Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 122: Preparing for the future (II)

Chapter 122: Preparing for the future (II)

John (POV)

March 18th, 20xx — 7:12 PM

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

——

"Chen Xun, Deng Hua, Liang Qiu — train with Tang Wei for the next three days. She’ll evaluate who’s fit for patrol and who needs more prep."

They both nodded, visibly nervous under Tang Wei’s gaze.

"Liang Mei," I continued. "You’ve got steady hands and a clear head. Assist Liu Jiemin with medical. Learn her system. Be ready to fill in when she can’t."

"...Yes, sir."

Liang Mei’s eyes looked sad.

Maybe she wanted to stick with the other archers, so I stepped beside her, brushing my hand across her buttocks by accident, causing her to jump slightly, before whispering. "I will let you join the combat team, once I find a way to help your heart."

"Please!" she whispered back, almost breathless with hope.

I gave her a small nod.

Then turned.

"And Yifei..."

Yifei raised an eyebrow while her hips twisted more delicately on the ball, with finesse of a dancer, maybe she had some past training in ballet.

"Stay by my side, follow me when I leave, sleep with me when I sleep, eat when I eat."

She arched one perfect brow, legs folded delicately over the training ball, hips swaying slightly like she was waiting for a cue.

"Is that a confession of love, Leader?"

The room didn’t laugh — they weren’t sure if she was joking.

But I saw the glint in her eye.

She was.

Mostly.

"Don’t flatter yourself," I muttered.

"But I’m flattered anyway," she said with a smirk, twisting slightly on the ball so her legs crossed — smooth and practised, like she was still waiting for me to say more.

Old Zhou let out a grunt behind me.

"You assigning wives or soldiers, kid?"

"Both," I said plainly.

The room went quiet for a moment.

Then Jiang Roulan, arms folded, ever regal, cleared her throat.

"If the meeting’s over, I’ll begin planning tomorrow’s ration split with Zhou Xue. We’ll need access to whatever records the system keeps on stored inventory."

"It’s all in the terminal in the common room. I’ve granted you interface access."

She gave me the faintest smile.

A professional one. But I still felt it.

"Dismissed," I said finally, and people began to move.

As the room cleared, I called out, "Bring Wen Qiming and the university group in."

Deng Hua saluted — a little too enthusiastically — and jogged off toward the adjacent hall.

Now it was time to test them.

To see what kind of steel was hiding under all that campus rust.

Shen Yifei and Jiang Roulan remained in the room for a few moments, maybe waiting for everyone to leave, but Tang Wei didn’t go either—she seemed amused by the comment about me assigning wives.

’Damn Old Zhou!’

Shen Yifei stretched, twisting her spine until it popped.

"Wives, huh?" she said lazily. "Guess that makes you the jealous husband type."

"Only if my wives dare to flirt with another man," I muttered, not looking at her.

"Then you’re safe," she said, smirking. "Because I only flirt with you."

"Then don’t bring home more strays," Jiang Roulan cut in flatly, stepping beside me with her arms crossed. "We’re full."

I glanced sideways.

Her tone was a little playful.

But her eyes were not.

Tang Wei, leaning against the frame of the nearby door, chuckled low. "So this is the command team?" she said, arms folded.

"One strategist, one wild cat, and a jealous, tyrant?"

"Don’t forget yourself," I said.

"Oh, I’m not part of your wives club," she shot back. "I’m the one training them not to die."

"That’s what makes you attractive," Yifei said, flicking her a wink.

Tang Wei raised one brow. "I eat kittens like you for breakfast."

Yifei twirled her spear. "You’ll choke on me."

Tang Wei snorted, but she didn’t seem annoyed or irritated as her fleeting gaze crossed mine, and her lips curled into a smirk. "I like this group."

I sighed.

These girls weren’t the only ones driving me crazy.

"I’ll start assigning bunks based on sarcasm level if this keeps up."

Before they could fire off more jabs, Deng Hua returned, slightly breathless, ushering in the university group behind him.

"Leader," he said. "They’re ready."

Wen Qiming stepped in first, calm, shoulders squared, but his gaze flicked across the room like he was reading a battlefield.

Behind him, the others followed in a tight line — each visibly out of place in the playful mood that we created, I noticed Old Zhou fiddling in the boxes, and somehow found some cigars... but he seemed to be a ’my pace’ type of old man.

But the students tried their best to have a serious atmosphere.

I activated the System Scan.

Most of them would be useful in the long run, but right now, they were a work in progress. Wen Qiming was promising, but I couldn’t do so.

As the data scrolled in my vision, I watched them line up.

Still ragged. Still uncertain.

But I’d seen worse.

Wen Qiming took a single step forward. "We’re ready to contribute. Whatever way you see fit."

I nodded slowly.

"Good," I said. "Then let’s see what kind of people our university can raise."

The group lined up near the back wall, shoulder to shoulder, eyes darting between me, Tang Wei, and Jiang Roulan.

Wen Qiming stepped forward first.

"Wen Qiming," he said, voice clear. "Mechanical engineering, third year. I led the dormitory defense unit when the breach happened. We lost twenty-seven people in forty minutes. Got six out."

He didn’t puff up his chest. Didn’t dramatise it.

He just said it.

And stepped back.

Beside him, a girl with short-cropped black hair and arms like she used to compete professionally shifted forward next.

"Lin Mengfei," she said. "Judo team. Minor in teaching PE. Broke a guy’s jaw the first night the infected showed up. Don’t talk much. Don’t panic, either."

She stepped back.

Zhang Yating took her place with a small, anxious smile. Her dyed auburn ponytail bounced slightly as she moved.

"Zhang Yating. Fashion design. I’m not good at fighting, but I don’t freeze up. I can sew, patch clothes, and... I’m a decent cook, if that still matters."

Shen Yifei tilted her head slightly at that.

"It does," Roulan said before I could.

Huang Deyun stepped up, pushing his round glasses up his nose.

"Huang Deyun. Chemistry major. I’ve made stabilisers, firebombs, and a half-working filter for bad water. If I have ingredients, I can improvise most things... but I’d rather be in the backline."

His voice was soft. But his words were sharp.

He backed off.

Then came a heavy-set guy with cropped hair and thick forearms. The kind of guy who still looked like he belonged in a gym, not a bunker.

"Zhao Ke," he said, scratching the side of his jaw. "Wrestling team. Second-year. Not a genius, but I’ve held the line more than once."

He grinned faintly.

"And I’m good with kids. They listen to me."

Old Zhou raised an eyebrow at that, impressed.

A petite girl with a scarf wrapped twice around her neck stepped up next. Oval glasses. Soft voice.

"Shen Huali. Literature major. I... don’t do much damage, but I don’t hesitate. I’m not afraid of blood."

She bowed her head slightly and stepped back.

Then came the thin boy with eyes too old for his age. He carried a broken laptop under his arm like it was still sacred.

"Qiu Nansheng. Computer science. I used to design databases. Now I decrypt logs. And I’ve been cataloguing infected behavior patterns since week two."

His voice was even.

But his stare was clinical.

I liked that.

Last was a wiry young man with sharp cheekbones and a wild energy behind his eyes. He stepped forward almost cockily.

"Li Fangzhou. Track and field. Fastest guy in three provinces. Still am, far as I know."

He tapped the chair leg slung across his back.

"I fight like I run — fast, hard, and no second tries."

He grinned.

And that was it.

Eight new bodies.

Eight wild cards.

I crossed my arms, letting the silence drag for a few seconds. Behind me, Tang Wei and Roulan were already scanning the group like picking names from a file.

They weren’t weak.

Just green.

Now it was time to decide what to do with them.