What? Did you say Tom?

The office door closed silently, and Shen Liansheng shook his head and swaggered out of Shen Jiayi's spacious office, with a slightly chubby middle-aged man quickly approaching by the door.

"Manager, did the General Manager agree?" the man asked.

Shen Liansheng snapped his fingers. "My niece is just like a Janus, extremely demanding of her own people, showing great mercy to others as if she were the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Earlier, when I said we needed to expand our manpower, she refused. Now that we need to save people, I said the security personnel couldn't be mobilized, and she agreed to expand the security force. Heh heh."

"Then I'll immediately arrange for recruiting!" the man exclaimed.

"Good, go ahead. Recruit temporary search teams from the survivor groups, pay attention to recruiting some clever and opportunistic fellows, offer them benefits, and bring them in under your command."

"Manager, I'll take care of it. Don't worry, hehe."

Exiting Shen Jiayi's office through the long corridor with large glass panels, Shen Liansheng restrained his exaggerated expression and stared at the gloomy sky. "The opportunity has come, Song Ren. The new world has arrived, and all the forces will be reshuffled. We hold the capital to become the overlords in the apocalypse. As long as we seize the opportunity, we'll have our place as the overlords of this new world."

Song Ren cautiously looked around to ensure no one was nearby before asking in a low voice, "Boss, even if Shen Jiayi is easy to fool, won't the CEO and others just sit idly by while we control Haiwei Mini Industries? Not to mention the government and the military. There's a military district in the neighboring city, after all."

Shen Liansheng smiled. "After the disaster, all communication methods failed. This was something no one, including my brother, anticipated. Now, every subsidiary has become an independent kingdom. Shen Guantian's remote control over here is impossible, I'm afraid he's too busy to bother with it now. As for the government and the military, do you think Shen Guantian really didn't consider hinting to the higher-ups in the government?"

Song Ren widened his eyes in surprise. "Boss... are you saying..."

"Shortly after Shen Guantian learned of this earth-shattering secret, a group of mysterious individuals suddenly appeared in his bedroom one night and issued a stern warning to him. They allowed some people to take action and make preventive measures in advance, but they didn't allow cooperation with the government or any leakage of information to the outside world, including the government, even if it's a rumor."

"CEO's bedroom? I remember... there are hardly any people in the country who can enter the CEO's bedroom."

"Of course not, after swallowing up two major family conglomerates, he offended so many dignitaries. Do you think Shen Guantian is really not afraid of death? The security level of his doghouse is at the level of a national head of state. Yet those people casually entered. And the power they demonstrated is astonishing, it's those recently discovered abilities gained through the gems. Obviously, there's a terrifying organization behind the scenes pushing for people to shrink, and such a force will never allow the old world's regimes to exist in the new world."

Hearing this, Song Ren shivered. "Boss... this... this is too scary."

"Don't be afraid, now everyone is on the same starting line. You go and appease those foreign mercenaries we hired, they are powerful weapons for us to counter the special task force around Shen Jiayi. And then try to recruit those guys with abilities, promise them better conditions in the shelter. Hmm, those gems, crystals, and the like should be confiscated uniformly. I'll personally set up a task force in the R&D department. I have a feeling that these things have a broader prospect than gunpowder weapons."

Song Ren nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes!"

Shooing away Song Ren, Shen Liansheng's gaze fell on the large glass dome-covered shelter downstairs. As time passed, more and more survivors were being rescued. These people would be important resources for future power factions, including those who could use gems to unleash abilities.

What Shen Liansheng was looking at was the shelter initially built by Haiwei Mini Industries under the pretext of a "demonstration" product, the community template platform, to accommodate people after they shrank.

This shelter originally had an area of ​​about 3,800 square meters. For demonstration purposes, it was specially built with a common residential area for ordinary civilians, an elite area for the elite, and a special area for the management class in the most favorable positions. In the special area, a luxurious castle was specially built, called the Imperial City, solely for viewing purposes.

Now that people had shrunk, this 3,800-square-meter shelter had suddenly become a super large shelter of over 91,000 square meters, resembling a small town.

Due to the "emergency situation," only the common residential area of ​​the shelter was open to the public. Apart from large partitioned dormitories, there would be a cafeteria and a hospital in each section.

Because Liu Lian belonged to the awakened, he was placed in a special ward and received meticulous care.

Accompanying Liu Lian to this place were Cheng Fuhua, Xiao Gao, and others, who were naturally allowed to visit during specific periods.

Cheng Fuhua stood anxiously at the foot of the bed. "Liu Lian, it's been two days since we were brought here, and we still haven't heard from Mr. An. What should we do?"

Liu Lian was also a bit frustrated at this point. They were saved from the threats of ants, cockroaches, and later rats and cats, all thanks to Tom's leadership. But now it had been two days, and there was still no news from Tom. Naturally, he was very worried.

"And where's Li Zexin?" Cheng Fuhua thought for a moment. "Well, after landing, he went around looking for people to cozy up to. This morning, I saw Wang Dong following him into Room 26, where they were trading food, provided you bring something good to exchange."

"Wang Dong?" Liu Lian pondered for a moment. "Oh, he's the only security guard left in your club. I've long said that Li Zexin is an ungrateful fellow. If it weren't for Mr. An stopping to save him, we would have entered the shelter long ago."

Cheng Fuhua nodded. "This guy, after arriving at the shelter, didn't even mention anything about Mr. An's whereabouts. It's a good thing you asked him to help find out, but he took your gems and used them as capital to join that black market guy in Room 26."

