Published: February 6, 2025
CHAPTER TEXT:
"Thank you to the generous patron who gifted me ten thousand Qidian coins. I just saw it today, thanks bro."
In the apocalypse, human life is as worthless as grass.
However, being a lone ranger does not work in the apocalypse. Even if you are a nine-star expert, if you are alone, you will become someone else's hunting target. Even if you do not become a tragic target, other nine-star experts can gather their forces to traverse the desolate land and hunt high-level monsters, their strength will far exceed that of a solitary nine-star expert who dares not even enter dangerous territories alone.
Of course, it is more likely that because of the roulette system, which requires killing mutated life forms of higher levels to gain corresponding evolutionary forms, survivors are forced to band together to face consistently stronger foes. In theory, it is impossible for a single person to become a nine-star expert.
So no matter how much confidence Ye Zhongming has in his rebirth, no matter how sure he is that he will stand at the pinnacle of the world, he never denies the role of a team, nor does he attempt to be a lone ranger, as that would be extremely foolish.
A person's power is ultimately limited.
But that does not mean just anyone can join Ye Zhongming's team.
He absorbed Mo Ye, Little Tiger, and Xia Lei because the three of them came from armed police backgrounds and mastered the most scientific and advanced training methods from peacetime, which Ye Zhongming lacked. He absorbed Liang Chuyin and Park Soo-young, partly due to coincidence, but also because they would not survive without him and were loyal to him. He absorbed Shengyuan because he knew this brother's character from his past life and was confident that they would remain life-and-death friends in this life, and he needed his profession. He absorbed Le Da Yuan and his assistants, as well as the Candy siblings, because these individuals all had their own roles and could provide assistance to Ye Zhongming, enriching and completing the team’s structure.
It may sound somewhat utilitarian, but that is the reality; in the apocalypse, no one forms a team simply because they see eye-to-eye. It is through their interactions and the mutual recognition of complementary skills and strengths that trust is built before forming a team, much like the process that led to the formation of Ye Zhongming's squad.
These people are the backbone.
Now, what Ye Zhongming needs to do is to add more people to these backbones to form a real battle squad, and then, based on this team, establish a true combat group that can thrive in the apocalypse.
This is an ideal, and Ye Zhongming does not know how long it will take to achieve it, but he must start laying the foundation now, and this foundation must be incredibly solid.
He gave the survivors of Cloud Summit Villa the opportunity to choose for themselves; how they choose is a reflection of their inner desires. People who are tired of fighting will only show a willingness to fight when their lives are threatened. If you make such people the main combatants, even if they are strong, they will not be able to exert the combat power they should, and there is a high possibility that they will become a hidden danger at critical moments.
What Ye Zhongming needs are those who have seen the apocalypse situation clearly and are willing to fight from the bottom of their hearts. As long as these people ensure their loyalty, Ye Zhongming is more than willing to help them become strong.
Sister Rong and Lu Yi, along with the group behind them, passed the first test; their choices are what Ye Zhongming needs.
As for those who do not wish to fight and do not want to help the new base in other ways, Ye Zhongming will not let them leave, of course, he will not kill them either. In the early stages of base construction, and even in the coming years, a large number of people will be needed to pick up shovels, picks, axes, and wheelbarrows, using their most instinctive strength to build this base. The demand for such laborers is enormous.