Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System novel Chapter 277

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"So why haven't you been promoted? You look like you've been here a while," said Julian.

Lyle sat back down on his bed and smiled to himself, "Because I haven't given up on my morals. I've never been an exceptionally good man, but things like kidnapping young women or stealing food from the elderly weren't ever my cup of tea."

Julian watched him silently, understanding his decision.

"You're a good man," he said after a brief silence.

"Haha, if only more people would remain 'good, ' maybe we'd have a chance at getting out of here," laughed Lyle.

Noticing Julian's frown, he chuckled once more, "Let me tell you now. More than half--no, I'm willing to bet over ninety percent of these people you came here with will join them willingly."

"How long?" asked Julian.

Lyle looked at him with surprise before a big smile bloomed on his face, "Smart man. Initially, they starve you for almost a week. Then it becomes more or less frequent depending on how the training goes. Good dogs get treats, while those who don't listen get to starve."

Julian nodded. This wasn't surprising to him. In order to gain loyalty fast, creating a sense of desperation before rewarding certain behaviors was a relatively effective strategy.

"Plus, it prevents rebellions by weakening us," he said after a brief pause.

Lyle nodded, "Though usually by the time that happens, most of the recruits have already been converted.

Julian finally took a seat on the bed. "Well, what happens next? How long do we wait before they 'train' us?"

"Depends. It's different each time. You guys are the first ones to arrive. By the end of the day, this place will be filled up," replied Lyle.

Julian nodded. Their settlement must have finished getting raided before the other teams. Some people might even be getting tested as they spoke.

"Follow me to your new place, ladies," the female leader said as she sauntered down the hallway.

Rayne quietly followed behind with the other frightened young women, quietly observing the surroundings.

The first thing she noticed was that the hallways were very wide, which was surprising for something that was built so far underground.

Everything was simply decorated, and there were many doors along the way.

After a few minutes of walking, they were led into a large room with pink decorations.

"You ladies are lucky to have been born pretty. This room is for you to stay during your training, and trust me, it's much nicer than the other dorm rooms."

The leader walked around, smiling. The smile, however, felt overly pretentious and made the girls feel even more uncomfortable.

She gave everyone some time to observe the room before speaking again.

"Okay, ladies. I want all of the virgins to form a group to the side. You'll be going through a longer training period than the rest," she said, snapping her fingers.

Slowly, the small group they had split into two even smaller groups. Rayne remained with the first group, which only consisted of two other women.