Apocalypse: the Most Ruthless Person

“Mr. Zhang, the expansion of the population is both an opportunity and a challenge for us, which must be given considerable attention.”

Inside the Little Lucky Restaurant, Yuwen and Zhang Su sat opposite each other, with an ashtray on the table, and two lit cigarettes resting in the grooves on either side, emitting thin curls of smoke.

There’s a saying that the fewer people at a meeting, the bigger the decisions made; the more people at a meeting, the more nonsense is spoken. When Zhang Su and Yuwen sat together, excluding others, they certainly had some very critical affairs to discuss!

“I can feel it!”

Zhang Su nodded, saying, “When there were only twenty of us before, the camp’s atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant, like being at home. It truly felt like everyone was as close as brothers, with mutual understanding. Even when Old Wang from United Village joined, it was still fine. After all, they were not as many as us, so the impact wasn’t significant. But over the past couple of days, the population suddenly increased by over fifty, and when I returned today, the feeling was distinctly different; that warm feeling of coming home has been diluted.”

From the initial struggle for survival to now, we are no longer living just to live. If after all the effort to build the camp, we cannot achieve the life we want, it’s no different from wandering outside.

Everyone hopes for a better life, and the camp’s atmosphere is one of the key indicators.

“That’s right, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.” Yuwen pushed his glasses up and said, “Wang Longzhong, Ma Changshou, and Yang Liehuo. Among these three, I think we ought to pay special attention to Ma Changshou, or rather, those from West Camp Village.”

Zhang Su thought carefully. He knew Yuwen wouldn’t make baseless claims, so there must be a reason for saying this. But he couldn’t ask directly since he’s the leader, and if he couldn’t see something, it would give reason for others to criticize.

After a moment, he said, “I know Old Wang’s situation pretty well, and the people from United Village have integrated nicely. Yang Liehuo from Kuanzhuang is straightforward and perhaps fearless and diligent too, honest and decent. The big girls and young wives with him are also very well-behaved. Not saying that those from West Camp Village are full of malice, but it seems that… their cohesion is quite strong, isn’t it?”

“Exactly!”

Yuwen earnestly clasped his hand on the back of the other, remarking, “There are twenty-seven people in West Camp Village. Though they have come to Celestial Horse Island, it feels less like integration and more like a group joining us in an alliance form. They haven’t openly expressed autonomy, but they are still inclined to listen to Ma Changshou internally, which is really not good!”

It’s good to have cohesion in West Camp Village, but since they’ve chosen to join Celestial Horse Island, this is not a good thing for Celestial Horse Island.

“Earlier, I stood at a height and observed the crowd, noticing this issue as well. After going through previous calamities, it’s normal for them to have strong cohesion. I will talk to Ma Changshou; I can discern if he has ambitions or intentions.”

Not only did Zhang Su observe, but he also heard things that Yuwen might not have. Indeed, most people from West Camp Village still regard Ma Changshou as their backbone.

Yuwen showed a deep smile and said, “Mr. Zhang, Celestial Horse Island is the camp you found while leading us out from Qin City with fighting armor. To speak self-interestedly, even if someone is more capable than you, I do not wish to see Celestial Horse Island undergo a change of leadership.”

Zhang Su clicked his tongue, took a drag from his cigarette, and said, “Old Yu, I don’t think I told you about the Cyan Dragon Corps situation. Do you know why they made significant errors and omissions in their strategy to fend off the zombie horde?”

Yuwen did not understand why Zhang Su mentioned something else, but he sensed a purpose behind it, and shook his head to indicate he was unclear.

“Because of factional strife.”

Zhang Su exhaled a smoke ring, saying, “According to Pan Guoliang and the others, within the Cyan Dragon Corps, groups formed under the Commander and Vice Commander, with factions fighting each other, leading to that final situation. So… without you saying, I also won’t let the management model change. At least at this stage, a centralized approach is a better development model!”

“I think so too.”

Yuwen fully agreed with Zhang Su’s viewpoint, and thereafter, the two conducted extensive planning for development over the next period.

Considering issues of cohesion, although adopting the Satellite Village lifestyle to avoid large-scale zombie attacks, during training all personnel will be gathered, except those on missions.

In the initial stages of development, the acquainted people will be arranged to reside in the same Satellite Village. If cliques begin to form over time, they will be broken up and reassigned. All crucial resources will be wholly controlled by the core members and stored on Celestial Horse Island.

“There’s one more thing.”

After discussing the reshaping of cohesion, Yuwen squinted his eyes and said, “Mr. Zhang, to keep them vigilant and curb the inclination for trickery, an external enemy must be established. This enemy needs to be formidable and challenging, keeping people long-term alert, to maintain a united front against outsiders.”

Zhang Su spread his hands and said matter-of-factly, “Isn’t the threat from zombies enough?”

The current zombies are not like the weaklings from when the disaster first erupted; after two rounds of enhancements, zombies have seen certain improvements in strength, reaction, and speed. Fighting them from within fortifications doesn’t feel intense, but encounters in the wild would be perilous.

