35 Zhou An II

Amelia finished making medicine and decided to plant the remaining silver flowers in the space. The winter seems to be close by any day now. Thinking about it like this, she decided to go back and check on the Zhou princess in the B base. But first she has to find out how was old Mo's trip.

"He kept trying to probe my mind. With my level of mental power, how can I not feel it? I am sure he was trying to do the same on the guards." Old Mo said with distaste.

"He is the man at the head of a powerful army he can't be surprised. What if you have bombs in the food packed and delivered?"

"I am just worried that he will find out we have Zhu Li. Although the people who made the product are sworn to secrecy, what if there a loophole?"

"Then we go to war. Zhu Li is very precious, unless she wants to leave herself, no one is allowed to force a member of my base to do anything. Not even a would be king." She said with a wild tone.

"Well said, I was worried you were getting soft."

"Don't joke. How is the great army coming along?" She is referring to the combined forces of the different bases.

"They have done preliminary training and they seem to be in good shape. Two days later, they will leave for the west."

"How to fan the flames?" Amelia asked frowning.

"Why would you bother? They are going to lose anyways."

"The armor can be effectively used by a person with an abundance of mental power. The Qins do not have these kind of warriors."

"But we do." Old Man still remembers the thousands who consumed a mental fruit. The nine kings would be great at using that armor.

"The Qin family doesn't need my help. The other group however, if they go like this, the war will be a single battle and the winner will be obvious."

"How about sending food?" Old Mo knows that this war is the distraction they need to give Zhu Li time to crack the armor design and make one for themselves.

"Have someone drive boxes of bullets and automatic rifles towards their path, the boxes should be filled with dust as if they have been stranded with the truck on the road and then tip someone to shout the discovery so that it can not be swallowed by a single person."

"Don't we need these guns?"

"Only 5% of our stock. It is enough to turn the tides at a critical moment. I am still going to find the northen army base and the zombie with a big appetite."

"Then we let Zhu Li do her thing. Don't tell her know about the war or she will feel pressured. If nothing comes out of this endeavor then better luck next time." Amelia wanted to leave but old Mo stopped her.

"I need a leave. A week at most."

"Are your assistants capable?"

"Yeah."

"Do what you want." She took out a small bottle with ten pills inside. "These can regrow limbs and cover up scars." She teleported away in a blink of an eye.

Appearing in front of the Zhou family house, the guards let her in without asking any questions.

She found Zhou An reading a novel, as if havingeyes at the back of her head she spoke. "It took you longer than promised." Her statement is calm, not accusing just stating.

"I have things to do. Cuddling princesses is not at the top of my to do list. How did it go?"

Zhou An closed the novel and turned to her. "That was very painful, why didn't you tell me it would be so painful?" She sounded wronged. Amelia sneered.

"It is gaining a power you previously had little amount of and then cleansing, reshaping and improving your internal system so that you will be a powerhouse. Did you think it would be a walk in the park?"

"I didn't say that, I just worried mother and my family. Now my father's family thinks I am just looking to get attention." She pouted.

"I'll take you out to stretch. I need a measure of your power." She had a memory from the recording talisman of the North east base where many people who ran from the north are gathered.

"The area is not very safe so try not to screem like a banshee every now and then. We are going hunting."

"What? No, I don't want to ..." it is too late, Amelia has found a group of zombies and threw her in the middle of the group. The zombies became very excited and made 'Ho' 'Ho' sounds trying to reach and take a bite.

"Ahh, get away from me you disgusting monsters. Amelia get me away from here!" She shouted but couldn't see Amelia anywere. She had to release her super power and fight.

She fought for a long time even surprising herself with her level of stamina. She even used the recently acquired brute strength to crush the zombies with her bare hands

She started to grow tired so Amelia pulled her out of the large zombie group and threw her aside. She gave her cabbage juice and a tomato. This way the girl will have hard skin that will not be scratched easily.

The Zhou princess looked at Amelia busying around her and the anger in her heart diminished by a lot. "Come I found a place, you will take a bath there and put on some appropriate clothes for fighting." Zhou An had been wearing another long sleeve dress which is in pieces now. A delicate skin shows on all the open places. No wonder the zombies seem extra hungry today.

