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墨書 Inktalez
"Anyone with doubts, those who wish to gain without effort, and those who want to seize my property, please come forward. I am always ready to welcome you. In three days, Hope Mall will officially open." Zheng Yifan shouted loudly at the entrance, his arms stretched wide.
The surrounding Survivors stared in disbelief at the man before them. The powerful Superpowered Individual was not the leader of this faction; he simply stood quietly behind Zheng Yifan, almost like a sidekick, remaining unnoticed.
Yet no one could ignore his strength, as just moments ago, hundreds had been torn to shreds by that Tornado.
Those still alive were either confused about the situation or had lost all hope.
On the ground lay nearly a hundred people trampled to death. Hu Han stood amidst the blood and carnage, untouched by the Tornado, but his body was splattered with blood. There wasn't a single intact piece of flesh around, let alone a complete corpse.
"Hey! My friend, care to come in for a drink?" Zheng Yifan waved at Hu Han before stepping inside the building.
Outside, Sun Jiang pulled out a loudspeaker and pressed play on the loop button.
The deafening sound disturbed everyone's sleep, but they learned one important thing—a major event was unfolding.
Store Number One would open in three days. From now on, anyone involved in renovation work in the Post-Apocalypse could come to work at Store Number One. For every ten dollars earned, designers whose plans were selected would receive a substantial reward and have the opportunity to work here for three days.
In an instant, the entire Slum erupted with excitement. Everyone who had ever done renovation work in the Post-Apocalypse rushed to apply, grabbing some food from the trucks selling goods while waiting in line.
No one dared to spread rumors or cause trouble; no one even thought of killing here. Because on the second floor of Store Number One, several crossbows were set up on the balcony, and most terrifyingly, there were guards standing behind the man who had just spoken.
It was he who had taken down hundreds with a single shot.
While expert duels might not have such lethality, it was more than enough to deal with ordinary people like them.
A dozen warriors maintained order at the entrance. A red rope was used to create a barrier in the middle of the line, prohibiting cutting in or crowding. Everyone was forced to stand in four rows, slowly preparing for the assessment ahead.
The requirements for renovation were astonishingly simple; they wanted specific individuals assigned to specific tasks on every floor and every position of the building. No need for fine craftsmanship—speed was all that mattered.
Concerns about excessive formaldehyde or shoddy workmanship were irrelevant. Outside, they had even hired an aerial performer to paint the walls.
Several surrealistic and flamboyant artists were invited to design advertisements for the exterior walls.
In the realm of interior design, a man in his forties led a group of three or four young individuals, each with their own computer connected to a local network, rapidly refining their designs. They had only five hours to come up with a concept.
Fortunately, the designs here did not need to be entirely original; they could draw inspiration from previous works. Piece by piece, they slowly crafted the entire building's layout, much like assembling a jigsaw puzzle on paper. Soon after, someone would use a portable printer to produce the design blueprints and compile a list of materials needed.
Particularly impressive was the software stored on the man's device, which was practically a godsend for interior design. By inputting design requirements and terrain data, it could instantly generate a sketch, which could then be adjusted with details to complete the drawings.
Of course, this was merely the simplest draft; further adjustments were necessary before automatically generating 3D model diagrams.
This software was shamelessly copied by Zheng Yifan, who wondered when he might find it useful in the future.
The first shop quickly transformed into a construction site. A dozen men who had previously worked as foremen were assigned to their respective tasks, carefully simulating construction plans in their minds, waiting only for materials to arrive and personnel to gather before starting work.
At the main entrance, everyone kept their voices down, and no one dared disturb the few men at the center.
Sitting on the ground, Zheng Yifan pulled out several bottles of fine liquor and plates of delicious food to share drinks with Hu Han while the other workers gradually took their portions of food nearby.
They were all military rations, but the ingredients were top-notch. A few soldiers started a fire, and after placing the foil-wrapped meals beside it for a while, they could be opened and enjoyed.
If they were outdoors, they could have used the self-heating system inside to ensure their meals weren't too cold; however, being able to heat them freely now meant they could warm them to their satisfaction.
The enticing aroma of food attracted all the applicants. They realized that the best treatment wasn't in rations or rewards but in two simple words that seemed insignificant: "food provided."
How simple those two words were! In other mercenary groups or construction teams, it would typically mean just watery porridge with a side of pickled vegetables.
That would be considered a feast. Even that small amount of pickled vegetables was something few would spare. As for porridge—rather than thin porridge—it was based on an old saying: if you could stick chopsticks upright in it, it was called congee; if it fell over, it was just watery rice.
However, in most cases, the rice in the pot could be measured by grain count.
Yet there were those who were on the brink of starvation desperately seeking work.
