Shelter Planning

Li Ya and Su Yun immediately began distributing zombie crystal cores. Following Lin Chen's instructions, they prioritized replenishing the number of cores needed for existing awakened individuals to advance to the second tier.

Soon, the first batch of crystal cores was distributed to everyone. A group of second-tier ability users will soon emerge within the team, significantly increasing their strength.

However, nearly two hundred people in the team had not yet awakened their supernatural abilities. They looked at the doctors and nurses still wearing summer clothes, stamping their feet incessantly from the cold, their lips turning purple.

Lin Chen frowned slightly: "The production of Creation Crystals is currently limited, only a hundred per day."

He then took out a large amount of winter supplies from his storage space—down jackets, winter boots, warm hats, thick gloves… piling them up across an entire open space.

"Put these on first."

He looked at the trembling people, his voice gentle yet firm: "In the next few days, you will all become superhumans. Hang in there a little longer."

Next, he began to deploy the overall plan for the base:

"Our current core task is to efficiently acquire crystal cores—we can't let any zombies or mutated beasts escape. We can buy back high-level crystal cores at a premium."

"The 11 buildings in front of the villa are designated as a commercial area for selling survival supplies such as winter clothing, food, and clean water. Remember—only transactions involving crystal cores are accepted. The entire commercial area will be overseen by Sister Yun." He turned to Su Yun.

Su Yun replied softly, "Okay."

"I will set up a temporary hospital in the plaza area. Dr. Shen, this task is assigned to you. You will be responsible for the establishment and daily operation of the medical system."

"Xiaoya, you will temporarily organize the combat group into ten squads, each with fifty people. If there are not enough people, you can add more later. There will be one captain and one vice captain. One squad will take turns on duty each day to be responsible for the safety of the shelter; the other nine squads will go out to hunt zombies. The captains can keep half of the crystal cores they obtain as incentives, and the rest will be handed over for unified allocation."

Li Ya nodded crisply: "Understood."

He then looked at Liang Siqi: "Siqi, you are responsible for the construction and maintenance of the surveillance network throughout the entire shelter area, ensuring no blind spots."

"Qi Wei, you'll be in charge of enchanting everyone's equipment." Qi Wei quickly nodded in agreement.

Finally, his tone turned slightly somber: "In three days, the city's power and water systems will begin to gradually collapse; within seven days, they will be completely paralyzed. But don't worry—I will provide enough power generation equipment, and I also have a way to guarantee the water supply."

Lin Chen spoke at length. In his previous life, he had never built up any power base, nor did he know how to manage it.

But in this life, he could no longer wait passively. He could only rely on his memories of the apocalypse to explain the most important things one by one.

As for the specific execution? He believed in the abilities of Li Ya, Su Yun, and others—Li Ya was a gifted leader, and most of the others also had professional experience from before the apocalypse.

After everyone had processed the information, Lin Chen added, "We can't stop recruiting; we need more people."

Li Ya tentatively asked, "How about... we give it to Yingyue?"

Lin Chen looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Before Li Ya could explain, Jiang Yingyue stepped forward, her voice filled with unease: "Brother Lin, I made a mistake yesterday. At the Normal University, I trusted an acquaintance from before... She attracted a large number of zombies in her attempt to steal crystal cores, causing a small team of sisters to be surrounded... Luckily, Sister Ya arrived in time." Her voice grew softer as she spoke, her head bowed low.

Jiang Yingxue wanted to take responsibility, but Lin Chen gave her a cold look, and she fell silent and shrank back.

Lin Chen's face darkened, his eyes turning icy. The usually lively Jiang Yingyue trembled slightly with fear.

After a moment, he spoke slowly, his voice not loud, yet it silenced the entire room:

"Everyone, remember this—this is the end times. The old world's order, human relationships, and morality have all collapsed. Former friendships and camaraderie are utterly vulnerable in the face of survival."

His gaze swept across each face like a knife: "From now on, no one is to be trusted except for members of the team. Anyone who still harbors a 'saintly heart' and fantasizes about using kindness to influence others, then please leave. I don't need any hidden dangers that could drag the team down."