"I am still going to fight?" Zhou An's voice trembled. She doesn't want to, she really wants to go home and read.

"Don't be a child. This is the only way to gain experience. I gave you something to make your skin harder for the zombies to scratch." She pulled the girl pretending to be tired into a room that has a bathtub filled with clean water and soap.

"This water is ice cold." She whined.

"You have fire abilities."

"Right." She warmed the water and started bathing. Amelia got in when she is halfway done.

"What are you doing I'm not done." She tried to hide the large peaks with her small hands.

"I gave you enough time, this is not a vacation. Liang Mei is almost back, she can't see me in your base." Amelia threw her a towel. After she reluctantly put on sport wear and her hair tied in a ponytail she got out looking like a playful fresh collage student.

"My skin is heald and more beautiful than before. How come you said it is hard? It is clearly very soft." She touched her skin.

"Try to stab yourself with a sharp object."

"No ways I just got rid of the wounds and scars now you want me to have one again? Forget it." She took a step back. Zhou An always feel that this woman is too violent. What if she decides to stab her?

"Gods, you are a whiny little twat. Eat this, it will help you to be full." Amelia gave her a fasting fill.

"This pill is pretty good. Where are we going?" She is thrown into another group of zombies just after asking.

Amelia stood a distance and watched her fight zombies until she started to fight better than before when she looked like she was trying to scratch the zombies back.

When she is too dirty and its almost night, Amelia helped her take a break.

They camped in an empty house and continued fighting the next day. Amelia finally got a measure of her strength.

"You should use a weapon next. If your power is exhausted you can still be able to fight." She gave her an arm long knife and as time went by Zhou An got used to it.

There is a school in front of them and Amelia has a peculiar expression. This place is full of people. Some are on the verge of dying but most are fine. She teleported to the roof with Zhou An.

She put her hand to signal for her not to speak. They went to the roof and then got inside with relative ease.

"I am just sad I won't get to see my wife anymore."

"Don't say it old Ye I will probably follow you soon too." A crying woman sounded.

"Don't cry. You're so ugly when you cry. Do you want me to have such an unsightly last picture of you in the heavens?"

"With such a foul mouth, you think the heavens want you?" They are both crying.

"Cough...Cough..." Amelia came out of the shadows making the womand put her hand on her mouth and scream.

"Ghost.." She trembled.

Amelia chuckled in amusement. "As much as I want to listen in some more, I am irritated by the crying." Amelia said making the woman angry.

"Who are you? Why does it matter if my husband is going to die and I am sad, why can't I cry?"

"Why are you dying?" Amelia went close to the man. The woman stood in her way protectively.

"Let her come. I'm already like this anyways."

Amelia saw a bloody wound on the leg of the man. The cut is very deep but the surprising thing is that he hasn't turned yet.She took out a sharp ceaser and cup open the pants. She put out a large glass with strawberry and cucumber juice and gave it to the woman.

"Make sure he finishes." The woman hesitated but took it and did as told.

Amelia used alcohol to clean the wound. The pure alcohol from the hospital is very strong. She cleaned the wound and then healed him with her power. Even if she can heal someone with her power, she needs to clean it and disinfect it first because all the filth will be locked inside just like what happened to Mei.

"You...you healed his wound. It's a level 6 zombie, how can you heal it so casually?" The man asked but his eyes are dropping in exhaustion. The wife seeing this cried thinking he is dying.

"He is just tired." She gave two fasting pills to them and asked the woman to explain their situ Amelia didn't choose to help out of thel goodness of her heart but because these people are soldiers. And there is a few thousands here.

She wants them to work for her. The woman explained that the zombie has them trapped here, he doesn't kill them himself or he would have finished the job a long time. He just wants them to stay in this place.

If they make any movement to leave he attacks fiercely with an army of zombies. The soldiers think he wants to keep them close since they were all in the same army. The problem is the other zombies are also growing in power making it very harď to look for food. The incident today was one of the things to prove this point.

"I will go and meet your leader and see if I can help." Amelia left Zhuo An who is not interacting with the couple.

