The Survivors Arrive

"What? You're not only not stopping them... but also helping clear the way?"

"What's the rationale behind that?"

"These are people, after all, and they've stayed in our camp!"

"We don't try to persuade them to stay, instead we let them leave?"

Robertson was utterly perplexed and looked at Slater with confusion.

"You just said it yourself, our camp is already overloaded!"

"We can't sustain so many survivors, and if this continues..."

"Our camp's fate will end in only two ways: either we starve due to lack of food,"

"Or we turn on each other due to rebellion from the scavenging teams."

"I believe neither of those endings is something you'd want to see," Slater said, patting Robertson on the shoulder, speaking earnestly.

"That's true, but..."

"But we know that their departure won't end well..."

"Aren't we just abetting murder by letting them go?" Robertson countered with a furrowed brow.

Although he didn't like these people, pushing them into danger was more than he could bear.

"I don't want to do this either, but you see, there's discord among the people!"

"I want to grow together as a community, and if we had more time, I could select some eloquent people."

"To brainwash everyone, unify their thoughts, and strengthen their resolve."

"But we only have three days of food left!"

"There's not enough time for me to implement any plan."

"And you know, once the three-day deadline passes, these people's hearts won't be with us anymore."

"Once the food is gone, I'll instantly lose control of the camp."

"And you, as the guardian of our supplies, would certainly become their target..."

"So by doing this, I'm not only protecting the camp, but also considering your safety!"

Slater gently patted Robertson's storage ring. The latter reflexively withdrew his hand. Indeed, Slater had used all the storage ring fragments they had acquired to upgrade Robertson's ring. This ring held almost all of the camp's supplies.

Once the food ran out, ordinary survivors wouldn't know this secret, but those in the scavenging teams who had been with him from the beginning certainly would. Their combat strength was formidable, and who knew what they might do?!

Robertson broke out in a cold sweat at Slater's words. 

"And... doing this also has many benefits for us!" Seeing that his words had successfully frightened Robertson, Slater allowed himself a small smile and continued, "Firstly, these people leaving reduces the pressure on our supplies."

"Secondly, the fate of these individuals serves as a warning to those who are reluctant to train or to fight zombies."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. If they want to survive in the camp, they need to learn how to fight."

"This way, we can get everyone involved in gathering supplies."

"Killing two birds with one stone! What do you think?"

Faced with Slater's intense gaze, Robertson's lips moved slightly, and he finally nodded. Although he didn't fully agree with the approach, he had to admit it was the only viable solution at the moment. In these apocalyptic times, extreme measures were necessary.

"Let's do it your way then..."

Slater, pleased, smiled at Robertson and said, "Then go and inform the scavenging teams. I'll handle the communications for the guards."

...

Meanwhile, at a restaurant near the bridge, Frank, having boasted about the camp and finished his ramen, uploaded a video. The footage showed scenes from the love hotel.

Inside the video, some Japanese women, dressed provocatively, were inadvertently captured walking up and down the hallway. After the video ended, Frank wiped his mouth and obediently stood up, extending his hands forward.

Click!

Immediately following, a man with hair as unruly as weeds unceremoniously handcuffed Frank's wrists securely.

With a look of disdain, he remarked, "I really don't understand what the councilor was thinking!"

"Letting this pig eat ramen!"

"With how tight supplies are right now, to let him eat an entire bowl!"

"It's simply a colossal waste of food!"

Another man, with yellow hair, tried to soothe him, "Come on, it's okay, there's nothing to complain about!"

"This guy is helpful to the councilor's plans, people really believe him!"

"Besides, he ate half the ramen, would you want to continue eating it?!"

The unruly-haired man spat vehemently, landing the spit on Frank's shoe.

Frank, with a smile plastered across his face, responded, "No worries, no worries, I know it wasn't intentional!"

"Besides... as long as I keep doing this, I'll get to eat ramen, right?"

"The councilor also promised to assign me a beautiful woman... I wonder when that will be fulfilled..."

"But don't get me wrong, I'm not rushing him..."

"I'm just casually asking!"

The man looked at Frank with contempt and sneered to his companion, "I really can't comprehend why such undignified people exist in the world!"

"If it were me, I'd rather die than live like a dog!"

The yellow-haired man chuckled, squeezed the unruly-haired man's shoulder firmly, signaling him to tone down his emotions.

The latter grumbled and walked away.

The yellow-haired man then spoke in heavily accented Mandarin:

"Frank, please don't mind it, Shima is just like that, he definitely didn't mean any disrespect to you!"

"If we've done anything wrong that made you uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize to you."

Saying this, the yellow-haired man immediately bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle towards Frank.

"No, not at all! Everything is quite fine, Koike-kun, there's no need to be so formal!"

Frank hurriedly reached out to help Koike up, but with his hands cuffed, he couldn't manage it. Seeing the handcuffs, Frank's expression turned slightly awkward.

"Actually, these handcuffs are for your protection. You understand that, right?" Koike tentatively said, though even he wasn't quite confident in what he was saying. Handcuffing someone for their protection? It was a far-fetched explanation, and he wondered how the councilor had convinced Frank.

"I understand, I completely understand the councilor's good intentions!"

"Once there are more survivors, I'll prove my loyalty and capabilities to him!" Frank said with a smile.

"That's great, Frank. The councilor has high hopes for you, so do your best!" The yellow-haired man tried to suppress the laughter inside him, his face showing encouragement.

"Survivors are coming!"

Just then, the unruly-haired man returned, his face alight with excitement.