Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 121: Preparing for the future (I)

Chapter 121: Preparing for the future (I)

John (POV)

March 18th, 20xx — 7:12 PM

Zone 3A-Δ – Third Floor – Training Hall (Homebase Interior)

——

Not long after talking about the future with Tang Wei, we both headed to the third floor, where everyone started gathering on the third floor. I noticed Deng Hua, Chen Xun, Zhou Xue, Old Zhou, Liang Qiu, and Shen Yifei were already inside.

Yifei sat on a training ball, bouncing slightly as she watched me walk in.

Beside me, Tang Wei looked around the room with narrowed eyes. I couldn’t recruit her the way I had others. Her Tier was high, just like her guard. She’d be something else — part of my elite unit, if I could build it. That’s why I brought her here. To see who else deserved to stand beside her.

Old Zhou... well, he would help in another way.

The third floor was starting to feel lived in. I sat at the edge of one of the heavy metal benches in the common room — map panels spread in front of me, stacked interface windows drifting in my HUD. A half-warm ration drink steamed beside my boot, forgotten.

Liu Jiemin stood near the corner med-locker, restocking a sealed case of pressure gauze and field medkits with precise movements. Her coat was open, sleeves rolled. She didn’t speak unless someone approached her directly.

I noticed her husband playing with the children, who might have been bored.

’Thank god I added a few small play area’s for the younger kids...’

Zhou Xue arrived next with her bow slung over one shoulder and Liang Mei, slow and delicate, beside her. Mei looked better, but she held Zhou’s arm like the floor might shift under her feet at any second.

"Leader," Xue greeted. "I found someone who graduated from our university."

I glanced up.

That’s when I noticed that the people I saw before when leaving Jiang Roulan deal with the second floor survivors. Never did I imagine that there would be people whom Liang Mei and Zhou Xue would recognise, which made things easier.

Some were people who seemed to have fled the university the day it collapsed.

Eight of them. Mostly students, early twenties. Half looked like they’d never handled anything heavier than a stylus. A few were tougher — ex-club captains, maybe. Athletic. Focused.

One guy stepped forward. Dark glasses. Lean. Calculated.

"I’m Wen Qiming. I led the dorm defence group during the breach. We’re not here to freeload."

"I didn’t ask you to," I said, meeting his stare.

He nodded once and was quite respectful and measured. But clearly protecting his group.

’I guess Jiang Roulan let them inside, well... there are only a few, and their Tier is only D. Only Qiming was Tier B.’

’If they try something, I will kill them.’

Luckily, the people who entered my system couldn’t attack me, or the other members whom I had taken under my wing.

Though this only applied to those whom I didn’t give permission.

Jiang Roulan, Mu Qinglan and Shen Yifei could kill everyone in the building but me.

I removed my attention from the system... lots of ZKP pings from recruiting over 30 people caused me to feel good.

"Well, don’t worry about it, and head into the other room. I will send Deng Hua and the others to you in a minute."

"U-Understood..." Wen Qiming nodded. He was now a member of my team, my group, my followers, and I would slowly learn more about him and the others.

Shen Yifei twirled her spear once and leaned back, lazily on the ball.

"Mu Qinglan’s not coming?"

"Well... she was a little tired after I left her."

"Sleeping like the dead. Looks like you broke her, Leader." Yifei called me a leader with her lips pursed. The quirk at the edge of her mouth was too smug to ignore.

I didn’t dignify that with a reply.

And then—

Footsteps.

Sharp. Steady.

They cut the room’s noise in half.

Everyone turned as Jiang Roulan entered the training hall.

She looked formal and smart in her long black coat.

Her side-parted hair was slick and tied back. No makeup. No emotion.

Just presence.

She didn’t falter. She didn’t hesitate. Her eyes swept the room, slow, controlled, like she was already measuring us against expectations. I could feel the Jiang Roulan that I first met in those eyes and their passion.

