redeeming themselves!

Despite Clark appearing mild and smiling now, seeming like a genuinely good person, he knew better than anyone how ruthless and domineering Clark's methods were!

Those severed heads were still lying around in the meeting room! Just thinking about his own head turning into a firework...

Ignoring Gerard's predatory gaze, Cuthbert deliberately asked Clark, pretending not to know:

"Boss Clark, we don't know what message you want to convey to us."

Clark pondered for a moment, glanced at the excellent acting of Cuthbert from the corner of his eye, and couldn't help but find it amusing.

A principal and a vice principal, both quite clever in understanding the intentions of the higher-ups, even though their actual abilities were lacking. With these two around, he saved a lot of effort.

Putting aside his thoughts, Clark looked at the nervous students below and spoke in a deep voice:

"Firstly, about a month from now, LJ City Academy will face an attack from over two hundred thousand zombies and a large number of mutated beings!"

The statement was half true and half false. The premise for the academy to be attacked by a zombie tide a month later was that he had established a safe zone here. However, Clark had set his sights on the academy's psychic nodes and had already treated the academy as his stronghold. So, in a sense, what he said was not entirely wrong.

"This zombie tide attack cannot be resolved, and the tide cannot be dispersed. Their target is the psychic nodes within the academy."

Unless you all abandon the academy base and escape individually. The crowd erupted into a commotion, and the hearts that had just calmed down were once again tense.

Although many people had only heard of psychic nodes without understanding their meaning, it did not prevent them from grasping what was coming next.

Many had a vacant look, having just dealt with the monsters behind the mountain, and now they were facing another crisis? Ignoring the commotion below, Clark continued:

"Secondly, half a year later, all areas surrounding LJ City Academy will experience a zombie tide uprising, similar to the situation a month later."

"If you are fortunate enough to survive after a month, there is no need for me to elaborate."

"However, the difference is that the number of zombies in this tide uprising will be at least in the millions!"

"Thirdly, based on the information we have, a year from now, the world will enter a period of geological disasters, with frequent climate changes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions."

Clark did not mention the news of monsters and king-level mutated beings after the great disaster. For ordinary people, the first two items already imposed considerable pressure. It was better if only a small number of Awakeners knew about the global disaster at this stage. For regular individuals, knowing about it wouldn't change anything and might cause extreme panic.

The Awakeners present wore expressions of numbness and pessimism. They had already heard these pieces of information from Dirk's mouth. Previously, they didn't take it seriously, but now it seemed all too real.