This vast project had conscripted most of the able-bodied young male refugees. The women, meanwhile, handled the construction site’s logistics—things like cleaning, laundry, cooking, and providing physical relief to ease the day’s fatigue.

This was practically the best option for the lowest-class refugees.

Following the great tide of escapees, many of them would die on the road. Some would starve from malnutrition, others would be left behind after losing their transportation, and far too many would meet unnatural ends.

Only those who had experienced it could truly understand the hardships and darkness of the journey.

Even if they were lucky enough to reach a safe zone, they’d be put through the wringer, ending up penniless and homeless on the streets.

Thus, the significance of building the bunker defense line included this work-for-relief program to save the refugees.

Furthermore, a large portion of the million workers who stayed behind could participate in the battle for Wu City on the spot, providing logistical support to the soldiers inside the bunkers.

This included tasks like transporting ammunition and rescuing the wounded.

The high command of the Thirteenth Division believed that most of the young people among them, inspired by a call to duty—and especially by the upcoming propaganda film—would eagerly rush to the recruitment office to enlist.

They would personally take part in this war to save humanity.

This gradual approach, sweetened with a few incentives and empty promises, was far more effective than forced conscription.

Otherwise, the Thirteenth Division’s high command would never have agreed to let an actress come to the front lines, let alone dispatch an Awakener squad specifically to protect her.

Even if Jiang Yun’er had a powerful background in the Federal Capital, her influence couldn’t possibly reach the Thirteenth Division, thousands of miles away.

Especially with survival on the line, the status of front-line commanders with real power was growing ever higher.

So, Lin Feng knew he couldn’t get rid of this problem for the time being.

Jiang Yun’er’s presence wasn’t just about her own influence on public opinion. More importantly, it was backed by the will of the Thirteenth Division’s high command, and perhaps even the entire Federation Army.

It was so important that even Qin Hu had to swallow his pride and repeatedly plead with him for help.

He couldn’t refuse the protection mission, but that didn’t mean Lin Feng would indulge them.

He just couldn’t act himself—at least, not openly.

Once those paparazzi had it out for him, there was no telling how many disgusting rumors they would fabricate.

Their mouths could call black white, and they much preferred calling white black.

Therefore, Lin Feng needed people who had no connection to him but whom he could probably trust.

As he was observing and thinking, the construction workers at the nearby bunker site caught his attention.

Lin Feng spotted a few familiar faces: it was Shen Jie, along with his group of young students.

They were all over sixteen but hadn’t graduated high school yet. Coupled with their low Enhancement Levels, the Administration Bureau hadn’t recruited them.

With nowhere else to go, these people had joined this massive project after getting some benefits from following Lin Feng, and now they had appeared before him once again.

’It must be a special kind of fate.’

So, Lin Feng decided to give them another leg up.

He would see what price they were willing to pay to live with dignity.

Slowly rolling up the window, Lin Feng looked at the panel before him. After gaining two consecutive Levels, he was now Lv. 16. He was just a few Evolution Points for his Machine Cannon away from Tier One Late Stage.

[Lin Feng, Lv. 16/19]

[Life Value 120, Physique 119, Spirit 118]

His Lv. 16 Machine Cannon had 6/8 Upgrade Points. He only needed to kill two more Black Spine Zergs to achieve a small breakthrough and gain new Extra Attributes.

That was why Lin Feng had planned to keep two Black Spine Zergs alive. By finishing them off at the service area, he could also obtain two pairs of Giant Mandibles, which was much safer than dealing with them deep in Zerg Race territory.

The Machine Cannon’s current firepower was so overwhelming that it was far faster to kill the Black Spine Zergs outright than to carefully cut away and extract their Giant Mandibles.

But now, the appearance of these uninvited guests made it difficult for Lin Feng to act freely.

He had intended to kill the two Black Spine Zergs to Upgrade his Lv. 16 Machine Cannon while also gathering the tenth pair of Giant Mandibles for the Armored RV’s fusion modification.

Under the current circumstances, he absolutely could not reveal the existence of live Zergs.

But Lin Feng wouldn’t allow these paparazzi to slow down his planned Upgrade progress.

Beside him, Chen Yanyan also saw the situation outside and felt more and more that Lin Feng had been absolutely right. She couldn’t help but start to worry.

Lin Feng squeezed her hand, signaling for her to relax. He would take care of it.

......

