20: Recruitment
Yang Kaishan took the Starlight Blade thrown to him, his gaze falling on the several hideous cracks on the blade.
This weapon, which had followed him for nearly ten years, evidently could not withstand the extreme impact just now, and ultimately, cracks appeared.
He was about to speak when suddenly his eyes went black, and he fainted outright.
The only doctor present immediately reacted—it was syncope caused by excessive blood loss.
He hurriedly gestured to two young men to carry Yang Kaishan away. Just then, two more nurses rushed out of the mall, carrying a stretcher and hurrying over, signaling the young men to help place the injured person onto the stretcher to stop the bleeding.
Mao Tu silently followed at the rear of the group.
Speaking of why so many people had gathered inside the mall,
besides the customers who were originally stranded, most were people from Yuehai Community whom his main body had previously disguised as officials and gathered here.
When Yang Kaishan was carried into the temporary medical area, the crowd instinctively made way for him.
A moment later, everyone's gaze collectively turned towards Mao Tu.
The crowd exchanged glances. Finally, the two young men who had helped carry him earlier stepped forward, kneeling without hesitation:
"I know my strength is weak, but I want to protect everyone."
"This request might make things difficult for you, but no matter the cost, I want to possess the extraordinary power that you and that uncle have, to protect everyone."
The young man next to him, hearing this, immediately followed up:
"Me too!"
Witnessing this scene, the crowd followed suit, instantly kneeling down in a large group, repeating the same plea in unison.
Among these people, some had the same thoughts as the young man above.
And there were some who simply knelt because they saw so many others kneeling.
Mao Tu remained silent. Just then, a clear, cold voice came from the sky:
"Are you sure you want to awaken extraordinary power?"
Everyone looked up to see a figure dressed in a black robe, wearing a dragon horn mask, standing in mid-air, hands behind his back, looking down at everyone.
"Lord Azure Dragon! You've arrived!"
Mao Tu below, seeing this, could not hide her excitement and exclaimed.
Lord Azure Dragon nodded slightly, his toes lightly tapping, instantly appearing in front of Mao Tu.
Only then did the crowd realize that even the young woman who could instantly annihilate monsters referred to him as "Lord," meaning this person's strength must be even more unfathomable.
Especially upon hearing the phrase "awaken extraordinary power," a fervent light ignited in everyone's eyes, and they said in unison:
"Lord, we are absolutely certain!"
Lord Azure Dragon's gaze swept over the crowd through his mask, and he spoke again:
"Choosing to become an extraordinary person means joining our Star Constellation Society and entrusting your lives to the organization."
"Are you certain?"
Among the crowd, the older people showed hesitation.
But the younger generation almost without thinking responded loudly—after all, facing the temptation of the extraordinary, even a slight hesitation would be a betrayal of the extraordinary.
They had just witnessed the instant annihilation of monsters in that one step.
Even if they couldn't be like the young woman, being like that uncle wasn't bad either.
Under the firm responses of the majority, the rest also nodded in confirmation.
Seeing this scene, Lord Azure Dragon's mouth curved slightly upward, then he raised his hand and waved.
A pattern filled with endless starlight lit up behind him, instantly transforming the surroundings into a vast starry sky.
In this starry sky, some stars transformed into tiny specks of light, directly merging into the chests or foreheads of the crowd.
A moment later, the starry sky vanished, but in everyone's hands appeared a weapon formed from condensed starlight.
Just as everyone looked bewildered, Lord Azure Dragon spoke:
"At this moment, you have become provisional members of the Star Constellation Society. That starlight just now can help you awaken extraordinary power."
He added:
"These weapons are formed from stars, indestructible, and their form can freely change according to what you imagine in your hearts."
Everyone looked down at the starlight in their hands, expressions of disbelief appearing on their faces.
Someone tried to imagine the weapon in their hand becoming a long sword; as the light flowed, it indeed transformed into a sharp blade glinting with cold light;
Someone else imagined it becoming a bow and arrow, and the starlight immediately condensed into a long bow, with arrows automatically appearing on the string.
"Holy crap! Awesome!" someone couldn't help but exclaim.
Lord Azure Dragon, seeing this, spoke again:
"Since you now have weapons, it's time to begin awakening."
He turned and pointed towards the monster army surging once more in the distance, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of pressure:
"The method of awakening is simple—moments of life and death are the best opportunities."
"Now, you not only have weapons but also the seed of the extraordinary planted within you."
"And the monsters have arrived. This is your moment to prove yourselves."
Hearing this, the crowd, who had been excited by obtaining weapons and the extraordinary seed, instantly froze.
They instinctively looked up at the tide-like monsters surging in the distance. Most of them swallowed hard, a hint of hesitation showing in their expressions.
After all, they had only received a seed of the extraordinary and had not truly mastered extraordinary power; their only reliance was the indestructible weapon in their hands.
Just then, the young man who had rushed out first stepped forward, snorted coldly, and said:
"Since you've chosen to accept, what's there to hesitate about?"
"Becoming an extraordinary person, what an opportunity many people dream of!"
"We have the chance now. If we don't fight for it, are we going to wait until monsters bite all our loved ones to death before regretting it?"
"People can't always rely on others."
After speaking, the young man did not hesitate; the ball of light in his hand directly transformed into a great saber.
He pushed open the door and rushed out.
Seeing this scene, many young men felt their blood boil, and following with a shout, they too rushed out in a tumultuous mass.
Leaving behind some older people and some young children.
Hearing these words, they also wanted to rush out but were held back by their parents.
Some middle-aged people also wanted to follow, but instinctively looked back at their families, wives, and children, and most of them stopped in their tracks.
At this moment, a few people stepped forward, somewhat hesitantly saying to Lord Azure Dragon:
"Um..."
Before he could finish speaking, Lord Azure Dragon interrupted: "I know what you're hesitating about."
"I will not take back the extraordinary seeds, but I will remind you, since you have already chosen the Star Constellation Society."
"Even if you don't awaken any extraordinary abilities, you will still need to work for us. Of course, we will still pay your salaries."
At this moment, a steady young man stepped forward.
He wore glasses, looked to be in his early twenties, and asked:
"Lord Azure Dragon, I would like to ask, besides life and death, are there other ways to awaken extraordinary abilities?"
Bang!
As soon as the man with glasses finished speaking, he was sent flying by a huge force, slamming heavily against the wall, his life unknown.
The one who struck was naturally not Lord Azure Dragon.
At this moment, seven figures had appeared, though it was unclear when.
They wore clothes of seven different colors, with distorted, shifting ghastly faces occasionally appearing on their garments, obscuring their appearances.
One could vaguely hear some harsh, unpleasant wails and cries.
Among the seven figures, a person clad in a cyan-colored robe, surrounded by strong winds, stepped out.
His tone was slightly mocking as he said:
"Tsk tsk! If you ask me, your Star Constellation Society is still too benevolent."
"For those who talk too much nonsense, just kill them directly. Why waste so many words?"