For the rest of that day, the team rested. Whatever means they used was up to them.

The children, worn out by the earlier activity, slept especially peacefully. As for Kain and Amelia, he rested to gather his strength, and for the rest of the day, he and Amelia spent their time in bed. He did exactly as he said and devoured her.

The only time they left each other’s arms was to feed the children.

Early the next morning, when Kain woke up, his gaze was both satisfied and complicated.

He refused to allow the thought to cross his mind. He shook his head a few times to clear it. Then he went to lie down on the couch in the living room.

Yesterday was just the beginning. There was more to come.

The days were both peaceful and stressful.

He decided to check the task rewards. There was also a question he had for the system.

The first thing he checked was the Bee Queen Core. The pressure rolling off the bee core caused Kain to grit his teeth.

This was definitely not an ordinary core. He found himself drifting off while staring at it.

[Warning! The host is about to devour the Upper-level Strain Mindware queen-bee core.]

[Alert! Do not eat!]

Hearing the system’s blaring alarm, Kain’s eyes turned sharp, focused. He placed the core in the space immediately. He frowned.

"System, what the hell was that?"

[Mindware Queen Bee Core. Upper-level Strain beast capable of controlling the mind of surrounding creatures and summoning swarms.]

"Mind control? Then why did I try to eat it?"

[The Mindware can be reborn if ingested by a host. The length of time is dependent on the strength of the host. After using the host to provide nutrients, it then devours the host from the inside out.]

Kain was speechless. He couldn’t manage to string two sentences together. He stared at the core in the space and wondered what he could do with it.

"Why did you give this as a reward? I can’t even control myself around it."

[By becoming an Ascendant, the host can use the Queen Bee’s core.]

He gritted his teeth. "So you gave me something I have no use for until who knows how long?"

Frustrated, he rubbed his hands over his face, lamenting the system’s useless reward.

"Fine, then tell me about the upgrade," he gritted his teeth as he spoke.

[Sanctuary Upgrade- New Features Unlocked.]

[Dimensional Reinforcement-interior structural integrity increased by 200%]

[Voidglass Barrier-Resistant to: corrosive fluids, biological attacks, high caliber impacts]

[Spatial Expansion-internal dimensional volume increased, exterior dimensions unchanged, interior capacity increased.]

[Transit System- Stairwells established, Elevator Access Granted]

[Floor Designation System Activated]

[Floor Five-Family Residence, Floor Four-Core Personnel, Floor Three-Nightfall Residents, Floor Two-Civilian(temporary housing), Floor One-Logistics and Industry.]

[Specialized Workshops unlocked-Bone processing, Material Refinement, Research Laboratory, ]

[Sanctuary Capacity Increased- 48 residents.]

Rubbing his chin, Kain saw the upgrade and couldn’t believe it. His eyes shone with a blinding light. This was exactly what he needed.

If the system could add an anti-gravity booster or something that could get the building to move, his dream would be complete.

Too bad, there was no such thing. His only consolation was that he could bring the Sanctuary into the space. So no matter where they went in the future, they could still have the same luxuries.

"How long would the upgrade take? Is there anything specific I need to do?"

[The upgrade will take 24 hours. It is recommended that the host vacate the premises during this time.]

"Why?"

[Dimensional and Spatial changes may disrupt the human body, leading to things such as combustion, Invertion, and Death. The host is not yet strong enough to withstand such changes.]

[Advising the host to take the members of the faction away from the Sanctuary.]

Resting with his hands behind his head. Kain thought about what might happen if he left those people inside.

He made the decision quickly. He would advise everyone to follow him outside for 24 hours. Those who did not, it wasn’t his trouble to face.

He waited for another two hours. It was now past eight o’clock. Everyone should be up by this time.

Kain walked to the intercom and made the announcement.

"For the next 24 hours, it is recommended that all residents leave the sanctuary. I repeat, it is recommended that all residents leave the sanctuary. If you wish to stay...this is entirely up to you.

Those planning to leave, please pack your essentials. We will leave in one hour."

He made the announcement in the most emotionless voice he could muster. But he couldn’t stop the slight inflection at the end of his statement.

At nine o’clock tomorrow, there should be something good to see.

The smile on his face was like that of a well-fed cat.

’See, it’s not so bad being bad.’

The voice came, and his smile dropped. The voice continued.

’Seems I don’t need to do much work. You’re willing to accept me all on your own.’

Kain scoffed, ’I won’t be anything like you.’

’You’re already me. You don’t even remember how you died. You don’t remember what we did. You’ve been me for so long, it’s ingrained in your bones. All you need to do is admit it.’

He ignored the voice.

He had no time for this psychopath. He needed to start getting ready.

Getting Amelia and the children up wasn’t a hassle. They were already awake and just refused to leave the room.

Being a good spouse and father, he brought them breakfast in bed.

He also advised them that they would need to leave for 24 hours. He confidently told the children that their house would be better by the time they came back, because someone was going to make it prettier for them.

For Amelia, he simply told her about the system upgrade. She shot him a wicked grin when she heard how he planned to leave people to die.

In her own words, "Great, they don’t appreciate what you do for them. Should have killed them ages ago."

So, in the hour it took them to get ready, Kain gathered on Floor Two with everyone. At first, he wanted to go the luxury route, but he decided against it.

This was a good opportunity to temper himself and the others. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

He took a relatively large boat that could hold more than twenty people.

It wasn’t fancy by any means, but if you were willing to work, you wouldn’t starve.

Ten minutes before nine, those who had fought with him stood ready. The ordinary people from the first and second floors looked hesitant.

"I won’t force any of you to come. Just know, those who do will have to work. This is not a picnic. It is meant to temper you in this harsh world.

Ten minutes remain. If you wish to go with us, meet on the boat before nine. We leave promptly."

The Nightfall members, those who had fought with him. Didn’t ask questions. They all but jumped out the window and onto the boat.

Yes, Kain had now identified these people as part of Nightfall; whether they can earn his trust or not remains to be seen.

What matters is that they are considered closer than the non-awakened in the building.

Ten minutes passed quickly. And aside from the eleven people already on the boat, only seven decided to leave. One of which was the man he had taught the skill og bone carving.

He thought to himself that he didn’t need to find other people to carve.

He asked the seven people if there was anyone else who wanted to go with them. After receiving the response, at nine o’clock, he drove away.

He prompted the system to start the upgrade. He hummed as he left.