Chapter 19: Activating the Tower of Babel, Establishing Authority through Bloodshed

𝗜'𝗺 𝘂𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 10-20 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗞𝗼-𝗙𝗜. 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲! 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗸𝘆𝗼𝘂!!

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Ye Zi'an signaled for everyone to quiet down and then waved his left hand. Suddenly, an eight-sided tower, seemingly without a top, materialized in the central area of the fortress.

Ye Zi'an sensed the interior of the Tower of Babel.

Though only the first level was activated, the height of this level reached twenty meters, with the staircase leading up shrouded in thick mist.

The Tower of Babel inexplicably captivated the attention of those around, instilling a sense of submission and deterring any thoughts of rebellion against Ye Zi'an.

[Congratulations on activating the first level of the Tower of Babel. Current controlled population: 0/4. Within the tower's range, all survivors gain +10 favorability, with gradual daily increases in favorability.]

[Second level activation task: Kill one hundred zombies. Upon activation of the second level of the Tower of Babel, additional control population +2, and four training rooms will be unlocked, each capable of accommodating 20 people for training.]

With the Tower of Babel finally activated, Ye Zi'an silently recited the names of Su Wei, Lin Qianqian, Anna, and Huizi.

Four faint blue energy streams, visible only to Ye Zi'an, shot from the tower and connected to the four women.

[Mental connection established. The host's requests cannot be refused by the four.]

Unbeknownst to her, Su Wei felt a strange shyness wash over her as she looked at Ye Zi'an, and Lin Qianqian's gaze softened as well, the previous hatred in her eyes fading away.

Meanwhile, Anna and Huizi, who had initially planned to flee the country, suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to stay permanently by Ye Zi'an's side.

This was, of course, the effect of the Tower of Babel.

The sudden appearance of a tall tower, inexplicable by scientific means, stirred the curiosity of everyone present.

"From now on, I am the master of this fortress. As long as you obey me, you can live here as you did before the apocalypse and increase your strength."

Natural disasters, social upheavals, and changing dynasties have always been the easiest ways to manipulate people's hearts, especially as Ye Zi'an had genuinely built this fortress before the apocalypse and now conjured this Tower of Babel out of thin air.

Pointing outside the fortress, he continued to entice them, "A zombie crisis has erupted outside, and human civilization is no more. You have one night to consider whether to stay or leave. Those who remain must unconditionally obey my every command. During this time, no one is allowed to open the gates without permission. Violators will be killed without mercy."

Ye Zi'an's previous actions, coupled with the additional +10 favorability from the Tower of Babel, left the two hundred people with little resistance.

However, Ye Zi'an had already instructed Anna and Huizi that anyone who tried to leave the fortress tomorrow would be killed outside.

Most of the inhabitants were women, and if news were to leak, it could cause significant trouble.

Though Ye Zi'an was not afraid, he did not want to waste time dealing with such issues.

As the fortress lights flickered back on, a few nearby survivors, drawn by the light, rushed to the fortress gates, begging for help.

Ye Zi'an stood atop the walls, coldly observing the scene below. The searchlights illuminated the area as bright as day.

Several bloodied youths pounded on the fortress gates.

"Please, open the door and save us!"

Not far away, a dozen zombies were gradually approaching, and the situation looked dire.

Before Ye Zi'an could speak, a few overly compassionate office workers began searching for the gate's opening mechanism.

One of the girls spotted a button on the castle tower and instinctively reached to press it, attempting to open the gate.

However, the gate's switch required a password, and no matter how desperately she pressed, she could not unlock it.

Ye Zi'an watched all of this unfold. It was time to establish his authority.

A balance of reward and punishment was the best method for a leader.

In the next moment, Ye Zi'an approached the girl, seizing her throat with his left hand and lifting her off the ground. Coldly, he said, "I just said that no one is allowed to open the gates. Do you think I'm joking with you?"

The girl dangled helplessly, her feet kicking as her throat was constricted, turning red from asphyxiation, as if she were about to suffocate any second.

An invisible aura of killing intent emanated from Ye Zi'an, causing several already frightened onlookers to collapse to the ground.

Ye Zi'an's gaze swept across the crowd, which was filled with expressions of compliance and fear, and he harshly declared, "Since you want to save them so badly, I'll send you down to keep them company."

Ye Zi'an moved to the edge of the wall and released his grip, throwing the woman off the rampart.

He would not allow anyone in his fortress to defy him; it was simply bad luck for her.

The other women looking for the button felt relieved, thinking they were lucky it wasn't them who pressed it.

From a height of over twenty meters, the woman's body arced through the air, landing squarely on the group of survivors before the gate.

She did not die instantly but lay there groaning in pain, shocked that Ye Zi'an actually threw her down. Regret, pain, and fear surged through her.

Her body felt as if it were falling apart; even slight movements sent excruciating pain shooting through her limbs and into her head, rendering her unable to move.

The survivors at the gate suddenly twisted their limbs at unnatural angles, their eyes turning red as they stared at the woman's body, baring their teeth as they slowly approached her.

The pain kept the woman's mind alert as she watched the survivors she had wanted to save morph into grotesque figures, now menacingly closing in on her.

In a panic, she tried to scream for help, but her vision was blurred by the blood pooling on her forehead, and her throat could only produce faint whimpers.

From all directions, dozens of zombies were attracted by the commotion, along with the four or five newly turned zombies, beginning to tear at the woman's flesh.

The gruesome scene made some survivors atop the walls tremble in fear, gripping the battlements to keep from collapsing. A faint smell of blood filled the air, and pools of yellowish liquid formed on the ground, with occasional sounds of retching among the crowd as many vomited up what they had eaten that evening.

Only the female soldiers managed to hold up somewhat better.

"Next time someone tries to open the gates without permission, this will be their fate."

As the zombies finished feeding, they sensed the commotion atop the walls.

The numerous zombies began banging against the sturdy gates, trying to break into the fortress for another feast.

Their sharp claws scraped against the gate, producing a screeching sound, accompanied by their relentless growls.

What had once been a crowd of over two hundred people now left only a few retired female soldiers on the walls, while the office workers, aided by some soldiers, mostly fled the battlements, leaving only a few pale-faced individuals staring at Ye Zi'an.

Zhao Wanrong, suppressing her fear, quickly organized the remaining people on the walls to find weapons to deal with the zombies below.

Ye Zi'an didn't expect everyone to be as capable as special forces. For the office workers, he only required them to have some self-defense capabilities; their main task would still be to ensure the fortress's logistical support.

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𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗞𝗼-𝗙𝗶 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 40+ 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: 

𝗞𝗼-𝗙𝗶.𝗰𝗼𝗺/𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗢𝗳𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