"I have full confidence that I will make it. But I can't say the same for you. Your physical strength is even worse than a child's."
"Hey, that's not true." (Yet)
Rin tried to protect his pride, but even he knew that he was physically weak. His stats weren't impressive and even a lifetime of training hadn't given him much of an edge.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think you're convincing anyone by speaking like this."
Reina let out a small giggle and that made Rin's anger drain away. Suddenly, he no longer minded being called weaker than a child.
The Ferris Wheel reached the ground and slowed down. The backup battery was likely at the end of its life.
"We should get off on the next cycle."
Reina nodded and stood up first. She jumped out as soon as it came close enough to the ground. Rin stayed inside, planning to get off on the next cycle But the cabin stopped moving fifteen feet above the ground, leaving Rin hanging in the air.
"The Ferris wheel stopped working. Should I look for something to help you get down?"
Reina asked and Rin quickly assessed the situation.
The jump he had to make was not impossible. As long as he had something to cushion his fall, he'd survive the jump. And if not, then Reina could patch him up afterward. Fifteen feet wasn't an impossible jump.
"Reina, don't bother looking for something else. I am going to jump."
That was all the warning he gave before jumping out of the Ferris Wheel.
Reina acted on instinct and immediately caught Rin's falling body. Catching him midway must not have been easy, but she still managed to make it look effortless.
"Woah-! That was a nice catch."
tightened her grip on him But instead of letting him go, Reina tightened her grip around him and gave him an annoyed look.
"You scared me to death. Is this your idea of an improvised date? For someone to get hurt at the end-"
"It turned out fine, right? But if you want me to apologize, I can do that too. I'm sorry for scaring you."
Reina dropped him onto his back, causing his ass to ache. But a fall from just two feet only gave Rin a few aches.
He pretended to be hurt and rubbed his back with an offended expression on his face. Unfortunately for him, Reina was a doctor and could see through his act instantly..
She didn't even bother acknowledging his apology. She just sent him an offended glare that made Rin chuckle.
Getting back to their base was easy. No one questioned why they had been gone for so long. The butler and the ENC executives had done an excellent job organizing everyone and all the projects Rin had designed had already started.
It was not easy to kickstart their new lives in the apocalypse, but due to Rin's preparations, they were not having as difficult a time as everyone else.
…
It did not take long for the word of his 'shelter' to spread and people from all over started to migrate in hopes of getting free food and protection.
Rin could afford to take in a few more people, but the refugees came in hundreds and did not offer anything in return. Their demands were also increasing rapidly which made handling them much tougher.
The butler quickly came up to Rin's office to give him a report. The situation had to be serious for him to involve Rin directly.
"Sir, there are too many people outside. We have managed to handle the situation for now, but we don't know how long we can handle the pressure. Should we start taking some people out?"
Rin did not have a solid answer, but he could also not hide away from this situation. Killing people was also not an option he wanted to explore.
For now, he decided to face the music and appear in front of these people.
"I will talk to the refugees myself. If they are going to cause trouble, then they might as well be useful to me."
The system had tasked Rin with gathering 250 followers and this was an opportunity to cross that threshold.
Collin clearly did not like this idea. He was pressing his lips together to show that he was not happy. But he also chose not to contradict Rin's choice.
The crowd was waiting for Rin to appear outside. There were close to 100 people trying to break into his manor, but they were not able to get in due to the high-voltage fence Rin had invested in.
"...hey, let us in. Don't the rich have a social obligation to take care of the poor? Are you going to abandon us all?"
The leader was trying to agitate the others and call out Rin at the same time. But unfortunate for him, Rin was not going to fall for his tricks.
The only thing young about Rin was his body. His soul had practically felt ancient after so much worry and planning. So he faced the masses with a calm look and kept his voice steady.
"Sir, you do realize that I am not even 21 yet? I have not inherited any of my money. It all legally belongs to my parents. In that regard, I am even poorer than you are. So, isn't it your responsibility to help me? After all, I am working just as hard as you all to survive."
That was not even remotely true, but Rin kept his voice steady to make his words sound more convincing.
He heard the man in front of the group gritting his teeth in annoyance.
"Even if you have not turned 21 yet, do you want us to believe you don't have money? Look at your mansion and all the people-"
"We only have this all because we are working hard for it. If you want it as well, then work and earn it yourself. Those who are interested can sign up for our program right now."
Rin informed the leader of the refugees and they all suddenly looked frustrated
"How can you expect us to work when we are so tired-"
"Sir, we all went through the same thing you did during the apocalypse. If you are trying to gain sympathy, then it will not work. Even a never-ending treasury would run out of patience and funds if it keeps getting exploited."
The CEO of ENC Tech spoke up in Rin's favor. His image as a workaholic was ingrained in people's minds and they recalled the news outlets recording him passing out from exhaustion more than once.
How could anyone call Rin out when such a person was covering for him? But not everyone was convinced even after all this.