The crowds gathered, yet remained busy.
Sarah looked at the survivors who were congregating and did not intend to open the door to let them in immediately. Her strength had improved, but she still felt incapable of facing so many people.
Few had survived the apocalypse with clean hands; only the ruthless could endure.
When the others saw that the Central Mall remained closed, they didn't stand idly in front of the door but instead waited and watched from nearby floors.
Until a car roared over, their eyes returned to the Central Mall.
"Hey, he lifted the door with his bare hands!"
The survivor team pointed at Ethan and exclaimed.
"I saw it. This door weighs at least four tons. It's definitely not something an ordinary person could lift. Only the legendary superhumans could manage that."
Mark sighed.
He had seen the New Life Church himself, which claimed to rebuild human society, but no one who entered ever returned. Those who escaped were very secretive about what happened inside. All they knew was that the Church used survivors as experimental subjects to create perfect humans.
Mark wondered if this Church of Destruction was the same.
Ethan sensed the gazes of others and did not close the door immediately. Instead, he picked up a loudspeaker and shouted, "Those who want to enter the shelter, come now."
Hesitant, the others did not act immediately but waited and watched. Although Ethan had cleared out the nearby zombies once, many had roamed back today.
Seeing no one approach, Ethan closed the door first and began to clear the zombies nearby with his bare hands, not even using a fire axe.
Seeing Ethan punch a zombie with ease, the onlookers suspected the zombie was an actor. After becoming zombies, humans' physique and strength improved. It was too difficult for ordinary people to kill a zombie with bare hands.
"He's so fierce, one punch a zombie!"
Mark couldn't help but hold his forehead when he heard his subordinates' exclamations. Indeed, Ethan was strong; at least, Mark couldn't do what he did.
As Ethan continued to kill zombies, the strong smell of blood attracted a lurker in the dark.
Feeling that killing zombies was too slow, Ethan pulled up a nearby telephone pole and swung it at the zombies, instantly smashing them into a pile of meat paste.
The lurker seized the moment when Ethan's new strength had not yet been born and rushed over quickly, its thin tongue shooting out like a bullet, straight at Ethan's forehead.
Instinctively, it felt that as long as it consumed Ethan, it would evolve.
The secret observers couldn't help but sweat for Ethan. They had all seen the power of the lurker. Its big mouth could easily bite off a human body, and its tongue could penetrate a steel plate.
However, Ethan was well aware of its existence. It had appeared the night before but had been hiding in the dark, not attacking. Now that it took the initiative to attack, how could Ethan let it go?
He reached out and grabbed the tongue, pulling the lurker over with immense strength. Surprised at Ethan's strength, it was the first time the lurker had encountered such a human.
However, it was too late. A fist as big as a sandbag hit its head hard, splattering red and white matter.
Ethan threw it aside with disdain.
He picked up the loudspeaker and shouted again, "If anyone wants to enter the shelter, hurry up. The gate will close in ten minutes. After that, no one will be allowed in."
Ethan had already demonstrated his strength. Others could come if they wanted to; he wouldn't force them if they didn't.
"Should we go? I'm afraid we won't be able to come back if we do. Such a fierce man must have big plans, and we can't beat him."
John admitted his fear.
"Go! We don't have many supplies left. Do you want to live like this forever? The food will run out one day, and we can only have a future if we follow Ethan to rebuild human civilization."
Mark saw clearly that they were just drifting in the sea, and a wave could drown them.
"But what if it's like the New Life Church?"
John was still worried.
"No, the New Life Church members aren't attacked by zombies. Ethan isn't one of them, and it seems he doesn't have many people."
Mark chose to believe in Ethan this time.
"I'll follow you, brother!"
John smiled, and a group of seven people left the building, heading towards the Central Mall.
Others also went downstairs; some left, fearing Ethan's strength, while others hoped to find protection.
Ethan closed the door of the mall and looked at the more than 50 people who came in. He was very satisfied. He had already completed half of his main task. The future looked promising.
"Welcome everyone to the Central Sanctuary. I am the messenger of the God of Killing and Destruction. You can call me Father of Destruction, the current leader."
"This is Sister Sarah, your future leader."
While introducing himself, Ethan did not forget to introduce Sarah. After all, she would control the sanctuary in the future.
Others found it strange. Ethan was still there, so why was he so eager to determine the future leader? But no one dared to ask, as this was their business.
"I established the shelter under the instruction of the gods to rebuild human civilization. I will leave this world after a period of time."
"I will not ask you to join the church. I only have one requirement: obey the laws of the shelter, work hard, and harvest food!"
Ethan continued to explain.
Sarah also distributed the shelter's laws, which were mainly the same as peacetime laws, prohibiting theft, fighting, etc.
An additional rule prohibited contempt for the church.
The newcomers were a little surprised to see these laws. They didn't expect the shelter to be quite formal. It resembled a company where survivors worked hard and the shelter paid them. They could leave if dissatisfied, but they would pay a price for violating the law.
Mark had no aversion to the shelter's laws. He was just curious about what their job entailed.
"Father, what will our job be?"
Seeing this, Ethan explained, "It's very simple. Clear out the zombies. With the shelter as the center, we will continue to expand our territory until all the zombies in the city are cleared!"
At these words, many survivors' faces became extremely ugly. They hadn't expected this job. Zombies were so dangerous; they avoided them at all costs, and now the shelter asked them to kill zombies.
What difference was there from sending them to their deaths?
Everyone looked at each other, feeling that they had entered a den of thieves.
However, Mark didn't think so. He knew that if they wanted to rebuild human civilization, this was the path they had to take.
How could they rebuild civilization without clearing out the zombies?
How could a group of people who lived in shame understand these principles? He was truly ashamed to be with them!
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