After clearing up the misunderstanding with the shy beauty, Leon finally left her room. A few hours later, Selene and Reymond returned from their scouting.

Finally, evening time arrived, and everyone sat at the table for dinner.

Quinn and Clarice also joined the original group at their table, as they were going to be involved in today’s discussion.

"Daddy!"

As soon as Leon entered the dining room wearing a pajama set, Nora leaped off her mother’s lap and rushed at him. Leon spared her a fond smile as he picked up the girl, gazing into her beautiful black eyes that glittered like the night sky.

"How did you spend your day?" He asked, taking a seat at the head of the table. Then, he gently settled the girl on his legs.

Nora grinned excitedly as she told him about how she had spent hours exploring the rooms and tried to find hidden items that had been left behind by the previous occupants.

"Oh, looks like you had fun," He chuckled, finally paying attention to the others. Surprisingly, no one had started eating, as if they were waiting for him.

Leon raised a brow, then understood. It was better to have their discussion before they had dinner.

"Nora, you can start eating."

He said, pushing his own plate to her. The girl glanced at her mother for a moment, and seeing her nod, she immediately began to dig in.

Ignoring the dining girl, Leon’s expression turned serious, and he looked at the two new members.

"Quinn and Clarice, right?" He asked, earning nods from the two humans. "Good. It’s nice to have you and your students around. You can address me as Leon."

"Good evening," Quinn greeted back. "I deeply appreciate your act of taking us in. I don’t know if we’ll ever be able to repay you somehow."

He really meant every word he said. Looking at the lavish dish before him, his heart was moved. Just yesterday, he had been starving so badly that he was feeling the symptoms of a stomach ulcer.

Yet, now, every trace of starvation on him had vanished. And all this could be attributed to Leon, even if Marie was the one who took the initiative to help them.

Leon saw the sincere gratitude in the man’s eyes, and couldn’t help but feel a bit better. At least not every human had unleashed their dark sides.

It could be said that Teacher Quinn was undoubtedly a good man. Despite being the only evolver among the people trapped in the school hostel, he never once abused his strength. If it were someone else, then they might have used people like Clarice and the other beautiful female students to please themselves.

’Ah, the world is rotting...’

Leon snapped back to reality and broke the silence.

"Since you’re still here after receiving my message from Marie, that means you’re willing to follow the rules."

Out of everyone present, only Reymond looked confused. However, remembering the rule Leon had imposed in the Field House, he blinked in understanding.

Quinn’s expression hardened, and he nodded in agreement. Although the conditions were something he wouldn’t accept normally, he understood that the current state of the world demanded it. Also, his students needed to start learning to be independent.

’And besides, the conditions are simple and fair. I like that.’

While he was thinking, Selene glanced at Leon, then asked, "Since you’ve made your decision to take them in, are you ready for the responsibility that follows?"

Everyone immediately focused on Leon, though a particular person was confused.

"What responsibility?" Miguel asked while scratching his head. His hawk-like gaze seemed to demand answers, and Reymond took it upon himself to enlighten his friend.

"You see, when the lives of people lie in your hands, you become a leader that is responsible for their wellbeing."

"Oh!" Miguel’s eyes lit up, and he looked at Leon in a new light. "Boss, you’re going to become a King!"

Stifled laughs soon filled the room, while Leon rolled his eyes. A king? Simply because he chose to keep two teachers and their students under his protection? It was ridiculous.

Ignoring the blonde guy, Leon answered Selene, "The responsibility... is an afterthought. Since I already decided to do this, there’s no turning from the weight."

He spoke with such firmness that made everyone see him as a tall mountain with an unshakable will. For a moment, the room was silent, until Cassie broke the silence.

"I’m in full support, naturally."

Fel, Marie, and his other subordinates followed, mirroring the young lady’s sentiment.

Gwen smiled and said, "As long as you don’t do anything bad, I’m in support too. After all, humanity needs to unite and fight back to reclaim our land."

"Gwen is right. We rescue humans, and kill off all the zombies and mutated beasts," Reymond added, a faint smile on his lips.

The incredibly handsome man looked even more charming at the moment, causing the female teacher to look at him in a daze.

Hearing the last part of his words, Richard grumbled something about not all mutated beasts being bad in a disgruntled tone.

Of course, no one really paid attention to him. Even Leon chose to ignore him.

Instead, he looked at Selene who had yet to speak. To be honest, Leon expected some resistance from the people around him. Perhaps not his subordinates, but maybe Selene, or Reymond, or even Gwen. After all, being a leader sounded nice, having authority over a particular group of people.

It could be the position of a CEO, a governor, or even the president of a country. However, the fact still remained that such a position carried power. And that kind of power was what humans coveted even before the apocalypse started.

Selene remained silent for a few seconds, then nodded casually.

She didn’t say anything, but that nod showed that she wasn’t against the idea. Perhaps she didn’t covet such position.

Sighing in his heart, Leon turned to the last person present in the room, unseen by anyone but him.

Seeing him look at her, Thyra gave him an encouraging smile, which unconsciously drew a faint smile to his lips.

Composing himself, Leon looked at everyone present, then started.

"I won’t beat around the bush with some motivating words. What we need to do is what matters. First is to try and reclaim Brooklyn and rescue every non-hostile survivor. And this... starts as soon as dawn breaks tomorrow!"