Chapter 685 - 556: We Will Only Get Better

"Finally here... Emma, isn’t this just a pure paradise? It’s awesome."

"Don’t get too excited yet. Do you think this place can accommodate all of us? Haven’t you heard? Only those who become part of the Yama Corps are qualified to live on Celestial Horse Island."

"That’s not what I heard. If you have special skills, you can make it! Besides, we can figure something out!"

"What are you guys talking about? Are you planning to become the second-generation Flying Wolf Gang and sleep with the green hills?"

The people hiking up the mountain arrived at the gate first. After seeing the various features of Celestial Horse Island, they couldn’t help but discuss. There were solid walls, a seemingly rough but strong gate, big tanks, good houses, and a relatively clean and tidy environment.

No one could resist the allure of the residential area, but most people were very aware inside that this place surely belonged only to the core members of Celestial Horse Island.

If this was before the outbreak, many people would find it unreasonable and unfair, but now everyone’s acceptance is high. More than four months into the apocalypse, after experiencing so much, people have understood the law of the jungle and the survival of the fittest.

Following the influx of people on foot, car after car slowly drove in. Since the construction of the Celestial Horse Island Scenic Area, the parking lot was full for the first time. In the end, more than thirty cars had no place to park and had to unload their cargo before parking at the foot of the mountain!

As people got off the cars one after another, Celestial Horse Island welcomed its most bustling moment ever, with more than seven hundred people gathered together, even more than when it was originally constructed!

The entire parking area was packed to the brim. Even though the sky was still gloomy, it didn’t stop the burst of excitement. Even the smallest presence in the crowd felt empowered.

Many people were coming to this place for the first time, though there were a few from Qin City who had once visited here for leisure. Whether it was their first visit or not, standing among hundreds of peers breathing out puffs of white mist, the excitement in their hearts was indescribable.

But it’s best not to think too much about it. Once you connect it with the possibility that the entire northern Qin City and even Qing County may just be left with the people in front of you, a wave of sadness immediately hits...

Fortunately, everyone was chatting enthusiastically and positively, and no one mentioned those despairing matters.

Walking through the mountain gate, others didn’t notice, but Zhang Su immediately saw the ruined entrance arch to the scenic area.

Zhong Xiaoshan saw Zhang Su’s gaze on the ruins of the arch and said helplessly, "At that time... we had no other choice but to detonate the bomb."

"That’s right, given the circumstances then... there really was no time to think."

Yu Qing pursed her lips, feeling a bit regretful as she thought about the majestic scenic area arch being destroyed by her hands. But even if faced with the decision a hundred times over, she wouldn’t hesitate, as lives were at stake.

"Good, good job, my wife. Damn, those ghostly things really got smashed!" Zhao Dezhu nodded vigorously.

Other members of the Yama Corps had already heard about the zombies running amok in the scenic area and felt a wave of fear.

"Teacher Xiaoyu deserves the highest credit. If the big one had charged into the camp, even if 003 had ultimately dealt with it, it would definitely have... Sigh, forget it, forget it!"

Zhang Su waved his hand, not wanting to recall any brutal scenes while looking at the moving heads in the crowd.

"Actually, earlier, Teacher Duan almost got into trouble to save us..."

Zhong Xiaoshan then mentioned their battle against the zombies on the mountain, especially emphasizing those who had made meritorious contributions, as Zhang Su needed to know this—it was her duty.

Zhang Su nodded silently, taking note of everything Zhong Xiaoshan said, planning to reward each one accordingly later.

"Mr. Zhang, most people have arrived. Could you say a few words?"

Yuwen came over to Zhang Su and his group, handing over a microphone and portable speaker.

Zhang Su looked at the lively parking lot, touched the wound on his face, and smiled, "Hey, what do you think, does my appearance damage the image of the Yama Corps?"

"What are you talking about, Brother Su? This is a hero’s badge!"

Wang Xin said with a laugh.

"Exactly, exactly; a man looks cool with some scars. I wish I had some!" Pang Dakun pinched his cheek.

"Big guy, you’re really showing off here! Everyone’s waiting for you, better think of something to say, hahaha!"

Zhao Dezhu patted Zhang Su’s shoulder, pushing him forward.

"Brothers and sisters!"

A voice echoed from the speaker, causing people to stop their discussions. They saw a figure stand lightly on the commander’s hatch of the heavy tank in the camp, as if treading on air.

Zhang Su stood tall, looking out at the faces that were both familiar and unfamiliar. For a moment, he felt lost in thought. However, recalling his role as the Emotion Release Source, he quickly gathered his focus.

While others could rest for a while, he couldn’t afford to. He needed to immediately settle everyone in and plan the upcoming work; otherwise, having so many people crammed together wouldn’t work. It was time to test his leadership.

"First of all, welcome to Celestial Horse Island, which will be your future living space!"

Zhang Su didn’t mention the residential area of Celestial Horse Island. The small hostel building couldn’t accommodate so many people, so he gestured broadly towards the village at the foot of the mountain.

If Celestial Horse Island were truly developed, don’t mention seven hundred people; even seven thousand could reside here. After all, the residential area accounts for less than one percent of all Celestial Horse Island, which is only a tiny part of the territory.

Not to mention anything else, just the mountain gorge area where we did explosion tests before could easily house two to three hundred people.

Unfortunately, the current conditions are harsh, making it impossible to clear land. Moreover, if everyone lived on the mountain, it would create more problems. It’s better to separate living areas and reserve manpower and resources for building defensive structures.