The Armored RV’s windows had a double layer of screening mesh, and behind their cover, no one could see Lin Feng’s face clearly.

But Shen Jie and the others on the distant construction site knew exactly who was in that vehicle. It was the very reason they had volunteered for a transfer to the service area.

This outpost wasn’t part of the main battlefield, nor was it connected to the three defense lines; it was an auxiliary project outside the main fortifications. Consequently, not only was the pay a tier lower, but there was also no direct channel to join the army.

That’s right. With enough recruits on hand, the Thirteenth Division was now playing at hunger marketing, tightening recruitment numbers and adding all sorts of restrictions.

Priority was given to those who had served before, to university students, and to those under forty.

Most importantly, the hardest workers on the construction site could enlist directly and be sent to the rear for training. Not only were all their living expenses covered, but they also received a stipend.

In reality, there was no conflict of interest. Joining the army meant fighting the Zerg Race from within the fortress, and to survive, the defense line had to be impregnable.

If anyone on the site dared to slack off, their own comrades would be the first to come down on them.

The person who devised these rules was brilliant, but for Shen Jie and his friends, these rules were like an insurmountable wall.

Due to their age, they weren’t fully developed and were naturally weaker than adults in their twenties. After a sedentary high school life, they were all in a sub-healthy state and simply couldn’t handle the grueling manual labor of the construction site.

Especially since the people around them saw them as young and easy to bully, all the dirty, exhausting, and dangerous tasks were assigned to them.

Because Shen Jie himself had an Enhancement Level of Lv. 3, the foremen didn’t dare push him too far. But many of the companions who came with him were already injured or had collapsed from exhaustion, leaving them bedridden.

Recently, at night, the way these men looked at the girls in the camp was becoming increasingly aggressive.

Shen He knew that if they just waited for their doom, their small group, huddled together for warmth, would sooner or later fall apart.

He had discussed it with Zhang Liying and they decided to apply for a transfer here to the service area to find another way out.

Of course, their purpose in coming here wasn’t to work themselves to death on a construction site, but to find that powerful Awakener and see if he might help them out again.

After all, the memory of Lin Feng’s power was deeply etched into every one of their minds.

Now, witnessing the triumphant return of that Armored RV with their own eyes, the excitement in their hearts was impossible to contain. Their gazes, full of reverence, lingered for a long, long time.

This lasted until the site foreman called the few of them aside.

The group thought they had been caught slacking and were about to get a tongue-lashing. They never expected the man—a former contractor from Hai City with a face full of pockmarks—to flash an ugly smile.

"You lot have met a benefactor."

"See that over there?"

Shen He looked up. The foreman was pointing at the former Administration Bureau office—the very place that had rejected them.

"A big shot over there needs a group of young people."

"Go try your luck. It’s better than suffering here. I hear you’ve been enhanced three times. You’re somebody. What are you doing staying here?"

Chewing on a betel nut, the foreman spat a thick glob of phlegm. Having completed the task that woman had given him, he left.

Shen Jie and the others looked at each other, then, half-believing and half-doubting, they started walking. With anxious hearts, they arrived at the hotel entrance.

They patted the dust and mud from their hands and wiped their grimy faces as best they could before stepping inside.

Immediately, they saw the woman from the recruitment office sitting at a desk, talking on the phone.

Seeing the young men and women, Han Yuxin waved the pen in her hand, signaling for them to wait a moment.

A moment later, after she had finished contacting and informing Hu Fei, she hung up the phone, slowly rose, and led Shen He and his group to the former recruitment registration area.

Here, besides filling out forms with basic information, they also had to go through an interview.

Of course, this was just a screening process for Low-level Enhanced People. For an Awakener like Lin Feng, it was a simple matter of a single word, and Han Yuxin would even have to proactively handle the paperwork for him.

The familiar interview setting made Shen Jie and the others tense up again. This might be a precious opportunity, but if they were rejected again, the already worried group would surely plunge into despair.

"Don’t be nervous. This isn’t a hiring interview for the Administration Bureau. It’s for a special appointment."

"Think of it as being a temp worker who’s off the books, but the pay and benefits are the same."

"So, are you interested?"

Han Yuxin recalled Lin Feng’s instructions and revealed a faint smile.

Shen He, their leader, nodded and swallowed hard.

"Good. For the following questions, I hope you will answer and choose truthfully. Don’t lie or embellish."

"First thing."

"Have you ever killed anyone?"