Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

Chapter 747: Chapter 618: Humanity Is Growing Stronger Too

“Mr. Zhang!”

Yuwen waited in the parking lot, and upon seeing Zhang Su approach, he went up to greet him.

“Old Yu, let’s go, bring your pen and paper, we’re headed down the mountain for the selection test.”

Zhang Su was in high spirits, as the number of people in the camp was rising, and all aspects were slowly getting on the right track. From now on, whether it was the Yama Corps or himself, life would be relatively easier in this post-apocalyptic world, and things would get better.

Yuwen smiled and said, “Mr. Zhang, I have a small discovery I want to share with you, do you have a moment?”

“A small discovery?” Zhang Su glanced at his watch and followed Yuwen to a slightly secluded corner, saying, “What discovery?”

“Mr. Zhang, have you noticed I seem stronger than before?”

Thump, thump, Yuwen patted his chest and arms. His question sounded humorous, yet his expression was very serious.

If Pang Dakun or Wu Lue said this, it would definitely be for fun, but Yuwen wouldn’t joke around. Zhang Su seriously looked at him, considering the recent performances, and nodded unsurely.

“I do feel a bit, but it’s hard to compare in a short time. Compared to when I first met you, the improvement is noticeable. What’s up?”

“Exactly, I’m talking about comparing to the past.” Yuwen nodded emphatically and continued, “At first, I just felt some changes in myself, so I’ve been observing many people. Even in the past few days, while chatting with people in the village, I’ve been collecting information on this.

I have a bold hypothesis. Of course, I’m not knowledgeable in this area, but from my observations, I believe that after the disaster broke out, all of our bodies have been strengthened in some way!”

“Oh?”

Zhang Su squinted his eyes, recalling his own changes. As someone who had a foundation, consistently trained, and later practiced Ju Mumio’s Ju Clan Martial Arts, both his physical fitness and combat abilities had been rising rapidly. He had failed to notice subtle changes in his body.

Now, with Yuwen’s statement, Zhang Su looked at the people around him and seemed to see this trend indeed.

“Old Yu, your meaning is that not only zombies have become stronger, but also humans may have been strengthened by some unknown substance?”

“From my own experiences and observations, plus the information I’ve gathered, this isn’t an isolated case. It’s more evident among those who don’t exercise much, such as the logistics staff,” Yuwen said.

Combat personnel are constantly training and attribute their strength to effort, while logistics staff who lack systematic training but still work notice their physical changes more easily.

“I’m not the only one feeling this way; chatting with many villagers, they’ve also experienced it. If one or two people show this phenomenon, it could be due to training or the rigors of life, but if it’s widespread… it’s worth investigating.”

Yuwen said seriously.

“If your theory holds true… well, let’s use this afternoon’s test to check everyone’s level.”

Zhang Su nodded, thinking that if this was true, it was essential for everyone to be aware, which would be meaningful for boosting morale.

In the past and even now, many people have been anxious and fearful because zombies are getting stronger. If they know they’re not standing still either, it would cause a fundamental shift in their mindset.

“Yes, that’s my thought too. We could consider setting higher standards.”

“Alright, let’s do that!”

…

Early on, dozens gathered amid the fields at the foot of Celestial Horse Island Mountain. Some eager combat members wanted to stay in good shape, so they ate a bit early and came to familiarize themselves with the venue. As time passed, more people emerged from the village, including combat personnel and regular logistics staff.

By around 1:20, over three hundred had congregated in the fields. The entire Qin City had only a few thousand people, making the scene exceptionally lively!

Logistics staff were whispering among themselves, while combat personnel remained distinctly separate.

Present were members from the Lego Branch, Kindergarten Branch, Automobile Park Branch, Barracks Branch, the original Reserve Team, people from Bridge Town, Flying Wolf Gang captives like Xie Guangfa, and others among them who hadn’t joined any teams, including Wang Family, Zheng Ziwen, and Tian Fan.

Old blacksmith Ding Yong Country wasn’t present, and not only did he stay away, but he also didn’t want Zheng Ziwen to attend the test. However, Zheng Ziwen sneaked away when he wasn’t looking…

The Yama Corps was also there, but their numbers were small, just about ten people, as today’s event mainly targeted combat personnel outside the Yama Corps. Understandably, the Yama Corps took on the guard duty.

“Hey, Old Wu, what are they doing with those ropes and poles?”

In the Lego Branch, Zhang Xin approached Wu Baokang, pointing to the Yama Corps people.

Wu Baokang made a peculiar gesture with his hands: “It’s surely for the afternoon’s assessment. King Yama loves coming up with different tricks, let’s see!”

