Re: Evolution Online

Chapter 826 A Functioning Settlement?

The two siblings had told Liam that their base was quite close by, but clearly, this was a lie as the journey had already taken about 3 hours, and it did not look like they were located anywhere close.

However, Liam did not mind it. He lazily yawned as he lay on top of Luna while the two of them slowly drifted along in the sky.

In the meantime, he sent his minions down to do some hard labor. This area was outside the initial boundary where Liam had cleared everything, and there was even a gate nearby.𝚏𝑟e𝒆𝙬𝒆𝗯𝑛𝙤vel.𝘤o𝑚

So he used the time to farm some lower-level beasts and also search for the presence of a dungeon or treasure or any other valuable item in the vicinity.

He even received reports from his soul minions about a few mana zombies that he quickly took care of. A couple more hours passed by, and finally, the trucks seemed to be slowing down.

"Looks like we are here, Luna." Liam smiled at the small zone the group had managed to commandeer. Unlike the shoddy hospital area, this was rather a much more organized settlement.

The area underneath him seemed to encompass a gated apartment complex that included several facilities like a couple of grocery stores, shopping stores, and even cliniques with medical supplies.

More importantly, this place was located away from all danger zones. There weren't any gates nearby, and the generally overgrown trees and plants were also sparse.

Considering how in many areas, forests had taken over normal civilization and concrete buildings, Liam was sure that these people had taken special measures to cut down the greenery while they still could.

All the areas were also clean and neat, without any bloodshed or bodies. Even if they had managed to take care of beasts, that still left mana zombies. So it was commendable that they had everything under control.

In fact, it was quite impressive for someone without the help of hundreds of soul minions to get things organized to such an extent.

Were the two siblings in front of him so talented both in their skills and in their ability to foster such a settlement? They were pretty young to have a talent like that.

Liam silently mulled over everything as the two trucks came to a stop. Luna as well landed nearby and quickly curled herself around Liam's neck.

"Please come this way, Sir." Lan Deming approached Liam hurriedly, showing him the way inside the gated community. A few guards had already come out to welcome them.

When Liam looked around, he also saw a makeshift watch post above the tallest building in the area, which should have informed them of their arrival prior to this.

This explained the behavior of the guards, who were now helping everyone get down from the trucks and make sense of things.

Just like inside the complex, the outside of the complex was also equally peaceful. There seemed to be more people on the outside as well.

Though it was not clear if they belonged to the same group or not, they definitely enjoyed the safe environment created by these people.

"You managed to do all of this in such a short time?" Liam smiled at Lan Deming, slightly probing the other person.

"Ah. No not me." Deming shook his head and scratched his head awkwardly. At the same time, another voice greeted them from the distance.

"My son is too humble. None of this would be possible without his strength." A middle-aged man with greying hair walked forward, surrounded by a few guards.

He was wearing a prim and polished jacket just like the mayor but the vibe the two of them gave was completely different.

Liam only needed a glance to see that this man was the real backbone of this makeshift settlement. In just a few days, he managed to bring the entire situation under control.

Most probably he was a government official before all of this happened.

Before Liam could finish the thought, the middle-aged man introduced himself by saying the same. "I am Lan Ganjie, the secretary for this province. Nice to meet you, young man."

He extended his hand for a polite handshake and Liam returned the sentiment with a nod. A provincial secretary was only second to the provincial leader.

Now everything made sense. If this person was a government official, especially such a high-ranking one, then it was natural that he had the common sense, the ability, skills, and resources to make all of this happen.

More importantly, the person hasn't changed to a power-hungry version in these desperate times. At least from a superficial point of view, society was still intact to a certain extent without anyone getting exploited.

However, Liam did not rush to any conclusions just yet. He had seen too much in both his lifetimes. The apocalypse inevitably reveals the worst in most people, especially if they were in a position of power.

From here everything might appear peachy but one needed to look closer to see the real situation. At least that's what he thought.

Liam tried his best to remain skeptical but as Lan Ganjie took him for a tour around the settlement, he couldn't help but become surprised at everything he saw.

It was far too soon to say. However, as far as he could see the man had indeed tried his best to treat everyone well. At the same time, he also did not appear to be a naive righteous leader aiming to please everyone at the cost of the future.

The people in the settlement were actively involved in many things ranging from growing fruits and vegetables to hunting the beasts that had emerged from the gates and were still prowling around in the vicinity.

Liam also saw a group of people hard at training, sparring with each other. These people were even surprisingly around Level 5 which meant that they had daringly faced the challenge in front of them.