Amelia came in from a bedroom when they saw she was a stranger they all pointed guns at her. Amelia waved her hand and all the guns are collected into her space.

"Who are you?"

"How did you get in?"

"Are you a zombie?"

"Give back my gun."

"Hi, Im Amelia Bold. I got in through the roof. I am not A zombie. May I speak to your leader? I have a proposition." The soldiers are tired, it is easy to see they are living a very hard life.

The open space has an unpleasant smell. How can they bath when they may not have water to drink.

"The leader is in mourning."

"Is he mourning old man Ye?" Amelia asked.

"How did you..." A young soldier said then realized he has just spilled the beans and kept quiet.

"Old man Ye is cured, I personally cured him. Now, where is your leader?" Amelia asked. They didn't believe her and went to check. Finding the man is really heald they took her to see the general.

"I told you not to disturb me." The general said.

"We have a guest."

"Tell them to come back another time."

"Sergeant Ye is cured sir. The guest cured him." A harsh sound of a chair moving came from the door. The door opened and the middle aged man ran towards Ye bedroom.

Amelia is slightly irritated by now. But there is not much to do. The general came back. Shook her hand and invited her into the office.

"How many of you are there?"

"6489. All trained soldiers. The rest are the people who ran here for shelter. In total we are a little over 11000. Initially we were tens of thousands just after the change but this year has been long and danger lurks on every corner." The general said in sadness.

"I can teleport you all out here but I want you all to work for me."

"What kind of work?" Had someone said this statement to him a year ago he would have shot them but now, survival is very hard.

"Train my soldiers and protect the base. I will help increase your strength and pay you in free accommodations and food. I will also take care of heal care." She offered.

"When can we leave?"

"I have to tell you that the people you will be training used to be prisoners in a wold class prison. They are very proud and very talented. I have a groun of shadow guards taking care of the situation for now."

"World class? Is that the Island prison?" The general sweated.

"Don't worry someone killed all the top talents and the most powerful a while ago. I found this group starving to death and ready to die."

The old man's expression got better. He doesn't have the gut to train a hard core criminal like that.

"I can take the rest of the people to my in land base that used to be a hospital. If you are worried about bringing normal people to a place like that." Amelia said but the general shook his head.

"Some have formed connections with the soldiers. They even have pregnant women among the people. It can't be helped."

Amelia didn't wait for too long people were very happy to get away from this place. She took Zhou An to her home first and then started the job.

She sent the people to the D building and the soldiers to her own building. "If you have a family, you can have them move in here with you." The soldiers went to get their people from the D building and they moved into the flats with several bedrooms.

Amelia had called the twins to settle the new people down and register them in the administration office. She took the general to her study.

"There is this place." She pointed on the wall where the map is located.

"You can turn it into training grounds. Speak to the twins and they will find people with the abilities to help you. Any material you need, write it down and I will see what I can do. I just need you to train every last one of them."

She took out a space ring with 7000 of each Mystic fruit. She explained what to do and what to expect. She told him the gym equipment is now tailored for the people with super strength like them. She took out the weight bracelets and arm weight bracelets with the training outfit for both summer and winter. The numbers are fuzzy but everyone should have a training set.

Amelia remembers having to work very hard to make these in the past, but now she doesn't take an hour to mank hundreds. There are so many fascinating uses for mystic dust.

"Thank you. May I ask something?"

"Sure." Amelia drank the tea and responded.

"Are you preparing for war?"

"Yes. Don't worry it is to protect ourselves from invaders. Very powerful invaders so you better do a good job." Amelia warned.

There is a long document where every soldier must sign in blood next to their names. Amelia thought about it and realized tough times are coming and this contract will protect the soldiers as much as it protects her secrets. The process took an entire day but every one who will receive enhancing resources signed. Now Amelia will not be concerned about the outsiders digging into her secrets.

She changed the usual contract from a page to a large book. The front pages state the terms and the rest is the signatures and thumbprints in blood.

After leaving the resources she told the twins to hire normal un awakened residents with no chance to awaken as their secretaries she will then give them power. According to the contract.

"Leader how do we know they can't awaken?" The twins had asked her and that is why she is in the hospital base.

