Chapter 39: 039 – Leaders

While hundreds of thousands of people lay in game capsules, dozens of TV channels around the world showed numerous clips of how the game unfolded, providing a glimpse into the fate of those who participated in this game of death.

Almost everywhere in the world, people stuck their eyes to the game, witnessing the death toll surpassing almost half of the players, 5 millions lives in just 10 mins of the game caused pandemonium to break out in society.

The sight of the towering tsunami rose on the horizon that swallowed everything in its path silenced the entire world. Through the screen of their TV, they witnessed what could only be described as true horror.

It was then followed by extreme weather which turned the playground into frozen graveyards, and it only went progressively worse as every minute passed.

Minutes became hours as everyone watched the number of survivors drop rapidly, until the 8 hours nightmare ended.

At the end of the broadcast, a familiar face appeared on the screen replacing the sight of destruction.

The dull eyes and slumped shoulders were replaced by an intense, fevered stare as they glared at the screen.

Anna, the woman in dark hair and the representative of the Aliens, congratulated the survivors and paid condolences to the dead. However, her every word only served to fuel the anger in the masses.

After the Aliens delivered their speech devoid of any emotions, what appeared on the screen changed once more. The nation's leaders took over the stage to suppress the unrest within their citizens with their articulated speech.

For the United States, a man with neatly styled white hair was seen sitting behind a brown table with the US national flag in the background. He was none other than the President of the United States, Thomas Whitemore.

"There are no other words that could describe our situation but gratitude for their bravery and sacrifice," he said as he tried his best to not let his chin fall.

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Within a specific room in the New York Apocalypse Game Center, dozens of people in uniform sat in front of multiple computer screens. Their eyes had become dry from staring at the screen, yet no one seemed to want to take their eyes off them.

They have been attentively analyzing each visual frame and the data given by the Alien for the last 8 hours. When the game ended, one of the staff quickly called the man in charge.

"Colonel Weeber, it's time."

"Alright, connect us to the White House."

The vast screen which previously showed the game now showed a large table with a few men in high-ranking uniforms. The one at the end of the table was the Commander In Chief.

Soon enough, the screen split into 3 as two more visuals connected.

One was the apocalypse training center in Los Angeles led by Major Kingsley, and another was the one in Houston overseen by Colonel Maxwell..

"Mister President" was the first word given, and the President heaved a long, low sigh before talking with no energy left in his voice.

"Gentlemen, just give me the number."

Nodding their heads, each leader of the training center instructed their subordinates to transfer the data they had gathered. Moments later, the number of survivors from three cities in America appeared on the screen.

New York: 21,233

Los Angeles:10,845

Houston: 13,236

All who were present in the conference had somewhat expected the number because this was the first game where the majority of the players consisted of civilians. Yet, despite their preparation, the impact on their minds was still severe.

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"...More than 250,000 in 8 hours."

Trying to cheer up the mood, a man sitting at the table with the President, one without a military uniform, opened his mouth.

"Actually, the number of survivors is higher than expected, Mr. President, especially in New York."

"Yes, I can see that, Professor Levinson."

The professor was the one in charge of studying the Aliens. His statement was not wrong, but still the fact that each number meant one human life weighed on everyone's mind.

"Colonel Weeber, can you explain the reason for the high number of survivors in your city?" said the President with a questioning gaze.

The Colonel answered with a wavering tone, "I… I added some modules about surviving extreme cold in the last few days of training before the game, Mr President."

"That's fortunate, colonel.. But why did you do that? Is there any particular reason?"

The Colonel avoided President's eye contact for a second and said, "It's… just a hunch, Mister President."

It might be that he noticed the uneasiness in the Colonel's voice, or to uplift the mood, the President commented with a dry laugh. "We certainly could use more of that hunch, Colonel."

Knowing the matter of New York City couldn't be pursued further, the President then continued talking about the next agenda. First was about the condition of the platoon, the American soldiers placed among the civilians that joined the game, the second was about the media, and the third was the public security before finishing the meeting.

"Thank you, gentlemen… and may god bless us all."

When the screen was off, Colonel Weeber rallied his battalion of soldiers, 3000 men from the training center and took off for the pyramids at the Central Park in downtown New York City.

Tens of thousands of people were screaming at the gates, angry toward the Aliens and how the government was doing things. There were also visible signs of a riot appearing amongst the crowds.

Those who came to riots were not just people who disagreed with the policies, but also the players' families who came to enquire about their kin who most probably fell in the game. Chaos was inevitable when numerous negative emotions piled up together.

The Colonel's 3000 troops joined with the thousands who guard the place, came to soothe the masses. With the help of his men, the Colonel walked through the crowd and stood on a platform that allowed his figure to be seen.

"I understand your pain, as I was one of you last year." The colonel spoke briefly on how his son fell in last year's Apocalypse Game. Noticing many turn silent as they sympathize with his story, he swiftly continued,

"Please calm down, as what you are doing will only make it harder for all of us."

He delivered a quick short speech before instructing the family members to head toward the Apocalypse Center to receive more information and oversee the whole process.

His vacant eyes stared at the puffed eyes and breaking voice of the people as they inquired the guards of their family members.

When the Colonel returned to his car, he once again thought about the stranger who gave him the USB filled with the information. If only he put a bit more faith in the strenger words, he could have saved many more lives.

At the same time, this revelation made him wonder who that person really was.

He took a steeled breath and made a phone call to one of his staff.

"Collect all the data of veterans who volunteered for this year's game."

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