June quickly brought the meeting to an end, leaving only Leon behind.
After taking Leon to her office, June finally asked, “You had something you couldn’t say in the meeting room just now. You can tell me now, right?”
Leon nodded and sat down across from June.
“June, what we can be sure of now is that the monster in the arcade feeds on human emotional energy. The fact that Blondie and Old Harris survived after being held there for an entire day proves it.”
“That monster didn’t kill them, but it did restrict their freedom. It must have been feeding on their fear and despair, which means fear and despair are probably its food.”
June listened to Leon’s analysis and nodded in agreement.
“The fact that Jason and Old Harris made it back safely is enough to prove your earlier analysis was right. I completely agree with your assessment.”
Seeing the relief on June’s face, however, Leon poured cold water on her optimism.
“June, don’t celebrate just yet. Just like people need three meals a day, that monster isn’t going to be satisfied after feeding only once. It’ll definitely hunt for food again.”
June’s expression darkened.
That was exactly what worried her most.
What if the monster got hungry again and attacked the camp directly to create panic?
“So…” Leon looked at June hesitantly.
He was wondering whether he should tell her what he was really thinking, but he was worried that she might be repulsed by what he had to say.
June could see his concern, so she reassured him directly.
“Just say whatever’s on your mind. Whether you’re right or wrong, I won’t blame you.”
Seeing this, Leon steeled himself and said, “June, do you know about the sacrifices humans used to offer to gods in ancient times?”
June’s pupils contracted at those words.
Leon had all but spelled out what he meant.
“You mean…”
There was a faint, almost imperceptible tremor in June’s voice.
“Here’s my plan. We should send two people to the arcade every day. If that monster really is hungry, it’ll do the same thing to the people we send that it did to Blondie and Old Harris.”
“They’ve already proven that the monster won’t outright kill people. At worst, whoever we send will suffer for a while. But compared to having the entire camp attacked, I think that price is worth paying.”
June’s face turned ashen.
“You’re helping that monster farm us like livestock.”
“The truth is, we’re already being farmed.” Leon spread his hands, stating an even harsher reality.
They were fortunate that Mimikyu didn’t feed on life energy.
Otherwise, not a single person in the camp would still be alive.
“Besides, this might not necessarily be a bad thing for us. If we’re being kept as livestock, that means we have value. And in this apocalypse, being valuable is the only reason we’ll be allowed to stay alive.”
Leon’s words were cold-blooded and cruel, but June had to admit that he was right.
Right now, they weren’t even capable of leaving the mall.
And for all they knew, one day the rat monsters downstairs might come up, or the monsters from the aquarium might make their way over.
Either one would spell disaster for them.
But now they had an opportunity in front of them: sacrifice two people every day to appease the Ghost-type monster.
And these sacrifices wouldn’t even cost anyone their life.
From the perspective of a leader, Leon’s proposal was the most sensible choice.
Cruel as it was, at least it would increase the camp’s chances of survival.
June frowned deeply as conflicting thoughts warred within her.
After considering it for a while, she finally gritted her teeth and made her decision.
“So what do we do?” June raised her head and looked at Leon with determination.
Leon said, “Here’s what we’ll do…”
After working out the details with Leon, June gathered everyone in the camp.
Under everyone’s questioning gazes, June took a deep breath and forced herself to speak.
“Everyone, we’re now facing an incredibly difficult choice.”
June explained the situation with Mimikyu and went over Leon’s plan.
“So I’ve decided that we’ll send two people to the arcade every day. And as the people who proposed this plan, Leon and I will be the first to go.”
“In other words, Leon and I will head to the arcade shortly to meet that monster. If we can communicate with it, that would be ideal. If we can’t, then we’ll also be the first people to make a sacrifice for this plan.”
At those words, Ray shot to his feet and hurriedly objected, “Wait! June, I agree with the plan, but we absolutely can’t let you go yourself!”
“Exactly! Officer Sutton is in charge of the camp. What are we supposed to do if something happens to you?!”
“That’s right! Any of us can go, but you can’t! You’re the one holding this camp together!”
“That Ghost-type monster really only keeps us locked up for a day? It won’t eat us?”
“Blondie and Old Harris both came back alive. Doesn’t that answer the question?”
The people below immediately erupted into a chaotic argument.
June frowned, looking at the disorderly scene before her with a growing headache.
“Quiet!” June shouted.
Every voice instantly fell silent.
Leon watched the scene with considerable admiration for June.
In some respects, she clearly had the people’s trust, and that was a good thing.
“I made this decision, so naturally I have to lead by example!”
“In a moment, everyone will draw lots to determine the order in which you’ll go to the arcade. To keep things fair, everyone has to participate at least once.”
June paused there before adding, “Leon and I will go first, but from then on, neither of us will be included on the sacrifice list.”
Everyone’s gaze immediately shifted to Leon.
There was scrutiny and suspicion in their eyes, but more than anything, confusion.
They didn’t understand why Leon, who had joined the camp later than everyone else, deserved such a privilege.
“Because starting today, Leon will be my deputy. He’s a graduate student, and he’s done extensive research on these monsters. He’s our camp’s strategist, so naturally he should receive certain privileges.”
“And if this plan succeeds, it’ll mean the camp will become even safer, because we’ll have the protection of a Ghost-type monster. And all of this will be thanks to Leon’s research.”
“So, who’s in favor and who’s against it?”
After saying this, June swept a sharp gaze across the crowd, looking as though anyone who dared step forward would be openly challenging her.
The crowd began murmuring among themselves again.
But regardless of what they were thinking, not a single person was willing to step forward.
June nodded in satisfaction.
“In that case, everyone can start drawing lots.” As she spoke, June brought out a box she had prepared beforehand.
Ray went first.
He drew number sixteen.
With Ray taking the lead, the others gradually lined up to draw their lots as well.
Excluding Leon and June, there were thirty-six people in the camp.
Dividing them into pairs made eighteen groups.
Ray was in Group Sixteen, which meant his turn wouldn’t come for another fifteen days.
That was actually a good thing.
Once everyone had finished drawing lots, June added, “Before anyone is sent as a sacrifice, they’ll be allowed to eat their fill, so we don’t end up with another situation like Blondie’s.”
The gloom on everyone’s faces finally eased somewhat.
In an apocalypse where they never knew whether their next meal would leave them starving or full, getting to eat one satisfying meal—even if it meant going hungry for a full day and night afterward—didn’t seem quite so difficult to accept.
Even so, everyone still felt uneasy.
After all, their fear of Ghost-type monsters had already been etched into their bones.