Liu Lian sat up against the bed. "If he dares to deceive us, then so be it. Both Xiao Mei and I are awakened, he should consider that. I've already asked Yingying to accompany Xiao Mei to inquire again. We should have news soon. As for that Li Zexin, hmph..."

Before he could finish, Li Zexin's voice came from behind them. "Hey, Lian ge, you're really wronging me. I went to find Zhang Big Fat for something else, not to inquire about Tom's situation, you know?"

Everyone turned to see Li Zexin accompanied by his bodyguard Wang Dong entering. Liu Lian glanced at him. "So, what news did I get for my ruby?"

Li Zexin waved for Wang Dong to stand guard outside before leaning in and whispering, "That guy Zhang Fat knows the deputy captain of the security team, they're from the same hometown. According to the information he gathered, the Sparrow 0036 that brought us here didn't return as scheduled, so the special task force sent Sparrow 0019 to search for it. It's probably coming back soon, but... the condition is, if it can still return."

As soon as they heard it didn't return, everyone's faces turned pale. When they left, they were chased into the shelter by the mutated cat Ah Huang. Who knows if they'll encounter mutated cats or dogs when they return to pick up Tom again?

"We all came from Level 5 danger zones, that's how their Haiwei Group people divided it. We all know it's dangerous there. You know, the special task force is a military armed department that only takes orders from President Shen. It's prestigious. Now they've brought down two planes at once, it's lucky if they don't make us pay for it. As for Tom, I'm grateful for what he did, but we've all shrunk now, just surviving is not easy. Hmm, I'll pray for him sooner or later, praying for him to arrive safely at the shelter is all I can do."

"What do you mean?" Cheng Fuhua immediately got angry and wanted to do something, but Liu Lian held him back.

"Let it go, we all know this old bastard can't be trusted, why bother."

Li Zexin made a gesture of apology with his hands and was about to leave, but then two women walked in, so he quickly greeted, "Hey, Xiao Mei, you... who's this?"

Zhao Yingying and Xiao Mei walked briskly over, followed by a man with dyed blonde hair and an earring in his left ear.

"Hey, Blondie... wait, no..." Liu Lian glanced at him and immediately joked, "Xiao Gao, look, Blondie's trying to NTR me."

Zhao Yingying pouted and slapped him, "What are you joking about at this time?"

Blondie waved at the people in the room, as a way of greeting. "Hey everyone! I didn't expect such a beauty to also be awakened. I heard there's a Shunfenger here too, so I specially came to see and learn."

"Go away, Xiao Mei, who is he?" 

Xiao Mei sighed. "This is Hao ge, the driver of the security department. I asked him about Mr. An's situation."

Li Zexin chuckled upon hearing this. "Liu Lian, so you still don't trust me. Anyway, keep looking through other channels. Alright, let's hear what everyone has to say, see if I'm lying."

Xiao Mei looked worried. "The latest news I just got is that the Sparrow 0036 that picked up Mr. An has gone missing. The Sparrow 0019 that went to search for it just returned. Only two people came down from the plane besides those who went out, and these two are the personal bodyguards of the CEO."

"Only two came back? Does that mean... Mr. An... wasn't found?" Zhao Yingying glared at Blondie, who was still smiling, "According to him, when the plane crashed, the two bodyguards of the CEO were thrown out of the cabin and hung on the outside of a tall building. It wasn't until Sparrow 0019 went there that they were discovered and brought back. As for Sparrow 0036, they couldn't even find the wreckage."

If Li Zexin's news gave everyone a glimmer of hope, then Zhao Yingying's news shattered the last bit of hope they had.

Li Zexin shrugged. "See, that's it."

Cheng Fuhua and Xiao Gao looked at each other, then hung their heads dejectedly in a corner, covering their faces in silence.

Zhao Yingying threw herself into Liu Lian's arms, choking back sobs, while Liu Lian gently stroked her back.

Xiao Mei stared blankly out the window.

Blondie looked around, then rubbed his nose, cleared his throat, and said, "So, you have to look forward. Your Mr. An might be dead, might still be alive. Since you have this ability, why not join..."

"No!" Liu Lian suddenly shouted, startling everyone. "Mr. An won't die so easily. From the Ant Queen to the Mutated Ah Huang, no one can kill Mr. An. Just because of a plane crash, Mr. An will be fine!"

"Yeah, we must stay optimistic!" Blondie said. "The specially formed 'Temporary Search Team' by the security department will be established soon with the approval of the CEO. I, as a member of the security department... uh... I'm here to recruit some capable people to join the team. When we go outside to explore, you also have the opportunity to find information about that Mr. An, right?"

"Yes! How do I apply?" Liu Lian immediately showed enthusiasm. "I'll join! As long as I can go find Mr. An, I'll join you."

"It's simple, awakened individuals are preferred, especially... I heard your hearing is very powerful. I've brought the application form, just fill in your name, uh, and that Miss Xiao Mei, you can also..."

Without saying another word, Liu Lian picked up the form and filled in his name without even looking at the contents.

Blondie shook his head with satisfaction as he watched, quite pleased. "That's it. Oh, right, you've been talking about Mr. An, Mr. An, it sounds familiar, who is it?"

"His name is Tom!" Liu Lian said. "We won't give up."

"What?" Blondie's eyes widened, his voice rising by eight degrees. "Tom? Are you talking about that little scoundrel Tom? Damn!"