My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse - Chapter 269

Chapter 269: Chapter 269 Start Of a Hellish Training
“Then, is it possible for you to teach them the basics—how to kill zombies, the best approaches, and so on—in the next three days before we send the recruits outside for their first experience? We can have Sparrow oversee them to ensure nothing goes wrong. Can you do that?” Kisha asked with great anticipation, her pleading eyes making it hard for Duke to dampen her expectations.

So, even though he knew it would be grueling and tough for the new recruits, Duke nodded without hesitation. Making Kisha happy and helping her achieve her goal was all that mattered to him. Seeing Duke’s nod, Kisha let out a relieved sigh before happily hugging his arm. Duke reveled in the closeness, enjoying the moment with his wife, while Duke was happy in his wife’s soft arm, the people who would soon fall into hell felt their skin crawl as they felt a dark premonition coming their way.

The couple watched as the line of people kept moving forward. Aston had added more stations for registration because ten lines weren’t enough to enlist 1,000 able bodies in a single afternoon. He also needed to hire people who knew how to sew and make uniforms, as it wouldn’t work to have the new recruits without uniforms. Identifying warriors from civilians was crucial.

He also needed someone to make badges for the recruits, which would serve as their identification and proof of service in the defense force. With so many things to arrange, he couldn’t help Duke and the others train the new recruits. Aston was actually thankful that their Vice City Lord took on the training, freeing him to focus on arranging wall defenses, patrol rotations, and supply allocations for his soldiers.

It took Aston and his team two hours to enlist 1,000 people, requiring a large number of staff to expedite the process. They knew they couldn’t afford to waste time, as Duke and the ongoing training were just on break, and it was crucial not to take too much time away from the necessary training.

After enlisting 1,000 recruits, they closed the registration, but many people remained in line, eager to enlist after hearing about the compensation, particularly the bottle of Scarlet Honey, which they believed was the special substance Kisha had mentioned.

Many were disappointed when the recruitment closed and couldn’t accept more people. Reluctant to let go of the opportunity, they hesitated to leave, so Kisha had to step in to mitigate the situation.

“Everyone, we thank you for your interest in taking this dangerous job to protect everyone from harm. As of right now, we have already reached the ceiling for the recruitment of 1000 warriors, as of now, this is the maximum number of warriors we can take but when our base expands, we will certainly need more warriors. I hope that when the time comes, many of you will still be interested in joining us.” Kisha said with a calm smile, taking in the disappointed faces around her.

They must be those still searching for employment and eager to earn a living. After a brief pause, Kisha continued, “While we’ve reached our current limit for warriors, we expect to open additional positions soon. Our base has just been reestablished, and there are many tasks ahead. Please keep an eye on the bulletin board for updates on new job openings.”

After finishing her speech, Kisha made her way to Aston, who was conversing with his team. He briefly introduced the new recruits, ensuring they could be integrated smoothly with those who had arrived the previous day and the veteran soldiers already in training. Meanwhile, Duke began reorganizing the groups, selecting additional leaders from the veteran soldiers he deemed promising. Clyde was also brought in to lead a new group, and more recruits were assigned to various training teams.

Before starting the training, Duke surveyed the crowd of a thousand recruits below the stage. The entire square was packed to capacity, and those who hadn’t made it into the enlistment were left to watch from the sidelines. Despite the efforts to clear space, the area was still too cramped for the recruits to perform wide maneuvers effectively during their training.

But Duke’s main concern was not the overcrowded space. He focused on informing the recruits about the expectations for their upcoming training and the challenges they would face in the forthcoming drills.

“Alright, listen up, everyone! As you all know, we’re in the heart of the city, surrounded on all sides by a massive horde of zombies. This means we can’t afford to be soft in our training or our actions. The upcoming drills will be grueling and hellish, and you’ll need to endure every challenge we throw at you. But—” Duke paused, his commanding presence overwhelming the crowd, intimidating those with weak resolve and those merely drawn by the promise of compensation.

“But let me assure you, the rewards for enduring this training will be significant, preparing you to fight effectively out there and keep you safe from danger. For those of you who are only here for the compensation and are half-hearted about this, I suggest you leave now. I’m confident there are plenty of others eager to take your place.” Duke finished his speech, having addressed everything he needed to convey.

He had no need for half-hearted warriors, especially not those who were cowardly. Cowards are the most dangerous to be around because their fear can jeopardize everyone. Duke preferred a smaller number of committed and determined warriors over a large group lacking in quality and resolve.

Kisha’s decision to recruit twice the number of warriors needed for the mission wasn’t driven by concerns over supply or compensation. Instead, it was a strategic move. She anticipated that some recruits wouldn’t be able to endure the rigorous and demanding training Duke would put them through, and would drop out halfway. By over-recruiting, she ensured that even with a number of dropouts, she would still have the necessary 500 warriors for the mission.

At the same time, Kisha knew that Duke, with his high standards, would not tolerate recruits with half-hearted resolve. He would promptly dismiss those who didn’t meet his expectations. This would either necessitate bringing in additional recruits to fill the gaps or allow him to focus on training those with strong potential. Individuals like Fred and Rose, who had valuable combat experience with both people and zombies, had already become team leaders, guiding groups of recruits through the rigorous training process.

With this arrangement in place, Kisha had one less thing to worry about and could now focus on the upcoming mission. Observing Duke as he busied himself with warming up the recruits brought her some relief. Once Aston had finished delegating tasks to his close aides, she turned to him to discuss the next steps.

“Aston, with so many recruits now, I think we should approach Mrs. Winters for assistance in finding some skilled seamstresses. What do you think?” Kisha said, casting a knowing glance at Aston.

“I had a feeling you’d come to the same conclusion. Yes, we definitely need to hire some skilled seamstresses to create uniforms for the recruits. Additionally, we’ll need to find people who can make badges for proper identification. This will help us easily distinguish between recruits and those with specific roles,” Aston agreed, continuing to share his thoughts.