"Establish a safe zone?"
The three women and the bear stared at Clark in disbelief, and even Sandra, who had been silent, perked up.
"That's right, next, we're going to LJ City College to establish a safe zone!"
Clark didn't pay much attention to the reactions of the four. Most regular people would find it hard to believe the idea of building a city.
But Clark's goal was indeed to build a city. With the Doomsday Base Car as his reward, establishing a base and a safe zone wasn't difficult. In the world of the apocalypse game, a safe zone wasn't just a simple gathering place, but a place for survival with well-equipped facilities.
If it were a small safe zone that couldn't extract psychic energy, it might be a different story. But with the Doomsday Base Car in hand, Clark had absolute confidence in establishing at least a medium-sized safe zone.
Hydropower, electricity, breeding farms, farmland, combat testing labs, equipment manufacturing facilities, and trading halls – these facilities were essential for a medium-sized safe zone. Without these facilities, players couldn't upgrade their strength.
To put it plainly, while the apocalypse game was called a game, it had only data-based templates. Unlike pre-apocalypse online games, where NPCs provided everything, here, players had to build the corresponding facilities themselves to absorb psychic energy, hone skills, repair equipment, and research talents.
To survive in the face of wave after wave of zombie attacks, it was essential to join or establish one's own faction.
Unless you want to linger and survive in the dark corners, maybe you don't need to join. But in this new life, Clark absolutely refuses to be subordinate, living day to day. The reason for choosing LJ City College as the foundation for building the city is that LJ City College is located in the suburbs and has a large area. With sufficient spiritual energy, a slight transformation of the original teaching buildings and laboratories can serve as the necessary facilities. The survivors within the college are mainly young adults, and the quality of players is high, and there have even been some awakened individuals. Therefore, whether it's recruiting manpower for construction or expanding the size of the team, it's an excellent choice.
On the other hand, in a previous life, it was one of the Six Kings and the birthplace of a Third-tier peak awakened called "Demon Hunter." Unlike after the arrival of the doomsday game, there are only a few sporadic spiritual energy nodes in the city, and they disappear quickly. At LJ City College, there is the largest spiritual energy node in the entire southeast war zone, and it's exceptionally stable. Occupying that place is equivalent to having a treasure trove that continuously produces awakened individuals!
Moreover, Clark seriously suspects that LJ City College is not as simple as having stable spiritual energy nodes. The mystery of the rise of the Demon Hunter, one of the Six Kings from a past life, is very likely hidden there.
On a clear morning, the group had a simple breakfast and then headed downstairs. It had been nearly half a month since they had eaten properly. From Arnold to Sandra, the group devoured thirty servings of canned lunch meat and ten servings of individual rations. Especially Arnold, who even secretly finished three cans of fruit in the middle of the night.
"Clark, this feels so comfortable, it's like a dream," Arnold said contentedly, patting his own head with a resounding thud.
Since the outbreak of the apocalypse, he had escaped from the hospital with a group of the elderly and infirm, and then went through so much with Clark. Last night, he had his first peaceful sleep and was able to enjoy a good meal. It was like a dream come true.
Clark nodded with a smile. Not only Arnold, but he also felt the same way. Since his rebirth, he hadn't had a single day of proper rest, with the weight of becoming stronger and saving Viola and Dirk hanging over his head like a scythe, making him never dare to relax. If you consider his past life, he hadn't had a moment like this for three years.
The group walked with ease, and the scattered zombies in the residential area posed no threat to the current team. Arnold put on his combat suit from home and followed Clark and Dirk. However, the black combat suit seemed a bit mismatched, making him look like a bear in tight pants. The group was in high spirits, looking relaxed, having indulged in a bath using the water from the water tank the previous night.
Clark led the way, and Sandra brought up the rear, guarding against any potential zombie attacks. As a symbiote, she was well-suited for this role. Lynn, on the other hand, stood guard on both sides of the team with a composite bow. After becoming an awakened individual, with all attributes reaching the human body's limits and a high level of mental strength, she could rival professional marksmen even without formal training.
"Arnold, go find a larger van or truck," Clark casually instructed Arnold. The team now had six members, and when they split into two teams for their upcoming operation, one vehicle wouldn't be sufficient.
On this trip to the college, Clark decided to take Dirk with him. Dirk, having enlisted in the military at the same time as Clark, was skilled in various combat abilities. With a player template, his body recovered much faster than before the apocalypse, and he would become a capable fighter as soon as he awakened.
The college had pre-existing spiritual energy nodes that were stable, which would significantly reduce the risk of death for players during their awakening. They planned to look for any special items that might exist along the way, and upon reaching the school, they aimed to recruit the Demon Hunter from Clark's previous life. With a team of five members, they could qualify for a base vehicle reward, which would help them establish a safe zone.
"Ding ding!"
Before long, Arnold arrived, recklessly driving a Mercedes G-Wagon in front of everyone.
"Clark, how about this one!?"
"The key is there too, right under the tire. I guess those bones there used to be the unfortunate owner."
The silver off-road vehicle looked almost brand new, except for some dark red bloodstains at the back.
Arnold ran his hand over the car's metallic surface, grinned crookedly, but looked strangely happy. He had admired this thing even before the outbreak of the apocalypse but couldn't afford to buy one, so he had only been able to envy it.
"Sounds good. Lynn and Marlene can drive the off-road vehicle. You, me, Dirk, and Sandra will take this one."
"Okay!"
Excited by the response, Arnold eagerly jumped into the driver's seat but was promptly pulled out by Clark. With a perplexed look on his face, Clark gestured for Arnold to sit in the back.
"Dirk, you drive."
Dirk chuckled and looked at Arnold, who was wearing a resentful expression. He couldn't help but pat Arnold's shoulder and took the keys.
This guy was too reckless behind the wheel. Clark had had enough of Arnold's penchant for reckless driving, especially his habit of providing his own sound effects.
As the team split into two groups to get into their respective vehicles, a disheveled man suddenly burst out of an adjacent apartment building. Lynn instinctively aimed her weapon at him, but all she heard was the man's high-pitched scream.
"Don't kill me! I'm human!"
The man scrambled and crawled, reaching Clark in a matter of seconds, and began speaking urgently.
"Big brother, it's me, Clifford! Do you remember me?"
"Clifford from 302?"