Chapter 237 Step forward yourself!
Josie nodded: "Okay. Then I'll trouble you to find them, tell them everything that happened here, tell them that Spring City Base is willing to give them a chance to live, a chance to gain power. Those who are willing to come, bring them here to assemble."
“Okay, we’ll definitely get the message across!” The thin man agreed excitedly and immediately began assigning tasks.
Who goes to West Street, who goes to the South, who stays behind to provide support... They are extremely familiar with this place and their operations are highly efficient.
Soon, more than a dozen figures scattered rapidly in different directions, like streams flowing into the ruins.
Qiao Xi, Xie Jue, and the team members returned to their temporary lodging to wait.
The superhumans around Josie originally thought it would be a difficult process that would take several days and might even require the use of force or a large amount of resources to persuade her.
However, they greatly underestimated the enormous sensation that the news of "ordinary people being able to awaken superpowers" and "being able to eat their fill every day" could cause among the desperate survivors.
Only one afternoon had passed.
Before the sun had completely sunk below the horizon, small groups of people began to appear in the distant ruins, helping each other along.
First came the group from the West Street Department Store. Led by an exceptionally tall superhuman, about fifteen or sixteen people walked over with eyes that were half-believing and half-doubting, yet full of longing.
Immediately afterward, the survivors from the textile factory to the south arrived, numbering more than twenty. They all looked pale and were dressed in rags. They were led by a middle-aged woman who looked quite shrewd, and they carefully observed the situation.
Finally, even the people from the bridge arch to the north and two other small hideouts that even Josie and her team hadn't explored before were brought in one after another.
The crowd grew larger and larger, forming a dense, dark mass of about seventy or eighty people.
Most of them remained silent, their eyes filled with a mixture of anticipation, fear, doubt, and a glimmer of hope for a better future.
Everyone gathered around the newly awakened earth-elemental ability user, excitedly and repeatedly confirming the authenticity of the information.
When they received an affirmative answer and saw the small earthen shield with their own eyes, an uncontrollable cheer and weeping erupted from the crowd.
Standing on a slightly higher point, Josie looked down at the growing crowd below, her heart filled with mixed emotions.
She hadn't expected that she could gather so many survivors in just one afternoon with almost no effort.
There was a steady stream of survivors rushing towards this place from afar.
As the sun began to set in the west, Josie stood by a broken window on the second floor of a partially collapsed shopping mall, looking down at the crowd gathered in the open space below.
It was a dark mass, and at a glance, there were several hundred people.
Most of them were ragged and emaciated, but their eyes were no longer lifeless; instead, they flickered with trepidation, anticipation, and a glimmer of hope for surviving a catastrophe.
“That’s good,” she murmured to herself, with a touch of emotion. “With the protection of those with superpowers and a bit of luck, quite a few ordinary people managed to survive that hellish winter.”
However, her next words sent a chill down everyone's spine, as if they had been doused with ice water.
“Among you,” her voice was cold yet carried an undeniable penetrating power, clearly reaching everyone’s ears, “those who have eaten human flesh, step forward and leave the group.”
The crowd erupted in an uproar, with whispers rising like a tidal wave.
Some people subconsciously lowered their heads, their eyes darting around.
In extreme environments, morality and bottom lines are often the first things to be abandoned in order to survive.
Some of their groups did indeed... survive by eating their own kind.
No one moved, because a huge temptation was right in front of them.
A safe base, plenty of food, and even the chance to become a superhuman!
No one is willing to give up.
They were hoping to get away with it; as long as they didn't admit it, who would know? That matter would just remain buried in their hearts.
Josie seemed to see right through them. Her voice rang out again, even colder than before, carrying a judgmental tone:
"Don't take any chances. Those who consume the flesh and blood of their own kind will accumulate a special mutated virus in their bodies. It is different from the ordinary zombie virus, but it can be detected. Before entering the base, everyone needs to undergo strict screening."
She paused, her gaze sweeping across the room like a cold blade: "Now, those who leave on their own, I can let them fend for themselves. But if anyone dares to deceive me, and is discovered after infiltrating the base..."
Her voice suddenly turned icy cold: "I will personally show you what it means to wish for death but not to live!"
These words were like an ultimatum, striking hard at everyone's hearts.
The crowd was deathly silent for a moment, then began to stir, with fear and a sense of relief battling fiercely in the hearts of some.
Finally, a thin man, unable to withstand the pressure, turned pale, lowered his head, and staggered out of the line, running into the depths of the ruins without looking back.
Once there's a first one, there's a second, a third...
In less than three minutes, nearly a third of the originally dense crowd had left.
They were dejected, their figures disappearing into the ruins and from everyone's sight.
Josie watched all of this with indifference.
“The rest of you,” she spoke again, her voice devoid of any emotion, “are you sure you’re clean? Think it through. When my knife is at your throat, crying and begging won’t do you any good.”
In the deathly silence, a few more people, their expressions shifting, gritted their teeth, lowered their heads, and slipped unsteadily out of the group, following in the direction of the others.
After two rounds of selection, there are still many people left.
Josie subtly swept her gaze across the faces of the people below.
I didn't see any more guilty or scared expressions. Either the other party was mentally strong enough, or these people were indeed "innocent".
Xie Jue walked to Qiao Xi's side and whispered, "Sister, most of the survivors we can find in Chuncheng are here. Shall we take them back to the base now?"
“Okay,” Josie said, withdrawing her gaze. “Take half of our men and escort them back. After the handover, return here immediately to meet us. We’ll rest here for a bit and plan our next target location.”
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away." Xie Jue nodded and was about to turn and leave.
“Wait,” Josie called after him, adding, “Notify base to speed up the construction of the new residential area. I have a feeling that our population… could surge by several thousand before next winter. We must prepare in advance.”
"Okay." Xie Jue readily agreed and quickly turned to give instructions to the others.
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