Chapter 41: You Have Great Potential

Reserving 14 slots was because, aside from Lu Qingyun and the Yang brothers, Sen and Lin, there were 14 other individuals in the Chihuo Safe Zone who possessed strong potential for supernatural power awakening.

Among these 14 people, after filtering out those with a history of misdeeds and those capable of resisting mental corruption, it was uncertain how many would actually remain.

According to the illustrated guide's prompts, the stronger the potential, the more dangerous the process of awakening supernatural powers.

In Tang Miao's view, supernatural powers were essentially still a form of mental energy, merely manifesting in different shapes.

Tang Miao hoped to bring them into the farm before they awakened, assist them in successfully awakening, train them from the ground up, and build a farm security team composed entirely of ability users.

The people in the open space were brawling fiercely for the food in front of them, with only a tiny minority paying any attention to Tang Miao's shouts.

Enduring their hunger, they stood properly to the side, looking up toward Tang Miao's direction.

There were six people in total, among whom two had the potential for supernatural awakening.

Li Yong brought the six individuals up and prepared extra food for them.

"Boss Tang, do you want all six of these people? If you're certain, shall we sign the contract then?"

"No rush, we still need to pick a bit more."

Hearing Tang Miao's words, all six of them stopped chewing.

"Boss Tang, I am strong and sturdy, and I can endure hardship! I can do any kind of work on the farm!"

"I'm a veterinarian, I'm a veterinarian! I can treat sick livestock!"

"Boss Tang..."

"Alright, alright, alright!" Tang Miao signaled for them to quiet down. "You can eat in peace now, and free up one hand for me to take your pulse so I can check your specific physical condition."

The little cub in her arms tilted its head. Eh? When did Mom learn how to take a pulse?

Tang Miao began to take the first person's pulse. Out of curiosity, the cub mimicked the gesture, placing its ashen-grey fingertips onto the person's wrist.

Fortunately, the oversized cloak was wide enough, revealing only the very tips of the cub's fingers, hiding any abnormalities.

Li Yong narrowed his eyes, unable to fathom Tang Miao's intentions. "How is it, Boss Tang? How many do you want?"

"The short-haired girl is definitely coming with us. The veterinarian and the person next to her with half a broken arm are pending. The other three, I definitely don't want."

The expressions of the three who were not chosen shifted instantly instantly.

"What do you mean? Why aren't you picking us? How are we any worse than that bitch?!"

"That's right! We have hands and feet, we work much more efficiently than them!"

The cub reached out to cover its ears. So noisy.

Tang Miao also frowned as she looked at Li Yong, who understood and ordered people to drag them away forcefully.

Among the remaining three, the short-haired girl stared blankly at Tang Miao, unable to believe she had actually been chosen.

Meanwhile, the veterinarian asked cautiously, "Boss Tang, may I ask what 'pending' means?"

"You just barely crossed the passing line in my mind. If you are still around to be seen the day I leave, you'll have one more chance to persuade me to take you with me."

In truth, their supernatural awakening talent was insufficient, but for the month or so since the apocalypse arrived, they had not deliberately committed evil.

In the safe zone, they had managed to retain their basic human sanity and avoided mental corruption, which was why Tang Miao was willing to give them another chance.

Li Yong rubbed his chin. "I can arrange a place to settle the pending ones, but... this is an extra addition, so you'll have to pay a bit more. Not much, just 10 chickens, 10 ducks, and 10 geese each."

"Very well, just add it to the contract."

To further distinguish the selected individuals from the others, Tang Miao gave the short-haired girl a green badge, while the pending individuals received a red badge.

She also reminded Li Yong that the armed personnel in their safe zone had the obligation to protect those wearing the badges.

The two pending individuals were led away, clutching the badges tightly in their hands as they left.

For the next two days, this badge would be their talisman in the safe zone.

Li Yong narrowed his eyes and pondered for a long time before finally asking, "Are you really sure about choosing this woman?"

