Quentin and his group were anxiously waiting at the service area by the shore.


    Zachary, in particr, was pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.


    As soon as they saw Elijah driving the sightseeing car from the ind, they immediately ran to the bridge to meet him.


    "Boss!" Zachary''s eyes were fixed on Elijah, as if he were gazing at a rare beauty, making Elijah shiver with difort.


    "Why are you waiting here?" Elijah asked.


    "Well... we''re just anxious," Zachary replied with an awkwardugh.


    "Being anxious doesn''t mean you have to wait here. Come on, let''s go into the service hall!" Elijah said, leading the way into the service hall.


    At this moment, Gabriel, along with Emily and Xavier, also gathered around.


    Vincent and Zoey, in particr, were overjoyed to learn about the awakening potion, which could grant them special abilities.


    They were extremely d they had joined Elijah''s team.


    Since the boss was willing to let outsiders awaken, they believed that by contributing more, it would only be a matter of time before they, as insiders, would get their turn.


    Consequently, they worked even harder.


    Vincent had alreadye up with a nning scheme to discuss with Elijah, while Zoey was meticulously handling the statistics assigned by Fiona.


    This task was incredibly tedious and time-consuming, requiring detailed categorization and record-keeping of all base supplies, including quantities, production dates, prices, and more.


    She also had to estimate the scarcity, sustainability, and renewability of resources in the post-apocalyptic world to facilitate re-pricing and trading.


    Food items, in particr, needed special attention regarding production dates and shelf life to ensure timely use or trading.


    The importance ofputers became evident during this process.


    Fortunately, the base had electricity, allowing her to manage the work more efficiently.


    A group of people surrounded Elijah as they entered the service hall''s rest area.


    Once he sat down, they all looked at him expectantly.


    Under their watchful eyes, Elijah took out a bottle.


    Through the transparent body of the bottle, they could see a glowing green liquid that seemed to shimmer with fluorescence.


    "Is... is this the awakening potion?" someone asked.


    "That''s right!" Elijah handed the bottle to Zachary, who carefully epted it.


    "You just need to drink it. The awakening process might cause some hunger, but it''s not certain. It depends on the potion''s effectiveness and the individual''s physique. Gabriel, prepare some food for him!" Elijah instructed.


    "Okay, brother-inw!" Gabriel replied, immediately bringing over some food.


    Once everything was ready, Zachary, under the envious gazes of the crowd, excitedly opened the bottle and drank it in one gulp.


    The potion entered his mouth with a cool, bitter taste, followed by a hint of sweetness, and then a crisp, refreshing vor that seemed to include cucumber and celery among other things.


    The mixed vors made it hard for Zachary to discern the ingredients, but it wasn''t unbearable.


    As he forced himself to swallow the odd-tasting potion, it transformed into a warm current that filled his body.


    Soon, he felt a wave of hunger, not too intense but noticeable.


    Since food was already prepared, he didn''t resist and immediately began to eat.


    Seeing Zachary gobbling down the food, Quentin and Ivy, who had experience with this process, smiled, knowing it had worked.


    Once Zachary stopped eating, the other underlings eagerly asked, "Zachary, how do you feel?"


    "What ability did you awaken?"


    "Show us!"


    Zachary closed his eyes to sense his new ability and then said with delight, "My ability is Petrification!"


    "Is it like Boa Hancock''s power, turning others into stone?" someone spected.


    "But Zachary doesn''t look any better!" another teased, which made Zachary grimace.


    "My current ability can only cover my own skin with ayer of petrified stone, simr to Quentin''s defensive power."


    "Oh, so you won''t fear zombies anymore!" The group buzzed with excitement and jealousy, eyes fixed on Zachary.


    Zachary demonstrated his ability by covering his skin with a rough, stone-likeyer.


    Ordinary knives couldn''t cut through it, let alone zombie ws and teeth.


    Additionally, he could concentrate the power in his hands, forming massive stone fists, making him a formidable opponent with natural heavy weapons.


    As everyone surrounded Zachary, Elijah watched contentedly, observing the consciousness link between him and Zachary.


    Silently, he imnted subtle subconscious suggestions.


    This was his first pawn.


    In the future, when more team members awakened, or when Quentin and Ivy advanced to the second tier, he could secretly nt Seeds of Consciousness within them, achieving true control over the team.


    "Boss, we''ve collected some corpse cores. When can we get more potions?" Quentin asked Elijah quietly.


    "And about the advancement potions..."


    Elijah noticed that not only Quentin but also the others were focusing on him, waiting for his response, especially Emily.


    This awakening potion was originally intended for her, ording to the n.


    "Currently, there are no more potions avable for distribution. The next potion you can get will be avable at the earliest next week. As for the advancement potion... it will be ready in half a month. However, if you can find spirit nts, depending on their quality, it could be as soon as the next day."


    Quentin and his group immediately showed expressions of joy, while his underlings looked eager and ready to go out to find spirit nts and kill zombies.


    Zachary''s sessful awakening provided a clear path for the rest of Quentin''s team.


    They realized that by collecting enough corpse cores or finding spirit nts, they coulde to Elijah to buy or exchange for awakening potions.


    While the former required waiting and queuing, spirit nts could be quickly exchanged, making Quentin''s team members eager to go out, find spirit nts, and kill zombies.


    However, Quentin didn''t rush to lead his brothers out.


    He still had Elijah''s words about a body strengthening technique that could rapidly enhance an awakened person''s abilities on his mind.


    "Boss, when would it be convenient for you to arrange for some of us to learn that body strengthening technique?" Quentin asked.


    "Oh, right!" Elijah remembered. "Gabriel, Quentin and a few others want to learn the body strengthening technique.


    Arrange a time to teach them."


    "Sure, brother-inw! Emily is the best at it; I''ll have her take charge," Gabriel said, pushing Emily forward.


    "You little rascal..." Elijah shook his head with a smile, understanding Gabriel''s hint to not forget about Emily and to give her a chance to awaken.


    "Alright, tomorrow morning, have Emilye to the ind. She won''t be left out!" Elijah said.


    Emily''s face lit up with joy. "Okay, brother-inw, I promise to teach them well!" she said loudly.


    "Good," Elijah nodded, then turned to Quentin. "Work out the details of the body strengthening training with Gabriel and schedule it reasonably. Now, I have something else to discuss."


    "What is it? Just say the word, Boss!" Quentin replied eagerly, willing to do whatever Elijah asked.


    "Today, we cleared the road to the gas station to the south, but we couldn''t bring all the fuel back. There''s no ce to store it. So, we fenced off a safe area around the gas station and n to have someone guard it. But as you know, while our people are strong, we''re short on manpower. We need some of your team to help guard it. Of course, your men won''t work for nothing.


    There''s a supermarket nearby with plenty of food and water that we''ve set aside. Additionally, your team can take thirty percent of the fuel from the gas station," Elijah exined.


    Quentin''s face lit up with delight. "No problem, Boss! We''ll handle it," he responded enthusiastically, clearly motivated by the offer.