Last Ruler Of The Empty Throne-Chapter 48: Survivor’s camp

"S-Survivors?" Julius stammered at the revelation of their origins.

Even the other fighters and armed policemen seemed shaken. They were well aware of that university. After all, the policemen stationed here had previously been responsible for the university’s protection, striking exclusive deals with it.

And frankly, from what they had seen, they hadn’t imagined any students would survive the whole ordeal. The policemen often saw the school as a pampering ground for the young, a place where everything was done for the students except attending classes and eating.

So, when they saw the buses, fortified with scales from slain monsters, they hardly believed these could belong to students from Palflic. And now, looking at Jon, Jenny, and Cynthia again, they looked more like models adorned with the treasures of the system, and not average students.

’Ah, like models. It’s them.’ Some of the policemen there suddenly had this revelation.

Evolving didn’t just enhance one’s powers; it brought their physical forms a step closer to perfection. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Cynthia and Jenny had already been beautiful before the apocalypse, especially Cynthia. This evolution only exaggerated their appearance.

But the policemen didn’t know that, after all, they hadn’t seen anyone of the first realm. Even the fighters around them still looked the same as they did in the beginning.

Initially dumbfounded, the fighters soon relaxed, lowering their weapons as the situation seemed to calm.

"O-Okay, are they also survivors in there?"

Julius’s voice had shifted from suspicion to warmth while pointing at the buses. They couldn’t see through the monster scales hanging around the buses.

"Yes, they are, and we seek refuge here," Jenny nodded.

"Alright, we’ll have someone attend to you shortly. You’ve done incredibly well to survive, you can rest now, and welcome to our camp."

Julius said, pulling out a walkie-talkie from his belt and speaking into it.

He then gestured for them to enter. "For now, you can come in."

The police and fighters cleared the way, and the group drove into the camp. After parking, Jon, Jenny, and Cynthia got out of their vehicles, this time accompanied by Julius alone, while the others remained to guard the gate.

Before long, a white Hilux, bearing the signature markings of a police vehicle, approached. Seeing the vehicle, Julius bid them goodbye and went back to his duty.

Two people then emerged from the back seat, a man and a woman appearing in their early thirties. They approached and looked the trio over. The other survivors stayed on the buses, planning to step out just once instead of making a back-and-forth.

"My name is Martha," the woman started without a hint of excitement or warmth, as though receiving survivors was a daily chore.

She didn’t even introduce the male of their pair.

"I’m Jenny, and this is Jon and Cynthia," Jenny replied, avoiding last names to prevent the previous awkwardness. Martha’s eyes narrowed and frowned a little, she interpreted the omission as a disrespect to her.

Jon quickly scanned the two. They were around levels 17-18, a good rank for greeting survivors, but not enough to pose any threat to him, Jenny, or Cynthia.

"Welcome to our camp," Martha continued. "We’ll need you to list any supplies you brought with you and provide some basic details."

"Oh then, please, come over." Jenny gestured to one of the buses, indicating they should follow her.

Jon and Cynthia followed closely behind. Martha and the man exchanged glances before trailing after Jenny.

They felt confident they could handle whatever might come. After all, these three seemed to be at level 14 and 15 at best, a level Jenny, Jon, and Cynthia had purposefully underplayed to conceal their true strength with mana.

It was also an application of mana they’d learned together, they had reduced their mana flow, allowing others to perceive a lower rank as a valuable form of protection. Because being too strong could also make a target. And as Jenny opened the rear compartment of the bus, the contents were revealed.

"GASP!"

The previously stoic pair now wore expressions of sheer shock.

What else could display the shocked expression of this pair if not the fact that the entire bus was loaded with food and provisions?

The cafeteria supplies had been abundant; the university’s stores held more food than they’d expected. Even after distributing among the vehicles, they’d kept a large portion in this bus as the primary group.

And no one had complained. Those who feared the trio’s power had chosen to show their appreciation of everything they had done for them through action, gifting supplies.

"This...," the male of the pair finally tried to speak, but his words caught in his throat.

A thousand questions raced through his mind, the most pressing being, Where did they get all this?

The bus was designed to carry around fifty people, yet it had been gutted and filled to the brim with provisions. The pair managed to compose themselves, though their previous indifference was gone.

"May I ask where this is from?" Martha’s tone had shifted, much more respectful than before. It was evident that Julius hadn’t informed them of the survivors’ origins.

Jenny responded with a slight smile. "We’re from Palflic University, and we gathered these from the school’s store."

"O-Okay, please, follow us," Martha finally said, nodding toward the buses to indicate they should follow.

With a nod, Jon, Jenny, and Cynthia got back into their vehicles and drove behind the pair’s Hilux.

...

"Ha, I thought they were just kids," Martha sighed once she was back in the vehicle. When they’d been called to receive survivors, their actual job had been to determine if the newcomers could be useful or not.

But the sight of those provisions had taken them by surprise.

"They’re quite strong too," the man added thoughtfully, though he didn’t believe the trio could best him in a fight.

"They’ll be accepted, those three," he continued, not mentioning the rest of the survivors. He glanced out the window as they drove.

As Jon and the others followed, the camp came into clearer view. Initially, they saw ragged, sickly people, poorly fed and clothed. But gradually, as they advanced, the surroundings improved. Clothes were cleaner, people looked well-fed, and roads looked neater.

The man sighed as he observed, but the woman maintained her usual indifference.

Finally, they reached what appeared to be the headquarters, ten relatively luxurious buildings surrounding a grander one in the middle.

Fighters roamed the area, some wielding bows and swords, others in heavy coats, giving the place an air of security and organization. The buses stopped, and this time, everyone disembarked.

The group now consisted of about 250 people, including students and staff.

Looking around, Jon also noted some familiar faces among them: Alexa, Laura, Robin, Mia, Norman, and several others he’d fought alongside.

They had clustered together, though none were smiling. They had already noticed the sort of hierarchy within the camp, where the strong and skilled were treated as an elite class, and the weak were pushed to the fringes.

And the non-fighters felt it most keenly. Watching their faces, the man sighed, understanding what they were seeing, while Martha remained indifferent.

The two then scanned the thirty fighters who stood at the front of Jon’s group.

"Hmm..."

"Huh?"

The pair’s eyes widened. These students were powerful, unusually so. They couldn’t even gauge the levels of some among them, which confirmed that these individuals were stronger than themselves.

But something else struck them as odd: why were the weakest amongst them standing at the front?