"Is there a problem with her?"

"Tch." Li Yong stood up and walked around the girl. "It's just that she has quite a few clients. I don't know about her health condition; if something goes wrong after she enters the farm, I take zero responsibility."

Tang Miao fell silent for a few seconds and told Li Yong to step aside so she could question her alone.

Only the two of them remained on the small balcony. The girl's eyes turned red as she kept her gaze fixed on the ground, not daring to look up.

Tang Miao put the cub in her arms down, letting it play by the French windows.

"What is your name?"

The girl's voice was timid: "W-Wang Jiahuan."

Tang Miao took the girl's hand, silently channeling mental energy to heal her, and asked nonchalantly, "Do you want to kill them?"

Wang Jiahuan froze, jerking her head up to meet Tang Miao's resolute gaze.

"Remember what they look like. Don't forget a single one. Bring their corpses back to the farm to feed the mushrooms later."

Tang Miao raised a hand to wipe away Wang Jiahuan's overflowing tears, continuing, "You have great potential, and you're bound to achieve great things in the future. Trust me, and trust yourself."

Wang Jiahuan bit her lip, holding back her tears, and nodded heavily.

Li Yong arranged for someone to escort Wang Jiahuan to find Lu Qingyun. Upon returning to the small balcony, he asked Tang Miao with a smile, "What did you say to her? You made her cry."

Tang Miao didn't answer, steering the topic elsewhere instead. "The sun is setting. Let's continue tomorrow, and those people in the open space don't need to be gathered here tomorrow."

"Alright. Before you rest, let's sign the paperwork first. As for Wang Jiahuan, since she has some personal shortcomings, I'll charge a bit less: just 8 chickens, 8 ducks, and 8 geese each, 5 catties of pork, 100 catties of vegetables, and 5 catties of fruit. How does that sound?"

"And then there's the hazard pay for my men protecting the badge-holders; that needs a bit added as well."

Tang Miao agreed to all of it. After signing, she casually asked, "Where is Lin悦?"

"Didn't she go with Yang Sen to visit some of her old friends? What, do we need to provide extra protection for her too? That means the reward goes up again."

"Fine. Just leave a door unlocked for her tonight during your watch so she can get back upstairs safely."

Li Yong agreed with a nod, smiling cheerfully as he walked away with the contract in hand, scoffing quietly once he got downstairs.

Tang Miao was an absolute fool; she was still trading supplies just to keep Lin悦 safe.

Meanwhile, Lin悦 was running around spreading the rumor that Tang Miao possessed a spatial storage item, and whoever got their hands on it could become the boss of the farm.

"How is it, Boss? If you ask me, we should just make a move on her! It's just her and one stinking kid, can't we even handle that?"

Li Yong shot the man a sidelong glance. "What do you know? If she didn't have a trump card, would she dare come to the safe zone all by herself?"

"Then is what Lin悦 said true or false? There's a new version going around just now: Tang Miao has a secret shopping mall inside the pendant on her neck, where you can buy things with points and whatnot."

Li Yong's eyes flickered. "It's probably true. There's no shortage of people in the safe zone plotting against her; let others test out her hand first."

What genuinely worried Li Yong was that child whose eyes were the only visible part from start to finish—he had never seen him at the farm before.

With so many people on the farm to act as helpers, Tang Miao had deliberately chosen the most useless one to bring to the safe zone. It was suspicious.

"Did Lin悦 say anything about what's up with that kid?"

"She didn't mention it."

Li Yong let out a hiss, turning over Lin悦's intentions in spreading the news everywhere.

Within minutes, he had guessed seven or eight parts of it, which instead made him even more certain that the child was not simple.

It was highly likely that Lin悦 was inciting everyone to make a move on Tang Miao so that she could seize the opportunity to snatch the pendant in secret. By leaving out the child, she was probably worried others would be deterred.

Could it be... just like his own son?