"Hey there, brother," finally spoke up an old tiler from the post-apocalyptic construction site with deep lines etched across his face. "Will our meals after work be just like these?"
"How is that possible? That's the soldiers' rations. Your rations will be downgraded to a communal meal, but you can definitely eat as much rice as you want. This gives us hope... Hope Mall is working, so we won't go hungry," Sun Jiang said proudly.
A group of Tilers, carpenters, and Laborers looked at Sun Jiang with shining eyes, the delicious food ahead enticing them even more.
Several workers who had already passed the selection excitedly followed the soldiers into Store One. In the hall, they set up a stove and opened a box of Braised Pork Canned Food, adding water along with bundles of Dried Green Beans, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and various seasonings like Sichuan peppercorns and star anise. They began to stew a large pot of food.
The taste was yet to be determined, but even the aroma wafting through the air invigorated them.
All the selected Survivors swallowed their saliva in anticipation of the meal. There was only one pot ready now; the second pot was still being prepared outside where two soldiers had begun bringing in gas tanks and pots.
Twenty people would share one large pot. The fragrant rice filled the air while the meat bubbled, making these Survivors—who had hardly tasted meat in a year—salivate uncontrollably.
After three hours of selection, hundreds were chosen for the renovation team. They needed to complete the renovations on the first floor of the mall within three days and arrange each Counter neatly while removing unnecessary partitions.
The exterior of the building also needed a fresh coat of paint, and the doors and windows had to be installed.
Three days was just for the first phase of construction; as long as they could make the first floor barely operational, they could take their time with other detailed work. Even in this post-apocalyptic mall, Zheng Yifan insisted on quality; after all, this would be the first impression for outsiders at Hope Gathering Place.
With Zheng Yifan unconcerned about costs or labor, they would undoubtedly achieve their desired results, but normal renovations still required time to lay a solid foundation.
Fortunately, in this apocalyptic environment, any kind of renovation wouldn't deter people from buying cheap goods—especially food.
The announcements outside gradually conveyed one message after another, with the most attractive being the tenfold increase in purchasing power for Zombie Crystal s; one tier of Zombie Crystal could be used like ten cents.
Although it was still not much, it represented extra income for those Mercenary groups. The prices of food were even more enticing because just E-Rank Essence could be exchanged for five kilograms of rice.
Don't be confused; E-Level Essence Fruit is considered low-grade in Han Sui City Gathering Place and is referred to as low-level Evolution Fruit. Each level increase doubles the price of food.
However, what attracted them most was that lowest-grade item. Only those desperate enough dared to consume it. The military's First Division actively recruited those willing to risk their lives to consume the lowest Essence Fruit, but only a few among every hundred would survive to serve the First Division.
The rest would perish on the spot.
Only by reaching the highest level of Essence Fruit can most people dare to take a gamble, as it has a success rate of less than one percent.
The low success rate has resulted in a low birth rate of Superpowered Individuals in Han Sui City Gathering Place, and the vast number of Low-Level Essence Fruits has naturally been abandoned by most people.
Now, those worthless fruits can be exchanged for food, which feels like a blessing from the heavens. Everyone has begun to quietly collect the discarded Low-Level Essence Fruits, preparing to give it a try in three days.
A wave of excitement began to stir within Han Sui City Gathering Place. News spread like wildfire to every corner, and the poor looked at their Zombie Crystal s with smiles. Merchants hoarding Zombie Crystal s laughed heartily, while a few Mercenaries with bloodshot eyes lurked outside Shop No. 1, waiting to seize a batch of supplies.
No matter how fierce the winds or waves were, Zheng Yifan remained unfazed. He continued to enjoy a feast with Hu Han, and gradually, several dishes had been replaced on the table. Now, Peking Duck had appeared—its skin glistening and warm, with thick layers of rich fat emitting an enticing aroma. The delicate sweet bean sauce paired with fresh scallions nearly made Hu Han, the rough man, bite his own tongue in delight.
It was only now that he realized the young man's strength because such ducks could only be consumed by the mysterious Commander of the First Division in Han Sui City Gathering Place. At the very center of the Gathering Place was an important Farming Area where a small number of livestock were raised.
That was humanity's hope in the apocalypse—the hope for reproduction.
Now, only those who truly held power in the Gathering Place were qualified to partake in such delicacies.
The large movements from this newly established marketplace attracted countless figures of various backgrounds. They received the same Signal: a dragon crossing the river had come to Han Sui City Gathering Place, this newly built Gathering Place.
Who they were remained unknown, but one thing was certain—they were powerful, likely possessing strong Superpowered Individuals and possibly owning a vast Gathering Place themselves.
They had even restored part of the industry or occupied towns.
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