Chapter 102: Meditate to become stronger
Ten minutes later, everyone except the seven ’normies’ was on Floor Three. Everyone chose their seats, some sitting on stools or the floor rather than a sofa, because they decided to try out the fitness facilities and didn’t want to stink up the sofa.
Kain held the file in his hand. It was the information he had received from Captain Gene. He didn’t look at it while they were there. It was a way to show a modicum of trust he didn’t feel.
As for how it made Captain Gene feel, he hoped it would force him to let his guard down a bit.
The file sat on a table where everyone’s eyes flitted to it.
This wasn’t the most pressing thing currently.
"You all have questions," Kain stated. "Let me ask you a question first." He observed them. "At any point today, did you feel like you were in danger or simply have a strange sensation you cannot explain?"
He observed them, one by one. He was looking for traces that he wasn’t the only person who felt the strange sensation from those two. Even if he was the only person to see them, the feeling shouldn’t be limited to sight, and that’s what he wanted to confirm.
He saw Marcus’ hand clench before releasing. Jaylin touched her chest. Ian nodded slightly. Jon gave a small murmur. He could also see the confusion in others’ eyes.
Nodding, he confirmed one thing: the feeling wasn’t isolated. He wasn’t the only one who felt it.
"Is it because of 401 and the others?" Dominic asked.
He had been looking at Kain the entire time.
Kain nodded and asked, "How did you know?"
The room shifted to confusion from their previous contemplation. They didn’t know who 401 was. The encounter with the other family of five was never high on the agenda, so it wasn’t mentioned.
"It’s always been like that. When me, little brother and sister go near them, we always think they might try to hurt people. But everyone says they are nice and we are the bad ones."
Dominic didn’t mention the lab. It had been drilled into him that he shouldn’t mention the lab. It was only during their vulnerable period that the children mentioned the lab to Kain. They never talk about it openly.
Despite the curious stares, Dominic didn’t continue.
"I think they’re the bad ones," Amelia said, stroking Dominic’s hair.
"So do I," Kain agreed. "Their parents were here today. If they are their parents. They tried coming upstairs even though I repeatedly told them not to."
"What were they looking for?" Marcus asked.
Kain let out a silent breath. "That is exactly why I had everyone come upstairs. I have no clue what they are looking for. I do have a hunch it has something to do with either the children or us.
You hadn’t met them previously. Though they did see the boat, I had hoped they didn’t know whether any of you were Awakened. That uncertainty was why I had everyone wait until they left."
"So they know about Awakened?" Vincent asked.
Kain’s eyes flicked to him, cooling a fraction before returning to calm. "They should. They are awakened themselves. All five of them."
Surprise rippled through the group. They had never met other awakened. Everything they learned, they learned it from Kain. Knowing they might be able to meet others out there, everyone became a bit excited.
Kain waved his hand. "Remember, being Awakened doesn’t mean a person is easy to get along with. Because they are Awakened, it is reason for everyone to be more cautious."
Saying this, he observed. He already gave his advice; it was up to them to choose to follow or ignore it.
"Tell me one other thing", Kain began. "The feeling you had, did it start when the people from the barge came?"
They nodded, confirming. Kain’s heart stuttered for a fraction of a second. He wasn’t wrong; there was definitely an issue.
His expression did not betray him. There was no reason to tell them he had suspicions. They would learn to use their senses as they continued to grow. He gave them a place to grow, but it didn’t mean he needed people to stay in a greenhouse.
For some reason, his desire to have them go out and fight became stronger. But before that, they needed to become stronger.
"I need you all to do something for me. For the next month, aside from cleaning and other necessary acts, meditate. Can you do that?"
One by one, they agreed.
"Good, now, your questions?" He gestured for them to ask.
"The question’s already been answered," Marcus said. "We were curious about why you herded us upstairs, and now we know."
He gave a half-smile and nodded, then he leaned forward. He flipped the file open.
"Now that we’ve gone through the pleasantries, we need to take a look at these files. This is what I asked the barge for in exchange for food."
He tapped the table.
For the next few minutes, they went through the papers. There wasn’t anything unexpected for Kain, but the expressions of shock on everyone else’s face showed they hadn’t expected what they had seen.
The news was nothing more than the death of millions, the knowledge of food sources dwindling and nothing growing, animals becoming increasingly larger and more aggressive, and Kain’s personal favourite, the glowing waters and dead zones.
They were kind enough to include a map. It showed the waterways they had visited. It was fairly detailed, which made Kain pleasantly surprised.
If this was the news they were sharing now, what other kind of news was out there? Kain couldn’t help questioning.
Kain leaned back in the chair. He said nothing and let the others continue to check the file.
When he was certain everyone had seen enough, he asked. "Tell me what you think about everything you’ve seen."
He leaned back and waited for them to form their opinions.
His goal had never been the information itself. His goal was to let them see what was happening outside. Providing shelter is fine, but one should still be aware of what the outside world is like.
Using this, he could not only show them that the world has gone to hell, but he could also see if there was anything useful. His knowledge of his past life has already been skewed; he needed to know what might have changed.
