Moving Raw Materials

Fortunately, the helicopter was fast.

Since there was no need to wait for the ground team, each helicopter round trip took only ten minutes.

In addition, the shelter had already organized people to wait at the lift platform.

The moment the helicopter landed, the waiting people immediately unloaded the raw materials.

As a result, the Transport Helicopter made three round trips for the first factory building!

"Move faster! Head straight to the second factory building!"

"First unit, the team digging up Energy Cores, return to formation!"

Xu Ruoxi watched the surroundings vigilantly.

Then she issued the order again.

In just two hours, the Resident Combat Team had transported all the raw materials from the entire factory complex back to the shelter.

Not a single thing was left behind!

All the Energy Cores had also been completely dug up!

"Reporting to the commander, the collection mission has been successfully completed. Requesting permission to return."

Xu Ruoxi spoke into the radio.

Li Chen watched the footage sent back by the drone and nodded slightly. "Return by the same route."

"Yes!"

The Resident Combat Team returned the same way they had come.

The massive procession was filled with the joy of a bountiful harvest.

"This Xu Ruoxi is really quite good."

Li Chen said to Noah.

"Yes. I suggest that the commander bind Xu Ruoxi to the Attribute Panel."

Noah replied.

When Li Chen had increased his attribute points earlier, he had seen that he could bind two people.

Hearing Noah say this now immediately piqued his interest.

"What's the use of binding?"

"Reporting to the commander, the Attribute Panel can bind any living being—zombies, humans, and animals alike. Once bound, a loyalty gene will be implanted into the bound individual's mind!"

"Just like the artificial humans, they will never betray you!"

"At the same time, the commander can independently raise the bound individual's attributes as needed."

Noah explained slowly.

A flicker of delight flashed through Li Chen's eyes.

He could actually bind any living being!

This function did sound quite good.

Although artificial humans were loyal and powerful, they had their limits.

And to increase an artificial human's abilities, he had to upgrade the cultivation pod.

At this stage, the Energy Cores required were simply too numerous.

The returns were also relatively small.

But if he bound a person individually, that person would become Li Chen's right-hand man!

Thinking of this, Li Chen immediately said, "Bind Xu Ruoxi at once."

"Yes!"

Star-Level Shelter System

Host: Li Chen

Strength: 20

Agility: 20

Constitution: 20

Spirit: 20

Intelligence: 20

Evolution Energy:

Binding 1: Xu Ruoxi (extremely strong individual combat capability; tap attributes for details)

Binding 2: None

Gene Evolution Count: 1

As the notification of a successful binding sounded in Li Chen's mind.

Elsewhere, Xu Ruoxi seemed to sense something.

She felt unprecedented thoughts surfacing in her mind!

"I wonder whether the Commander is satisfied with my actions this time?"

"I really hope the Commander sees my loyalty when I return!"

A flood of thoughts involuntarily rose in Xu Ruoxi's mind.

After Li Chen bound Xu Ruoxi.

His gaze fell upon the Holographic Projection device.

It was densely divided into countless small screens.

All of them displayed footage transmitted back by surveillance equipment.

The surveillance equipment had already been preliminarily deployed throughout Donghai City.

Li Chen saw that, on the Resident Combat Team's route back.

A group was locked in battle!

After zooming in on the image.

He could see that the group included women, children, and men.

All of them were dressed in tattered rags.

Yet their faces lacked the despair common among survivors.

Instead, regardless of age, every one of them carried a fierce ruthlessness!

"Who are they?" Li Chen became interested.

Noah answered at once.

"They were originally residents of West City Shelter, but for certain reasons, they escaped."

"They currently have no fixed residence and search everywhere for supplies."

All of this information had been gathered by drones dispatched every day.

Li Chen raised his brows in surprise.

Humans were social creatures.

As long as they could bear to stay, people would choose to gather together.

What had this group of men, women, old people, and children experienced that made them flee West City Shelter?

"What is the situation with the shelters in Donghai City now?"

Li Chen asked.

The Star-Level Shelter had been focused on development lately, so Li Chen did not know much about the outside world.

"Reporting to the Commander, Donghai City currently has Three Great Shelters."

"They are West City Shelter, East City Shelter, and Shangri-La Shelter."

"Among them, West City Shelter possesses the strongest combat power. Most of its residents are Mining Area workers. After the apocalypse broke out, they gathered together of their own accord and raided the Weapon Depot to arm themselves. Recently, due to insufficient food sources, cannibalism has emerged."

Noah answered immediately.

Ever since the Star-Level Shelter restored the signal.

Many people in the shelters had taken out and begun using electronic devices from before the apocalypse.

To Noah.

As long as a device connected to the internet, there was no secret he did not know!

Thus, he knew every faction in Donghai City like the back of his hand.

After hearing this, Li Chen's thoughts stirred.

That group was not weak in combat.

They presumably would not have been the ones eaten in West City Shelter.

It seemed they had left because they found cannibalism disgraceful.

Li Chen began considering recruiting them.

"Xu Ruoxi, there is a group trapped in a Zombie Tide to your southeast."

"Take your team and provide support immediately."

Li Chen issued the order over the radio.

"Yes!"

Xu Ruoxi answered immediately.

Although she did not understand why the usually cold-blooded commander wanted them to rescue people.

At that moment, however, Xu Ruoxi was like an android, absolutely loyal to Li Chen.

As long as it was Li Chen's order, she would carry it out without hesitation!

Li Chen, meanwhile, stared intently at the surveillance feed.

It was obvious.

This group had been fighting bitterly for a long time.

Several of them had already become sluggish in their reactions.

"Shouldn't we just head back? When is this ever going to end?"

"Cut the crap. If you want to go back, then go back by yourself! Don't forget, those people in West City eat people!"

"But they're not eating us. Maybe..."

"Heh. The day you lose your ability to work, you'll naturally become Two-Legged Sheep!"

The drone faithfully transmitted back both the footage and the sound.

It confirmed Li Chen's suspicions.

At the same time, the main force led by Xu Ruoxi was nearly there.

Perhaps because they had been fighting for too long.

One of the men in the group was accidentally clawed in the shoulder by a zombie.

A scream rang out!

Before the man could even react, the zombie pounced on him and began tearing into him.

Blood spilled all over the ground.

And the scent drove the other zombies nearly mad.

"Don't worry about me! Go!"

"Take care of Yingzi for me!"

The other companions wanted to rush forward and save him.

But the man knew he had already been infected with the virus. Before long, he would become just like the monsters before him.

Acting only on bloodthirsty instinct!

Rather than that...

The man raised his pistol and aimed it at his own heart.

Bang!