"Quentin, there are quite a few people in your gathering place, and you have also witnessed the harm that good people suddenly turning into zombies can cause to the gathering place!"
Quentin nodded, not quite understanding why Elijah brought this up.
"I can give you another piece of information: Awakened ones don't have the sudden corpse-changing issue," Elijah chuckled lightly. "That's why you only recruit Awakened ones..."
Quentin understood.
"Elijah, may I ask how many people are in your gathering?" a young man who had spoken earlier asked.
"What's your name?" Elijah inquired.
"Zachary! Just call me Zachary," he replied.
"Well, there aren't many of us, just eighteen people," Elijah said.
"Hiss!" Zachary and the others beside him gasped. Eighteen people meant, according to Elijah's criteria, eighteen Awakened ones! And they didn't have to worry about turning into corpses.
With such strength, survival in the apocalypse would be a breeze. They could even dominate the region.
Zachary and the others looked at Elijah with newfound admiration. Unfortunately, they didn't meet Elijah's recruitment conditions and couldn't receive his help, leaving them feeling deeply disappointed.
"Elijah..." Quentin envied their situation and wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
Suddenly, Fiona spoke up. "Elijah, it's not impossible to make them part of our group."
Quentin and the others looked at Fiona in surprise, their hopes reignited.
"How so?" Elijah nodded slightly, appreciating Fiona's suggestion.
"Think of it like starting a company. They can become our wholly-owned subsidiary. We won't interfere with their operations, just maintain a hierarchical relationship on paper. What do you think?" Fiona proposed with a smile.
"What does that entail?" Quentin asked eagerly.
"Just like forming an alliance in a martial arts novel. We are the leaders, able to request unity on certain matters but not interfere with the operations of their factions," Fiona explained.
Quentin and his companions understood easily through these examples. They exchanged glances, seeing the excitement in each other's eyes, then turned to Quentin.
"We have no objections, Elijah, or should I say, Boss..." Quentin and the others looked at Elijah expectantly.
The zombie wasn't at their usual gathering spot, but it wasn't far either. If they didn't deal with it, it would expose them every time they entered or left.
Elijah took out his binoculars and took a distant look.
He saw that where the mutant zombie lingered, there were many zombie corpses piled up from Quentin's previous cleanups.
What could hold back a mutant zombie, preventing it from pursuing even the corpse cores? Elijah's mind raced with possibilities.
"Could there be spirit plants?" he wondered aloud, unable to think of any other explanation.
"Boss, what's our next move?" Quentin looked to Elijah.
"Let's get closer again," Elijah replied. Despite his suspicions, he wasn't completely certain yet and wanted a closer look.
So they advanced further. The mutant zombie clearly noticed them this time but didn't charge.
Instead, it paced more restlessly nearby, occasionally roaring in their direction, seemingly trying to intimidate them into leaving.
These behaviors of the mutant zombie only strengthened Elijah's belief that there were spirit plants there.
"What's going on?" Quentin noticed something was off too. "Before, this zombie would have torn us apart at sight. Why the restraint now?"
Fiona observed Elijah's noticeably excited expression and whispered, "Do you know what's going on?"
"There are spirit plants there," Elijah whispered back.
"Really? That complicates things," Fiona replied softly.
In an instant, Elijah understood Fiona's concern.
Such abnormal behavior from the mutant zombie would raise questions, especially for Quentin and his crew who had been chased by it before.
If they discovered spirit plants near the mutant zombie, they would undoubtedly have doubts. After all, they had helped Elijah gather them previously and even traded for one.
"No worries, we'll tell them the truth about spirit plants when we find them, and compensate them. Even if they got theirs first, one person's awakening in exchange is worth two for us. Anyone would agree with that calculation!" Elijah reassured.
"I'm just afraid they might try cultivating them secretly next time," Fiona frowned.
"Let them try. I'll tell you, besides Bella's ability, I haven't seen anything that can make spirit plants propagate or regenerate," Elijah said confidently.
Relieved by Elijah's certainty, Fiona nodded. They exchanged a few more whispered words, while Quentin assumed they were strategizing.