The next day, in the center of the village square, several tables were set up with a group of people behind them.
Gao Min looked at the nearly one thousand survivors surrounding the place and felt a little awkward. They all looked like hungry wolves ready to pounce on their prey at any moment. However, she gritted her teeth and endured as she shouted loudly, "From now on, everyone can approach a table and announce what kind of knowledge you have. From mechanics and blacksmithing to general medicine, anything that can help will be welcome and you will be rewarded based on your work!"
Indeed, these survivors were hungry wolves. However, the reason why they did not dare to cause any disturbance was to be attributed to Fu Xuefeng, Cai Jingyi, Kang Lan, Zhong De, Luo Cheng, and the other militants who had decided to follow Bai Zemin. All of them were holding a gun and observing the surroundings coldly; if anyone tried to be too rough, they had Bai Zemin's order to punish the offender without hesitation.
On the other side of the square, Wu Yijun stood in the center and announced in a melodious voice: "All those whose age is between 18 and 40 who wish to apply to join the new army troops come to me. You must announce your name, occupation prior to the arrival of the Soul Record, and your physique must be in good condition to fight at any time!"
The crowd immediately became agitated and hundreds of people began to line up. Due to the sheer number of people, it was impossible for there not to be some disorder; even more so considering that everyone was clear that it was impossible to arm all of them so no one wanted to be left out because they were too slow.
"All those who skip the line or push will be rejected immediately and will also have no chance of getting a regular job!"
When Fan Wu shouted those words, the small chaos that threatened to spread immediately calmed down and the survivors began to move orderly with eyes filled with dread. None of them wanted to miss out on a golden opportunity like this.
It was only then, when order settled down, that the first day of recruitment officially began.
* * *
Meanwhile, on a highway on the way east of the newly named Beginning Village, two modified buses, two tractor trailers, and a cargo truck moved forward as a lone unit, defying the dangers lurking everywhere.
Sitting in one of the front seats of the first bus, Bai Zemin looked out the window with his face resting on one hand. As he watched the scenery pass by, his eyes flashed with a complicated glint.
Sitting next to him, Lilith in her Lili form occasionally looked at him out of the corner of her eye with a small glint of concern. But even she didn't know what to say, so she simply stayed silent trying to support him with her presence.
The reason why Bai Zemin was somewhat depressed was because they were currently moving towards the place where he worked before the apocalypse fully broke out. Because they needed more advanced tools to be able to work better in modifying vehicles and to repair those that were damaged but could be useful; even to dismantle vehicles they needed the right tools to avoid damaging the different parts.
Besides, he also wanted to obtain the blacksmithing tools from the old man if possible... That was precisely why he, Chen He and Shangguan Bing Xue along with other survivors who would do the logistical work moved to obtain these resources.
The fact that the three strongest leaders were moving showed how important this move was, after all, if they obtained the tools would finally be able to start working with the bodies of the mutated beasts and the evolved First Order beasts.
Although Bai Zemin could not say that he and the other employees of the place were like family, he had a very good relationship with all of them. Especially with the old blacksmith elder who was the one who had introduced him to the job when he needed it.
The man was over sixty years old but Bai Zemin could tell that he really appreciated him. He even taught him many things about blacksmithing and even when Bai Zemin didn't understand or made many mistakes the old man always smiled and told him that everything was okay, that for the next one he could surely do it far better.
It was precisely thanks to him that Bai Zemin had the option to obtain the main class Blacksmith in his evolution to First Order.
...
Approximately twenty minutes later, the small convoy stopped in front of a single-story building with an extension of several hundred meters in length and width.
The sound of the engines had attracted several surrounding zombies, totaling more than seventy beings carrying a deadly infection.
Although they were only three people, the three of them had already defied hordes of hundreds of zombies and the number of enemies that had perished at their hands totaled at least tens of thousands if not more.
After a quick two to three minutes' work, all the zombies were decapitated with ease. Bai Zemin and the other two had firearms, but considering the shortage of ammunition as well as the various setbacks that the sound of gunshots could bring, the three of them eliminated the zombies with bladed weapons.
Even Chen He wielded a Xuanyuan Sword to decapitate zombies and was surprisingly good with the sword. He had obviously not only trained his archery skills throughout his life.
With a Type 79 submachine gun slung over his shoulder, a Desert Eagle and a Xuanyuan Sword at his waist, it could be said that Bai Zemin was armed to the teeth. He stared at the broken glass of the workshop for several seconds before he began to walk inside without saying a word.
Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Lilith followed closely behind.
Lilith ignored the strange looks she was receiving from Shangguan Bing Xue and Chen He, focusing on the back of the young man in front of her.
Bai Zemin walked without stopping, turning into some corridors and passing some doors. Anyone could tell that he knew the place well enough to move around as if it were his own home.
But how could he not know the place? After all this had been the place where he had been working for almost three years...
Along the way there were several bloodstains, torn clothes, and even some iron tools with bloodstains and human flesh stuck on the metal.
Bang!
Arriving in front of a sheet metal door, Bai Zemin kicked it noisily as if to announce that he was there. However, upon seeing the sight inside, he froze for a moment before sighing with slightly sad eyes.
Less than ten meters away an old man whose hair had turned completely white could be seen sitting in a chair. His clothes were in a bad state and there was a large bloody wound on his right arm. Hearing the sound of the door banging open, the old man staggered to his feet as he grunted almost inaudibly.
Bai Zemin looked at the old man's lifeless and completely white eyes and he could not help but sigh inwardly again, and although he knew to some extent that something like this could happen, what he did not expect was that it would be more difficult to accept than he initially thought.
Since the beginning of the apocalypse, Bai Zemin had danced hand in hand with death on many occasions and there were even several times when his life hung in the balance. However, with effort, he gritted his teeth and managed to defeat all his enemies.
From normal zombies and evolved zombies to mutated and evolved beasts; even other humans! All that existence that somehow blocked his path was eradicated with his own hands.
Therefore, seeing an acquaintance and even something dear to him having been turned into a zombie, the shock Bai Zemin received was greater than expected as it made him realize that although he was strong, he was still as weak as any other human being to cases like the one in front of him.
Perhaps being able to sense his complex emotions and his declining mood, Lilith hugged him gently from behind and rested her head on his back. This surprised him and the others, but none of them had time to think too much.
Shangguan Bing Xue looked at Bai Zemin with complicated eyes as she naturally realized that the old man and he must have had a good relationship in the past. An idea flashed in her mind and raised both hands as she pointed forward.
"Freeze." Her cold voice echoed off the walls and a blast of terrifying frost shot forward from her body. Her face turned slightly pale but her expression did not change.
Under the eyes of Chen He, Bai Zemin, and Lilith, the old man's infected body froze into a frost statue. From head to toe; completely frozen.
She clenched both fists and with a soft pop, the frost statue exploded into tiny pieces of ice with a size and thickness similar to a hair.
The faint rays of light shining through the broken window shone on the tiny flakes floating gently in the air, creating a wonderful view difficult to describe in mere words.
When all the flakes fell to the ground, Bai Zemin looked at her gratefully and nodded. After all, what she had done was actually very kind. Not only had she prevented him from killing a familiar person with his own hands, but she had also given the old man eternal rest in such a beautiful way.