Chapter 126: Recruitment

“Don’t look at us like that,” Ember grinned. The more Ember smiled, the more cautious they became.

“I don’t think I want the promotion,” Ivan muttered quickly.

“Not even if you get the chance to change the office?” Aiden sweetened the deal. “Each of you has to ask us for permission for the majority of the things you do. We’re only making sure you can do what you need to do.”

“Exactly!” Ember turned towards Adrienne. “Weren’t you always asking to fix the nutrient solution? Now you have free rein. As long as you don’t kill off all the plants, you can change it.”

“No more having to ask us if you want to change a battery,” Aiden chuckled toward Alex. Alex covered his face with his palm.

Alex remembered that. He wanted to enter one of the logistics bays. He found he couldn’t enter and had to ask Aiden for permission to get a battery changed.

“If it’s so good, then why do you both look relieved?” Ivan didn’t think for a moment that they were this happy just to give a promotion.

“Do you really want to know?” Ember asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Really,” Ivan said before the courage left him.

The others didn’t say they didn’t want to know. They only kept quiet, which was their tacit agreement.

“If we give you the options to do these things, we don’t have to take care of them. It gives us more freedom to do what we want to do.”

Ember shrugged as she said it. It wasn’t like there was some huge secret. She only wanted to be as lazy as a cat. They were willing to take on the burden, so why not pass it on?

“I’m grateful to all of you. You’re willing to take on so much extra work that I don’t know how to thank you.” Ember paused for a moment. “Well, there is one way. But I won’t tell you now.”

“CE, do a quick upgrade for me.” Ember quickly had the CE upgrade their contract from Fellowship to Directorate.

They didn’t need to sign a new contract. Their oral consent already granted the CE permission to make the change.

The five felt the change immediately. A warmth wrapped around their bodies. It spread from their chest to their extremities. Their merit holograms also changed. It gave them much more freedom than before.

“Good!” Ember said once the change was complete. “Now, Aiden and I will leave everything up to you. If there’s nothing big. No need to alert us.”

Before they could recover, she pushed them out of their room.

“Think they’ll be okay?” Ember asked, looking at the door.

“They’ll get used to it,” Aiden replied carelessly before throwing Ember onto the bed.

The next morning, Ivan and Cassia left the base using the teleportation circle. The security system they put in place registers the sigil on their hands. Thus allowing them to enter without setting off the alarm.

Once they are ready to begin recruitment, all they do is open the door. Because of the foot traffic, it is inevitable that there will be people who see it. They may not necessarily enter. But the office could still be seen.

The first thing they do is to eat. After the acid rain, the resources became scarce. The rain chewed through many buildings. Some windows were left open, and it fell into the houses and warehouses and destroyed grain and other foods.

Right now, many people are scrounging for food. If the smell of the food drifts out of the office, there is a likely chance that people will come to the door without being prompted.

Before they could finish half their meal, there were already people drifting towards the office.

Seeing a person at the door, they didn’t stop eating. Rather, they sped up. If people were coming to the door because of food, they needed to be full of energy to beat them. Maybe literally. Maybe figuratively.

As soon as they finished eating, they greeted the woman. She stood outside, her face a mask of suspicion.

“Welcome,” said Cassia in her best customer service voice. “We’re recruiters for a base nearby. It’s called Sin Sanctuary, or The Eyrie, whichever you prefer.” Cassia lowered her voice and whispered. “I personally prefer Sin Sanctuary. I think its name is apt.”

The way Cassia spoke, the woman pondered whether she did the right thing coming to the door. Everything she said made the woman weary. But as she watched Ivan put the empty dishes away, she couldn’t help swallowing.

“Would you like to come in?” Cassia asked the woman, gesturing for her to step inside.

The woman didn’t step in. Instead, she asked, “That food…where did you get it?”

Cassia turned to see Ivan putting the dishes away. “Those? From the base, of course. Where else would we get it?”

Before the woman could speak, another person came to the door. This time it was a man. He was tall and thin. His drooping face showed how tired he was.

“Do you have food?” he asked, voice hoarse.

“Sounds like you need water, not food,” Ivan said, walking towards the door with a bottle of water in hand.

He handed it to the man. Without hesitation, the man opened the bottle and drank the water down.

“Slow down,” Ivan said good-naturedly. “You don’t want to choke.”

The man gasped as he finished the bottle. “Can I get another one?”

He stepped into the office without a bit of caution.

“Nope. Not unless you join our base,” Ivan crossed his arms. “Giving one was already a courtesy. Do I look like a sucker to you?”

The man didn’t even think about what Ivan was proposing. He heard he would be able to get water, and his mood immediately brightened. “I’ll join! I’ll join!”

The woman, watching all this unfold, was dumbfounded. She never imagined someone would still be this stupid in doomsday. They offered him water, and he was willing to go wherever their supposed base was.

Her eyes flashed, and she reached out to the man.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep