Chapter 293: Difficult to Manage
Chapter 293: Difficult to Manage
Luo Feifan nods, exhaustion visible in his expression. He leans toward Zhan Lian and mutters, “I exist for the benefit, and the benefit exists for me. Our civilization has regressed who knows how many years. This meeting is pointless.”
People like to believe that in the face of disaster, humanity will unite, putting aside selfishness for the greater good.
But reality is different.
Unity and selflessness only thrive under the firm control of a strong government.
Now, in the apocalypse, the government is gone. The closest thing to authority is Tang Jianjun, a lone commander without real power. And if even someone like Tang Jianjun is struggling to survive, what can be expected of the rest of humanity?
The four districts of Tiesi Village house many survivor teams. It has only been a little over three months since the world ended, and already, things are in complete disarray. Before any sense of stability can be established, these groups have begun fighting among themselves. Every day, conflicts—big and small—break out.
Tang Jianjun has witnessed the influx of survivors firsthand. At first, they arrive in scattered groups, but as time passes, lone survivors become rarer. Now, people come in organized teams—some with dozens, others with hundreds.
Each group operates with its own set of rules and ideologies, making it nearly impossible for Tang Jianjun to manage them all. The four districts are open to any survivor team that arrives, but the new teams have to compete with the old ones for territory. The result is chaos—no different from the lawlessness of a criminal underworld.
District 3, however, remains relatively stable.
This isn’t because Tang Siluo is Tang Jianjun’s daughter, but rather because of Lei Jiang, the leader of District 3’s largest survivor team.
Lei Jiang is an earth-type ability user, skilled not only in combat but also in gaining people’s trust. Any smaller survivor groups that enter District 3 are quickly absorbed into his ranks.
Over the past week, Lei Jiang’s influence has expanded at an alarming rate. His team is now the largest in District 3, growing too quickly for comfort. Before long, he could pose a threat to the other team leaders—and, ultimately, to the balance of power in all of Tiesi Village.
Of course, compared to the countless problems plaguing the village, this is a minor concern.
Tang Jianjun has called this meeting today for one reason—to ask the survivor teams for manpower.
The situation in Tiesi Village is escalating. The wireless broadcasts continue to reach cities across northern Hubei, drawing more and more survivors to the area.
But Tang Jianjun is a commander without an army. He has no soldiers, no weapons, and even their food supplies are running dangerously low.
The grain reserves in Tiesi Village are nearly depleted. He desperately needs these survivor teams to send people to help retrieve food from the granaries in surrounding cities.
And yet, for hours, the thirteen team leaders have done nothing but argue.
At first, no one wants to send even a single person. Now, the debate has shifted to who will send more and who will send less—an endless, petty dispute that is giving Tang Jianjun a massive headache.
“That’s enough! That’s enough!” Tang Jianjun’s patience finally snaps. He slams his palm against the conference table. The golden stars on his military uniform gleam under the dim light as he glares at the arguing team leaders.
“Tiesi Village does not belong to me alone, and I have never claimed sole responsibility for its survival!” His voice rings out with authority. “Send as many people as you want. In three days, we set out to the county to find food. You can join us or not—but when we bring back supplies, don’t come begging for a share!”
The room falls silent.
The hours wasted on pointless bickering could have been spent securing food already. If they had simply worked together, they could have solved this problem long ago.