My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse - Chapter 268

Chapter 268: Chapter 268 A Good Plan
Kisha was momentarily taken aback by the crowd’s reaction. They saw the string of good news as a sign of divine favor and regarded Kisha as a heavenly envoy. Since her appointment as City Lord, the base had been experiencing a series of positive developments and continuous good news, reinforcing their belief that she was blessed by the heavens.

Initially, the people were preoccupied with their survival and concerned about how they would secure enough food. Then Kisha arrived and assumed the role of City Lord. As soon as she took office, she provided them with ample food, alleviating their hunger and ensuring they no longer felt the pangs of an empty stomach.

The good fortune didn’t stop there. Just when they thought they might be facing their last meal, Kisha provided them with job opportunities to earn work points, allowing them to purchase the essential supplies they needed and be self sustaining. They were already grateful for the ongoing improvements, but the news of the awakened abilities—so impressive as demonstrated by their Vice City Lord—felt almost surreal, even after witnessing it firsthand.

The new developments only bolstered their hope, which had been waning due to the ever-present threat of zombies. Although they were making progress and experiencing improvements, the fear of being overwhelmed by the sheer number of zombies persisted. The reports of the zombies growing stronger since their initial emergence only added to their anxiety about the future.

With the introduction of awakened abilities, which could help level the playing field between humans and zombies, they felt a renewed sense of optimism. This newfound hope strengthened their resolve to fight for their safety and survival, allowing them to stay alive as long as possible and create a better future for their children.

Hearing that not everyone would be able to awaken initially dampened their hopes. However, their spirits were lifted once more upon learning about the special substance Kisha and her team had obtained from the outside. Even if they couldn’t awaken, the prospect of becoming significantly stronger through this substance was far better than remaining powerless and ineffective.

Once they had sorted out their thoughts, the able-bodied men and even some women lined up in a single file, eager to join the defense force and become warriors. They saw this opportunity not only as a chance to become stronger but also as a means to secure substantial compensation, ensuring their daily needs were met while working towards a shared goal of a better future.

Feeling more hopeful and full of expectations, the crowd’s spirits soared with excitement. Seizing the moment, Kisha signaled to Aston and his men to begin enlisting the eager recruits for the defense force. Aston and his team quickly organized into ten lines, efficiently enlisting people so they could join the training session after the first break.

Kisha glanced at the growing count of recruits, watching the numbers climb from [Recruit 102/500 brave warriors] to [Recruit 207/500 brave warriors] and still rising. Her eyes sparkled with delight as the line of eager volunteers showed no signs of dwindling. Realizing the recruitment might exceed their initial target, she knew she needed to set a maximum limit. With only her, Marcus and a few others tending to the farm and animals, she wasn’t sure they could sustain and provide for an unexpectedly large number of warriors.

If the number of recruits surpassed their supplies, they wouldn’t be able to meet the demand for long. Kisha began to calculate in her head as she observed the line. There were currently about 5,000 survivors in their base, a significant increase from her previous life when Duke had taken over. Back then, there were just over 2,000 survivors and very few combatants.

They had managed to prevent the Coltons from killing the Winters and discovered the awakened abilities early, which might have otherwise led to a devastating killing spree and a decline in the number of survivors. Because she had changed the course of the future, the base now had a much larger population to support. The current supplies wouldn’t be sufficient to sustain everyone for long, even with the billions of provisions Duke had acquired just before the apocalypse. She planned to save those supplies for emergencies.

According to the system’s headcount, there were 5,000 survivors in the base, and her mission only required 10% of them to become warriors to protect the base. Kisha was unsure what would happen if she exceeded the system’s requested number, as there had never been an indicator before to know if she had surpassed her mission’s goals before. Intrigued by the possibility, Kisha decided to set a recruitment limit of 1,000 warriors. She instructed Aston to close the recruitment once this number was reached, with plans to reopen it only when necessary or if someone quit.

With the recruitment process underway, Kisha knew she just needed to wait for the numbers to reach the set limit and for Duke to train the new recruits over the next 15 days. However, she remembered another crucial part of the mission: ‘Train them as fiercely as a lion trains its cubs. Ensure they are fully prepared within 15 days.’

If her understanding was correct, they not only needed to train the new recruits but also ensure they could hold their own against zombies outside the base within 15 days. The thought worried Kisha, as these recruits were not experienced soldiers but civilians who had lived ordinary lives before the apocalypse, just as she had.

Even if their survival instincts had improved, it wouldn’t be enough to ensure their survival outside. Kisha turned to Duke. “Do you have a way to make them able to fight and hold their ground against zombies in 10 days?” Although it sounded outrageous, she had no choice but to ask. Duke was experienced in training people and more knowledgeable about this than she was, so her first instinct was to seek his advice.

Duke fell into deep contemplation before responding. “How much fighting do you expect them to handle? If they work in groups and face a fixed number of zombies to get accustomed to combat and learn group formation, it could be achievable. However, if you want them to reach the level of fighters like Sparrow and the others, it would be impossible, even with exceptional training. They still need to build physical strength, balance, and, most importantly, courage.” Duke elaborated on the requirements for preparing the recruits in such a short timeframe.

Hearing about the group formation approach, Kisha’s eyes lit up with realization. “That’s it! We’ll start with group formations to help them get accustomed to fighting zombies and working together. Once they’re comfortable with that, we can transition them to pairs and eventually to solo combat. We can keep those who aren’t as skilled in fighting within groups for mutual protection and support. Pairing them up for missions will help them get used to teamwork and prevent communication issues or impulsiveness, as each pair will have someone level-headed. Only those who demonstrate exceptional skill, like Sparrow, will be trained for solo missions if such talent emerges.” Kisha excitedly outlined her plan, thrilled to have found a viable strategy.