Chapter 197: Recruiting and Holding Down the Fort

"We’re recruiting! We’re recruiting! The Caeluna faction is looking for new members!"

"Join a faction without having to turn over your supplies! As long as you have something to offer, Caeluna welcomes you!"

Somewhere in Mirefall, Stephen Lawrence and Shane Lawrence had set up a platform. After writing ’Caeluna is recruiting’ on a red banner, Stephen Lawrence picked up a megaphone and started calling out to the crowd.

Hearing this, quite a few people started to gather around.

Some time ago, many factions had come to Mirefall to recruit, so the city had emptied out considerably. Most of those who remained now traveled in groups.

Many who had joined realized too late that most of the bases were just scamming them, taking their supply entrance fees and then exploiting them for labor.

Those who’d been scammed were bitter, but they had already handed over their supplies and joined the base. They could only accept their new reality and try to get by as best they could.

Only a small few, unable to bear the deception, had left again.

But these people were the relatively lucky ones. Others had it even worse; they’d handed over their supplies only to discover there was no base at all.

When they went looking for the recruiters, they were long gone, leaving them with a belly full of rage and no one to vent it on.

These incidents had thrown Mirefall into chaos for some time, and things had only gradually calmed down in the last few days.

Lately, almost no bases had come to recruit. The ones that did were just small factions, and even those were few and far between.

After more than two years of the apocalypse, everyone had learned the first rule of survival: stick together.

Supplies were limited and would only become scarcer. To get what you needed to survive, you had to fight others for it, and you couldn’t do that alone.

That’s why so many people, even after being scammed, still hoped to join a powerful faction.

They were just much more cautious than before.

"Caeluna? What faction is that? Have you guys heard of them before?"

"Never heard of them. Probably just another group of scammers that popped out of nowhere."

The crowd drew closer, their curiosity piqued.

One man didn’t mince words. "So, your faction’s called Caeluna, right? How big is it? What are your credentials? We’ve never heard of you. What were you all doing before this? This isn’t another scam, is it?"

Stephen Lawrence’s reply was just as direct: "What we did before has nothing to do with what we’ll do in the future. As for our size, you’ll find out once you join, won’t you?"

"And as for whether we’re scammers, what exactly would we be scamming you out of? We’re not asking for your supplies. So what are we taking? The clothes off your back? Or are we trying to trick you into stinking up our base with that stench you’re all carrying?"

Stephen Lawrence’s words were harsh, and the faces in the crowd turned ugly, but no one refuted him. He was telling the truth.

They had said from the very beginning that as long as you had skills and were willing to work, you could join. They weren’t asking for supplies or anything else.

If it really was a scam, it didn’t seem like a very effective one.

Even the man who had spoken so rudely at the beginning fell silent. He then said, "Hey, man, don’t get angry. Are you guys really recruiting? We can’t help it. We’ve been scammed so much lately, we have to be extra careful. I hope you can understand."

"We’re not scamming you. This is for real!"

"But let me be clear. We do have conditions for recruitment. We don’t just take anyone. The most important thing is loyalty to our leader. Second is having a skill. This isn’t limited to anything specific; we need people with all kinds of talents."

"Of course, we’re not that strict. Even if you don’t really have any special skills, you can still join. We’re in the middle of a major expansion, so we need a lot of hands for odd jobs. So even if all you have is strength and a willingness to work hard, we’ll take you. And we promise, as long as you’re loyal to our leader, we won’t kick you out just because the work is done."

"As for those with ulterior motives or who are lazy on the job, we won’t accept people like that. If we find out, you’ll be kicked out. So don’t think you can get away with it."

When the surrounding people heard this, they suddenly felt relieved. It was good that there were requirements. It meant they were serious about recruiting, and the requirements were based on their own abilities, not on what they could pay.

Even if it turned out to be a scam, they wouldn’t really lose anything.

So, everyone relaxed and began to call out one by one.

"I—I can fix cars!"

"I used to be a doctor!"

"I... I don’t really know how to do anything, but I’m strong! I’m a hard worker!"

In an instant, people were shouting out all sorts of skills.

Stephen Lawrence and Shane Lawrence organized them into a line off to the side.

As each person came forward, they were told to give their name and their skills, which were recorded in a notebook.

Those who had finished registering stood behind the line. They would all be taken to the base together later.

This was all done on Stella Sterling’s orders. They weren’t just recruiting to fill their ranks; they wanted capable people.

This way, it was clear at a glance who had what abilities, and they could be assigned tasks accordingly later on.

Many others were still watching from the sidelines. Seeing how organized everything was, a few more were swayed and joined the queue.

They had never heard of this place, but they seemed to be running a legitimate operation.

’Maybe this Caeluna faction is actually reliable. They even prepared so much paper and so many pens. They wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble just to scam us, right?’

In a flash, there were thirty or forty people in line!

The rain continued to fall relentlessly. Stephen Lawrence and Shane Lawrence had set up a large canopy, so those who signed up were at least spared from the downpour.

As a result, the crowd gathering there only grew larger and larger.

In a few other spots, people were also shouting about recruitment, but very few had gathered around them—only a handful.

Some people had even gone over to those other factions’ recruitment spots, but upon seeing the large crowd here, they ran back over.

They were currently on a rooftop, and many other nearby rooftops also had people recruiting. In recent days, people had already figured out ways to connect these high-rise buildings.

Thus, the skyscrapers had become gathering places for many survivors.

The heavy rain continued to pour, its sound a constant drumming. Stella Sterling had set up a lounge chair behind Stephen Lawrence and the others, listening to the rain with her eyes closed.

Despite the large crowd, the noise that reached her ears was faint.

With Stephen Lawrence and Shane Lawrence busy managing things up front, she didn’t need to get personally involved. She had come because this was their first recruitment drive. As the leader of Caeluna, she wanted to be a part of this landmark moment.

Of course, the most important reason was that if anyone tried to cause trouble, her presence would ensure their small numbers wouldn’t be a disadvantage.

She was here to command the scene!