In a whimsical turn of events, a gathering of over ten thousand survivors assembled in a football stadium for a citizen's meet-up.
On a dainty podium, Bing Shi, flanked by the police, faced the microphone. Her heart thudded like a bass drum—social anxiety wasn't her usual nemesis, but addressing such a sizable crowd proved to be an adrenaline surge beyond her norm.
"Ehm, this is going to be a long speech. Hope you've got your water bottles ready. I've got mine right here," she flashed her water bottle, taking a casual sip. "Remember, no heatstrokes, we're short on doctors."
Amused chuckles rippled through the audience.
Bing Shi raised a question, "Who else is suffering internet withdrawal? Because honestly, I'm nearly losing my sanity without it."
Unanimous nods of agreement spread like wildfire.
"I'm glad we are on the same wavelength," she chuckled, "Alrighty then... To create a safe place for our future, we need a civilized society. To heck with those apocalypse movie clichés. They say the most dangerous is the human heart. But can you imagine a world where you have to live in the Stone Age, where eating a child is normal?"
Collective expressions of disgust swept the crowd.
"Can you imagine a world with supervillains and heroes?"
Eager nods and starry-eyed gazes ensued, especially from the kids.
"I've got this wild dream—to birth a world bursting with supervillains and heroes. Whoever is down for this ride, raise your hands high!"
An uproarious sea of hands shot up, accompanied by fervent cheers and booos — their hearts racing at the imagination.
"There's no food left? We'll cultivate our own. Short on freshwater? Those with water and ice powers, you've got a golden opportunity coming your way."
"Everyone is a little businessman by nature. I'm confident that with this sizable group, we can develop a system that fits. Return to your previous working post, and if you find out you are not needed, seek a new way to contribute. Officer Ren Han will make sure that the police will function as before if not better."
"As for the youngsters, school will be put on hold, except for those who can't read or count. The others will assist the firefighters and police officers alongside their teachers. You'll have to accompany them until you gain control over your new abilities."
Cheers and excitement filled the air!
Bing Shi raised her hand to hush the kids, "Once we're done clearing out the nearby cities, we will continue to move northward, to continue with our mission. We will not stop until all of them are eliminated. But there is only so much we can do with only two hundred soldiers. In five days, we're going to recruit new members into our team..."
All of Bing Shi's care was pretty much unnecessary. She could swipe the city, recruit new members, and be gone. But what about the living people left behind? She didn't want to be responsible, but knowing herself, she would regret it in the future.
As for Ren Han, he appointed two people from the police department to take the reign of the city.
After the city was cleared out, citizens started to loot it in groups. To detect any straggling zombies, they would create loud noises, which provoked growls from the undead.
Anything that might have value in the future was snatched up, including things like designer clothing. Some moved to the empty mansions to try to grow some food.
Occasional brawls broke out, but the looming presence of Bing Shi and the police prevented them from escalating. Given the absence of prisons for superpowered individuals, Bing Shi devised a straightforward solution.
She was currently the only one who had the most considerable amount of high-powered individuals on her side. Anyone who didn't follow her rules would find themselves drafted into her ranks, subjected to discipline, and repurposed as a new workforce.
In the future, her troops would make sure that new 'prisoners' would piss their pants off from sheer fear, while Kuro'd become a messenger of death.
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It took soldiers two days to empty the military base.
At the insistence of General Yi Zen, Fu Lian moved in with them. She secured her own tent within the vicinity of Yi Zen's.
Interestingly, there was no pushback or complaint from the soldiers about her proximity. Instead, the sight of this captivating woman moving about the base became a delightful visual diversion for the men, a welcome distraction from the rigors of their tasks.
What made them truly happy was the recruitment notice, they couldn't wait to meet their newly acquired girlfriends.
· · ───────── · ⊱❈⊰· ───────── · ·
Early in the morning, a heavy rain swept through the base. Small droplets played a rhythmic melody against the canvas tents.
There were two main tents for soldiers; each tent could accommodate up to 150 soldiers. Like a lullaby, the rain comforted the sleeping men inside; it ceased other's snoring noise.
Besides these, there were additional structures: a military command post tent, a hospital, and a kitchen-cum-dining area that also doubled as a conference room.
Bing Shi was taken aback when she saw the soldiers bring their own portable field showers and toilets. As expected of Yi Zen, even with an expedited meeting, he had prepared everything in advance.
Compared to the pitiful soldiers, Ren Han's teammates lived in a luxurious solar-paneled tent. No wonder Bing Shi chose to live outside in the open air. At night, they could charge up their devices and power banks. Their beds were separated by curtains to provide at least some type of privacy.
Yi Zen lived in the military command post tent, while Ren Han had his separate tent.
As for Bing Shi, she had everything; she used any means to assure her comfort. Just for cases like rain and snow, she installed a toilet cabin used in the construction side inside her big tent. There was no way for her to share a toilet with two hundred men. With the solar panels, she could use the boiler to heat her water.