The crowd fell silent.

Most of them are college students around twenty years old. Before they have truly entered society, they have to face the apocalyptic rules that are a hundred times more cruel than the workplace.

Apart from a few with strong mental fortitude, most people still looked confused and uneasy—they were still trying to adapt to "survival," let alone judge who was trustworthy and who was dangerous.

Lin Chen observed this, his tone softening slightly but still leaving no room for argument: "Alright, Jiang Yingxue and Jiang Yingyue will be in charge of the recruitment for now, with Bai Xin assisting. Yingxue, keep a close eye on your sister, make sure there are no more mistakes."

"Okay, Brother Lin!" Jiang Yingxue quickly pulled her tearful sister to agree.

He then turned to Liang Siqi: "Siqi, spread the word about the shelter's establishment. Xiaoyu can handle this."

Liang Siqi nodded: "Okay."

"Who is Xiaoyu?" Li Ya asked curiously.

"It's an intelligent life form created by Siqi's supernatural abilities," Lin Chen explained simply.

Li Ya's eyes lit up, and she immediately grabbed Liang Siqi and asked her all sorts of questions, wishing she could awaken one herself.

Upon learning that a first-tier ability could only be bound to one intelligent entity at most, he reluctantly gave up and instead pestered Liang Siqi, promising, "When you advance in tier, you must help me first!"

Lin Chen then led everyone outside the villa. With a thought, a large amount of kitchen utensils, tableware, rice, flour, cooking oil, meat, and vegetables poured out of the space.

"Let's cook first. After we've eaten, we can start working."

The group had grown to over seven hundred people, and the villa was already stretched thin. Everyone immediately sprang into action, moving pots and pans, washing vegetables and chopping meat. Although the scene was somewhat chaotic, it was generally orderly.

Having satisfied her curiosity, Li Ya strolled back to Lin Chen's side and said leisurely, "Brother Lin, you should probably hire some professional chefs in the future."

She gestured towards a spot not far away: "Look, Sister Yun is cooking again. Besides her, Xiaomin, and Xiaojing, there aren't many people in the team who can cook."

Lin Chen looked over—Su Yun was standing in front of the stove, directing the division of labor while personally cooking. The others could only assist.

He couldn't help but smile wryly: "Looks like I was careless before and forgot to recruit a chef."

"Sister Yun has also realized this problem," Li Ya sighed, "but there's a shortage of talent right now, so she has to hold on for the time being."

"You don't want Yun-jie to stay a chef forever, do you?" she said softly. "She used to be a senior executive in the company, with top-notch management skills. It would be a waste of her talent to keep her stuck in the kitchen."

Lin Chen felt somewhat embarrassed. In his previous life, he struggled to survive in a post-apocalyptic world, and everyone around him was a jack-of-all-trades. He subconsciously assumed that this life would be the same.

But he forgot that it's only the early stages of the apocalypse. Many people haven't been driven to the brink of despair yet.

He stroked his chin: "You're right. Professionals doing professional work is the way to long-term success."

He paused, then suddenly asked, "Xiaoya, do you think Sister Yun has a real talent for being a 'head housekeeper'?"

"What kind of head butler?" Li Ya rolled her eyes. "Sister Yun has the makings of a prime minister!"

Lin Chen laughed: "You're right. I'll talk to her later and have her take charge of the entire base's internal affairs—the commercial area, logistics, personnel, and resource allocation. As for me... I'll just focus on finding resources, clearing out high-level zombies, and fighting with people."

At this moment, wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, filling the air with the aroma of food. Feeding over seven hundred people naturally took a lot of time and effort.

Not wanting to waste time, Li Ya turned around and selected a small team to set off—to collect houses nearby.

According to Lin Chen's plan, fifty residential buildings must be integrated and their basic winter-proofing renovations completed by today. Otherwise, if a full-blown cold snap hits, down jackets alone won't last more than a few days.

Lin Chen called Shen Xiyuan over, and the two walked side by side to the small square at the entrance of the community.