With the time I had left to prepare shrinking down to only two months, I frantically put together a new plan. I needed to start training with Micheal so that I would be stronger when the time finally comes. My sister was still going to school, but I couldn't really do anything to take her out and train her without a suitable reason. If I wanted my sister get stronger, I would have someone else come and train her after the school day ends. I knew she wouldn't like it, but I'm going to make her do it anyways.
Other than training myself, I needed to gather many different people with various types of skills. I would need an experienced farmer/biologist who could teach people how to effectively grow crops and how to cross breed them into a better one. This would be essential during the apocalypse because there are going to be many plants that quickly mutate, gaining new properties, and there are many new species of plants that will pop up.
Any survivor base which didn't search, breed, and use new or mutated plants always fell behind because of the many benefits mutant plants had. Most would have increased nutritional value, and if you bred them right, you could create a fast growing, low maintenance, and high yield crop. I even knew of a base which had found a very strange plant which grew a highly durable and lightweight bio-metal. There were even rumors of some plants which could increase an Esper's powers.
I will also need some engineers and scientists with certain skill sets. Although some subbranches of engineering and science would seem useless in modern times, they would be very valuable in the coming months.
Another type of person that would be great to have would be some doomsday preppers. They would provide useful insight into the building and layout of my structures, could give me advice on what materials I should prepare, and they wouldn't look at me weirdly when I told them to design a fortress which was impervious to zombies.
All of these people would help our base thrive later on, but there were other things that I would need to do to prepare. I would be buying warehouses and buildings in many places within, or just outside, of large cities. This was so I could save as many people as I could while also gaining a foothold to piles of resources. I had witnessed firsthand the frantic looting and scavenging of cities. The best supplies would be taken first, people fighting and killing to get their hands on resources. I planned on getting to the supplies first.
With my plan for the next two month somewhat completed, I went to check the money I had saved in my bank account. Opening my computer, I type in the website's address. Clicking on my savings account, I was momentarily speechless. My money had somehow gone into the hundreds on millions?!
'How did I gain so much money?!' I questioned, not really sure if I believed what was right in front of my eyes.
Calling Natalie, I ask her how this happened.
"Oh, you don't remember? You gave me the job of selling those two patents you gave to me. I sold the concrete formula to a large building company for 100 million dollars and the other to a shipping company for another 100 million. They were both very willing to buy them at this price, which is not surprising considering how helpful they will be for their business. Where did you even get those anyways?" She explained.
Ignoring her question, I thanked her and hung up the phone. My stress eased a little knowing that I wouldn't have to be stringent on my money spending. I could now build most of my fortress with this, but instead, I would use it to buy and upgrade some warehouses into satellite bases. I call Natalie again, asking her to find a large warehouses just outside large cities. She didn't ask why I requested this, she was probably getting used to the weird things I asked her to do.
With that settled, I dialed that number which Micheal had given me of the person he knew that could train people to drive a tank. After the man heard that Micheal was the one who gave me his number, he readily agreed to taking the job since he and Micheal were close friends in the military and also because he could only find low paying jobs as a mechanic.
As another thing on my list was taken care of, I focused on how I was going to hire experienced farmers/biologists, engineers, and scientists. Hoping it would work, I logged onto my companies website and put out the message that we were hiring these people. After that, I couldn't think of any other ways that I could get in contact with those people, so I just hoped they would come to me.
The final type of person that I wanted to hire was the doomsday preppers. With no clue how I would proceed, I just looked up online for anyone who was a prepper. Searching through websites, blogs, and web-groups, I was surprised to find that there were many people who could call themselves prepared for the worst.
Joining one such group, I looked at the many photos and videos of what they had created and stockpiled. Although many of the members of the group weren't doomsday preppers themselves, around 30 of them were. Looking through their online information, I wrote down a few of the more creative and smart prepper's location and contact. This way, I could now call them and hire them directly.
--------------------- Josh's POV ---------------------
Sparks flew everywhere, the sound of cutting metal buzzed loudly throughout my homemade workshop in the storehouse in the backyard. I had spent hundreds of hours making countless parts for my bunker.
Standing up straight, I hear my back crackling from being hunched over for so long. Letting out a long breath, I pick up the piece I had been working on, putting it in a pile of similar pieces on the side.
As I taking off my gloves and rubbing my hands together, I feel the callouses which had formed from all my hard work. Although I was only in my mid twenties, I had skin as hard as leather from spending so much time in m workshop, standing next to the blazing fires of my forge.
With the pieces finished, I stepped out of the shed for the first time in many hours. I would have spent days in there if I didn't have to eat, rest, and relieve myself.
Walking back into my house, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Thinking it was another call from my friends in the group chat, I was surprised when I didn't recognize the number on the screen.
Answering the phone, I gruffly say,"Hey, this is Josh. Whose calling me?" I had never been one for words.
I listen as a silky, feminine voice flows out from the other end,"Hello Josh, I'm Natasha Parker from Highlander Electronic Appliances. After I seeing the types of things you posted online, I decided to call you. I see that you are very experienced in what you do, and I was wondering if you would accept a job offering from my company?"
Surprised at what the woman had said, I failed to respond for a moment. When Natasha called my name, asking if I was still there, I finally responded,"Uh, yes, um, you said something about a job offer?"
"Yes, I did. I was wondering if you would like to join my company to design and build various types of things which you are uniquely qualified in. You see, my company is looking to create some bunkers and buildings which could weather out against the worst, and seeing your designs that you posted, I feel that you are perfect for this job."
Stunned, Josh couldn't say anything, her words filling his head with questions,'Why would they want that? Why did they contact me of all people? Should I accept this job or is this just a scam?'
Not until the woman asked if he was there for a second time did he respond,"Y-yes, o-of course I would like to take the job. What kind of pay is there?" Stuttering from nervousness, which is an emotion that he vary rarely feels, he accepted her job offering, asking a few questions too.
"No need to worry, the pay is much better than most companies. I can send someone from the legal department to your home to give you an exact number then. They will also bring you back to our company if you decided to take the job. No worries though, you will not be forced to do anything."
Hearing what she said, he couldn't help but feel some doubt. He quickly went to his computer, looking up Highlander Electronic Appliances, and when he saw what they were, his doubt was gone. He responded that he would be happy to join their company, happy that he would be able to build things without having to worry about expenses.
Ending the call, he rested for a little, thinking about what was going to happen in the future.
He was woken up late into the following morning by a knock on his door. Opening it, he found pair of men dressed in suits, looking very professional. Over the next 12 hours, he signed the contract to be hired by them, packed up as much stuff as he could, and went back to his new bosses base of operations.
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This scene happened again in a little more than 10 houses. Natasha now had more experienced employees added to her resources. With these doomsday preppers, coming up with better ways to prepare for the apocalypse was going to be much easier.