My Post-Apocalyptic Territory

The night was silent.

In a relatively intact villa, several survivors sat together by the light of a fire.

"Do you think those two really want to build a shelter here?"

"Don't joke around. Building a shelter isn't that easy. Besides, there are only two of them. So what if they're strong? Building a shelter isn't just about being strong."

"Forget about those two, let's think about ourselves. What should we do? It's not safe here anymore. Why don't we go to the Eastern Shelter? It's a large shelter with troops stationed there. Once we get there, we won't have to worry about being attacked by demonic beasts anymore."

Some people made the suggestion, but others were not optimistic.

"Lin Dong Shelter is indeed a good place, but how are we going to get there? It's 60 kilometers away from here, and that's the straight-line distance. If it were easy to get to Lin Dong Shelter, I wouldn't have chosen to stay in this small shelter in the first place."

Upon hearing this, everyone else looked dejected.

They thought they were safe hiding in the underground cold storage, but they were almost killed by the mutated beasts. If it weren't for those two experts passing by...

Suddenly someone said, "If those two experts also went to the Lin Dong Shelter, then we could go with them."

"Hmph, they're thinking of building shelters, why would they go to Lindong? Even if they did, they might not take us with them. I think we should think of a way to go to some smaller shelters that are closer to us."

"But why can't we stay here? Those two experts clearly said that as long as we stay in this villa area, our safety will be guaranteed."

However, few people believed this.

In their minds, Tang Yu's side only consisted of two people, and they were nowhere to be seen. Not to mention whether those two experts would come to their rescue if they were in danger, even if they did, they might not be able to arrive in time. The reason they were not optimistic about the two building a shelter was because there were too few people, and no matter how strong they were, they could not take care of everything.

Deep down, they understand that since they are not related by blood or marriage, they have no right to ask others to protect them. However, rationally they understand, but emotionally, everyone hopes that someone will save them when danger comes.

This is simply the human instinct for survival.

In the end, Chen Haiping ended the topic, saying, "Instead of thinking about these things, you should practice your marksmanship and swordsmanship. Even if you can't awaken your powers, it will give you a better chance of survival."

The candles on the table, casting a faint glow, swayed gently.

Chen Haiping was wiping his weapon, about to say something, when his expression suddenly changed.

"Be careful!"

Chen Haiping immediately gripped the handle of the machete, his gaze serious as he looked out the villa's floor-to-ceiling windows.

Two eerie green lights shone brightly in the darkness, creating a chilling atmosphere.

"It's a demonic beast!" someone exclaimed in terror.

"Didn't they say that the demonic beasts in this area had been cleared out?" someone asked, puzzled.

"I knew it! There are only a few of them. How could they possibly defend against the mutated beasts? The mutated beasts roam freely. Without sturdy walls and a complete defense line, there's no safe place to rest!"

Chen Haiping didn't speak, but waved for the others to step back. He knew that this thin floor-to-ceiling window couldn't possibly keep out the demonized beast.

Suddenly... Boom!

The entire villa jolted violently, and the candle fell to the ground with a clatter.

Some people were confused, while others cried out in terror. Only Chen Haiping, who had been staring at the demonized beast, could barely see a figure descend from the sky and stomp the demonized beast into the ground.

Chen Haiping finally recognized him; it was the mysterious expert in armor from that afternoon who had crushed the demonic beast with a single kick.

The others gasped. They hadn't seen the process, but the result... this terrifying, mutated beast was crushed to death like an insect.

The men's expressions were complicated. Just moments ago, they hadn't trusted Tang Yu and had even spoken ill of him behind his back, believing he was merely using them as laborers and caring nothing for their lives. But now…

The moment the demonic beast appeared, it was crushed to death by the armored expert. They couldn't see the expert's face, but his back was firmly imprinted in their pupils, indelible.

Puppet Number Two, responsible for guarding the territory, did not leave. Instead, he drew the spear from his back and thrust it into the bushes not far away.

Guns roared like thunder!

Swift and extraordinary!

Before the people inside the villa could react, they saw a small, mutated beast skewered on the tip of the spear, like a piece of roasted meat.

There were even demonic beasts hiding among them!

Many survivors were still shaken; they didn't know what kind of demonic beast it was, but they felt that the world was too dangerous.

But once Chen Haiping took one look, he couldn't take his eyes off it!

This is a stinging insect!

Known as the assassin of the night!

Chen Haiping knew this because the strongest Awakened in the shelter had died from a sneak attack by a Spiny Bug. If that ability user hadn't unleashed his power at the moment of death and perished together with the Spiny Bug, that single Spiny Bug would have been enough to shatter their defenses.

But this thorny insect was powerless to resist, like a skewer of roasted meat on a spear.

Chen Haiping was breathing rapidly, his eyes wide open. The shock he experienced that day was probably something that would last for more than a month.

Number Two, dragging the thorny insect, disappeared straight into the night, leaving the survivors staring wide-eyed, speechless for a long time.

A few minutes later, these people finally recovered from their shock.

"We...survived?"

"Yes." Someone looked in the direction where Number Two disappeared, looking guilty. "Perhaps... we shouldn't have doubted them. Remember what they said? As long as we stay here and work for them, they will guarantee our safety and provide us with plenty of food. I'm thinking, maybe we can stay here."

"Yeah, it's all the same in this apocalypse. Staying here, at least we can still get enough to eat."

………………

Within the territory map, two red dots slowly disappeared, while several yellow dots representing neutrality flickered several times before finally turning into green dots representing one's own side.

The green dot doesn't mean that those people have completely trusted him. Trust among survivors in the apocalypse doesn't come easily, but this change already represents a certain degree of acceptance.

That's enough!

Tang Yu arrived at the open space behind the castle. At his feet were piles of scrap wood. This was the wood that he had the survivors transport to the villa area after they finished moving the food that afternoon, and then it was moved here by Number One and Number Two.

"Finally, I can build my first territory building."

The lord's castle isn't a true territorial building, but rather the core of the territory, linked to its level. It was already the second day after receiving the system, and Tang Yu only now had enough resources to build the first building; he felt it was far too slow. He was truly grateful to have encountered these survivors; otherwise, sacrificing the time spent by Number One and Number Two hunting mutated beasts to do the transport work would have delayed progress by who knows how much longer.

Open the building panel and select Tavern.

Establish!

"Ding! Tavern established, consuming 200 units of Source Crystals and 100 units of Wood."

Before our eyes, as if drawn by an invisible force, the wood placed on the ground flew up into the air and formed the skeleton of a tavern.

Then, the source crystal in the pocket turned into light spots and disappeared, merging into the skeleton. Just like when the city lord's hall was first built, the appearance of the tavern skeleton in front of Tang Yu changed dramatically, and an antique tavern appeared in front of Tang Yu.

Tang Yu couldn't wait to enter the tavern.

The tavern was small, only one story, and occupied an area of ​​no more than fifty or sixty square meters. Inside, there were a few tables and chairs, a counter, and Tang Yu could even see that the shelves behind the counter were full of drinks.

It's like a real, ordinary tavern, not as lavish as a lord's castle, but that's just the surface. The tavern's true function is to recruit adventurers.

This is exactly what Tang Yu needs right now: as long as he pays a certain price, he can sign a contract with the adventurers and gain their loyalty.

Whether it's expanding territory or realizing other ambitious plans, sufficient manpower is essential. Among these, trustworthy individuals are particularly crucial.