42: Chapter 42 Preparing to Establish a Power!

In front of the Li Family Mansion.

About thirty people stood slowly; a figure stood in front of them, and behind that figure, the Li father and son stood respectfully.

Ye Fan stood with his hands behind his back, his spine straight, looking inviolable as he gazed seriously at the thirty-odd people before him.

Ye Fan's gaze quickly swept over the crowd, and then he slowly spoke, "I know your purpose for coming here is for food! Of course, as long as you work diligently, you will receive the reward promised to you."

"And today, I called you all here mainly because I have a secret that isn't much of a secret to tell you." As he spoke, the corners of Ye Fan's mouth curled up slightly, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.

To the crowd in front of him, Ye Fan was a stranger they had never seen before.

They didn't know where Ye Fan had come from.

Yet, there was no sign of impatience on their faces; instead, they listened to Ye Fan's speech with serious expressions.

Because to them, the only thing that mattered now was food, food.

Nothing but food!

In this post-apocalyptic world, only having enough food could keep one alive.

Everything else was fake.

They were like beasts of burden; as long as they could get their rewards, they didn't care who their boss was.

It was meaningless to them because no matter who it was, their goal remained the same: to risk their lives for pay.

So, when the suddenly appeared Ye Fan came before them to arrange tasks...

They didn't feel anything special about it.

Any boss who could afford to pay the reward was a good boss!

Ye Fan scanned the people listening intently to him, a look of satisfaction appearing in his eyes.

He stopped teasing them and quickly asked, "By the way, I have a question for you. Do you know what the zombie crystal cores the Li family asked you to find are used for?"

Hearing Ye Fan's question...

Most of the remaining thirty-odd people shook their heads repeatedly, looking somewhat bewildered.

However, there were a few among them who seemed to know something. They neither shook nor nodded their heads but stared straight at Ye Fan.

Ye Fan chuckled and continued, "To be honest, these zombie crystal cores are an excellent medicine. After use, they can not only enhance physical strength but also very likely grant special abilities."

"Special abilities?" As soon as Ye Fan finished speaking, a look of confusion appeared on their faces as they whispered softly.

"That's right! These special abilities are what we call Supernatural Abilities." Ye Fan curled his lips into a smile and slowly extended his right hand. The next second, a ball of fire appeared in his palm.

"Supernatural Ability! This person is actually an Ability User too." Most people in the crowd showed expressions of shock.

Immediately after, a commotion broke out.

They began to speak one after another.

"What? This thing can actually awaken Supernatural Abilities?"

"Yeah, yeah! This..."

"Supernatural Abilities... so the reason those people have these special abilities is because of the zombie crystal cores!"

"Could they be lying to us?"

"Hmm, I think it's possible."

"Lying to us? Probably not. They're willing to spend a lot of food as a reward for us to collect these things!"

"True, I also think it's unlikely they're lying."

"Alright, stop doubting for a moment. These zombie crystal cores indeed give you a chance to awaken Supernatural Abilities!" Ye Fan said calmly, looking at the people speculating about him.

"Of course, it's just a probability! It's not guaranteed that everyone can awaken one."

"Why are you telling us something so important?" a voice suddenly asked from the crowd.

Then, those around him quickly chimed in, "Yeah! Why are you telling us something so important?"

"Exactly!"

"Aren't you afraid that after telling us this, we won't give you the zombie crystal cores anymore?"

Ye Fan sneered, looked at the crowd, spread his hands, and spoke calmly and unhurriedly, "It doesn't matter! We're in a cooperative relationship anyway. If you're unwilling to give us the zombie crystal cores, then naturally, I won't give you the food you need. It's a very fair deal, right?"

Ye Fan continued, "Besides, even if you use the zombie crystal cores, you might not necessarily awaken a Supernatural Ability!"

Hearing Ye Fan say this, the person who spoke earlier fell silent instantly.

Of course,

it wasn't just him; all thirty-odd people were the same.

Because they felt that what Ye Fan said wasn't entirely without merit; they were indeed in a cooperative relationship.