Yuwen decisively shook his head, saying, “It’s not enough.”

“In the safety of the camp, it’s hard to feel the zombie threat, and without that feeling, it’s tough to impact people’s psyche. Everyone needs genuine experiences; the threat from zombie hordes should be a constant memory, and I also think using cold could be very effective, as extreme climates are likewise enemies of humanity.”

“Hmm…”

Zhang Su suddenly had a spark of insight, saying, “Comfort creates complacency. Teacher Yu, you mean we can artificially create some difficulties, allowing everyone to always sense the presence and threat of external enemies?”

“Yes, this is very good.” Yuwen nodded repeatedly.

The means behind it may not be glamorous, but for the development and future of the camp, Zhang Su doesn’t reject such behavior at all. He doesn’t believe that benevolence alone can win people over!

After some discussion, Zhang Su and Yuwen walked out of the restaurant, both wearing pleasant smiles on their faces, outwardly masking the serious topics they had just discussed.

Parting ways, Zhang Su learned through the walkie-talkie that Ma Changshou was instructing on farming and found him without delay.

“Old Ma, I think you have real skills.”

Inside the vegetable greenhouse, Zhang Su squatted down, warming his hands by the stove, casually speaking.

Ma Changshou’s eyes flicked around as he cautiously queried, “Boss Zhang, what brings this up?”

“You’ve led so many people from your village to survive this far in the post-apocalyptic world, isn’t that skill?”

Zhang Su stood up, pulled out a cigarette, and handed it to Ma Changshou.

Ma Changshou bent to take the cigarette, hastily pulling out a lighter and offering a light to Zhang Su before lighting his own. He humbly waved his hand, saying, “Boss Zhang, you flatter me. It was mostly luck, and some blessings in disguise. Still, so many brothers died… sigh.”

“That’s impressive! Look at how close the surviving villagers are with you, how they look up to you. Achieving this is quite something!”

Zhang Su held the cigarette in his mouth, giving Ma Changshou a thumbs up with a very sincere expression.

However, this sincerity made Ma Changshou quite nervous; he didn’t even dare smoke, nervously pinching off the freshly lit end, his face trembling as he said, “Boss Zhang, this… I have no ulterior motives here, is there some misunderstanding?”

Being keenly astute, Ma Changshou instantly understood Zhang Su’s intention upon hearing his words. He feared Ma’s strong hold over West Camp Village’s population might affect future management, more severely, worried that he would cause trouble!

Such suspicion is normal, but he must quickly dispel Zhang Su’s concerns; first impressions could be detrimental if left unresolved.

“Why so worked up over a few words?” Zhang Su exhaled a smoke ring, smiling broadly.

Ma Changshou felt bitter yet amused, tucking the half-cigarette behind his ear, joining hands in a salute repeatedly, “Boss Zhang, my only wish is to lead the villagers to survive, nothing else. Reaching this point, I feel my mission is basically accomplished. From now on…”

Pausing here, Ma Changshou showed a relieved smile, continuing, “From now on, this heavy burden can be handed over to Boss Zhang. I am just a regular member of Celestial Horse Island camp. Rather than going to Madian Village, let me stay here as a vegetable farmer, tending to crops daily, how about that?”

The establishment of one’s prestige isn’t a matter of a day, neither is relinquishing it; yet, swift action is needed even if reluctance exists; indecision isn’t an option.

“Old Ma, it’s been two months since we met, right? We’re old friends now. You know what kind of person I am and where my boundaries lie, don’t you?”

Zhang Su asked with a smile.

“Of course, Boss Zhang, what do you think of my proposal just now?”

Previously joining the Cyan Dragon Corps, Ma Changshou played shrewdly, coming close to endangering everyone, surviving a zombie attack and retaining some people. This time, he decided not to play smart, resolute in his cooperative stance.

“Having you farm with us is really underutilizing your talents. How about this…?”

Zhang Su pondered and then said, “Why not come over as a technical advisor for us, guide us on farming, raising chickens and ducks, fish, as well as pigs and sheep. You’re surely skilled at these works; and we’ll offer a separate, nice compensation package just for you, how about that?”

“I couldn’t dare, couldn’t dare.” Ma Changshou bowed repeatedly, understanding that guiding work was merely a front; keeping him at Celestial Horse Island was the real intention. Still, he found this arrangement quite satisfactory.

After days of laboring both mentally and physically, he was genuinely exhausted. A good place to lighten the load would be beneficial both to him and the survivors of West Camp Village.

“Great, then it’s settled like this. I’ll announce it tonight. Congrats in advance, Advisor Ma. Here, a small gift.”

Zhang Su grabbed two packs of cigarettes from his pocket and handed them to Ma Changshou before leaving the greenhouse.

“Hoo…”

Seeing Zhang Su close the greenhouse door, Ma Changshou let out a sigh of relief. His tense heart finally settled, contemplating the removal of his burdens, feeling lightened. He sank onto a small stool by the stove.

He took down the half-cigarette tucked behind his ear, thought for a while, and tucked it back. He opened a new pack, lit one up, and reflected on complex emotions while puffing smoke.