Chapter 217 Labor
Combat was always the main theme of the apocalypse, even at Cloud Peak, a base that was being rebuilt.
Since William had chosen this place as his base, his first step was to clear the surrounding dangers.
Outside the walls, thousands of mutated creatures roamed.
The operation to clear these creatures began on William's first afternoon at Cloud Peak Manor.
Everyone in the manor had to join the fight.
Jennings' people, Brian's people, Clarissa's people, Gilbert's people—about five hundred in total—were all called out on a sunny afternoon.
"Honestly, I don't need to say much," William said from the villa porch, looking at the crowd below. "Just remember how others treated you before."
The people who smelled strange and had vacant eyes, stood on the gravel road, listening to their new leader.
William continued, "But to survive, you need to push your limits and do things you never dared to do.
"I need people like that, not zombies waiting for scraps.
"In a bit, you'll go out and fight those zombies and mutated plants and animals, clearing the area around the manor. This is the start of your new life.
"Those who do well will be rewarded, not just today, but in the future," William said, clapping his hands. "That's it."
"If you're a construction engineer, doctor, mechanical technician, or water and electricity technician, or if you have skills useful for the base, you don't have to fight today. Register on the left." After William finished, Michelle stepped up to announce the battle formations, but she was interrupted.
"Why do we have to go?" a skinny man shouted, likely one of Jennings' former subordinates.
"Yeah, we don't want to fight. Life wasn't great before, but we got used to it. I don't want to risk my life against those monsters," someone echoed.
"Right, if we have to fight, we should at least become Evolving persons first," another voice added.
As someone led them, more voices of refusal rose.
Evolving persons were terrifying. They held power in the manor, and these newcomers had strength ordinary people couldn't resist.
Normally, those people wouldn't dare speak up.
But now, they were being asked to risk their lives against monsters. This was life and death!
Why did they stay in the manor and endure everything? It was because they feared the monsters outside. Now, with that safety gone, the threat of death outweighed their fear of the Evolving persons, leading to resistance.
Moreover, this place was different from Hope Base.
Hope Base was a mix of survivors from various places, most of whom didn't know each other.
But the survivors in Cloud Peak Manor mostly came from a few companies. Except for some women who had suffered terribly, the others hadn't been too badly mistreated due to their previous relationships. For example, although many of Jennings' people had died, it had mostly been from hunger or illness, not persecution.
For example, Clarissa's group had it rough, but Zane and his men hadn't killed them. They had provided food and water in exchange for sleeping with them, rather than taking their lives.
So, the people in the manor felt a bit rebellious when faced with today's situation.
The large crowd and the impressive look of William's team also made them less scared.
Brian and Clarissa knew better. They understood how terrifying William was.
They quickly told their people to shut up.
But when it was about life or death, even their authority didn't hold much weight.
"Oh, really?" William said calmly. "So, what do you want?"
The crowd got excited when they saw a chance to negotiate. Maybe William was reasonable!
Some reverted to their old ways, thinking they could make demands.
"Give us guns!" someone shouted.
"We want the Evolution Elixir!" another demanded.
"We want to eat well, have meat, and rest for a few days!" someone added.
"Do you have explosives? What about grenades?" another asked.
"Aren't you Evolving persons? You should handle it," someone declared.
"Yeah, we should be protected," another echoed.
Natalie, who was leaning against the villa's doorpost, sneered at the crowd, "Why don't you all just die?"
These idiots didn't get it!
They had been oppressed and bullied by Evolving persons and hadn't dared speak up. Now, when they saw a new leader who seemed approachable, they started making demands. Pathetic!
"Those who don't want to fight can sign up on the right. But remember, effort and reward go hand in hand. Choose wisely, because there's no second chance," William said. He wasn't angry at all. It was as if he had expected this.
Many in the crowd looked at each other, but no one moved. People often followed the crowd, and it was hard to be the first to make a decision.
Eventually, someone walked slowly to Jack on the right, watching the Evolving persons' reactions. When they saw no immediate threat, they sped up.
Once one person moved, others followed. Soon, many went to the right. Some went to the left, thinking they had skills and didn't need to risk offending the Evolving persons.
William noticed Clarissa and most of her people stayed put. Brian and his Evolving person subordinates also didn't move, showing the old man's control. Only a few dozen remained in place.
"Register them, in detail," William instructed, looking at the technical personnel. Then he turned to Michelle, "Michelle, continue assigning tasks to those willing to fight."
Finally, William had Jack and the others take those unwilling to fight to the meeting area.
"Are we just letting them go?" Michelle asked William after the others had left and the battle tasks had been assigned. The others also looked over, curious about how William would handle them.
"Do you know what we lack the most right now?" William smiled. "Labor."
