"Huh?" "What?" "Hey! What is happening?" Everyone looked extremely confused. Only after Chris really collected a list and stepped out of the room the murmurs and whispers became louder, and the disgruntled group stopped complaining amongst themselves and started shouting at Mark. "What is this, Mark? What are you doing?" "We have been fighting together all these days, and suddenly you are kicking us out for some stranger? Who stood beside you and fought all these days? Us or him? Who do you think is more important to the guild right now? You have got to be kidding me!" Mark heard their outrageous remarks and sneered, "This has to be the funniest thing I have heard." "You are saying you are an integral part of the guild while the person who asked me to set up the whole thing even before the apocalypse struck and made sure that we were not totally slaughtered is a stranger? Don't you find this ridiculous?" Mark laughed at them openly. The small group quickly stood up in anger. None of them had the mood to sit in the auditorium and listen to the condescending words any longer. "Fine. Why do you get to kick us out of the guild? We are leaving! We were planning to leave this place and join the government guild. Now you only made our decision easier! Hmph!" "Compared to your guild and your fake guild leader, the government camp is definitely a hundred times better!" The group of people immediately started walking out. Mark saw this and simply shrugged his shoulders. He did not have anything to say to these people. He only had silence, a smile, and a wave. Coincidentally, when the group grumbled and started walking out of the big auditorium, a white fox elegantly zoomed down and landed on the stage. From her back, Liam tiredly rolled down. He looked beaten and battered, as if he had just survived a harsh tornado. Immediately everyone began to panic. Mark and Chris rushed to Liam to help him stand. They could see that outwardly he had no injuries, but yet, it was very clear that he was extremely weak at the moment. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮 "Let's go inside. Fast." Mark signaled Chris. Especially right now, when things were a bit chaotic in the guild, he did not want to show the world that Liam was weak. Unfortunately, it was too late. The people who walked out of the auditorium were at least Level 15, so they got a good look at Liam's condition. "Is this your almighty guild leader?" The deserters sneered in contempt and started loudly discussing and ridiculing the guild, creating a ruckus near the entrance. Mark clenched his fist in embarrassment. He couldn't care less about these people. He was far more concerned about letting down Liam by showing him such an unsightly display. For the person who had done everything for him, he couldn't even create and manage a branch guild properly? This was a huge slap on the face. Mark felt his anger bubbling up. He wanted to charge at the bunch of ungrateful bastards right then and there and slaughter them all, but before he could take any action, the white fox in front of him silently disappeared. When Luna reappeared, she was standing right in front of the group of idiots and snarled loudly at them. Viciousness glinted in her eyes, and she gave off a feral threatening aura. Her mere sight without the sound effects was enough to scare the living daylights out of these people. The group of people instantly scattered away, not even daring to look back. They no longer cared about mocking the guild or the guild leader. They simply wanted to get the hell out of there while they were still alive. Luckily for them, Luna was in no mood to chase after them and hunt them down. She returned back to Liam's side shortly after which Mark and Chris escorted Liam to a more comfortable place for him to rest. Seeing this, the group that was running away slowed down and spat out in contempt. "Fucking hell! What do they think of themselves? These people are cowards. They can only show their strength to us civilians. Hmph. In the place where it really counts, they are useless." "That guy who boasted that he was going to go all alone and take care of the insects, did you see his condition? He definitely ran for his life and returned back! The idiot!" "Even we know how dangerous these insects are. This idiot rashly went to a nest all on his own and now came back injured." "Tch. To support this idiot, that guy Mark is kicking us out! What a bastard! We contributed so much to this group from day 1, and yet we are kicked out like this!" "Fuck them. I am not letting this go just like that. First, let's go to the government camp, and then we will prepare a return gift for these guys." "Ya! I also agree. These selfish assholes need to be taught a lesson! Just because the world changed, they think that they can do whatever they want!" The group of thirty people picked up their friends and family and begrudgingly left the guild territory. Meanwhile, in one of the apartment complexes, Liam was resting tiredly on a soft luxurious bed. "Internal troubles?" He asked Mark, and the other party helplessly nodded. "It's fine. It's fine. Don't beat yourself up too much about it. You are a born fighter, and you are good at it too. There is no need for you to be the best at everything." Mark still looked hesitant, but he was glad that Liam did not seem to be disappointed in him. "Let me tell you another thing. Have you checked the features of the guild upgrade yet? Soon you should be able to use a teleportation portal that lets all the members travel from here to the main guild." "I suggest that everyone move to the main guild base as soon as that option is available. I will still not be around for a while to protect you guys, but I have made some arrangements on my behalf. You will understand when you get there." Liam explained. Mark quickly nodded in happiness, his mood taking a turn for the better. "Of course. We will do that immediately. Right now!" Ever since the apocalypse began, this was one thing that they regretted the most. They had somehow survived so long, but it was not without incurring some casualties. So they were painfully aware of their biggest mistake of their lives, and that was not doing everything they could while they still had the chance! If only they had listened to Liam's words and given that more importance, by now, they could have also been with the main guild group in China. But now, fortunately, they got a second chance to rectify this mistake. They were obviously not going to let this go again. Mark quickly attended to Liam and served him some piping hot food personally. He then immediately stood up to make preparations to leave the place. The sooner they joined the main base, the better! Looking at his eagerness, Liam laughed a little. "Don't you want to know what happened to the hive hill?" Mark shook his head. "Guild leader. It's fine. Don't worry about it. I understand." "Heh? You think I failed?" Liam grinned. Mark stopped in his tracks, completely shocked. He then turned to look at Liam with a blank expression. "You mean you did not fail?" "Of course, I didn't fail!" Liam grinned. "I took care of that little bug problem." Mark stood utterly stunned. When he saw Liam's condition, he had expected the worst, but this… how could he believe this? Also, Liam was barely gone for an hour? The insects that he thought were going to wipe out the world were taken care of in a single hour? "Anyways, we are not out of danger just yet. So it's too early to celebrate. I will explain everything later. For now, you focus on the task at hand. Gather everyone and prepare to leave." Liam closed his eyes and rested. "Oh! And don't disband the guild. Keep everything intact. When you leave, just change your territory to one that is right next to the main base. In this way, we can have two safety zones in case things come down to it. This will give us some time to fight back." Mark nodded in a daze and left the room. He still could not believe the things that he had heard. Was it really possible for someone to take down the whole hive hill in just an hour? He had only been away from Liam ever since the apocalypse began, which was barely a few weeks after the game shut down. Just what sort of a monster had the guild leader become in this small span of time?