The next day, Shen Feng gathered everyone on a street. The combat team members patrolled the surroundings. While the Self-Help Association members were manageable, the survivors were different. They hadn't witnessed the Self-Help Association burning zombies the previous morning, so they had no idea what the association was about.
Shen Feng and Chang Jiany i observed from the shadows, remaining highly vigilant towards any survivors who might rebel.
Chang Jianyi looked at the crowd and whispered, "They're standing quite distinctly separated."
In Shen Feng and Chang Jianyi's eyes, the original group from the school stood at the front. Even the villagers rescued not long ago were grouped together. As for the survivors rescued just yesterday, they stood at the back of the crowd, seemingly unwilling to interact with those in front.
Shen Feng continued, "There are cliques among these survivors, so they aren't a unified front. As long as we can offer sufficient benefits, we'll definitely succeed in recruiting them. If anyone dares to object, perhaps we'll need to establish our authority!"
After careful observation, Shen Feng stepped forward. He then used his feet to leap off the nearby buildings and street trees, reaching the roof of a four-story building in a few breaths. From this vantage point, he could see everyone on the street. Shen Feng's method of arrival stunned everyone. Even the members of the Self-Help Association were surprised by their leader's climbing ability. Had the leader learned Qing Gong?
In reality, Shen Feng was utilizing his superpower, using the wind to accelerate his jumps, allowing him to reach the rooftop cleanly.
Looking down at the crowd, Shen Feng directly addressed them, "Let me introduce myself. I am the leader of the Self-Help Association, and I am also an evolver!"
Those standing at the front remained silent, as they were aware of evolvers. Ever since Wu Kai's rebellion and subsequent death, everyone knew that the leader possessed an elixir that could turn humans into evolvers. However, the survivors were bewildered; they had never heard of evolvers before.
Shen Feng then continued, "The outside world has changed. For those who don't know, I can explain. I have a radio, so the members of the Self-Help Association have always known what's happening outside! I can tell you that we won't have any rescue in the short term because zombies have broken out globally, and nine out of ten people will be infected and turn into zombies! The provincial capital has basically been retaken, but many other places have not yet been recovered!"
Upon hearing this, the survivors panicked. They had been eagerly awaiting national rescue, but it seemed rescue was not coming anytime soon.
Shen Feng was accustomed to such scare tactics. His senior had taught him many management techniques. When subordinates were disobedient and wanted to leave, companies would often intimidate them by emphasizing how difficult it was to find jobs and the dire consequences of unemployment. This fear would prevent many employees from resigning.
The current situation was similar. The survivors felt safe and were unwilling to follow orders or be assigned tasks. However, Shen Feng only needed to inform them that dangers still lurked outside to frighten most of them.
Shen Feng then continued, "The situation outside is fraught with peril. There are still hundreds of thousands of zombies roaming the city. While ordinary zombies are one thing, there are also mutated zombies among them. Some mutated zombies possess immense strength, others are incredibly fast, some are exceptionally resilient, and there are even those that can spew acid. If ordinary people encounter these zombies without powerful weapons, it's difficult to cope!"
"Therefore, if you wish to leave this street block, feel free to do so. Once you leave this street block, you can fight for houses and grab food yourselves, as these things are in the hands of the zombies!" Shen Feng said calmly. "However, this street block is currently controlled by our Self-Help Association, so this place will operate according to our association's rules."
Immediately, a burly man from among the survivors stepped forward and shouted, "Who are you trying to scare? We all saw yesterday how easily you cleared the zombies. I've even killed zombies myself, so I don't believe what you're saying."
"If you don't believe me, then leave!" Shen Feng was surprised that someone stepped forward so quickly and actually disbelieved him. It seemed this person was willing to reject even the truth to oppose him.
"Why should I leave? I'm staying here; this is my home. You're the ones who should leave!" the burly man continued, pointing at Shen Feng on the rooftop.
"Heh, you won't leave, and you're unwilling to accept our command, then you must be here to cause trouble!" Shen Feng snapped his fingers and said, "Someone bring two people to escort him out. Once the troublemakers are gone, we can continue our discussion!"
Afterward, Yang Chang immediately led his men towards the burly man. The burly man's expression changed, and he shouted, "What are you trying to do? Do you think we're easy to bully?"
After shouting this, the burly man smashed the hidden beer bottle he was carrying on the ground. The bottom of the bottle instantly shattered, and the remaining body of the bottle became a sharp weapon. Over a dozen people around him also smashed their beer bottles on the ground to create weapons, and for a moment, they stood together as a group.
The surrounding crowd quickly dispersed. It seemed a fight was about to break out, and it wouldn't be good to get caught in the crossfire, so it was better to stay away.
Shen Feng continued, "Yang Chang, resolve this quickly, don't delay. We have important matters to attend to next!"
Yang Chang nodded and said, "Understood! Brothers, reveal your weapons!"
After saying this, the people standing behind Yang Chang immediately aimed their cocked crossbows at the dozen or so people in front. These dozen or so people who had banded together were immediately intimidated. The other side had crossbows, which was not good news!
In a fight, if one side possesses particularly powerful weapons, the deterrent effect is undeniable. Yang Chang understood this well. In the absence of firearms, crossbows were the best ranged weapons. Although their accuracy might not be perfect, their power was absolute. If they hit someone, it would undoubtedly cause serious injury.
