The team rescued the survivors and did first aid. None of them were doctors, however, so their assistance was ultimately limited. For those who would definitely die before they could even take them out, Naia put them into space. The space had a clinic and hospital beds, even if there was no doctor on duty.

For these people, they’d have no choice but to stay in the space to remain living. It would also make things convenient for Naia, who’d try to find a clinic or a hospital nearby. For the rest, they had to be given a choice.

Naia left the warehouse to head to the nearest clinic. She didn’t bring anyone else or a car this time, as teleporting was much quicker. Kael and the others, on the other hand, went to talk with the scientists still conscious.

There were 10 bodies there; 2 were without signs of life and were laid out as corpses, while most of the rest were barely conscious.

Kael didn’t want to waste time waiting for them to be lucid, letting them smell ammonium carbonate (which the lab happened to have) to shoot them awake.

The engineers weren’t even given the chance to mourn for their dead colleagues. Kael went straight to the point.

"We are currently heading to the capital city," he said. "You can come with us, but you’ll follow all our arrangements without question, or you can go find your families or travel on your own."

Then he said nothing else, leaving the engineers and scientists—still shocked by the disaster—to look at him in a daze. Marcus’ eyes twitched, and he decided to speak in his stead.

His education wasn’t high, but he served as a foreman for more than a decade. He had handled many people, many of whom were stubborn roughnecks, and he could do so in a mild-mannered way. This was rare in the construction industry filled with ’manly’ men.

This personality was, in fact, how he got pushed out by his rivals.

"Everyone is free to choose whether to come or not. It’s just that, because our party has a lot of things going on, we have a lot of requirements for those who wish to travel with us.

"Anyway, we have prepared some basic essentials for several days of travel for each one of you, regardless of whether you join our team or not."

He pointed at the duffel bags at the side, and Hans opened one up to show its contents. It showed food, drinks, tools, and other things like a jacket, towels, and so on.

"If you come with us, you’d have to be part of our team permanently due to various reasons. There might be days where you will feel trapped, as we might have to place you in an isolated place.

"We can make sure you are clothed, trained, and fed. However, you will have to follow our will, and betrayal will lead to death (or worse). If you don’t want to come, you can leave now, and we will not put it against you. Everyone has places to be, after all."

They had to protect the secret of Naia’s space, so he could only be vague. Vague promises were never really that alluring, especially when one had a lot to lose.

"The compromise is that you can choose to bring your own vehicle and follow after us, but we won’t really care whether you’re able to catch up to us at all, and you will be responsible for your own safety and sustenance. It’s all your choice."

Kael was looking at the machines, checking which ones were useful and which scrap to take. Meanwhile, it was Marcus and his children who waited for the engineers’ responses.

The remaining eight people looked at each other, though most of them were pale from the pain. This was not just physical. Their eyes would often land to their dead colleague, both of whom were just chatting with them less than an hour ago.

"Where is Ugine and Medusa?" the eldest woman asked, referring to the two seriously injured people who Naia took away.

"Our teammate brought them to a clinic," Marcus said. "They’re in critical condition, so we couldn’t wait."

At this, the others felt relieved, and they finally gave themselves space to think about this group’s offer. They knew Kael, but only as a client, so they were not sure they were completely trustworthy.

The leader, a 41-year-old woman named Galantea, was the first to step forward. She was protected by the shirt armor, but she still had plenty of bruises in her body.

"Thank you for saving us. However, my family is in Amber City, so I cannot go with you," she said. Amber City was South of here and opposite the Capital, so this was understandable.

Marcus nodded. "You can get one duffel bag. Half of the cars in the garage are intact and should be ready to use." The keys might be missing, but these were superior engineers and scientists. Making a car work without a key should be no problem to them.

"Thank you."

The woman stood up and three others followed after her, thanking Kael and the others for their help before leaving. Like Galantea, they also lived around Amber City, some in the suburban area. Amber City was the nearest City here, so many of them were from the area.

As for the remaining four people, they all went their own way except for two. One was an orphan without a family, and the other wanted to go to the capital with them.

Before leaving, Galantea approached Kael. "Boss, thank you. We hope we’ll meet again. Your projects are just as interesting as your parent’s.

Kael had only been awake for a few months. Galantea was part of his parents’ team back then, and she was the only one who hadn’t taken on a project yet.

This whole team was assembled thanks to her, so he did not mind their choice at all. He just hoped they’d be safe and continue to contribute to humanity’s survival their own way.

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