Jared readily accepted the job offer with a nod and a smile. Emma then motioned for Amy to come in next. "Do you wanna-" Before Emma could finish her sentence, Amy eagerly grabbed her hands. "Yes," she blurted out.
Emma paused, a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Be my teammate?" she finally managed to ask, her voice soft.
A deep red blush spread across Amy's face as she nodded fervently. "Yes," she repeated, her excitement clear as day.
"Teammate detected. Loyal level increases. Power upgrade. Power Suit reward*1," a voice announced in her head, starting with a satisfying 'ding' sound. As the voice ceased, Emma's gaze fell upon a suit identical to her own, neatly laid out in her storage room.
"Pack your bags then," Emma instructed Amy, she struggled to contain her widening grin. Stepping outside, Emma talked with the Kranks, arranging for their assistance in Jared's new role. She promised them an additional five points per month for their help.
While waiting for Amy to gather her belongings, Emma led the five puppies into her RV. As Amy climbed into the car, the puppies, curious about the newcomer, clamored around her, sniffing and nuzzling with boundless energy.
Upon reaching their destination in the forest, Amy's eyes widened in amazement as she studied the imposing electric door before her. Even Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise. Unbeknownst to her, the gate and electric fence had been upgraded with an electric doorbell-like mechanism. As the RV approached, the electricity and spikes automatically disappeared, and the door swung open with a soft hum.
Once inside, Amy's jaw dropped in awe at the sight before her. What appeared from the outside to be a modest house with a yard now revealed itself as a sprawling land, resembling a castle, surrounded by acres of lush farmland.
The animals in the yard greeted the newcomer with curious glances and friendly sounds, their presence adding to the enchanting atmosphere. As they approached the castle-like house, Emma caught sight of a building next to her own, and realization dawned upon her. Changing their course, Emma guided Amy towards the structure, coming to a stop in front of it.
With a warm smile, Emma reached into her pocket and pulled out a new card, one she had forgotten to give Amy earlier. "You will live here," she announced, extending the card towards Amy.
Unlike the other cards, this one was a vibrant green, symbolizing Amy's wood powers. Adorned with a delicate vine symbol, the card featured a point screen similar to the others, alongside Amy's headshot. Beneath her name, it read "Permission," with "House 2" and "Emma's Territory" listed as the authorized areas.
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Pushing open the door, Amy and Emma stepped into a simple yet modern-style house. The interior was minimalistic, with a clean and uncluttered design. There is only a simple bedroom, a living room, a laundry room, a bathroom, and a kitchen. Unlike Emma's own house, which carried a dense scent of oranges, this one filled the air with a refreshing aroma of peaches.
After Emma departed, Amy began to unpack her belongings. As she sorted through her things, her eyes fell upon a neatly folded suit resting atop her bed. Beneath it lay a note from Emma: "Welcome to the team." A warm smile spread across Amy's face as she read the message, feeling a sense of belonging wash over her.
As dinner time approached, Emma sent Fortune, her smart puppy, to scratch on Amy's door. Emma marveled at the intelligence of her puppies; they seemed to understand and follow simple instructions effortlessly. From her vantage point at the dinner table outside, Emma observed with a smile as Fortune was warmly greeted by Amy, who glanced fondly at the other four puppies frolicking around the yard. Emma thought about teaching them to help fight zombies later on.
As Amy joined her at the table, Emma passed her a bowl of steaming rice. Alongside it were three generously portioned side dishes: Braised Pork Belly, Mapo Tofu, and Wuwei Smoked Duck. Amy couldn't help but feel a sense of awe, even though she had spent only three days in the territory. She had already glimpsed the wealth of Emma's territory, but the quality of the food surpassed her expectations.
As they began to eat, Emma noticed Amy hesitating, taking only small portions. Concerned, Emma raised an eyebrow and gently encouraged, "Eat more. You're going to need that energy tomorrow." With a shared chopstick, Emma loaded Amy's bowl with a large amount of meat until it overflowed. Setting the utensil aside, Emma continues eating with her chopsticks.
"We're going back to the factories," Emma explained between bites. She expressed her intention to dismantle the factory and incorporate it into her territory. Upon hearing this, Amy set aside all her hesitation and eagerly consumed the food Emma had piled onto her plate. She had been hungry since she forgot to eat earlier in the afternoon, but she also didn't want Emma to think she was overeating. However, now that she knew about the plan, she understood the importance of having energy for the task ahead. She didn't want to faint again.
As the two ate, Emma mentally scrolled through the new pages that had appeared. Among them was a control page for Amy's house. Emma diffused the water supply, making sure it was enough to help Amy transform faster but not so much that she would transform as she had with all the black ink.
Switching to the people page, Amy appeared at the top with a star on her image. Beneath each person's photo was a colored bar indicating their loyalty level. The Kranks were all marked in purple, while Amy and Jared were in blue. The rest of the new group of civilians were represented in green. Emma noticed a sidebar introducing the loyalty degree: purple means the highest level of loyalty, blue means a middle level, green represents trust, and anything below that suggests varying degrees of skepticism or lack of trust. Emma felt a surge of satisfaction as she observed the symbol under Mr. Krank's image light up, signifying that he had awakened the healing power. Emma focused on her own body and could sense the power coursing through her, she now also has another type of power.