The newbies exchanged glances, falling silent.
"Are you kicking us out?" Zhang Bingcheng asked sinisterly, working to paint Tang Zheng as the villain and stirring up resentment amongst a small group of people.
"On what basis does Tang Zheng have to look after you all?" Pang Meiqin said smugly. She relished the situation, hoping to see all the female models kicked out.
"Fatty, watch how you ask your questions!" Lu Fan frowned, saying, "You don’t have a choice, get out now."
Zhang Bingcheng had originally wanted to take the moral high ground and condemn Tang Zheng, forcing him to maintain face by looking after everyone. He hadn’t expected to fail and upset the little Lolita in the process.
The newbies whispered amongst themselves, thinking Lu Fan’s demand was a bit too much, but nobody interceded for Zhang Bingcheng. Upon seeing this, his face instantly darkened.
"Hey, I am fighting for your rights!" Zhang Bingcheng fumed, saying,"A bunch of wimps, do you really think you can’t survive without him? I don’t believe it!"
"You’re welcome to try." Lu Fan didn’t mind playing the bad guy. Anyone who had a problem with his uncle would be ousted.
"Tang Zheng, do we have to leave?" Xu Biyun plucked up her courage and asked.
The newbies paid no attention to Zhang Bingcheng, instead looking towards Tang Zheng and waiting for his reply. Having seen the desolation of the first floor gathering area, they were unsure of their ability to survive alone in the Wasteland World.
"Firstly, if you don’t want to leave, you have to follow my orders in everything you do."
Tang Zheng’s words caused a commotion amongst the newbies. They were adults who were used to their freedom—who would want to be controlled? But the conditions didn’t end there.
"Secondly, even if we act together, the supplies will be distributed according to how much work is done. You will have to fight hard—we won’t keep any idlers or burdens." Tang Zheng pulled out a bottle cap, but his words were cut off. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel fire.net
"What good is it to follow you? It’s not safe, there’s nothing to eat and we would essentially be working for free." The urban management officer was very petty and didn’t want to give up any spoils of war.
"You’re the type who takes advantage of the collective benefits without making any contributions, aren’t you?" Pang Meiqin shot him a contemptuous look, saying, "Tang Zheng, tell him to get lost."
"Tang Zheng, how can you ensure fair distribution? You won’t favor your own clique." Chu Baichuan, a headstrong guy who didn’t fear Tang Zheng, interrogated him emphatically.
"You can see for yourself." Tang Zheng replied, scanning the group with his eyes, "As for the captured bottle caps, they too are part of the distributed items."
"Then why didn’t you distribute the one you just took?" Zhang Bingcheng taunted Tang Zheng in a sarcastic tone, trying to rally a few allies and stir up resentment against him.
"Can you be even more shameless? Did any of you make a contribution?" Pang Meiqin asked sarcastically, "Those soldiers were all killed by Tang Zheng. Look at what you all got—military coats, firearms, ammo clips. These are scarce supplies that are worth at least twenty bottle caps."
"It should be twenty-nine, the guns you guys have could sell for twenty bottle caps a piece." Little Pavel still had his eyes on these guns.
The newbies who didn’t get a gun regretted it, realizing how valuable they were.
"Peddler, let’s leave together, enjoy a few days first, see how things go, if we can’t survive, we can come back." The urban management officer tugged at the peddler’s arm and whispered his plan.
"What if they don’t want us?" The peddler’s interest was piqued. Eyeing the scantily-clad prostitutes, he was tempted by the prospect of a few carefree days.
"Impossible. I bet they will let us leave to let us experience life without him. When we come back, we will be more loyal to him." The urban management officer had a cunning plan.
"You think he’s as cunning as you?" The peddler pursed his lips in disbelief.
"Brother, I’ve experienced so much more than you can imagine. I’m absolutely right." The urban management officer put his arm around the peddler, saying, "Okay, even if I’m wrong, we come from the same place, will he just watch his fellow villager die? Moreover, with the female models around. You just need to give Tang Zheng face, he’ll be so satisfied, he’ll let us rejoin the group."
The peddler was undecided. Standing nearby, An Ning overheard their whispering and tugged at An Ping’s arm.
"In this unfamiliar place, who else can Tang Zheng trust? Eventually, he’ll have to rely on us, his direct line. Don’t worry, let’s go together." The urban management officer swallowed nervously, saying, "Don’t you want to play with a stripper?"
The peddler’s weakness had been hit. After glancing at Tang Zheng, he nodded.
The survivors were still watching when they suddenly heard the urban management officer and the peddler’s request to leave.
"Feel free." Lu Fan signaled they could leave. Then she hopped onto Tang Zheng’s back, leaned into his ear, and whispered, "Uncle, the urban management officer’s look doesn’t sit right with me. Do you think he will kill the peddler?"
"Then it’s the peddler’s own fault for trusting the wrong person." Tang Zheng clearly saw the urban management officer persuading the peddler to leave, but he didn’t care about such trifles. His focus was on Gao Wei’s combat abilities.
"Tang Zheng, thank you for your help, you’re a good person, but I have to leave." Chu Baichuan glanced at his wife and said, "I need a lot of supplies, and I don’t think the ’who works more gets more’ idea suits me."
"Understood." Tang Zheng removed the bag slung over his shoulder, took out three engineering plastic ammo clips filled with 7.62mm bullets, and handed them to Chu Baichuan, saying, "Wish you good distance."
Chu Baichuan left hand-in-hand with his wife. He had to find a place to sleep for the night. The second floor was sparsely lit with a few street lights, resembling the dimness of dusk. It was said that after eleven o’clock, the lights would go out, making it the prime time for crime.