Apocalypse Rebirth: Beauties Surround Me

Chapter 163: Building the Buffer Zone

Fiona couldn't stand by any longer and said to Elijah, "Vincent used to work at a broadband company, so he knows a bit about network cabling and computers. Zoey is an accountant at a not-so-big company!"

Elijah immediately understood! This was recruiting talent for future service areas!

He promptly said, "You're quite clever, knowing that bringing people in requires additional corpse cores! Since you've fulfilled the agreement, I agree to let you both join us!"

"Thank you, Boss! We'll definitely contribute to the team's efforts in the future!" Vincent said, giving Zoey a tug.

"Thank you, Boss!" Zoey echoed.

Elijah looked younger than himself, but he had the upper hand. He could make someone like Fiona, a lady from a wealthy family, bow her head and go along with things, so naturally, Zoey went with the flow.

"Yeah, but if you want to join our team, there's one more thing you must do!" Elijah took out two bottles of water, opened them in front of them, then used a knife to cut his finger and squeezed two drops of blood into each bottle before giving one to Vincent and one to Zoey.

"Drink it. It means you're one of us now!"

Vincent glanced at Elijah's finger and saw the wound heal instantly. He immediately understood this might be one of Elijah's abilities. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for him to drink it. This wasn't ancient times where blood oaths were taken.

Huh? Could it be some kind of ability like a blood oath, ensuring loyalty to him?

Vincent thought of many things in an instant, but his actions were without hesitation. He took the bottle from Elijah.

Once he understood, he immediately unscrewed the cap and took a big sip. Seeing Vincent drink, Zoey had no choice but to follow suit.

Though blood had been dripped into the water, it surprisingly didn't taste bloody at all and was no different from ordinary water.

"Do you have another contract slot available now?" Fiona finally couldn't help asking after seeing both of them drink the water containing Elijah's blood.

"Yeah, I've advanced to Tier Three!"

"Really? Elijah?" Daisy exclaimed with delight.

Lily also looked at him with joy.

"Indeed," Katherine chimed in.

"That's great!" After a brief moment of joy, Daisy pouted. "Elijah, you're already Tier Three. When will I reach Tier Two?"

"Next time, I'll help you advance!" Elijah indulgently patted Daisy's head.

Thinking back, the first two people to follow him were Bella and Daisy. Now Bella had reached Tier Two, leaving Daisy behind.

"Hmph, I'll advance to Tier Two on my own, just like Charlotte!" Daisy ran over to Charlotte and affectionately linked arms with her.

"Then you'd better practice diligently!" Charlotte chuckled lightly.

Meanwhile, Vincent had long been stunned. Tier Two and Tier Three, and then there was training... It seemed he hadn't followed the wrong person after all!

This apocalypse was just like that. There were superpowers, cultivation, and levels, gradually advancing step by step, just like in a game!

Vincent found a familiar rhythm and felt his heart leap with excitement.

"But there's no rush now that I've just joined. It's impossible to get rewards all at once. I'll take it slow!"

Fiona wanted to ask Elijah about the abilities he gained at Tier Three, but with new recruits present, sharing some information would help them integrate into the group and feel a sense of belonging.

However, specific ability details were classified.

Fiona also didn't want Elijah to reveal them publicly.

She and Elijah exchanged a glance and nodded slightly. Elijah understood and walked aside with her.

"What's up?" he asked.

"How many more people can you contract now?" she inquired.

"I can contract up to 50 people, and currently I can still contract 28 more," Elijah replied.

"We have more than enough capacity then. We can proceed with the Trade Zone plan!" she suggested.

"Yeah, we're preparing for that today. I plan to use vehicles and fences to mark out a safe area around here," Elijah explained.

"That sounds good," Fiona nodded.

"We've nearly cleared out the mall. Lily is strong, so why not leave her here to assist you?" Fiona suggested.

"Alright!" They discussed a bit more before returning.

Elijah turned to Vincent and asked, "Can you drive?"

"Yes!" Vincent replied promptly.

"Then when we head back, you can drive Lily's car. Lily will stay here to help us secure the perimeter!" Elijah instructed.

"Okay, Elijah!" Lily nodded beside them.

"Those of you who need to go back, head back now. Gabriel will take care of Vincent and Zoey," Fiona added.

"Got it!" Fiona nodded, and they all returned to their vehicles, heading towards the coastal service area.

"Next, let's push the cars over to use as barricades, and then set up another layer of fencing inside the perimeter!" Elijah discussed their plans for the next steps.

He intended to block off the entire Coastal Road, leaving only about two lanes open for passage. They couldn't completely cut off access!

In total, they occupied six lanes out of the eight available, including the six lanes near the coast and the green park along the coastline, all connected to the coastal service area.

This large area could serve as a buffer zone. They planned to arrange for two people to patrol it regularly to prevent any zombies from sneaking in, thus ensuring the safety of the coastal service area to the maximum extent possible.

Once everyone understood his intentions, Elijah instructed Olivia to be on guard, Charlotte to be prepared for any emergencies, and Lily and himself to start maneuvering the vehicles.

The others helped gather traffic barriers and set them up.

The commotion attracted quite a few zombies from the south side of the intersection. Under Olivia's vigilance, Charlotte swiftly dealt with them.

This was the first time the women had seen Charlotte kill zombies. She wielded a long sword with lightning-fast movements, each strike deadly. The zombies couldn't resist and fell one after another under her blade, leaving the women in awe.

Their enthusiasm surged, and they all wanted to finish quickly and learn more from Charlotte to become as skilled as her.

Elijah gave Charlotte a thumbs up.

After a busy afternoon, they finally fenced off the southern part of the coastal service area. During this time, they collected supplies from the cars and were lucky to find a crate of drinks and another of parcels.

As dusk approached, they began to head back. At the coastal service area, Gabriel had already settled Vincent and Zoey.

Fiona had returned to the island with Jasmine.

Xavier, the cattle herder, had also returned and was practicing martial arts with two others.

Seeing Elijah, he immediately ran over eagerly.

"Brother-in-law, you're back?"

"Yeah, I've set up an isolation zone to the south. You can take the cattle there usually, but still, be careful," Elijah advised.

"Got it, brother-in-law!"

Gabriel walked over at this moment.

"Gabriel, from now on, I want you to patrol the perimeter daily. If there are any zombies that slip through or any areas where the barricades aren't secure enough, I want you to reinforce them," Elijah instructed.

"Sure thing, brother-in-law!" Gabriel nodded.

After a few more words of encouragement, Elijah led the women back to the island.

As he dropped everyone off, Elijah sensed Sophia and Hannah getting closer. They were also returning, so he turned directly towards the dock!