In peacetime, he had thought of various ways to climb the ladder, and now that the apocalypse had arrived, he felt that with his abilities, as long as he could subjugate a group of people early on and brainwash them into loyal followers, he would certainly be able to grow.
He wouldn’t resort to violent oppression, as that would only result in a stronger backlash. He needed to mix benevolence with authority and gradually align their ideology with his at a spiritual and aspirational level.
Seeing the knife in the other’s hand, he didn’t get too close but turned to address the crowd.
"Comrades, fellow citizens, in these most perilous times, we should come together, not remain scattered like we are now. Some of you may not know me, so let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Fei. You might have seen me on TV before; I am the Mayor of Huang district."
"If you trust me, let me lead you. I am confident that I can provide a good life for us in these chaotic times. First, I will openly and fairly disclose the amount of available supplies, and then distribute them evenly. What I eat, you will eat. Also, regarding scavenging for supplies, we can arrange a schedule to ensure fairness and justice. Of course, we can allow those above the age of 55 to enjoy the benefit of not having to go out and scavenge for supplies, as they no longer have the physical strength for it."
Chen Fei noticed among the group of survivors, several were over the age of fifty-five. Surely offering them such terms would draw them to his side?
Sure enough, he noticed that group of people was starting to get tempted.
His lower back was extremely painful, as if he had been stabbed in the back.
"Are you fucking kidding me here?" the man with the knife gripped Chen Fei’s shoulder, his knife plunging ruthlessly into his back, blood flowing profusely.
The pain made Chen Fei scream heartbreakingly.
Accustomed to luxury and flattery, he had never suffered such wounds before.
The knife-man pulled out the knife, then stabbed fiercely again, and Chen Fei’s breath gradually faded as he collapsed to the ground.
Holding the bloody knife, the knife-man pointed at the people, "Let me make this clear, from now on, I’m the leader here. Anyone who disobeys, I’ll kill."
Someone sneakily appeared behind the knife-man, swinging an iron rod that crashed heavily into the back of the knife-man’s head.
"What are you acting tough for, I’m the leader here. You all fucking listen to me. Those who don’t, I’ll kill you all completely."
The man with the iron rod spoke furiously.
"Fuck, I can’t stand this anymore, why should we listen to you, I’m done with this."
After the incident with Qiu San, everyone’s violent tendencies had completely erupted, and no one could stop them, immediately turning the place into chaos.
The noise of the fight attracted the attention of the zombies outside.
Fortunately, there weren’t many zombies, otherwise the situation would have been like stacking Arhats. Even living in high-rise buildings wouldn’t have saved them from death.
Everyone lay on the ground groaning, their injuries severe. Some bled from their abdomen, some had their necks slashed, some were blinded, and some lay motionless, dead from the struggle.
The knife-man had not only suffered severe damage to the back of his head, but his chest was also cut open, bleeding as he lay unable to move, but still managed to let out feeble chuckles.
The iron rod man was no better off, having lost the ability to fight and could only lie on the ground groaning.
At this moment, a woman in the corner stood up; her hair disheveled, her expression somewhat crazed. Picking up a knife from the ground, she swung it at a passerby’s head, indifferent to whether they were dead, always making sure to strike an extra blow.
She approached the knife-man, and under his fearful gaze, she plunged the knife into his face, hacking it until it was a gory mess.
Approaching the iron rod man, she drove the knife into his chest, her expression growing wildly twisted as she twisted the knife handle, the sickening sound of flesh grinding against metal mixed with the iron rod man’s cries of pain, slowly fading into silence.
The woman stood among the corpses, a sinister smile on her lips.
"Stop fighting, everything belongs to me now, all the supplies are mine."
No one had anticipated that the one to stand in the end would be the woman who had been quiet and hiding in the corner the entire time, silently watching everything unfold, and in the final moments, gaining everything.
"This child..." Seeing Lin Fan come back with a little girl, Elder Wang knew without asking what had happened. The girl’s parents must be dead, and encountering Lin Fan was a stroke of luck. This would be her new chance to live well here.
Lin Fan said, "Elder Wang, her name is Cao Qing, eight years old, and she will be living with us from now on."
Elder Wang noted the child’s slightly red eyes, squatted in front of the little girl kindly, and gently patted her head, "Child, grandfather’s name is Wang Zhongguo, just call me Grandpa Wang."
"Grandpa Wang, hello."
Elder Wang did not want to bring up the child’s situation in front of her, knowing it would certainly stir up painful memories.
Lin Fan introduced the little girl to everyone, telling them that from now on, she was a member of the Sunshine District community.