Shen Feng watched the troublemaking dozen or so people below with interest. The beer bottles these people were hiding were prepared in advance, so in reality, no matter what Shen Feng said, these people would have stepped forward to object. He was just curious to see how the other side would react in this situation.
The dozen or so burly men were all in a panic. They had initially thought that the weapons in the hands of these people were just melee weapons and that they would be more cautious if they banded together. However, they hadn't expected the other side to have crossbows. After all, these were prohibited items!
"What should we do? Brother Hao, they have crossbows, and I'm afraid we can't win. Should we back down?" someone whispered to the leading burly man.
Brother Hao replied in a low voice, "Will backing down lead to a good outcome? They're definitely going to make an example of us. Even if we back down now, they might not let us off!"
"Then what do we do now?" the person behind him asked.
Brother Hao gritted his teeth and shouted at Yang Chang, "Do you dare to have a fair one-on-one fight with me? Is shooting from the shadows the act of a hero? As long as you win, I'll leave here with my men immediately!"
Yang Chang gently shook his head and said, "The leader told me to resolve you as quickly as possible, so I can't. Give him a knife, and I'll fight him one-on-one!"
A member of the combat team immediately threw out a short knife, which Brother Hao quickly caught. He hadn't expected the other side to actually agree to a one-on-one fight, and it was a good opportunity. Then, he saw Yang Chang walking up empty-handed, and he was stunned: "What do you mean? Where are your weapons?"
Yang Chang shrugged and said, "To deal with you, I don't need weapons. Today, I plan to show the brothers something called 'empty-handed disarming'!"
Hearing this, Brother Hao was so enraged that he laughed. He changed the direction of the knife in his hand and said, "Young man, don't be too arrogant. Today, I'll use the flat of the blade against you. Don't say I'm bullying you!"
"Hurry up and make your move. Our leader has important matters to announce later!" Yang Chang said indifferently.
Hearing this, Brother Hao couldn't hold back and charged forward. The knife in his hand swung rapidly. Unfortunately, Yang Chang was now an evolver, and his physical fitness far surpassed that of ordinary people. Brother Hao's movements were like slow motion in his eyes, so he quickly dodged, causing Brother Hao's knife to miss its target.
Brother Hao became increasingly angry, shouting, "Let's see how long you can dodge!"
As he shouted, Brother Hao swung the short knife in his hand faster and faster. Just then, Yang Chang flashed and disappeared. Brother Hao sensed something was wrong and quickly turned around, but at that moment, he was hit by a punch, and his short knife was casually snatched away. It turned out that Yang Chang had used a blind spot in his vision to get behind him. By the time Brother Hao turned around, Yang Chang was ready for the next attack.
Yang Chang punched Brother Hao directly in the face. Brother Hao's face immediately swelled up. He sat on the ground, trembling, and pointed at Yang Chang. Just as he was about to say something, a tooth fell out of his mouth. He had no choice but to surrender. He couldn't not surrender; his weapon had been taken, and the crossbows were still aimed at them. Fighting further would be futile.
"Please leave. On the Self-Help Association's territory, no one who disobeys is allowed to remain!" Yang Chang said coldly.
At this moment, Brother Hao's eyes darted around. He immediately fell to the ground, motionless, and began to feign death in front of everyone.
Brother Hao's companions immediately surrounded him and began to accuse Yang Chang, "You actually injured our leader! If you don't give us a proper explanation now, we're not leaving. Is there any justice? Someone is assaulting people on the street!"
Some even began to demand medical expenses: "Everyone, please be fair. These people are simply vicious! They knocked out someone's teeth. Compensation must be paid!"
Yang Chang ignored them and turned to the people behind him, saying, "Take action and throw these people out to prevent them from continuing to make noise!"
Afterward, the combat team members stepped forward, grabbed the troublemakers, and forcibly dragged them away. These people cried out, as if begging the surrounding people for help, but in this chaotic world, no one dared to be benevolent. They could only watch from a distance as these troublemakers were driven out.
Seeing that the troublemakers had been expelled, Shen Feng continued, "You must all be curious why we have such great strength. The answer is that I possess an evolver elixir. I will make anyone who loyally follows me an evolver. Evolvers possess leopard-like speed and tiger-like strength, and they will have sufficient means to deal with mutated zombies. Next, I will be recruiting personnel. You can freely choose which team to join. Recruitment conditions will be posted shortly. We guarantee that after joining the Self-Help Association, everyone will have enough to eat and won't have to worry about the threat of zombies! Those who perform well will receive elixirs."
Many survivors still had concerns. One young man bravely asked, "Then, can we choose not to join?"
Shen Feng replied, "Yes! But if you don't join, your food rations will be halved. Additionally, when the Self-Help Association calls for conscription, you will need to work. Besides that, you can reside within the designated areas, as long as you are willing!"
Subsequently, Shen Feng began to have his subordinates post the recruitment conditions. The recruitment would take place on another street, where dedicated personnel would be responsible for recruiting staff. After consideration, half of the survivors chose to join the Self-Help Association, while the other half chose neither to leave nor to join, opting instead to live out their days passively.
Shen Feng couldn't possibly drive out these passive individuals, so he could only allow them to stay temporarily. If needed, these individuals would be forcibly conscripted, for example, for building fortifications to defend against zombies.