The choices of the individuals
Anthony looked towards the side of the product column and indeed saw a label with the word "permanent" on it. He entered to take a closer look.
Permanent Items:
Level 1 Doomsday Pistol Bullets (20 energy points/shot)
[Capable of penetrating first-order mutants.]
"That's it?" Anthony couldn't help but smile as he looked at the Level 1 Doomsday Pistol Bullets in the permanent item section. It was clear that he needed to unlock permanent items in the product column to display them.
Since that's the case, Anthony looked back at the product column. The Level 2 items were almost out of reach, tempting but unaffordable. The only affordable items now were the Level 1 ones.
Anthony selected three of them: a Level 1 Tang Sword, a Level 1 Doomsday Bomb, and a Level 1 Doomsday Pistol (including six rounds of Level 1 pistol bullets).
"May I ask if you would like to make a purchase?" the system voice sounded.
"Buy!" Anthony replied without hesitation. Instantly, 600 energy points were deducted from his balance, leaving him with a measly 140.2 energy points.
"Work hard to earn thousands of points, only to go back to square one overnight." Anthony accepted the three purchased items and silently cursed the monster at Yanghe School a thousand times in his heart.
Wait! One day he would definitely return to Yanghe School. Exiting the base mall, Anthony began to examine the items in his hand. First was the Level 1 Tang Sword, measuring one meter in length, with a wooden handle and a scabbard covered in a layer of matte black material. He drew the Tang Sword, and its blade was straight and emitted a cold gleam.
"They say a good blade can cut a hair effortlessly, I wonder if this blade can do that." Anthony had an idea and directly plucked a hair from his head. His hair wasn't long, about ten centimeters. He lightly blew it on the blade before the hair even fell.
With one breath, the hair was sliced in half from the middle. "Great sword!" Anthony exclaimed. Compared to the previous watermelon knife, Anthony felt that this Tang Sword might be even sharper. He sheathed the sword again and took out a Doomsday Bomb. It was similar in size to a hand grenade in the game and had the same usage, but its power was unknown.
Anthony carefully stashed the item in his pocket, then took out the Level 1 Doomsday Pistol. The pistol had a similar style to the Desert Eagle, but was slightly larger. Its all-metal body and black lacquer finish exuded a strong sense of the apocalypse.
"Now this is the kind of gun a man should play with." Anthony played with the Doomsday Pistol in his hand for a while before putting it into his backpack. After tidying up, Anthony headed downstairs with his backpack.
His injuries had healed, and it was time for him to go out and hunt zombies. However, before leaving, he had one more thing to do.
"System, check the information of the three individuals," Anthony whispered to himself.
"Yes, host."
"Name: Verna
Age: 28
Skills: Intermediate Medicine, Beginner Cooking
Friendliness: 95
Name: Cheryl
Age: 22
Skills: Beginner Firearms, Beginner Combat
Friendliness: 90
Name: Dash
Age: 75
Skills: Iron Fist, Hard Qigong, Breath Control Technique
Friendliness: 95"
"Very good, all at 90," Anthony nodded with satisfaction. What he wanted was the friendliness of the group. A friendliness of 90 represented deep trust, meaning that they would believe him as long as his words weren't too false. Only when the friendliness reached a level of deep trust would Anthony truly accept the person as a companion and offer them items from the system's store.
In his past life, he had experienced too many betrayals and witnessed the wickedness of human nature. Even teammates would stab each other in the back. The system data couldn't lie, so Anthony could trust it. He called Dash, Cheryl, and Verna over.
Anthony took out two transparent glass syringes and said, "These are gene-enhancing potions. After injection, they can strengthen the body without any side effects. So, there are two options in front of you now." Upon hearing the word "choice," the expressions of the three individuals turned serious, devoid of their usual laughter and playfulness.
"Kid, tell us," Dash said.
Cheryl and Verna glanced at each other and said, "Anthony, you decide."
"Okay," Anthony nodded, taking a deep breath. After spending these few days together, he had developed some feelings for them, but in matters of great significance, he couldn't afford to be softhearted. He said, "The first option is to join my Dawn Base, advance and retreat together, share prosperity and adversity. Once you join, you can never leave. Leaving will be considered betrayal, and if anyone betrays the Dawn Base, I, Anthony, will hunt them down to the ends of the earth."
As they listened, everyone drew in a cold breath. They all knew Anthony's strength, and being pursued by such a formidable person would only lead to one outcome for them.
"And what about the second option?" Cheryl swallowed nervously and asked.
Anthony glanced at Cheryl and continued, "The second option is to immediately leave the Dawn Base. I guarantee that I, Anthony, will not give you any trouble, and I will even provide three days' worth of supplies. This opportunity only comes once, and it's now."
"Alright, you can make your choice."
"Kid, you're forcing us to take sides!" Dash sighed.
Anthony didn't deny it and nodded. "You can say that. We can't cower here for the rest of our lives. The base needs to grow, we need to expand our influence, and save more humans. Therefore, the core members must be the most sincere and trusted individuals."
"Alright, kid, you don't need to say anything else. This old man has nowhere else to go. I'll stay with you. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and you can take care of me in my old age. I choose to join," Dash declared first.
With Dash making his choice, Anthony turned to Verna. After thinking for a moment, Verna said, "In this post-apocalyptic world, I have nowhere else to go. My parents and loved ones are probably long gone, and you saved my life. Naturally, I choose to join."
"Good!" Anthony's eyes brightened as he looked at Cheryl.
"I..." Cheryl hesitated. As a security officer, she had the option to join other organizations, and she had also promised Ford to help find his family. Thinking about this, Cheryl gritted her teeth and asked, "I want to ask, if the members of the base encounter difficulties, can you, as the base leader, help solve them?"
"When comrades encounter difficulties, as the leader, I will naturally do my best to help," Anthony nodded solemnly.
"Okay, then. I previously promised Ford to help him find his surviving family members. Can you help me with that too?" Cheryl asked.
Without hesitation, Anthony replied, "No problem."
"Then I also choose to join!" Cheryl made her decision without a trace of hesitation. Seeing the choices made by the three individuals, Anthony also breathed a sigh of relief. In fact, when he asked that question, he was more nervous than anyone else, but now he had obtained the result he wanted the most.
Looking at the three people, Anthony deeply bowed and said, "I, the owner of Dawn Base, officially welcome Dash, Verna, and Cheryl to join."
"Ding! Detected that the host has recruited base members. Reward: Level 1 Data Eye (able to observe various physical data of base members)." Data Eye! It's a good thing!
At this moment, Dash spoke up, "Alright, kid, cut the sentimental crap. I'm old, and sand easily gets into my eyes."
"Alright!" Anthony's voice rose with excitement as he looked at the three people and said, "Now I have two Level 1 gene-enhancing potions in my hands. I hope you can choose two people to inject."
"Hmph, I have strong martial arts skills. I don't need these fancy technologies. Let these two young ladies have them," Dash tactfully gave up the opportunity.
Seeing Dash step back, Anthony handed the two gene potions directly to the two women. The two women nodded solemnly, each took one, and without hesitation, injected it into their arms.
At this moment, Anthony silently said to himself, "Activate Data Eye!"