It was either the food or the zombie crystal core.

To choose to gamble on that one uncertain thing!

Ye Fan looked at the silent crowd, a cold smile appearing on his face as he continued in a calm tone.

"However, I also hope you will give it a try.

Because I plan to establish a power specifically for recruiting Ability Users.

If you're really lucky and awaken a special ability...

As long as you join me, I can provide you with the food you need, as well as some..."

Ye Fan paused abruptly, his gaze sweeping over the crowd again before continuing, "As for what I want to say next, you'll find out after you join me."

Hearing Ye Fan's words had quite an impact on the crowd; they all stared at him.

Being stared at by so many eyes didn't make Ye Fan feel uncomfortable at all. He said slowly, "Also, there's another reason I gathered you all here today. From now on, finding zombie crystal cores is temporarily secondary. Prioritize finding beautiful women for me."

Upon hearing Ye Feng's words, a strange look appeared on everyone's faces.

They looked at Ye Fan with confusion but didn't dare to ask anything.

For them, they just needed to get paid and do the work.

"By the way, remember, only beautiful ones, young ones—preferably under thirty." Ye Fan gave a wicked smile, completely ignoring others' gazes as he spoke calmly.

The crowd was stunned, thinking that this new employer was truly strange!

It's the apocalypse! Why find so many women?

"Now that you've all remembered what I said, you can head out."

"As for the reward, once you bring them back and I've reviewed them, I'll give it to you. It certainly won't be less than a zombie crystal core." Ye Fan rubbed his chin, thought for a few seconds, and spoke quickly to the crowd.

Just as Ye Fan was about to leave, he seemed to think of something.

He quickly turned back, looked at the crowd that had already begun to disperse, and shouted, "Wait, there's one more thing I almost forgot."

The people, who were about to start moving, stopped in their tracks and turned to look at Ye Fan.

"Right, when dealing with those girls, remember to be gentle. Don't scare them."

"Yes!"

"Alright, that's all. Go about your business!"

...

Ye Fan returned to the second floor of the mansion and gave instructions to the three women, telling them to stay home.

He also had Li Chongan stay there to protect the three of them.

Afterward, Ye Fan took Li Chongan's son, Li Hao, and left the Li Family Mansion.

About two hundred meters from the Li Family Mansion, Ye Fan and Li Hao walked leisurely along the deserted road.

This area was terrifyingly quiet; not a single living human could be seen, only streets full of parked vehicles!

Ye Fan looked at the cars on the roadside, slowly turned his head to look at Li Hao, and asked in a low voice, "By the way, does your family have a car?"

"Yes, of course we do!" Li Hao answered seriously.

He was completely different from before; there was no trace of hatred for Ye Fan in his eyes, only respect.

Of course, the reason for all this was the Slave Seal Talisman Ye Fan had used on the father and son.

After using the Slave Seal Talisman, the resentment toward Ye Fan in his mind was completely suppressed, leaving only respect.

Looking at Li Hao, Ye Fan suddenly felt a surge of irritation. He raised his hand and slapped Li Hao on the head.

Then he said in a low voice, "If you have one, why aren't you driving it? Are you trying to tire me to death?"

"I want to drive too! But there's no gas left, I can't help it!" Li Hao covered his head and said with a look of grievance.

Hearing this, Ye Fan couldn't help but say, "Oh! So that's how it is. Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"But Master, you didn't ask me! You only asked if my family had a car, so I answered truthfully," Li Hao said, looking very wronged.

He felt he was truly being treated unfairly!

"Well then, I'm really sorry! It's all my fault, all my fault! I shouldn't have hit you." Ye Fan smiled, showing no remorse, his tone tinged with sarcasm.

"It was your fault..." Li Hao's voice was very low, for fear of being heard by Ye Fan.

Despite this,

Ye Fan still heard Li Hao's words and suddenly got angry. With a "bang," he kicked Li Hao directly in the butt.

