Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System

The menu consisted of grilled chicken and steak for the mains and a few small side dishes.

Laura volunteered to cook the rice, while a few of the other ladies made other sides with the canned vegetables.

Rayne wanted to take out some fresh vegetables like corn and mushrooms to put on the grill, but she wouldn't be able to explain their origins so she decided to wait.

Soon, they would be growing their own produce which would make it easier for Rayne to bring out fresh produce.

People set up a few fold-out tables outside and the party began.

Everyone there was beaming from joy. The small party brought the community further together, allowing for both groups to mingle with each other in a more casual setting.

The food was all perfectly seasoned, and everyone enjoyed it, even licking their plates clean.

Appetites were large from working hard all day so there were no leftovers but everyone was rubbing their bellies with content.

Over on Julian's side, he and Noah just finished tying a large white sheet between two trees. This would act as the screen for the movie projector that was already set up and plugged into one of the smaller generators.

The movie Rayne decided to show was a well known comedy. She wanted to promote the feeling of joy within the base and this movie had everyone laughing for the rest of the evening.

Mila approached Rayne as they were cleaning up, "Thank you for hosting this fun event. We all enjoyed it very much."@@novelbin@@

Rayne smiled, "I enjoyed it too. We will definitely be doing this more often in the future. Working hard is good, but we also need to find time to relax and have some fun!"

She looked around and listened to the happy chatter between everyone around. Some people were quoting a few funny moments from the movie, while others were discussing what their favorite part of the dinner was.

This was the scene she had always wished to see after the apocalypse started.

The next morning Rayne heard a knock on the front door of their house.

"I'll go answer it", said Julian, getting up from the bed.

Rayne was curious about who it was since it was rare for someone to come looking for them so early in the morning.

She put on a robe and walked over to the living room where she saw Ian at the door.

Julian motioned for her to come over, "Deondre is finally back from the government base, he will come over after he's done with breakfast".

"Oh! That's great news! I'm so happy he's back safely!", smiled Rayne.

She let Julian speak with Noah while she went to the kitchen to boil a tea kettle of water. Since they were expecting guests she felt that it was only right to at least offer a cup of tea or coffee.

Ten minutes later Julian, Deondre, Ian and Noah were all sitting on the sofa in their living room, discussing the happenings in the base.

Rayne walked over with a tray of tea and coffee then sat down beside Julian.

"Did you manage to secure a sample of this new drug?", asked Julian.

Deondre shook his head, "Unfortunately not. It's why I took so long before coming back. I even tried buying it off of someone else, but no one was willing".

Ian folded his arms, "It must be very addictive if no one was willing to sell it to you even after you offered so much food and medicine".

Deondre nodded, "Yes sir. People were going crazy for it, I've never seen anything like it. There were even a few cases were people even killed each other for it".

Rayne widened her eyes, "Kill each other for it?! How are the people okay with taking something like this?"

Deondre lowered his head, "The drug was advertised as medicine, and a LOT of people at that base are sick.".

Rayne was a bit confused about this. She couldn't understand why they would advertise this as a medicine, or why people would accept something so sketchy.

"Also...about your family..", Deondre looked up at Julian. "They've also gotten hooked on the drug".

Julian's face remained unchanged. "This is the result of their own decision making. I no longer care about what happens to them".

The room went silent for a few moments before Julian changed the topic to how they would deal with the people at the government base.

"From what I've gathered, there are a few hundred people from Damien's side overseeing the base. They haven't changed many rules or processes yet--only introducing this new drug", said Deondre.

The room fell into contemplation once again, but Julian's next words surprised everyone.

"Let's wipe them out."

Even Rayne turned her head to look at Julian. This was the first time he suggested taking an offensive stance. He had always tried to hide and wait for the golden opportunity.

"We've been waiting long enough, and Damien still hasn't shown his face anywhere. Thinning out his army is the best choice we have right now. A few hundred people is manageable for us with our skills and weapons", he continued.

Ian quickly stood up and agreed. "This is the best option for us. If we just let them be, more innocent people will get caught up in the new drug problem. It will also provide Damien with a larger pool of people to recruit from, only making him stronger." Stay connected via My Virtual Library Empire

"And if we're lucky we can take out a few high ranking members of his 'team'", chimed in Noah.

After a few more minutes of silent deliberation, Ian looked at Julian with a slight frown, "Boss, the only issue is the weapons and ammo. It would be best if we could use our newly engineered silent weapons, but if I remember correctly we only have a handful of bullets".

Julian smiled ever so slightly, "Weapons and ammo are not an issue. I apologize for keeping this from you, but we indeed have more than you can imagine".

Both Noah and Ian looked shocked to hear the news. Ian shook his head with a sense of understanding, "No Boss, what you did was right. It's smart to withhold information sometimes. You never know who can betray you".

Ian was still thinking about Jess and her betrayal. It was a big sore spot for him as a leader and something that even kept him up at night.

Julian looked at him with a serious expression, "Ian, ready Alpha Team for this mission. We leave in two days."

Ian stood up and gave Julian a respectful bow then left to gather Alpha Team with Deondre.

Noah also left to make preparations for the rest of the base to avoid causing unrest. He would be staying back to oversee things while Julian and Rayne planned to join Alpha Team on the mission.