When Shawn asked how many people were in their organization, the bald man stammered, unable to give a clear answer, and even the others reacted similarly.
Shawn was somewhat puzzled.
Upon further inquiry, he learned that even they themselves didn't know how many companions they had.
The only one who probably knew was their leader, Elijah.
However, it seemed normal; based on Shawn's previous conjecture, these Zealots were consumables in Elijah's hands.
Once they were no longer useful, Elijah would find a way to push them into the fire.
This would solidify his religious rule while also saving resources and food.
From the moment Shawn first encountered the initial wave of Zealots in South Carolina, they had no concept of retreat after being injured; their entire approach was a frantic, suicidal attack.
Even after suffering dozens of casualties, they relentlessly pursued, never giving up.
All of this indirectly confirmed Shawn's conjecture.
However, looking at the dozen or so people kneeling at his feet, seemingly docile, a thought as crazy as theirs suddenly arose in Shawn's mind.
"Perhaps I can use the same methods to bring all these people under my command!"
It no longer needed to be repeated that Elijah was an ordinary person, but Shawn genuinely possessed "divine power."
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Shawn was the "God" of this world.
If Elijah could do this, then why couldn't Shawn?
Since faith was always necessary, why not abandon Elijah's purifying faith and turn to Shawn's faction?
Compared to Elijah's disposable approach, it would certainly not be a bad thing for these people to follow Shawn.
And as long as these people could be brought in, the Prison was bound to experience an explosive boom in development.
It could immediately fill a gap of at least several hundred people for the Prison.
More people meant greater strength, and greater consumption, but Shawn did not have Elijah's worries.
Don't forget, Shawn still had seeds that matured every two days; these seeds, hidden in his system backpack, were Shawn's reliance for building a new empire in the future.
Don't forget, Shawn could also use the 'Team System' to teach the magazine, so he wouldn't have to meticulously do everything himself in the future.
Don't forget, compared to resources, what Shawn needed most right now was people.
These people would not object, would not protest; they believed in a heavenly god and could obey only Shawn's commands.
They were simply natural labor for the apocalypse, a gift from heaven, a bounty from nature.
Shawn admitted, he was tempted.
Afterward, he carefully inquired about the entire process of Elijah brainwashing the crowd; everyone's accounts were largely similar.
Shawn summarized it into five points.
First: The initial stage involved using supplies to build rapport and establish initial trust.
Second: Creating resonance, beginning to find common ground, demonstrating personal experiences similar to theirs, and starting to induce them to believe in the power of faith.
Third: As Shawn had previously guessed, the same slogans, the same attire, the same symbols, allowing everyone to subtly integrate themselves into the extremist collective.
Fourth: Sleep deprivation and collective prayer, using self-created doctrines to brainwash, separating their rationality from their original beliefs.
Fifth: Finally, releasing the beast within everyone's hearts, rationalizing their atrocities to alleviate their anxiety and emotions, and driving continuous expansion.
Before the apocalypse, this situation might only ensnare a very small number of people, with most remaining rational and avoiding harm.
However, in the current survival environment, everything cannot be judged by conventional wisdom; there are too many influencing factors, which is why so many people were brainwashed by Elijah and willingly gave up their lives.
But in truth, tracing it back, Shawn couldn't help but feel that Elijah seemed like a master of rhetoric.
The doctrine he constructed was not complex; instead, it appeared simple and crude.
Shawn looked at these people, and ultimately, he did not release them just like that.
He left the villa.
For the rest of the day, Shawn waited for the gunpowder to be synthesized.
By noon the next day, Shawn's system backpack already contained 1500 'pipe bombs'.
1500 bombs, Shawn estimated, should be enough; he didn't necessarily need to wipe out every single Walker in the deep pit, being able to blow up most of them would already be a substantial gain.
Originally, Shawn had planned to bring some people from Alexandria to do this.
But when he took these Zealots under his command, Shawn changed his mind.
Fundamentally, although these people were not many in number, they were much more useful than the current people of Alexandria.
In the afternoon, estimating the time, Shawn called a meeting.
When Shawn appeared before everyone again, they had already learned to keep quiet in front of him.
Although Shawn had only been here for a few days, he had already gained authority among the Community members.
"This will be Alexandria's last meeting, and the content of the meeting is very simple; I only need one answer from all of you."
"Those willing to follow me, pack everything tonight and leave with me tomorrow morning."
"Those unwilling to leave, I will not force you; you are free to stay or go."
Shawn made sure his voice reached everyone's ears, and as soon as he finished speaking, some people voluntarily left the group and ran towards their homes.
The crowd gradually dispersed, leaving a dozen or so people frozen in place.
"But if you leave, what will become of us?"
Someone asked blankly.
Shawn was leaving, and Diana and Reggie approved of him, so they would definitely follow him.
Once Diana left, her two sons might not choose to stay, and then the search team would be gone, making their safety and food supply impossible to guarantee.
Even with Alexandria's high walls, their small number of people wouldn't be able to manage the entire Community, let alone resist large Walker hordes and attacks from other survivors.
So, if Shawn took everyone away, they would most likely not survive.
Shawn looked at the person who spoke and said coldly,
"Since you said the Community is civilized, you must accept anyone's decision to stay or go."
"I am giving you the choice, but your safety is not within my responsibility."
"Whether you survive is something you need to consider. Are you saying you can't do anything without Diana?"
The person opened his mouth, as if to retort, but in the end, nothing came out.
Shawn gave them one last look, then turned and left.
Human instinct is to seek advantages and avoid harm, so whether they wanted to go to Prison or not, their best choice at this time was to leave with Shawn.
But if they couldn't figure it out themselves, then Shawn had no choice.
Shawn always cared only about a small number of talents; everyone else, in Shawn's eyes, was closer to labor.
Laborers, as long as they were fellow humans who could understand speech, were fine, so Shawn wasn't too concerned whether they came or not.
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