Soon, many survivors arrived, dragging along piles of scrap metal, most of which were unusable weapons.
The staff at the exchange point didn't seem to care about these weapons.
The association leader had already told them that they were distributing the rice not to obtain weapons from the survivors.
Instead, the goal is to get these survivors to accept the order they established.
What's this called again...? Wasn't the old man drunk because of the alcohol?
The exchange went smoothly. Many people finished weighing their firearms and came to the exchange point with anticipation, waiting for the staff to put the rice into bags for them.
However, at that moment, a large Horn was brought out, and the recording inside began to play.
It was the same set of words the staff had just used with Jack and his group.
As long as you relinquish all your weapons, you can move into the safe zone planned by the Mutual Aid Society and be protected by armored forces...
The survivors looked at each other, but they also understood the situation much better.
So these mysterious people also provide security services?
Persuaded by the recording and with Jack, who had a family to support, as an example, many people were swayed and decided to take the gamble.
Some people scoffed at this.
They only trust the guns in their hands.
They just wanted to trade a pile of scrap metal for rice, and then hide away.
Besides these people, there are also some who don't even want to change.
What should we change?
Why not just rob it?
So, on the night after the first day of exchange ended.
The sound of popping beans echoed throughout downtown San Francisco, along with explosions. Many houses collapsed as a result, and the chaos lasted for several hours before the Mutual Aid Society sent armored units to patrol the streets to issue a warning and suppress the unrest.
Then came the next day.
The number of survivors choosing to stay in the safe zone has surged, many of whom are seeking help.
After last night's citywide gunfight, most survivors have realized their own limitations.
I also learned that bullets don't have eyes.
They overestimated themselves.
On the first day, only a little over a hundred people checked into the safe zone.
By the fifth day, when the redemption ended, the number had surged to three thousand.
These are the majority of the survivors in downtown San Francisco.
These people were housed in a community surrounded by armored forces and enjoyed five peaceful days, a rare treat.
Jack, who joined the safe zone on his first day, was assigned to a separate old house where his wife and two daughters lived with him.
Around his house were other survivors who had also been allocated housing.
The entire community has been very quiet these past few days, so quiet that no one dares to leave their homes.
Although they are now in a safe environment with armored vehicles guarding every street in the community 24 hours a day, long-standing inertia makes all the survivors reluctant to be exposed to strangers.
So for those five days, Jack's family lived a life of praying and thanking God every day, then eating, then eating again, and then continuing to eat.
It's not that they're gluttons, it's just that the rice was too delicious.
The complexions of the family of four have visibly improved over the past few days, becoming much more normal than before.
Jack and his wife, in particular, haven't eaten anything normal for over a decade.
Every day when the family is cooking, they can't help but shed a few tears when they think back to the days when eating rats and wild vegetables was considered a feast.
Jack's family and the other survivors were content with such days; some even thought that it wouldn't be bad to just fill their mouths with white rice and die like that.
However, this kind of life of eating at home can obviously not continue indefinitely.
The day after the official end of the food exchange.
All survivors were summoned, and according to the previously established charter, it was time for this timeline to enter the organizational reconstruction phase.
Robert was in charge of rebuilding the organization, and Zhang Tianyuan and the others did not interfere.
Because Robert already had experience in the Legend Spacetime, he could quickly build up a core group of people.
Although the two timelines are different, as long as both sides speak English, there shouldn't be a big problem.
In accordance with the custom before the apocalypse, Robert implemented an election system and gave all those who wanted to participate three days to prepare.
The final result was beyond Zhang Tianyuan's expectations.
Because the ultimate victor was the believer, Jack.
This guy kept calling himself a god, and somehow managed to win the position of community representative with an absolute advantage.
Until this moment, Zhang Tian
Yuan realized that most of the three thousand survivors were actually religious believers.
Or perhaps the harsh realities of life forced them to become religious believers.
They can only find some psychological comfort in religion.
