Semua Bab The Apocalypse Hoarder: Bab 461 - Bab 470

The overhead lights dimmed as they moved down the corridor, flickering at uneven intervals.The exhausted students turned pale.Thankfully, the walk did not last much longer. The woman led them into a massive work hall.When the doors swung open, a vast underground cavern stretched before them. The ceiling rose ten feet high, and the space spanned well over ten thousand square feet.The instant the doors opened, a steady creak filled the air.Ilyana and the students froze in shock. Bicycles covered the floor in long, bolted rows. More than 1,000 people pedaled without pause.From a distance, the scene resembled an enormous gym. Up close, it felt entirely different. The riders' faces were blank and stiff. They looked utterly drained. No one smiled. No one stopped."What are they doing?" a wealthy girl whispered.The woman glanced at the group, then fixed her gaze on Ilyana."This is where you'll be working. You'll generate electricity for the base. These bicycles are generators

Ilyana and the students worked a full day before they were permitted to rest.By nightfall, they understood the outline of their new reality. Wake-up came at six. They had 30 minutes to wash and report for mandatory group activities. Only after that did they receive food.Their job was to pedal stationary bikes to generate power. Each bike had a meter that tracked output. If you failed to meet your quota, your food would be reduced.No one stood over them shouting. The numbers did the job. To meet the minimum requirement, an adult had to pedal for 8 continuous hours.Those 8 hours did not include breaks or meals. Once rest time came out of the schedule, almost the entire day disappeared into the bike. Eat, sleep, attend group sessions, pedal, repeat.The food never changed. They received the same protein paste every day. The staff called it a high-tech meal replacement, minimal in volume and packed with calories.The schedule ran six days on and one day off. Off-days rotated. The

The resources the lower sectors did not dare imagine lay within easy reach of the top.Ark Sector Two housed Magnus' inner circle, the loyalists who had followed him from the beginning, along with top-tier specialists, such as scientists and doctors. They did not enjoy the luxury of Sector One, but they had warmth, privacy, and real food on their tables.Ark Sector Three belonged to the armed forces. More than 1,000 soldiers guarded West Ridge, and every one of them was elite. Their training was rigorous, their equipment state of the art, their combat experience unmatched in Volaris City's history. Their living conditions ranked just below those of Sector Two. Food and supplies remained stable, so they did not worry about daily survival.Ark Sector Four was where Ilyana and the students had been placed. The people there offered little strategic value and paid with their bodies. Their primary roles were power generation and menial labor. This sector survived at the lowest tier, with

The outcome was always the same. No matter how often you warned yourself that it was indoctrination, that it was psychological conditioning, your mind and body would still adapt to the environment.Once they adapted, leaving grew far more difficult. That was why so many highly educated people, university students, and respected professionals had fallen into scams they once believed were beneath them.'Using this to manage the lower tiers, huh?' Ilyana thought.She drew a slow breath as she understood the mechanism. She could not stop it. The herd effect spared no one.She led the students forward. At the woman's instruction, they introduced themselves one by one."Next is our daily morning assembly," the woman announced. "Who's hosting today?"A middle-aged woman raised her hand. "I am.""Good. Then let's begin."The supervisor did not leave. She stepped into the front row and stood among the others.The host walked up with easy confidence. A satisfied smile spread across her

Animals were often more reliable than people. Earn their trust, and they became the most dependable muscle anyone could ask for.Maybe it helped that, last time, Cyrus had ordered Thorgan to step in and break up the fight between Buttercup and Ilyana. The cat must have sensed that goodwill as its attitude toward him had warmed ever since.That afternoon, Cyrus crouched by the doorway with a large food bowl set in front of him. He had piled it high with cat treats and premium kibble, and he had laid two fresh fish across the top.A short distance away, Buttercup had returned to its normal size. It tore into the food without pause. No cat could resist treat sticks. They were legendary bait, especially for strays.Cyrus smiled. "Buttercup, I've been feeding you for a week now. You've eaten a lot of my food. That makes you my cat. Come home with me, yeah?""Mrrrow…" Buttercup glanced up, narrowed its eyes, then lowered its head and continued eating."If you come back with me, you can