No matter what method is used for selection, strength is the only stepping stone, Wu Baokang is not worried at all, full of confidence.

In front of the kindergarten branch and automobile park branch, Liu Yao said to Yang Xinqi: “Hey, Old Yang, the equipment they brought looks a bit like what you’d use for a sports meet. Are they going to give us a physical test?”

Yang Xinqi nodded seriously: “It seems like it.”

“This is so boring, I thought we’d be fighting. Boring, really boring!” Liu Yao murmured dejectedly, feeling a sense of emptiness with nowhere to display his martial arts.

Yang Xinqi glanced at Liu Yao: “Boring, huh? Then just put in less effort and aim for a captain role in the Reserve Team, it’s not bad.”

“Screw you, I’m obviously a candidate for direct promotion to the Yama Corps. How could I go to the Reserve Team? But you…”

“I warn you, shut up!”

Yang Xinqi grabbed a handful of dirt pretending to throw it, scaring Liu Yao into dodging to the side and covering his mouth.

In every team, people were chatting, with discussions centered around the afternoon selection process. Anyone with ambition hoped they could join a higher tier team to gain more resources and better training opportunities.

Having gone through so much, everyone shared the consensus that personal strength is the key!

“Here he comes!”

Qi Xiaoshuai had been watching the foot of Celestial Horse Island Mountain, suddenly spotting someone on a small electric scooter in the distance, the organizer of today’s event, King Yama.

Wearing frog-eye sunglasses, riding a small electric scooter, with a gun slung over his shoulder, giving a somewhat Terminator vibe, but it’s the budget version…

The small electric scooter indeed lacks the grandeur of a Harley, but once the speed limit is lifted, it’s fast. Before long, Zhang Su was amidst the crowd.

The lack of grandeur in his entrance instead gave everyone a sense of familiarity, with thoughts like: Look, we can also ride the same electric scooter as King Yama!

“Everyone looks pretty spirited.”

Zhang Su came to the front of the line, his gaze sweeping across everyone’s faces, taking in the situation of each faction comprehensively.

The Lego Branch at Beidong Town suffered heavy losses, with almost all elite combat units wiped out, leaving only Wu Baokang and Luo Yongzhan. But even so, the Lego Branch still had the most combat personnel!

The former Survivor Alliance had three Vanguard Corps teams, three Search Team squads, and the Guard Team, along with some marginalized combat personnel, even after losing over twenty members, it still had more than sixty combat personnel!

Of course, there were also those who were just pretending, and today’s main goal was to sort these people into positions more suitable for them.

In terms of numbers, the Lego Branch stood alone, while others like the kindergarten branch had more than twenty people, and the Barracks Branch had over thirty.

“Hmm? Old Yang, I remember the original Apocalypse Corps combat units had more people than this. Where did you take them?”

Zhang Su saw the Automobile Park Branch and noticed the problem. Behind Yang Xinqi stood only ten people, which was vastly different from the previous situation. At least half were missing!

“Well, Brother Su…”

Yang Xinqi stepped forward, chest out and head up: “Some brothers knew themselves well, they just rushed into combat before. Now, the village has roles more suited for them, so they’ve chosen to stay in the logistics department!”

“I see…”

Zhang Su looked over at Yuwen among the crowd, seeing him nod slightly as confirmation that Yang Xinqi’s words were true, he decided not to dwell on it further.

With the increasing camp population, Zhang Su realized the previous civilian-to-military ratio couldn’t be implemented. Operating on the original 3:1 ratio would leave only 25% of the people for logistics, which wouldn’t be enough to support so many combat personnel, making basic operations difficult.

Recently, he and several advisors studied this issue again and came up with a new plan: maintain the camp’s civilian-to-military ratio at 1:4, meaning for every five hundred people, there’d be one hundred combat personnel and four hundred logistics staff.

1:5 is the red line, plus even the so-called ‘civilians’ need basic combat abilities, essentially defined as two people being able to handle a zombie in a defensive battle.

Currently, there are more than 160 combat personnel gathered on the ridge, while the camp’s total population is 783, approaching the 1:4 ratio.

Zhang Su believed that among these so-called combat personnel, some were loafers. Through today’s selection, they could weed out the loafers, ultimately maintaining a healthy 1:4 ratio!

When his gaze fell on the former Reserve Team, he found Su Xiaoya inexplicably standing in the team. The young girl stood chest out and head high, looking straight ahead with a spirited demeanor, making Zhang Su internally chuckle while feeling amused.

The people from Bridge Town had integrated well in recent days, with a pretty good spirit, thanks in large part to Meng Changwei’s management.

The remaining scattered warriors were also in good condition.