The person at the front of the crowd stopped, looking warily towards Lu Heng. They scanned their surroundings, trying to ascertain if anyone else was nearby.
After such a long time in the apocalypse, they understood that anyone daring to venture out alone in a vehicle and still be alive must possess strength far exceeding ordinary ability users.
Those with higher ability levels within the group instinctively moved to the front. They were unsure of Lu Heng’s intentions for stopping his vehicle there.
The group was quite large, with many individuals who, after the apocalypse, had to survive with their families in tow. As they gathered together, a mixed group naturally formed.
However, this group had too many dependents to be of interest to others for plunder.
The faces of these people were filled with exhaustion, their eyes dim and lifeless. It was already winter, and the outdoor temperature was very low. The long journey had drained their energy. If their previous shelter had not become unsustainable for so many people, they would not have chosen to migrate at this time.
Lu Heng opened the car door and stepped out. He observed that most of the ability users in this group had reached the third tier, with over twenty at the fourth-tier level.
However, there was also a considerable number of ordinary survivors, making up about one-fifth of the group.
Lu Heng walked a few steps closer to them and asked loudly, "Is there anyone in charge here?"
"What do you want?" A few people at the front of the group whispered amongst themselves, and then one person stepped forward.
Lu Heng smiled. He had heard the entire conversation of those people clearly, as his senses had become much sharper after his strength increased.
"You're looking for a shelter, aren't you? I happen to have one. As long as you abide by the rules, I can meet your needs."
As soon as Lu Heng finished speaking, the crowd began to stir. They hadn't expected that after their arduous search for a shelter, someone would offer them a place to live.
The group conferred in hushed tones for a while longer before the same person looked at Lu Heng and asked, "What are your rules?"
"My rules are not many. If you want to survive under me, you must follow my arrangements and show sufficient loyalty. Anyone with ulterior motives should leave on their own; I don't need them."
"Can you guarantee our safety? And can you accommodate so many of us?"
"Have any of you heard of Fallen City? As for guaranteeing your safety, that depends on how obedient you are."
"You want us all to be your slaves? What era is this? You still want to practice such privilege? We've all lived equally until now."
"Heh, live equally? Is this the state of fleeing for survival? Everyone is starving, constantly facing the risk of being attacked by zombies in the wilderness?" Lu Heng couldn't help but laugh, looking at the sallow-faced crowd and speaking with mockery.
"I won't confiscate your weapons either, as everyone still needs to go out and hunt zombies. However, everyone sixteen years or older must submit three Tier 4 crystals daily. You can use these crystals to exchange for points, and points can be used within the city to exchange for various supplies you desire.
Of course, any surplus crystals can be kept for upgrades..."
Before Lu Heng could finish speaking, the group became agitated again. "Submitting three Tier 4 crystals daily? Many of us are still at the third tier. How can we obtain so many crystals? Moreover, many of us have ordinary people in our families, and they can't get crystals at all."
"Yes, to submit so many crystals? If we could get them, why would we be migrating desperately?"
"..."
Lu Heng said no more. With a wave of his hand, he instantly created three earthen walls around the group, encircling them. However, the side facing Lu Heng was not sealed off.
Seeing the suddenly quiet crowd, Lu Heng spoke again, "I won't waste any more words with you. Those who want to go to Fallen City can head in this direction. If you walk fast, you should arrive before dark.
If you don't want to go, I'll give you this earthen wall for temporary shelter."
Lu Heng pointed in a direction and then turned back towards his SUV.
The group watched as Lu Heng got into his car without looking back. The car made a sharp turn and sped away in the direction Lu Heng had indicated, kicking up a cloud of dust.
...
"Brother Lu, there are many ordinary survivors among them. Are you going to take them in too?" Lin Yu asked while driving.
He remembered that when Lu Heng first took over Fallen City, he had stated that he would only take in ability users above the fourth tier.
"Yes, I said before that I would only take ability users above the fourth tier, but that was for the villains who originally lived in Fallen City. Although the people in this group are not very high-level, they will cherish the hard-won living conditions more."
After living in another world for a while and seeing how peacefully and normally people lived there, Lu Heng increasingly yearned to change the current state of the apocalypse.
He couldn't become powerful alone. If, one day, there were no other humans left in this world, and only he remained, he couldn't imagine if he could continue to stay here.
Therefore, eliminating these zombies and restoring people's lives to normalcy couldn't be accomplished by him alone. He needed a team, a team capable of completely eliminating those zombies.
"Will they come then?"
"They will. They have no choice."
The only safe place nearby that could accommodate that group was Fallen City. This was also one of the reasons why the villains in Fallen City had chosen this location.
Fallen City was relatively isolated. For a vast distance around it, there were no safe locations for humans to inhabit.
Although after Lu Heng cleared out Fallen City, there were not many zombies around the city, it did not mean the vicinity was absolutely safe.
The number of zombies in the surrounding villages and towns was also considerable. However, the roads in those towns were blocked by vehicles trying to escape when the apocalypse first struck, naturally trapping those zombies within the cities and preventing them from getting out.
And the villains in Fallen City only engaged in plundering the achievements of others, so those places had not been cleared by survivors.
...
Remaining within the earthen walls created by Lu Heng, the group began to discuss after watching Lu Heng drive away.
Some advocated for going to Fallen City to check it out. It had been quite famous before, as it was the only place in the vicinity that was specifically known for robbing and plundering, and it had a certain scale.
The news of the city being cleared out later had also spread among some people. However, the earliest they heard was that it only accepted high-level ability users, so many like them, with families in tow, had to abandon the idea.
But now that they had been invited, they felt they could give it a try.