This only fueled Ye Zi'an's competitive spirit, intensifying his training efforts.
The unstable foundation of the three was immediately exposed.
After a night of battles, with the assistance of the Chaos Yin-Yang Technique, Ye Zi'an felt refreshed.
Looking at the three who appeared weak and powerless, it was clear they were all talk.
Opening the system's store, he saw that the points he had accumulated over the past few days were enough for a little indulgence.
[S-level Potential Enhancement Potion, 5000 points]
[S-level Movement Technique, Phantom Steps, significantly boosts speed, 5000 points]
[Strength Potion, Strength +1, 100 points]
Finally, he found the potion to enhance potential, but it cost 5000 points, which would drain one-third of his total.
If it weren't for the fact that he had captured Su Wei and Lin Qianqian yesterday, Ye Zi'an would have to settle for merely dreaming about it.
He exchanged for the [S-level Potential Enhancement Potion].
A bottle of blue potion appeared quietly in Ye Zi'an's space.
Unable to contain his excitement, Ye Zi'an quickly took out the potion and drank it.
It tasted like Sprite with a hint of mint.
[Congratulations! You have used the S-level Potential Enhancement Potion. Your potential has been raised to S-level.]
Although his attributes didn't change, Ye Zi'an's mind became clear, and his control over his strength improved considerably.
He finally understood why characters with similar power levels in novels often triumphed over their opponents, even in battles against stronger foes.
It was because a higher potential allowed one to better utilize their strength, enhancing combat efficiency.
"Today, the three of you will come with me to the suburbs. Pack your clothes and everyday items and put them in the trunk."
The apocalypse would begin tonight, and the sudden appearance of zombies would lead to heavy casualties among ordinary people celebrating the New Year outdoors, many of whom would be transformed into zombies themselves.
Ye Zi'an couldn't allow the three to stay outside.
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As for his uncle, Ye Zi'an continued to have him pursue Su Chen in the shadows.
The four of them drove to the outskirts, where the fortress had now been fully completed, capable of withstanding attacks from tens of thousands of zombies.
Outside the walls, a few large trucks remained parked.
Some drivers had left for the New Year after completing their work, leaving these trucks, which would be driven back to their respective construction sites after the holiday.
This was also part of Ye Zi'an's plan. With more than thirty trucks, including four or five fuel tankers, they could be slightly modified to form a search team of three hundred people.
By noon, the more than two hundred candidates for interviews were already waiting inside the fortress. Under the guidance of Li Menglan and Hu Xuefei, they had become familiar with the entire layout.
Ye Zi'an asked Liu Qinghuan to take Su Wei and Lin Qianqian to tidy up the rooms in the nearby villa while he approached the candidates.
The two hundred women were not as noisy as Ye Zi'an had imagined; they displayed excellent restraint and sat quietly in the lobby.
Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone had already guessed they would be working in this fortress in the future.
Half of these candidates were in administrative roles, representing rising stars from various fields, including administration, logistics, medical care, maintenance, and culinary arts. They would be responsible for the smooth operation of the fortress.
The other half consisted mainly of veterans and security personnel. Ye Zi'an planned for them to handle resource searches and the fortress's defenses.
The administrative candidates were taken by Li Menglan and Hu Xuefei for evaluations, while Ye Zi'an intended to personally oversee the testing of the security personnel.
A glance revealed that these individuals had attributes above those of ordinary people, with favorability ratings in the range of 60 to 70.
It seemed that his high salary had indeed garnered the favor of many.
At the forefront of the team were Chen Ruoxue and An Ziyu, donning white sports attire and exuding an air of confidence, with attributes that were not inferior to Anna and Nagashima.
Looking at this hundred-strong group, Ye Zi'an spoke up:
"Each of you will carry a weight of twenty kilograms and run two laps around the fortress walls."
After saying this, Ye Zi'an set an example by grabbing a hiking pack and leading the way.
Seeing this, Chen Ruoxue and An Ziyu quickly slung their packs on and closely followed Ye Zi'an.
Ye Zi'an ran at half his speed, yet still left most of the group behind, with only Chen Ruoxue and An Ziyu managing to keep up, though they looked noticeably strained.
The numerous attribute points Ye Zi'an had gained through the Chaos Yin-Yang Technique had been evenly distributed across his four attributes.
With the system at his disposal, he didn't need to specialize in one attribute; unifying his attributes was the best choice.
Each attribute had its unique purpose, and commanding his subordinates effectively was the optimal strategy.
The two laps were completed quickly. Aside from Chen Ruoxue and An Ziyu, most of the others lagged far behind.
Ye Zi'an checked the time; he had completed the 8 kilometers in just 23 minutes, even while taking it easy.
If he had pushed himself fully, he could have finished in about 16 minutes.
In the 30 minutes that followed, most participants successfully completed the task.
After allowing them a brief rest, Ye Zi'an said:
"Next, you will pair up for combat. The winners will advance to the next round, and the top two will become team leaders."
Chen Ruoxue stepped forward and said, "I want to fight you."
An Ziyu beside her also looked eager, clearly curious about Ye Zi'an's abilities after the physical training session.
Ye Zi'an surveyed the group. These two were the standout performers, and to earn their obedience, he knew he would have to demonstrate his strength.
He nodded and replied, "Alright, both of you can come at me together."
Chen Ruoxue felt a surge of anger, her moment of goodwill evaporating as she stepped forward to challenge him, "Do you dare to underestimate me?"
As a former captain of the Modu SWAT team, she naturally had her pride.
An Ziyu also wore a displeased expression, having retired as a squad leader from the garrison.
While Ye Zi'an had a significant reputation in Xia City, it was mostly based on sensational news.
"No, no, no, I'm well aware of your strengths; it's just that you two don't know mine."
Annoyed, Chen Ruoxue prepared to teach Ye Zi'an a lesson to show him her strength.
Ye Zi'an sidestepped her, and in the blink of an eye, he threw Chen Ruoxue to the ground.
The sudden turn of events shocked everyone present.
Chen Ruoxue, unwilling to accept defeat, got up and brushed off the dust from her clothes, preparing to fight again.
Ye Zi'an lightly pushed her again, causing her arms to feel as if they had hit a stone wall. She stumbled back three or four steps before regaining her balance.
After a moment of disbelief, she finally said, "I lost."
An Ziyu, who had been looking down on him, now regarded Ye Zi'an with newfound respect and said, "You're strong, but I still want to see for myself how big the difference is between us."
An Ziyu charged at Ye Zi'an, and as she got closer, she swiftly circled around to his back.
Having observed Ye Zi'an's confrontation with Chen Ruoxue, she realized that he possessed substantial strength, and she would need to rely on her speed and wits to gain the upper hand.
•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗕𝗼𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗝𝗰1202' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 35+ 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗢𝗳𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