161: Come with me, all of you.

Tian Ming looked at the people and slowly spoke, "Those who are willing to follow me, I will provide you with potions to ensure your well-being."

The potions Tian Ming replicated could give them immense power, but they also knew that such power was merely a change of allegiance, nothing more. However, if they didn't leave now, they would be giving up their chance to live.

Such a choice was not difficult to make. In just a moment, someone stepped forward.

"I'll go with you," that person said.

Subsequently, more people came forward, expressing their willingness to follow Tian Ming. Tian Ming nodded in satisfaction. The loyalty of this group of people was more reliable than anyone else's; they needed to rely on the potions Tian Ming provided to survive.

"Who is the Commander here?" Tian Ming asked.

A tall, burly man with a buzz cut stepped forward, "I am Zheng Haoyu, the Commander of Submarine 008."

Tian Ming landed and, using the snowmobiles as a template, replicated over 30 of them in just over ten minutes, to the astonishment of everyone present.

"You're Zheng Haoyu, right? From now on, you will remain the Commander of this team, and Qin Hai will be the Deputy Officer. Once you arrive at my Shelter, you will report directly to me. I will gradually increase the energy level in the potions, allowing you to adapt slowly. From now on, this team of yours will be the backbone of my Shelter's combat power," Tian Ming said.

Zheng Haoyu stood with his hands at his sides and said, "Yes, sir. We will certainly pledge our lives to you."

His words were somewhat against his will, but at the moment, they had no better choice. Their lifeline was in someone else's hands, and they were helpless.

"My name is Lu Tianming. From now on, you can all call me Boss. Don't worry, if you follow me, you will have a better future. My Shelter also has biological research facilities, and in the future, we will try our best to preserve your abilities and eliminate your dependence on this potion."

"Boss, this... I'm afraid it's difficult to achieve."

Although the Boss was well-intentioned, Zheng Haoyu and the others understood that if it were possible to remove the dependency, Life Origins Company would not be sending people everywhere to capture zombies.

"Just follow me for now. Whether it succeeds or not is my concern. Get in the vehicles; I'll lead the way for you."

Everyone nodded, and in groups of two or three, they mounted the snowmobiles and followed behind Tian Ming. Tian Ming hovered ahead, maintaining vigilance. He was very fast, returning to the Shelter from the snowfield in less than three hours.

Although there were zombies along the way, they would be bombed by Tian Ming as soon as they appeared, making for an extremely violent scene.

The shock Tian Ming brought to these people along the way had already surpassed the high-tech weapons of the company. Those weapons had a great suppressive effect against zombies and Superpower Users. But against the current Boss, they probably wouldn't be of much use.

Hundreds of people arrived at the Shelter, and Meng Xian immediately came to greet them. He had been waiting there for a long time. Now that the population in the Shelter had increased, the intricacies of management had also grown. The Shelter was undergoing personnel structure adjustments, and the initial chaos was something that had to be experienced.

"Boss, what's the background of these people you brought?" Meng Xian asked.

Tian Ming smiled indifferently, "They are field personnel from Life Origins Company, driving a submarine, but their weapons are quite powerful; I almost fell into their trap. They have now been incorporated by me, and over 30 more were directly killed by me on the spot."

Meng Xian felt a little ashamed, "Boss, these people are clearly Five-level Ability Users. Their physical mutation strength is even greater than our Five-level Ability Users. Such people are very difficult to manage, and Life Origins is also a multinational company. Since the turmoil in the Americas, these multinational companies basically have no bottom line."

"I know that. They captured zombies and extracted a stimulant-like potion. These people all became Five-level Ability Users after injecting the potion, but their abilities only last for one month. Such Five-level Ability Users are even more powerful than your Three-level ones. They are basically invincible in close combat, just not as good as me. I collected the potion they injected, and now I can replicate it too. So you don't have to worry; these people are easy to manage. They will be directly controlled by me."

"Boss, that's not what I meant," Meng Xian said, a bit anxious.

Tian Ming stopped, turned his head, and asked, "Then what do you mean?"

"What I mean is that a company like Life Origins, in the Apocalypse, has no moral bottom line. They will do anything to survive. These field personnel are just their pawns. If you take them into the Shelter, it will definitely bring trouble to our Shelter."

Tian Ming frowned, "What's there to be afraid of? If the sky falls, I'll hold it up. Besides, they made the first move. What's wrong with me poaching some of their talent? Oh, by the way, I also got some samples of their weapons. Later, I'll replicate a few for you to study and see if you can find ways to counter these weapons. Especially high-energy laser weapons, if used for air defense, would probably be much stronger than missiles."

Meng Xian shook his head helplessly. Their Huaxin Pharmaceutical itself was not small in scale. For Life Origins, a conventional company like Huaxin was just a small fry in their eyes. Life Origins had too strong a background, with large capital and ancient wealthy families behind it.

The Boss had provoked such a force, and in the chaotic situation of the Apocalypse. Meng Xian was very afraid of their retaliation.

Seeing Meng Xian's expression, Tian Ming seemed to understand his apprehension and fear. However, Tian Ming didn't care about it. Such a small number of people might only be a tiny fraction of the entire Life Origins. Even if they came for revenge, they would need a good set of teeth. Without a good set of teeth, they wouldn't just fail to bite him, but would also end up with blood all over their own faces.

"How is the construction of the Underground City coming along?" Tian Ming changed the subject and asked.

"During the excavation process, there was a rock burst, and three Four-level Ability Users were injured. Reinforcement work is currently underway, the energy room has been excavated, and now the comprehensive management office and computer room are being excavated. Ventilation ducts and other such things are already being planned and prepared for excavation."

Tian Ming nodded in satisfaction, "The speed is still good. Is the rock burst due to rock stress?"

Meng Xian nodded slightly, "Yes, we lack some professional instruments, and we're pushing for progress, so safety is a big issue right now."

"What instruments? If they are available on the market, send out a collection team to gather them," Tian Ming instructed.

"The mutated zombies are too powerful. It's too dangerous to go out and collect now."

"You hold a meeting with your subordinates, see what they lack, and then report it to me. I'll help you solve it."

Meng Xian nodded. At this moment, a slight tremor came from beneath their feet. In the public channel, the dog's voice was heard.

"Director Ji, Underground City excavation team, 5th squad, there's been a collapse. Quickly send the medical team down."