"You want to 'borrow' a few ability awakening machines? We only have 6." Old Mo gave her an un impressed look. "We are still helping people awaken at a steep price. If you take away the machines.."

"Can you stop? You want something, just say it."

"I am getting married."

"Hahaha..." Amelia laughed happily

"Is she blind?"

"No."

"Is she old?"

"No."

"Is she a spy sent by the enemies?"

"What? No. She is one of the flowers in the Blossoms Plaza. I want to marry one of them." Old Mo couldn't take it and said.

"You want to buy her out?" Amelia frowned. Mo saw her frown and panicked.

"I saw her file and I am willing to pay the fee. Don't worry about it." Fearing she will refuse, old Mo tried to look cute. "She really makes me happy."

"Where will you get so much money?" Amelia looked at him in the eyes.

"I have savings."

"Why do I care? Go loose money. This money will come to me straight. Don't even think about embezzling from the base."

"We have accountants, how to embezzle? But are you really going to charge me 8 million second level zombie nucleus? All the work means nothing to you?" Old Mo looked at her as if she is joking. She is the one who suggested hiring accountants and placing them separately so they don't collude.

"Old man, you could have married a nice girl working in the factories or the fields but you wanted one of the people I crafted with my own hands. Do you have any shame? If you say another word about it I will increase the fee by 20%." Amelia felt irritated.

"Come let me take you to the machines." They agreed she can take two machine. Amelia left the shameless old man and gave the machines to the twins.

"To check if someone had potential to awaken is 20 level one crystal nucleus to activate the power it is 10 level one crystal nucleus. This is so we can have more people awaken."

The twins looked at each other and saw the same helpless expression on the other's face. Their leader is really money grabbing. She had even hired four accountants to ensure the books are the same, she will heve someone from the hospital base to check and report occasionally in the future.

Amelia put up the same post for recruiting escorts. Unlike the hospital base that did not have a vacationing home with indoor pool and some with jacuzzi, this place has tens of such flats. Granted they are not many but they will be enough for the people she is recruiting.

She is not living in one of these flats because the dirty water in the pools made her uncomfortable. Amelia will have the water taken out, heaters and coolers installed. She wrote down all that she wants to be done and gave the list to the twins.

Her current building is very comfortable which is why she chose it. The people living in this building are the soldiers she brought back from the North and the starf chosen by the twins.

A group of young and grown ups is pushed in front of her. She examined them with her plant power and found several problems with their health but it can be cured.

Amelia is a natural alchemist mostly because of her plant spirit root. If you give her a potion she will know what went inside and in what quantities. Her master had often envied her talent for alchemy especially since he was a natural artisan who can forge artifacts with his flame.

She can also likewise use her plant power to scan for ailments on the bodies of the living. Satisfied with the selected people she called the twins in private.

"Those people have no hope of awakening and you will be giving them a valuable gift but first you must eat this and then when you are stronger, you can think about giving power to others."

"Leader, is it going to be as painful as last time?" Du Hang asked with visible sweat.

"No, it will be more painful. These are your gifts from me. Its a space ring. Drop your blood and it will only be accessed by your mental power."

"Like the space in the legends? Are we really going to have an artifact?" Du Wei is so excited he ended up bleeding more than necessary.

Amelia gave them the resources they will need to make their group of secretaries strong enough to work. The secretaries only get a super power and a mental fruit. They will also get a mutated tomato each just for the visuals.

She had also instructed them to get bodyguards from the people who will not get powers in the future. Each of them will choose an offensive power between the elements and they all have to go through the daily cleansing using the potions. They of course have to sign a contract as well.

The twins ended up getting 890 volunteers in total. Young women and men desperate to get powers but do not want to join the soldiers training. Their training will be the basics and their job will not take them to the wild or outside the base. They will keep order in the base along with the shadow guards.

After giving them this task they had to choose the Ideal location for a bar and where the brothels will be. Amelia choose the opened land further from the factories. She will construct a night less marked there. She put up a notice for talented architects and those knowledgeable with construction.

This place is not like the hospital base, there are people from all over the world with something that made them an outcast in the world. She wasn't nervous about not getting recruits.