Recruitment Squad

July 7. Time flowed like a river, and before they knew it, half a month had passed.

After a month of adjustments and improvements, Umbrella Corporation's operations gradually got back on track. Every department performed its own duties, the survivors had clearly defined roles, and everyone worked together. The organization was slowly regaining some of the atmosphere of civilized society.

Georgia, Interstate 83.

Glenn drove a modified Heavy Jeep along the road toward the Atlanta Umbrella Base.

A young girl sat in the passenger seat. She had a cute appearance but a serious expression, and she held a black assault rifle tightly in her arms. Biting her lip, she had a hint of cynicism in her eyes.

The girl's name was Judy. She was one of the two girls who had been abused at the Chemical Plant. After joining the Security Department's Combat Squad, she had voluntarily applied to join the Recruitment Squad. Her goal was to find those brutal Raiders and protect more good people.

Seeing that the girl was resolute, Leon agreed to her request after giving it some thought. In this desperate apocalyptic world, a person's convictions were extremely important. They often determined her ability to survive.

Glenn gripped the steering wheel, stealing glances at Judy from time to time. After thinking it over repeatedly, he still couldn't help speaking up:

"Judy, you don't need to worry. The Boss is a good man. He'll definitely go rescue those imprisoned survivors."

"I'll put in a good word for you, too."

Judy nodded emphatically and said gratefully to Glenn:

"Thank you, Glenn. You're such a good person."

"I know Mr. Castor is an upright leader. He would never stand by and watch people die."

"I'm just furious, and I can't understand it. Why, when this disaster struck, did those damn bastards not think about uniting the survivors and helping one another? Why did they instead commit such evil deeds?"

"Don't they fear going to hell after they die?"

Watching the girl's expression gradually turn vicious, Glenn sighed softly and said:

"Perhaps they think this is already hell."

Behind the Heavy Jeep followed a motorhome fitted with bulletproof armor. Andrea held a steaming cup of coffee while comforting a crying middle-aged white woman.

For the past half month, the Recruitment Squad had been patrolling the area around Atlanta along Interstates 83 and 84.

Every so often, they placed a huge bulletin board and a box of living supplies. The bulletin boards gave a detailed introduction to Umbrella Corporation's lofty ideals and recruitment rules, along with the coordinates and route to the already-cleared Maple Leaf Apartments.

After more than ten days of diligent setup and patrols, they had recruited a full twelve survivors who happened to come across them.

That morning, they had found the wounded middle-aged woman by the roadside.

The woman's name was Mera, and she was also a native of Georgia. Her husband was the owner of a local Brewery. After the disaster, he had taken his family and the family of their next-door neighbor to hide in the Brewery, relying on its supplies to survive.

A week earlier, they had kindly taken in four wandering survivors traveling together. Unexpectedly, that very night, the group had taken them hostage and shot the male head of the neighboring family.

Not only that, these wandering thugs had violated her and the female head of the neighboring family. They had also taken the children of both families hostage, forcing all the adults to go out every day to search for supplies. Any sign of resistance resulted in beatings and abuse.

Mera had constantly tried to seek help, but after searching for a long time, she had encountered Andrea's group only today.

"Don't worry, Ms. Mera."

Andrea wore a kind smile as she gently rubbed Mera's back and comforted her in a soft voice:

"I've already reported this matter to our Boss. He has sent troops to rescue your family, and they're on their way."

"It won't be long before you can escape danger with your family."

"Thank you so much, Ms. Andrea."

"Please thank your Boss for me."

The white woman accepted the hot coffee and expressed her gratitude through her tears.

Andrea nodded, then turned and asked the middle-aged driver who was driving:

"Joel, how much farther until we reach Outpost 3?"

Middle-aged Driver Joel had a cigarette between his lips. His expression remained calm as he said:

"Three kilometers left. We'll arrive in about ten minutes."

When Andrea's Recruitment Squad reached Outpost 3, three Medium Pickup Trucks fitted with bulletproof steel plates were already waiting there.

At the sight of the newcomers, nine fully armed tough men climbed down from the pickup trucks. At their head was Daryl, an Alloy Composite Crossbow strapped to his back. Behind him, Aji and T-Dog each stood silently with a three-man squad.

When the two sides met, Daryl sharply scanned Mera from head to toe, taking in her injuries. He nodded at Andrea and Glenn. Without any greetings or small talk, he said in a slightly hoarse voice:

"Let's go to the Brewery."

"The Boss said to keep as many alive as possible. The base is in greatest need of these convicts for hard labor."

Inside Umbrella Base.

Leon sat at his own desk with his eyes slightly narrowed. His little secretary, Amy, gently massaged his shoulders while reporting on the base's affairs.

"Boss, the thirty High-Grade Apartments on the second floor of the base are basically finished. Each is sixty square meters on average. We've priced them at 1,500 Contribution Points per month, with water and electricity charged separately."

"Ten have been rented so far, mostly by Security Department employees."

"Construction is underway on the Ordinary Apartments on the second basement level of the Underground Parking Lot. We expect to build one hundred units, each forty square meters. The construction period is two months, and the price hasn't been decided yet."

Leon nodded, thought for a moment, and asked:

"Isn't the parking lot eight meters high? Shouldn't we be able to build two floors of apartments?"

"Yes, Boss. We've already reserved space for the stairs, so we can add another floor when necessary."

"Pay attention to the strength of the doors and windows, and install the Alarm System. They must be able to effectively resist Zombie attacks. I don't want a large number of employees infected because of an accident," Leon instructed.

"Understood, Boss."

Amy was silent for a few seconds before asking hesitantly:

"Boss, will it be dangerous to send only Mr. Daryl's Combat Squad Two on this mission?"

Sensing a change in the force with which Amy massaged his shoulders and understanding the girl's concern, Leon pulled her into his arms and gently stroked her. His tone was filled with confidence in his subordinates as he comforted her:

"Don't worry about your sister. We have twice as many people as they do, and our weapons far surpass their few broken pistols. Daryl, Glenn, and Aji are all skilled fighters."

"They'll definitely capture those scum without a scratch and bring several more laborers to our base for us to order around."

Leon gently stroked Amy's red lips with his finger and asked with a smile:

"I heard you've been attending Rick's Shooting Training Class lately?"

Amy's eyes grew hazy as she extended her tongue and licked Leon's finger before saying:

"Yes. It isn't just me. Many members of the Logistics Department are attending the Shooting Training Class, too."

Leon teased Amy like a kitten.

"That is good. Don't we have an employee who used to work as a preschool teacher? Organize her and the children at the base and establish a class."

"Even in the apocalypse, our precious knowledge needs to be passed down. Otherwise, what future would we have?"

"Seeing those brats running around every day is pretty annoying, too."