"Ouch, damn! That hurts like hell." Li Hao was instantly sent sprawling by the kick. He clutched his butt and cried out in pain.

"Damn it, if I don't give you a beating, you really won't know your place. You're actually talking back to me." Ye Fan clapped his hands and shouted at the crying Li Hao on the ground.

Then,

Ye Fan quickly stepped forward and gave the prone Li Hao's butt two more kicks.

He kicked Li Hao until he was wailing for his parents, repeatedly crying out, "I was wrong, I was wrong! Master, please spare me!" Only then did Ye Fan stop.

To be honest, Ye Fan just found the kid annoying.

So he found a random excuse to give him a good beating.

A long time later!

Ye Fan finally brought Li Hao to the side of Jiangcheng University.

Li Hao was a bit confused. He looked at Ye Fan and couldn't help but ask, "Master, isn't this Jiangcheng University? What are we doing here?"

Ye Fan put his hands behind his head, walking with a swagger. His voice was calm yet filled with mystery as he slowly said, "What for? You'll find out soon."

Li Hao: (￣‘i￣;)

He thought, is there really a need for this? This is just a university campus. What are you doing here? Looking for women?

Or is he here to look for survivors with Supernatural Abilities?

He thought it was unlikely. Generally speaking, when the apocalypse hits, schools are definitely a disaster zone.

There should be very few survivors here, let alone those who awakened Supernatural Abilities.

Because from what he knew, most of these college students were weak and sickly, spending their days with blank, innocent looks in their eyes.

They'd be lucky not to be eaten by zombies.

Fortunately, Li Hao didn't say what he was thinking out loud.

Otherwise, if Ye Fan heard it, he would inevitably get another beating.

Because Ye Fan happened to be exactly the kind of "innocent college student" he was thinking of.

Just as they arrived at the gate of Jiangcheng University, a look of vigilance suddenly appeared on Ye Fan's face.

He quickly dropped his casual attitude, his expression turning serious as he cautiously moved along the wall toward the school gate.

Jiangcheng University had a total of four gates, located in the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north.

The place where the two of them were now was the South Gate of Jiangcheng University, which was the same gate Ye Fan had brought Ji Yuyan to that day.

It was very quiet inside the school, and no sounds of zombies could be heard.

Li Hao, who was slowly following behind Ye Fan, saw his current behavior and was full of confusion. "Master, what's wrong? Is there any need for this?"

With a dark face, Ye Fan quickly stopped and turned to look at Li Hao. He hissed in a low voice, "Keep it down! Do you want another lesson?"

With a hint of an awkward smile and a strong will to survive, Li Hao quickly waved his hands and whispered, "No, no! I wouldn't dare. I'll shut up now." Then he quickly reached out and covered his mouth tightly.

"If you dare say another word, see if I don't kill you," Ye Fan whispered, his tone full of threat.

The confusion on Li Hao's face didn't fade, but under Ye Fan's pressure, he didn't dare to speak.

He could only follow cautiously behind Ye Fan, clutching his mouth tightly with a head full of questions.

When they were only five meters from the gate, Ye Fan slowly stopped and turned to look at Li Hao again.

He whispered, "Didn't you want to know what we're doing here? Come, I'll give you a chance now. Go ahead and lead the way."

"Ah! This... this..." Li Hao hesitated. He could tell from Ye Fan's expression that he definitely had no good intentions.

But in the moment he hesitated, a palm suddenly struck him.

With a "slap," Li Hao felt his head spin a bit, but fortunately, it wasn't a big problem.

"I told you to lead the way, so do it. Why so much nonsense?" Ye Fan hissed.

"Yes!"

Li Hao quickly stepped in front of Ye Fan to lead the way.

Just as he approached the gate, his gaze fell upon the scene inside the school.

He saw that in the school playground, a dense crowd of zombies was wandering around.

When had Li Hao ever seen such a scene?

He was startled instantly, quickly covered his mouth, and retreated repeatedly.

"This... what's going on? Why are there so many zombies!"

At this moment, Ye Fan only gave a faint, somber smile.