The desire to survive, maybe, or... something related to me.

’At least I hoped.’

I knew I wasn’t that important to her, at least for now.

But it was nice to see her recovering from earlier.

She met my gaze.

And held it for several moments, before her eyes closed slightly, and she smiled at me. I couldn’t help but feel my heart thump... a pretty natural face.

Jiang Roulan was my type after all...

Then she turned and walked to the centre table, unrolling a worn notepad she must’ve filled in the last hour.

"Apologies for the delay," she said, voice even. "I’ll be overseeing food distribution and infrastructure."

Tang Wei raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Xue straightened unconsciously.

Even Old Zhou, who’d been leaning against the armoury wall, let out a low grunt of respect.

"Is that alright with you, Rou?"

When I called her by her pet name, her face softened, and she rolled her shoulders, letting them drop before she let out a sigh. "May I ask if anyone has any ideas regarding water supply, rationing, or patrol shift rotations?" Her eyes scanned the room before she continued with a nod. "Please speak to me after our leader has spoken."

"For those who might not know me, I am a former officer at the Longwan Police Department, and have served for ten years. I will be serving as a member of our group’s rule makers and enforcing them should things go wrong."

I watched Jiang Roulan with a sense of awe.

She was beautiful and amazingly professional, her voice filled with confidence and sincerity.

"I have over ten years of experience in the military, and would love to support you with the enforcement of rules and helping make rotations and shifts." Tang Wei stood from the wall, and her low, deep voice filled the room. "May I, Leader?"

She asked me, her eyes almost shining with eagerness.

"Of course, Jiang Roulan, Tang Wei, can you both take care of those issues for me?"

Jiang Roulan looked at me, her eyes carrying the sparkle she had when I teased her before becoming this calm and collected. That’s right... she didn’t need to lean on me all the time, she was an adult and had her own life and aspirations.

’Good.’

It felt like she was saying...

I’m here. I’m ready. And I’m not waiting to be asked.

It wasn’t a challenge.

It was a claim.

Not for power.

For relevance.

And I didn’t stop her.

Because if Mu Qinglan was the sharp edge of my blade—

Roulan?

She was the spine.

Silence followed for a moment — not awkward, but settling like everyone in the room had just seen something shift.

Not because of me.

Because of them.

Jiang Roulan and Tang Wei stood on either side of the table like anchors — two very different kinds of strength, and the rest of us could feel it.

Old Zhou cleared his throat.

"Since we’re getting serious, I’ll say it plain," he muttered. "This place ain’t a bunker anymore. It’s turning into a base. That means rules, routines... and someone watching who slips through the cracks."

His gaze swept over each of us.

Not judging — measuring.

"I’ve seen what happens when things get too comfortable. So if you’re putting her"—he nodded to Roulan—"and her"—then to Tang Wei—"in charge of structure, make sure the rest of us fall in line."

Shen Yifei gave a low chuckle, twirling her spear. "You saying we need a chain of command, Old Zhou?"

"I’m saying you’re all alive because someone’s been pretending we already had one."

That shut things up.

I nodded once. "That ends now."

I gestured to Roulan. "She handles logistics, food, water, supply integrity."

Then to Tang Wei. "She handles combat training, readiness, defensive rosters."

After that, I noticed that Old Zhou’s loyalty to me was already almost max, all because I saved his daughter, and because of that, his Loyalty++ was something that seemed to be unique to men or males...

’Is it the difference between affection and loyalty that they gather?’

"Old Zhou, can I ask you then, to be the one who gather’s the non-combatants and takes the people’s thoughts, complaints and worries? A so called Peoples Leader?"

I turned to the others.

"Zhou Xue. Assist Roulan directly. Take charge of resource storage and floor-to-floor inventory tracking."

She blinked, surprised. "Me?"

"You’re sharp. Organised. I need that."

She straightened a little, flushing faintly.

"Yes, Leader."