With a slightly unusual expression, Zhang Tianyuan held a simple inauguration ceremony for Jack in front of everyone and congratulated them on the establishment of their community self-governance organization.
Although the rise of a religious figure was somewhat challenging to his understanding, it was the choice of the three thousand survivors themselves, and Zhang Tianyuan would not object to it.
Following the inauguration ceremony, he also presented gifts to community self-reliance organizations on behalf of the Mutual Aid Society headquarters and all its branches.
One hundred tons of dried earthworms from Wandering Spacetime, including flavors like durian, spicy, and extra spicy...
These were all generously sponsored by Wandering Spacetime.
Sun Deyi never imagined that this specialty product from their time and space would actually have an export potential.
Moreover, this was something Tan Mingda and his team considered excellent after thorough research. This high-protein, high-yield, and inexpensive food was perfect for their food reserves, which is why they decided to import it.
He even discussed with Sun Deyi the import of large-scale earthworm farming technology...
Although the Economic and Trade Organization has not officially opened yet, this can be considered Economic and Trade Organization first transaction.
Inspired by Tan Mingda, Sun Deyi decided to give it a try in North America in this timeline.
Judging from the results, it seems pretty good?
Although Zhang Tianyuan clearly stated that these shriveled things were dried earthworms, the survivors, who considered eating a rat a feast, obviously didn't find earthworms disgusting.
After the inauguration ceremony, everyone was given a packet to hold in their hands, and they ate it like spicy snacks, enjoying it immensely.
Even the older folks like Jack enjoyed their meal immensely, making it hard to believe that just over a decade ago, this was a group accustomed to fried chicken and steak.
Zhang Tianyuan thought this situation was quite good.
At least they didn't start being picky eaters after eating white rice for just a few days, right?
People only learn to cherish things after experiencing hardship.
The celebration wasn't over yet; the survivors, who had gradually broken down their barriers, were unusually relaxed and began to talk to each other.
But Jack was called out by Robert.
The two walked towards other rooms.
On the way, Robert took the initiative to say:
" Jack, everything is back on track now, your lives are returning to normal, and your management organization has been established, so I think it's time to explain some things to you."
Jack looked at him with a puzzled expression. Over the past few days, the two of them had gotten along well and had become quite good friends.
"What is it?"
"About our origins..."
Jack suddenly realized what was happening.
They indeed did not know the identities of Robert and his group.
An army of unknown origin and powerful equipment.
Strange flags, strange people, and their leader is a very young-looking Easterner.
He had previously speculated that these people were a newly formed United Nations.
However, these characteristics are completely inconsistent with the United Nations ' style in my memory.
On the contrary, Robert and others often call themselves "mutual rescue groups"... ノ②З
Thinking of this, Jack immediately realized. "Is it about the ' Mutual Aid Society '?"
"Are you a reclusive organization? Like the legendary Freemasons?"
Robert smiled and shook his head; his slightly dark skin conveyed sincerity.
"It's not what you think. We are not some reclusive organization. Our full name is the ' Parallel Spacetime Mutual Aid Society,' and we have always been dedicated to saving humanity from disasters in the multiverse."
" The Mutual Aid Society has conducted rescue operations in four parallel universes so far. You are in the fifth universe, and your number is 5."
Jack stopped and stared at Robert with a puzzled look.
Robert smiled, revealing a row of bright white teeth, and extended his hand, saying:
"Let's get to know each other again. I'm Robert Neville, from No. 2 Spacetime, a world that has suffered Mutavore catastrophe. There, I'm the North America chapter leader of the Mutual Aid Society."
Jack gripped his hand tremblingly, as if using all his strength to utter a single word. "Really?"
"Of course." Robert pointed to the black armored vehicles by the roadside. "See those vehicles?"
"That's from No. 4 Spacetime. Their timeline is being threatened by a solar crisis. But they're not willing to sit idly by, so they're implementing a crazy plan."
To push the Earth away...
