The convoy traveled for eight days before meeting up with the walking group. Moreover, the group of three thousand people was surrounded by many others, bringing the total number of people to nearly seven thousand.

The leader of these three thousand people was Qiu Shisan. Leading three thousand people on a long-distance walk was no easy task. Although these three thousand people were all selected strong and healthy, and the weather outside was relatively suitable, the air pollution was serious, and they had to sleep in the wild, so there were actually quite a few hidden dangers.

In their walking group, there was also a bicycle team of 500 people. These bicycle teams not only carried daily necessities, but also served the functions of scouting, defense, and guarding.

Of course, this bicycle team alone could not carry all the supplies. A large portion of the supplies was also carried by people on foot in carts—nearly a hundred carts in total, all relying on manpower.

Although the conditions were somewhat difficult, with everyone working together, it wasn't too hard.

"The people who followed us were also people we met on the road. They behaved fairly well. More than 800 of them were kicked out of a base. Their base leader didn't want to go to the safe zone and didn't have the ability to support too many people, so he kicked them out."

The remaining two thousand or so people had also gathered in scattered groups, all heading in the same direction—towards the safe zone—so they came together. We had our own guard team, weapons, and were the largest group, so many wanted to join us, and none of them had any ill intentions.

I figured they meant no harm and were heading to the safe zone anyway, so I didn't drive them away. It wouldn't be good if we got a bad reputation before we even reached the safe zone.” Qiu Shisan explained quietly, standing beside Li Jia as he noticed Li Jia staring at the outsiders.

Upon hearing Qiu Shisan's words, Li Ke asked directly, "You want to help these people. If we temporarily take them under our control, can you manage to keep them in check?"

Li Ke hadn't had much interaction with Qiu Shisan, but he had met him a few times and knew that he was a trusted and capable brother of Qiu Feng.

Qiu Shisan wasn't very old, just twenty-three. He was a bit short and had a youthful face. If it weren't for his dark skin, muscular build, and his habit of deliberately keeping a serious expression, he would hardly be convincing to the public.

Upon hearing Li Jia's question, Qiu Shisan blinked and quickly replied, "Yes, the three thousand I brought will obey my orders. They can still control those outsiders after they've been incorporated into the army. I just don't know what you mean by 'temporary incorporation,' Boss Li. I'd like to understand this better so I can communicate it to them in advance."

Li Ke explained, "Zhou Heng should have already mentioned your mission to get to the safe zone. The safe zone is currently a wasteland and needs to be completely rebuilt, which means there is a huge shortage of manpower. Although we currently have 5,000 people, which sounds like a lot, winter is coming soon, and we need to race against time, so naturally, the more people the better."

These outsiders are of dubious origin, so we can temporarily hire them to collect scrap outside the safe zone, with you supervising the work. During this time, you should not only observe their work ethic but also assess their character. If they are deemed trustworthy, they can be recruited. If their character is questionable, their origins are suspicious, or they are dishonest, they should be dismissed as soon as possible.

By the way, when you assign tasks to them, find out their abilities and strengths beforehand. If there are any exceptional talents, let them utilize their expertise instead of relying solely on brute force.

Qiu Shisan nodded, then asked, "There are many elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people here. Should we hire them?"

Seeing the hesitation on Qiu Shisan's face, Li Ke knew that he was somewhat soft-hearted. Moreover, many of the people who followed them on foot were indeed weak; if they were truly strong, they wouldn't have been driven out.

"Of course we can hire them, as long as they are willing to do their jobs well. Our compensation is based on the principle of more work, more pay; less work, less pay. In addition, we have our own vehicles and auxiliary equipment, so the tasks we assign them will not be too strenuous."

"We don't care about their physical condition when we recruit them because we mean well, but if they betray that kindness after they start working, we'll fire them and never hire them again." Li Ke answered Qiu Shisan's question in a serious voice.

Qiu Shisan said seriously, "I understand. I will make things clear to them in advance and do this job well."

Qiu Shisan also had little contact with Li Jia, but unlike Li Jia, who only met him a few times, Qiu Shisan knew a great deal about Li Jia.

Because Song Xian had mentioned to Qiu Feng many times that their real leader was Li Jia, and as a veteran who had followed Qiu Feng, he knew very well how important Li Jia had been to their development along the way.

His boss, Qiu Feng, had previously emphasized to him that he was their boss, but Li Jia was Qiu Feng's boss. When they met Li Jia, they had to put him first and obey his orders.

Li Ke met Qiu Shisan on a national highway. The road was flanked by rolling, barren mountains. It was just approaching noon. Li Ke instructed Qiu Shisan to deliver the order, and then everyone would rest for three hours before setting off again.

While Qiu Shisan instructed the logistics staff to prepare lunch, he used a loudspeaker to gather the outsiders who were traveling with them and announced their recruitment conditions.

Li Ke took his backpack and sat down casually in a less crowded spot. Down the slope in front of him, the logistics staff were cooking soup over a wood-fired stove, and some people were distributing rations to those who were resting.

There were many women in the logistics department. Li Ke spotted Lu Qing busy at work. The woman's abdomen was completely flat, and she looked very thin, but she was still very efficient.

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