Rin's first priority in the apocalypse was to make sure he was alive and safe. His second priority was to live comfortably. To achieve that, Rin first needed to make sure his people were safe.
His phone was already a piece of junk since electrical devices did not work during the apocalypse, but he still took it out anyway
Rin knew that his phone would not work, but he still felt disappointed when he saw there was no signal.
[We cannot make this call because you are out of the network coverage area. Please head back to the coverage zone and try again.]
"As if there were any coverage zones left."
Rin mumbled under his breath and headed back to his base. With a little luck on his side, everyone else would have started to head back there by now, and he could start his plan for the apocalypse.
But getting back was not going to be easy. The horde of zombies noticed him as soon as he entered the street, and they started chasing him.
Rin had trained his stamina to be as good as high as a normal human could reach. But lasting a full day like this was impossible.
[Don't give up now, dear user. You can achieve the impossible if you push yourself hard enough. However, since you are losing determination, I, the system, have gotten special permission from my boss to do you a favor. Please turn your attention toward the sky.]
Rin looked up and watched as the sky pulsed and something began to form.
Numbers appeared in the sky, and slowly became clearer.
[Time remaining during first task: 22 hours 17 minutes]
A timer had appeared in the sky to indicate how long the humans needed to survive. That suddenly made the apocalypse feel more real, even to those who wanted to deny its existence.
"Hey, didn't you say you wanted to preserve the original story events? I don't think a giant clock appeared during the original timeline."
Rin reminded the system. However, the system did not give him a clear answer.
[Please do not worry about it, user. Just like your presence has not changed the outcome of the original event, this change won't affect the original events either. If you want to make a change, then do it yourself.]
[Ah, but a small, insignificant bug like the user is not usually a threat. So this system will look forward to your futile struggles.]
[Please don't forget to ask the system for help when you need it, and make sure to give it a 5-star rating in the store as well.]
The system screen powered off, and Rin stared at it for another moment before he started to run toward his safehouse.
Rin carried a few weapons, and with the help of Perfect Craftsman (lvl 1), he was able to deal with most of the zombies on his way.
But he quickly ran out of bombs and weapons. In the end, he decided to rob an empty weapon store. The owner had already died, and his body lay at the front desk.
Rin carefully walked around it and picked up all the remaining bombs that had not already been taken by someone else.
That was enough to get him home, where everyone was in a panic.
"W-What do we do now? Are we all going to die?"
"My daughter is all alone. I need to save her—"
"My parents are too old to save themselves. I need to leave—"
The servants were panicking, and the head butler, Collin, watched this happen. He seemed unwilling to step forward at first, but he changed his mind as soon as he noticed Rin entering the mansion.
"Everyone, calm down. Sir Rin, it's good to have you back. Please don't worry about what is happening outside and go to your room and stay there. I promise I will protect you."
[My! Oh my! What a devoted butler you have. What do you think his smile hides? Can you trust him? Or will you get betrayed? Stay tuned to find out.]
Rin ignored the system's commentary and instead turned to look at his terrified staff. Their fear was genuine, and Rin felt a flicker of sympathy
But he couldn't help them all personally. They would have to make a decision.
"Everyone, listen carefully. I know these are hard times and you do not know what is happening, but pull yourselves together. Those who are worried about their families can go check on them. If you and your family have nowhere else to go, then come back here. You have all served my family for so long, and I won't abandon you now."
Most of the workers currently in the mansion were reasonably skilled and in good shape. If they awakened the system and improved their stats, then Rin had no doubt that these people would become a strong force under his command.
So he was willing to show them kindness and generosity.
"Those who are leaving should hurry up."
His last words snapped them out of it, and they ran out without looking back. More than half of the people left, and most of them would never return.
But those who did would remain loyal to Rin.
"Young Master, are you sure about your decision?"
His butler, Collin, asked, and Rin nodded.
"Let them go. If I make those people stay back by force, then they will just resent me and become a liability. It's better to cut out the rot before it spreads."
Rin did not want to risk having these people be used against him by the MC. It had happened in the original story, but Rin had no intention of repeating it.
"Everyone who chose to stay back, I will tell you about the change in your duties and what we need to do to survive. As long as you work hard and follow my instructions, you'll survive what's coming."
The servants looked scared, but determination quickly filled their eyes, and they nodded.
[Tsk, isn't the user taking on too much responsibility with these words? One failure will ruin his reputation. I can already picture the future—user being cursed at because he failed to keep his promise.]
'Well, if I go down, then won't you go down with me? In that case, I will count on your help.'
The system went quiet, almost as if it hadn't expected Rin to push back. When it spoke again, it was back to its usual tone.
[Of course! The system is at the user's command. Please feel free to ask for help whenever you need it.]
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