The two headed back towards their destination, while Robert continued to introduce Jack to other timelines.
After each segment, Jack couldn't help but exclaim, "My God!"
Robert looked at him and realized that he seemed to have accepted the existence of the Mutual Aid Society. Suddenly, he felt that being a believer wasn't entirely a bad thing; at least when it came to some unconventional things, they were more likely to believe than ordinary people.
He can save a lot of saliva this way.
The two walked all the way to the Mutual Aid Society's base, a small building that was under special protection.
Jack knew that many members of the Mutual Aid Society lived here regularly.
Robert led him into the hall.
Jack had barely stepped inside when he was completely stuck.
Because he saw a black door standing mysteriously in the middle of the hall, from which many skin-and-bones-like people were slowly walking out.
These people seemed to appear out of thin air.
"This is the Spacetime Tunnel, the foundation upon which our Mutual Aid Society travels between parallel universes, and it's controlled by our president."
"The people coming out are the slaves we rescued earlier. They underwent medical examinations in No. 4 Spacetime, and those who returned are all in good health. These people are now under your management."
Robert talked for a long time, as was his custom, before realizing that Jack wasn't responding to him.
He turned his head and saw that the believer next to him had suddenly knelt on the ground and was silently praying...
This is a kneeling gesture used in religious sects for prayer or repentance.
this...
Robert covered his face, trying to pull Jack up before everyone noticed.
Who knew that this person's knees were rooted to the ground and he couldn't lift them up at all.
Jack prayed quietly until all the previously freed slaves returned from No. 4 Spacetime.
"What's going on?" Zhang Tianyuan turned around and saw an old white man kneeling in front of his back. Goosebumps rose on his skin. He quickly went around to the other side to talk to Robert.
Robert could only spread his hands, indicating that he didn't know what Jack was thinking.
Having achieved considerable expertise in the field of biological Mutavore, he did not believe in any religion and naturally could not guess Jack's thoughts.
Before the two had finished their conversation, Jack, who had already finished praying, opened his eyes, located Zhang Tianyuan's position once again, and came over.
Seeing the faint fervor in his eyes, Zhang Tianyuan's eyelids twitched involuntarily, sensing something was amiss.
What happened next was just as he expected.
When Jack arrived, he immediately started talking about being a messenger from heaven and an incarnation of a god, thanking him for descending to earth and saving them, the lost sheep...
It took Zhang Tianyuan a while to understand that Jack regarded him as a true god among men.
And because of his disruption, the slaves who had just returned to this time and space also gathered around.
Compared to Jack, they had personally experienced the Spacetime Tunnel, and it was Zhang Tianyuan who ordered their rescue.
They were already filled with gratitude for those who had rescued them, and seeing Jack do this, they immediately followed suit and knelt down to pray.
Whether Zhang Tianyuan is a true god or not is unimportant; what matters is that they believe he is.
Looking at the people surrounding him, Zhang Tianyuan vaguely sensed that something extraordinary had awakened among them...
He suddenly regretted not interfering with Jack's election.
It took almost an hour before these people who were praying were persuaded to get up and be led away.
Then Zhang Tianyuan looked at Jack, his "believer," who was staring at him with a fanatical expression, and suddenly didn't know what to say.
This is truly a new experience in my life.
In the end, he only had a brief conversation with Jack to understand the man's basic values and, after discovering that he was a fanatical believer, let him go.
Then, the next day.
Zhang Tianyuan then realized that he had let a huge problem slip away.
Because of what happened last night, with many former slaves integrating into the community and Jack's propaganda, the whole safe zone now knows about it.
When Zhang Tianyuan reappeared, he discovered that many of the already numerous believers in the community had become his followers in just one day...
He walked in the safe zone as if he were walking in his own "divine kingdom".
This was naturally thanks to Jack and those former slaves.
The people on both sides preached and testified, quickly convincing the entire community about the Mutual Aid Society.
Of course, what also led people to believe that he was an incarnation of a god...