The newly arrived people at Celestial Horse Island naturally understand this situation and have no objections. Crossing the Chuhai River to the northern suburbs is already a victory. Now, the hordes of tens of thousands of zombies from the south of the Mountain and Sea District are gradually devouring the city, making it difficult to survive in the concrete jungle.

"To be honest, on this trip into the city, I didn’t expect to bring back so many brothers and sisters, far exceeding Celestial Horse Island’s expansion plan. I’m not afraid to tell you, we originally planned to expand by at most twenty or thirty people, but damn."

Zhang Su spread his hands with a quirky expression, his humorous tone coupled with comical gestures, and the ointment plastered on his face, along with his formidable strength, created an amusing contrast that made many people smile.

Turns out, King Yama is not an unblinking demon king; he can also be quite humorous.

A relaxed atmosphere and emotions can help people accept his views more easily. Managing this rhythm is not difficult for Zhang Su. After the laughter subsided, he continued.

"Of course, having more people has its advantages; everyone knows that there’s strength in numbers. But to show the benefits of having more people, we need reasonable planning. With a sudden increase in population, subsequent work will progress relatively slowly. There’s no need to rush; we’ll solve basic food and housing issues as soon as possible!

We’ve already developed three villages, each capable of accommodating thousands of people. Considering the actual situation, it’s better not to crowd together, as it wouldn’t have a positive effect. You unruly bunch might cause trouble, and then I’ll have to clean up the mess!"

While saying this, Zhang Su’s gaze mainly wandered over the faces of several divisions’ combat personnel.

Among the four divisions, the combat personnel’s reputation among ordinary members is generally mediocre, especially the Survivor Alliance. However, fortunately, there aren’t many combat personnel left in the Survivor Alliance now...

Only the soldiers under Li Zongkai are slightly stronger, which is worth praising.

Apart from awkward smiles, it seemed no one knew how to respond.

"Some old bad habits, you’re well aware of them yourselves, must be corrected. Coming to Celestial Horse Island, the first thing you need to understand is to live in harmony. I’m very aware of the difficulties of surviving in the apocalypse; everyone’s facing survival pressure, and their hearts are filled with hostility. But once you step into the camp, you must wash away that hostility. Here is everyone’s warm home, not a place for venting!"

Zhang Su didn’t initially want to nag about these things, but he knew it was necessary. After roughly sensing others’ emotions, he discovered the problem: darkness and violence.

Deeply buried in many people’s hearts, it’s inevitable; everyone has it, even quite a few among the Yama Corps aren’t exceptions. It can only gradually be worn away.

Many nodded in agreement with Zhang Su’s words; some bit their lips, clearly feeling addressed. What needs to be changed must be changed; what needs to be suppressed must be suppressed. Everyone understands, but the focus is on how to do it.

This time, Zhang Su didn’t release emotions to intervene. He tried to take in everyone’s reactions with his eyes, which were better than expected, and then he continued: "Someone will soon register you for accommodation arrangements. Doing these tasks is voluntary labor without any reward, so everyone must cooperate and not cause disruptions!"

"Cooperate, cooperate!"

"We’ll definitely cooperate!"

"King Yama, rest assured!"

People responded enthusiastically in high spirits.

Everything seemed so new when they first arrived, temporarily setting aside their fear of zombies, as if returning to the past. Some of the slightly older ones even reclaimed the feeling of going to the countryside in their youth, a vast world with much to accomplish.

Zhang Su pressed his palm to quiet everyone and then announced matters.

"Previously, in each camp, we talked about work arrangements. I know each of you has your own skills; the future development of the Celestial Horse Island camp can’t do without your skills. However, with a sudden surge in population, it’s certainly impossible to provide so many job opportunities all at once; it needs to progress gradually.

We’ll implement a comprehensive work point system to ensure every contributor receives corresponding rewards.

Just a heads-up, we definitely can’t provide all of you with job opportunities right away. Those who get job opportunities first, don’t show off! Those waiting for job assignment, don’t worry; everyone’s resources will be guaranteed in the early stages!"

The core members of the Celestial Horse Island B&B district are all eager to work, not needing currency or a work point system to measure labor value. But when United Village, Kuanzhuang, and West Camp Village came to Celestial Horse Island, a work point system was added.

The delay until now was because several groups brought a lot of resources when they came to Celestial Horse Island. After turning over some, they still had plenty left, so there was no rush to implement the work point system.

But that’s no longer possible!

The population has surged to over seven hundred, and the distribution of resources must include relevant constraints. The work point system has long been brewing, and it’s almost perfect, needing only minor adjustments to fit the current environment.

"While providing guarantees, I also have a requirement: stability and unity. In previous times, Celestial Horse Island was peaceful and harmonious, with no irreconcilable conflicts occurring, and this must continue! Bullying within the group is not a skill; remember, as long as we maintain internal stability and unity, all difficulties can be easily overcome."

Bang, bang.

Zhang Su patted his chest and pointed to everyone: "Remember this, I, Zhang Su, said it!"

Applause erupted without anyone leading it, like thunder. This wasn’t just a promise from anyone; it was a promise from King Yama, Zhang Su. Whether it’s the development of Celestial Horse Island or the cleansing of zombies, his achievements speak for themselves, stirring genuine excitement in people’s hearts.

"Mr. Zhang, Mr. Zhang, here you go."

At this moment, Yuwen slipped around to the tank and handed a note to Zhang Su.