Chapter 234 We’re not going anywhere!

"And who the hell are you?" one of the men demanded, his voice thick with anger. "If you know what’s good for you, then get the hell out of here. They’re sharing food over there, so go and get some for yourself." He finished with a dismissive wave before throwing another punch at the man in front of him.

"Do I look like one of you survivors who are still fighting over a place to sleep and worrying about what to eat?" Ivy asked, raising a brow as she let out a scoff.

Her words immediately caused the men to stop fighting. One after another, they turned to stare at her, their expressions ranging from confusion to irritation.

"And what the fuck do you mean by that?" another man demanded with a scoff.

"Isn’t this entire group fighting over a space to stay?" Ivy replied calmly, folding her arms across her chest. "Didn’t this whole argument start because of either food or sleeping space?"

Silence followed her questions. The men exchanged glances but none of them answered.

"And what if the argument started because of that?" one of the men finally snapped, already growing irritated. He planted both hands on his waist and glared at her. "What’s it got to do with you?"

"What if all of you were offered an opportunity?" Ivy asked, her expression turning serious. "An opportunity where you no longer have to worry about food or a place to sleep. An opportunity where you’re guaranteed three proper meals every single day... and yes, those meals include meat."

The group stared at her as though she had just spoken complete nonsense.

"Are you being serious right now?" one of the men asked before letting out a mocking laugh. "You think there’s a base out there that’ll actually give people three square meals a day? Not just plain rice, but meals with meat? And on top of that, they’ll provide grown men with a place to stay?"

He shook his head bitterly.

"Even though we’re researchers, our skills are practically useless in this apocalypse despite the fact that we want to use it to work. Nobody gives a damn about researchers anymore."

A faint smirk curved Ivy’s lips.

"I’m inviting every one of you to Hope Base," she announced confidently. "I’m sure you’ve heard a thing or two about it."

The moment those words left her mouth, several of the men widened their eyes.

"And when I say that three meals a day and a place to sleep are guaranteed," Ivy continued, her tone firm and unwavering, "I expect you to believe me."

"Do we look like children to you?" one of the men barked, obvious frustration written across his face. "Hope Base? Yeah, we’ve heard about Hope Base." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You’re inviting all of us there? Just who the fuck are you?"

"I’m the leader of Hope Base," Ivy declared without the slightest hesitation. Her calm but authoritative voice sent waves of shock through the crowd. "If you’ve heard about Hope Base," she continued, "then you should’ve heard the name Ivy."

The group instantly fell into stunned silence.

One man who hadn’t participated in the fight slowly rose from where he had been sitting a short distance away. His eyes were filled with disbelief as he cautiously walked toward Ivy.

"Are... are you serious?" he asked, staring at her in astonishment. "You’re really Captain Ivy? And you’re inviting all of us to Hope Base?"

"Yes," Ivy answered simply, meeting his gaze without flinching. "I don’t make promises I can’t keep, and I certainly don’t deceive people."

"Oh my goodness... Captain Ivy!" the man exclaimed.

He immediately lowered his head into a deep respectful bow, completely shocking the rest of his teammates.

"Thank you so much!" he said sincerely. "If you’re truly offering us a place to stay and three proper meals every day... then why wouldn’t we follow you? Only a complete fool would choose to remain here after receiving such an opportunity."

Seeing their team leader react so seriously, the rest of the researchers quickly looked at one another and without another word, they all stepped forward before bowing deeply toward Ivy.

"Greetings, Captain Ivy," they said in unison.

A satisfied smirk slowly spread across Ivy’s face.

She had expected some resistance, but seeing them accept her offer so quickly saved her a lot of trouble.

"Umm... Captain," the team leader, Thomas, spoke up again, sounding both hopeful and nervous. He slowly raised his head to look at Ivy. "Can... can our family members come with us as well?"

A flicker of fear crossed his eyes.

He was genuinely afraid that asking for more would cause Ivy to withdraw her offer altogether.

"We came here with our families," Thomas explained hurriedly. "If we’re leaving for another base, then they have to come with us too. We can’t abandon them."

He paused before continuing more earnestly.

"Don’t worry....we’ll work for you. Whatever jobs you have, we’ll do them without complaint. Research, construction, farming... anything at all. We aren’t asking for a free ride." His voice softened. "We just want our families to be safe. As long as they’re protected and we have food to eat, we’ll give Hope Base everything we’ve got."

"Of course your families can come," Ivy replied immediately, a warm smile still resting on her face.

Her answer came so quickly that Thomas and the rest of his teammates froze in surprise. They had expected her to hesitate or impose several conditions before agreeing. Instead, she accepted without the slightest bit of reluctance.

"But just like you said," Ivy continued, her tone becoming more serious, "everyone at Hope Base works for their stay. We don’t tolerate laziness. Everyone contributes according to their abilities."

Thomas nodded vigorously.

"We’ll definitely work hard, Captain Ivy," he assured her, absolute determination etched across his face. "You have my word, and I can guarantee the others feel the same way."

His teammates immediately nodded in agreement.

"That’s right!"

"We’ll do whatever work is assigned to us."

"You won’t regret accepting us."

Meanwhile, although the ten groups of men had been fighting moments earlier, the commotion had attracted quite a number of survivors. Many of them had gathered around the area while eating their meals, watching everything unfold from a safe distance.

Judging from the way some of them looked toward Thomas and the others, it was obvious they were their family members.

"We’re not going anywhere, Master." A masculine voice suddenly rang out through the crowd.