Even a fool would be able to notice the teasing tone in Lili's speech. In fact, the soldiers came to think that perhaps, that average-looking but the somehow incredibly attractive woman was the woman of the leader of this group of survivors.
However, Chen He and all those who knew "the truth" were aware that in reality, Lili and Bai Zemin had only met a couple of days ago.
They had become so close in such a short time? Could it be that they had really known each other from before the apocalypse? Wu Yijun was secretly surprised as she eyed Lili warily.
The fact that Lili dared to joke with him like that meant that there was at least this much level of trust between them.
Shangguan Bing Xue even raised an eyebrow in surprise. She looked at Bai Zemin, waiting to see what his reaction to the teasing words would be.
As for Bai Zemin himself, he stared at Lilith in her human form before chuckling with a calm expression.
"I guess I'll have to punish you." He reached over and with his right arm clung to her slim waist, pulling her body close to his in a swift movement that surprised everyone.
Even Lilith herself was surprised. However, her surprise soon seemed to fly out the window as she pursed her lips into a charming smile as she stared at him as if daring him to do so.
Looking at her blood red lips, Bai Zemin was tempted to take them for himself. However, he knew that not only was the timing not right, but the circumstances and the atmosphere was not right either.
"I'll deal with you sooner than you think, little succubus." Said Bai Zemin as he slowly loosened his grip and released her.
She merely looked up at him with her enchanting bright eyes. Her smile never left her face and she seemed to be silently telling him that she was waiting for him.
Bai Zemin did not seem concerned in any way about the thoughts of others. In fact, regardless of whether it was the soldiers or the group that Cai Jingyi brought with her; they all looked at him with smiles that any man could understand.
"Alright, I think Cai Jingyi has already explained to you the work you need to do." He looked at the group of approximately two hundred survivors and continued in a deep voice, "Most of you will start dismantling what is possible from the bodies of some mutated beasts that were killed by us. As for a minority, you will be tasked with searching for and collecting an object very similar to this one."
Saying that, Bai Zemin took out an Unclassified Soul Stone from his pants pocket and showed it for all the survivors to see. This was one of the Soul Stones obtained from the Wolf Spiders that had been slaughtered by him when they entered the forest.
The survivors looked at the small rock and nodded expressing understanding as they etched the appearance of the object in their minds. If it was something that even the leader was so eagerly looking for that he didn't hesitate to mobilize so many people then it definitely had to be something extremely valuable.
"If you do your job well, each person will be rewarded with fifty grams of rice and a slice of beef jerky." Bai Zemin announced.
Hearing this, the eyes of the survivors sparkled with fiery fervor. To these people, no matter how valuable those blue-colored stones were, from their point of view, they were just pretty stones.
For this group of people who had experienced the suffering of having their stomachs growling with hunger, food was the biggest attraction that existed at the moment. For food, they were willing to give their 200% and work hard because they were clear; behind their backs were hundreds of people waiting for the opportunity to be recruited to work in order to put food on the table of their homes.
No one was willing to miss this opportunity.
Bai Zemin nodded in satisfaction as everyone seemed to understand. He soon turned his attention to the other group of one hundred survivors.
These hundred people were in better shape than the rest and most of them were men but there were also some women mixed in. They were all neatly dressed in police uniforms and looked at Bai Zemin with eyes brimming with respect.
These people had been chosen by Wu Yijun to be part of the Beginning Village militia. It was just that due to the lack of firearms, these people were forced to fight with melee weapons; but they were all brave warriors who did not fear the slow zombies.
Under the guidance of Cai Jingyi and the rest, these one hundred people had an average level of two and three but there were also some of them who had reached level four; as for level five, only seven of them had that level.
These seven were the first to kill zombies during the capture of the second village.
"You have done a stupendous job." Bai Zemin looked at Cai Jingyi and Zhong De, praising them honestly.
While he and the others went into the forest in search of weaponry, Cai Jingyi and the rest had by no means been idle and had taken men to kill zombies in the vicinity of the village.
In little more than a day, these one hundred people had risen several levels, taking their first steps on the path of evolution. While it wasn't much, for Bai Zemin it was a big first step and he was incredibly pleased.
"You are all brave warriors." He declared in a deep voice, "Therefore, each of you is worthy of receiving the best possible treatment."
Excitement shone in the eyes of the hundred warriors and they clenched their fists tightly. Many of them had suffered bullying from the four big bosses in the past and there were even some women who had been physically abused or beaten. But after being welcomed by Wu Yijun, Bai Zemin and the other leaders treated them all with respect, gave them the best housing, they were able to eat the best food and even occasionally enjoy luxuries such as cigarettes.
These one hundred survivors were so grateful to them that they were willing to fight with their lives on the line to achieve their goals. In this new world filled with death and misery where human life was worth less than a piece of dry bread, having a leader who not only gave them respect but also provided them with security was a blessing.
This was something they knew well after living under the tyrannical rule of the four big bosses.
"After finishing this mission, all of you will be able to relax for a whole day and spend time with your loved ones or do whatever you see fit... Always within the rules, of course." Bai Zemin chuckled and joked, causing some of them to laugh unconsciously as well.
Who dared to break the rules? Unless they had a death wish, no one would do such madness.
Bai Zemin looked up at the sky and noticed that it was slowly beginning to clear. Now, the stars were no longer visible and a great part of the sky had been tinged with a beautiful deep orange color, heralding the imminent arrival of a new day.
"All right! Time to get down to business!"
Saying that, Bai Zemin turned around and began walking into the forest.