Greene Farm

Time flew by, and before they knew it, September had arrived.

The soldiers of the Security Department had already cleared out all the Zombies within three kilometers of the base. This area, covering more than eighteen square kilometers in total, was now completely safe.

At the same time, the employees of the Logistics Department had received their next assignment: building a wall.

Using the building materials previously obtained from the Steel Building Materials Factory, they would construct a defensive wall centered around reinforced steel bars and metal mesh, with steel supports as its pillars. The enclosed area would cover twelve square kilometers within a two-kilometer radius of the base—roughly a little smaller than the famous Foxconn factory from his previous life.

That way, the employees inside the base could also kill large numbers of Zombies through the metal mesh, just like the protagonists in the Prison storyline.

However, unlike the Prison, the walls of the Umbrella Corporation had been professionally designed. Without regard for material consumption, they were many times sturdier than the Prison's walls.

A student majoring in architecture at the Polytechnic University had thumped his chest and guaranteed that this wall was even sturdier than an ordinary concrete stone wall. Even a Tank would have difficulty breaking through it head-on.

This was yet another massive project that required huge amounts of supplies, time, and effort. According to the experts' assessments, with the labor currently available at the base, the project would take roughly two months to complete.

Although troublesome, this was a task with nothing to lose and everything to gain. Once the Umbrella Corporation had fully occupied the area, they would acquire not only a High-end Hotel, three factories serving different purposes, a small patch of woods, and a large grassland, but also an artificial lake covering more than a thousand square meters.

They would have houses and land in abundance.

To ensure the safety of the Logistics Personnel, Leon had no choice but to assign two Combat Squads from the Security Department—more than forty people in total—to accompany them at all times.

The two squad leaders were Daryl and Merle. Their loyal performance had already earned them Leon's trust.

The leader of the third squad was Glenn. Although this Korean young man's abilities could not be considered particularly strong, his spirit of dedication and courage, along with his kind nature, had won Leon's approval.

Leon had promoted all three of them to C-class employees. They were among the few Mid-level Managers in the Umbrella Corporation, and even in this apocalyptic world, they could enjoy the treatment of ordinary social elites from peaceful times.

Atlanta was still somewhat hot in September. Leon lay facedown on a lounge chair, enjoying Amy's massage. Ever since two assistants had been assigned to help the little assistant, the girl was no longer as busy as before. In her spare time, she always devoted more of her thoughts to her boss.

"Boss, how's my massage technique?"

Leon groaned comfortably twice before deliberately nitpicking.

"It's all right. Your strength is just a little too weak."

Amy bit her lower lip.

"You can't blame me for that, Boss. I'm already using all my strength. Your muscles are just too well-developed."

Leon glanced at Amy's slender legs wrapped in black stockings and said:

"Why don't you just come up and step on my back?"

Amy tilted her head. She did not refuse, but glanced around guiltily. Then, blushing, she took off her high heels, climbed onto the lounge chair, and began earnestly stepping on her boss's back.

After Leon finished lunch under Amy's attentive care, a communication request from Glenn came through.

"Glenn, have you eaten yet?"

"We've already eaten, Boss. The insulated self-heating boxes designed by the Engineering Department are really useful. We can eat warm meals at any time."

Leon exchanged a few pleasantries with Glenn before getting to the point.

"How is the mission going? Did you find the target?"

Glenn's voice sounded somewhat gloomy.

"Yes, Boss. We found them."

"Greene Farm. The owner's name is Hershel Greene. Besides his family, several of his neighbors are living there as well—six people in total."

"But that old man named Hershel is extremely stubborn. Andrea and I both tried persuading him, but Hershel still refuses to leave his family's farm."

Leon thought for a few seconds before saying to Glenn:

"Give the Walkie-Talkie to Mr. Hershel. I'll speak with him personally."

"All right, Boss. I'll go over right away."

About a minute later, an elderly voice came through the Walkie-Talkie.

"Hello, this is Hershel Greene. Who am I speaking to?"

"Hello, Mr. Hershel. I'm Leon Caster, the administrator of the Umbrella Corporation."

Leon's voice was very polite.

"I imagine my employee has already told you about our purpose, and that you rejected it."

Hershel's voice was neither servile nor overbearing.

"Yes. My family and I love this land deeply. We won't listen to a few casual words from outsiders and leave the soil where our family has lived for generations."

Leon was not angry. He spoke calmly.

"I can understand your feelings, Mr. Hershel. But I suspect you haven't gone outside to take a look in quite some time. The entire world is now filled with those terrifying monsters, along with many Raiders who, having lost their humanity, have become even more disgusting than the monsters."

"Over the past few months, the Umbrella Corporation has eliminated more than a hundred utterly deranged Raiders and rescued dozens of innocent people from their hands."

"I'm sure you don't want your family and friends to become food for monsters—or playthings for those Raiders."

"So, Mr. Hershel, I have a proposal. I hope you'll give it serious consideration."

There was silence on the Radio for more than ten seconds before the elderly voice spoke.

"Mr. Caster, please go on."

Leon grinned, amusement entering his voice.

"The more than twenty employees I sent are all powerful Warriors. They'll establish a temporary camp near the Farm and station themselves there. At the same time, they'll be responsible for protecting the Farm."

"Of course, this won't be free. You'll need to provide my employees with detailed local intelligence, help them gather supplies in the surrounding area, and assist them in rescuing any survivors who are still alive."

"That isn't a difficult choice, is it?"

Hershel considered it for a while before answering:

"This is a good deed advocated by God, Mr. Caster."

"I'm willing to accept your proposal."

Leon continued:

"Mr. Hershel, our base is currently in urgent need of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you're willing, you can trade your farm produce for whatever supplies you need."

"And I have one small request."

"Please go ahead, Mr. Caster." Hershel's heart tightened as he spoke.

"After some time, I'll send a few young people to your Farm to help you with the farm work. They can also learn agricultural techniques from you. Would that be all right?"

Hershel secretly breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"No problem, Mr. Caster. It's a small matter."

"Then it's settled. You can discuss the specific details with that young man named Glenn."

"He's my most capable subordinate. He's brave, kind, and a fine young man."

"I hope you'll get along well."

After setting down the Radio, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Leon's mouth. Glenn, oh Glenn. Your boss can only help you this far. Whether you can win over your future wife will depend on your own abilities.