Establishing a Survivor Base

Duane's voice weakened a bit, stumbling as he got up, then he looked at Clark with a forced smile and said, "I was just joking, you see, we're all family here, how could I be lazy and not contribute?"

"Wait here, I'll go right away." After saying that, Duane hurriedly turned around, opened the door, and ran out.

"Clark, what do you think about Duane?" Nicola's eyes held a glimmer of hope.

Clark was very familiar with his brother-in-law, so he shook his head with a wry smile and said, "Sis, just give up."

In YangHe District, on YangHe West Road, Anthony scanned the multitude of survivors in front of him and said calmly, "Since it's the members of my Dawn Base who brought you here, I won't just sit idly by. I'm giving you two choices."

"First, leave immediately, we won't restrict your freedom." As this was said, those numb men and women glanced at each other and lowered their heads. Leaving them alone would be suicidal, whereas following the young man in front of them might offer a chance of survival. After hesitating for a moment, a young man in his thirties among them stepped forward timidly and said, "I want to follow you."

"Follow me?" Anthony was amused by this response, a hint of playfulness in his tone. "Why do you want to follow me?"

"Because I believe I can survive by following you." The young man said directly.

"True, I'm quite satisfied with your answer. Now tell me your name." Anthony said calmly.

"Ron." The young man replied.

Anthony nodded, gestured for Ron to stand aside, and then continued to address the group: "Since none of you are willing to choose the first option, let me explain the second choice."

"Today, I will designate a survivor area in this vicinity. You will need to find building materials and set up defenses around it. Of course, your efforts won't be in vain. I will reward you with food based on your contributions." As these words were spoken, the survivors' eyes filled with longing at the mention of food.

"After setting up the survivor area, you can look for shelters in the nearby houses. Every day, I will assign tasks and you can earn food through completing them. Of course, these tasks will come with significant risks."

"So, are you still willing?" With that, Ron immediately stepped forward and said, "Willing! In Peter's base, we're either starving or being mistreated every day. Some are even taken away by Milton, life and death uncertain. That base is nothing short of hell. Compared to your shelter, I consider this a paradise."

"Yes! We want to follow you," another young man immediately chimed in.

"I want to follow you too." A disheveled, dirty-faced girl in her early twenties also stepped forward.

Following that, others joined in agreement. Before long, everyone's opinions were unified.

"Very well!" Anthony nodded in satisfaction. He particularly appreciated Ron's attitude. Without Ron's lead, it might have been a bit more troublesome to gain their allegiance.

Thinking about this, Anthony took out a sandwich from his spatial ring and tossed it to Ron, saying, "Starting today, Ron is the captain of the outer survivor team of our Dawn Survivor Base. He will be responsible for tallying the food exchanges for the other survivors."

Ron received the sandwich with elation, not expecting to be treated with such favor. The warmth of the sandwich indicated that it had been freshly made. He hadn't enjoyed such a delicious meal in twenty days. However, his first reaction upon receiving the food wasn't to open and eat the sandwich, but to kneel down on one knee and say to Anthony, "Thank you for your benevolence, from now on, I pledge my allegiance to you, my leader."

Ron's treatment instantly aroused envy and jealousy among all the other survivors. They secretly regretted not being the first one to step forward.

"Mm." Anthony nodded in satisfaction, then looked at the other two men and women who were in agreement and said, "Tell me your names."

The girl hesitated for a moment and quickly lifted her head, saying, "I'm Wallis."

Wallis? Why does that name sound so familiar? Anthony furrowed his brow slightly, causing Wallis to become nervous.

Suppressing his suspicions, Anthony then reached into his spatial ring and pulled out a boiled egg, tossing it to Wallis, saying, "Starting today, you're the deputy captain of the scavenger team for the outskirts of our Dawn Survivor Base."

"Thank you, Leader." Wallis was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor and her previous worries vanished.

Next, Anthony turned his gaze to the last young man and asked, "What's your name?"

"Amos." Amos replied.

"Starting today, you're the captain of the scavenger team for the outskirts of our Dawn Survivor Base." Along with tossing Amos a boiled egg, Anthony also included a sausage.

Amos was overjoyed by this and immediately kneeled down, saying, "Thank you, Leader."

Seeing the positions distributed, Anthony continued to explain, "Since you are now part of my Dawn Survivor Base, you need to abide by two rules. First, you must obey my orders unconditionally. Anyone who wavers or has second thoughts will die!" As he finished speaking, Anthony stomped his foot on the ground.

In an instant, centered around Anthony's foot, a three-meter diameter crack appeared, leaving everyone stunned and looking at Anthony with even greater awe.

Seeing the effect achieved, Anthony continued, "Second, as survivors of Dawn Base, you are not allowed to harm your fellow companions. If caught, you will be executed."

"Yes, Leader!" Everyone responded in unison.

"Very well, and finally, remember this name: I am Anthony, the leader of Dawn Base." Anthony said calmly.

After introducing himself, Anthony called Cheryl, Lynn, and Annabelle to discuss matters related to the planning and construction of the survivor base. Lynn and Verna were responsible for negotiating the food exchange ratios, while Dash was in charge of the safety of Cheryl and the others. Lucy, the little girl, naturally became the mascot of the base, and everything began to proceed in an orderly manner.

Once all the tasks were assigned, Anthony, along with Dash and the others, and the zombie crystals he had collected, entered the energy conversion room.

One first-tier awakened being crystal, one upper-tier mutant beast crystal, two lower-tier mutant being crystals, 200 regular mutant crystals, and 500 regular zombie crystals.

He threw them all into the energy conversion furnace.

Energy Points +2600!

Energy Points +3900!

Energy Points +3900!

Energy Points +13000!

Energy Points +6500!

Remaining Energy Points: 52392.3 points.

Looking at the remaining energy points and then at the refreshed items in the shop, Anthony said directly, "System, open the base store!"

"Ding!

Permanent Items:

Level 1 Apocalypse Pistol Bullets (20 energy points/shot) [Can penetrate upper-tier mutants.]

Level 1 Sniper Rifle Bullets (50 energy points/shot)

Level 1 Genetic Enhancement Elixir (100 energy points): Increases all attributes by 1 point, with some antiviral capabilities.

Level 2 Laser Gun Energy Block (500 energy points/block) Remaining decryption time: 88:53:26.