Chapter 31

Squeezing into the crowd, Zhao Xingping was finally able to make out what was written on the poster.

[Announcement on the Newest Arrangements for the Shelter’s Survivors

Considering the growing number of survivors in the shelter, new arrangements have been made.

The survivors of the shelter will be divided into residents and wanderers. Residents will include, but are not limited to, administrative workers, patrol team members, and ordinary workers… Residents must obey the work assignments of the shelter, and they will also enjoy greater benefits, such as assigned housing and guaranteed drugs.

Among residents, Awakened and people with sparring or shooting experience may apply for the patrol team. Patrol team members will enjoy even higher benefits… but they must fulfill their obligations…

Those with management experience, after application and an interview, can become an administration member, with the remuneration being…

The shelter will place no restriction on wanderers, but at the same time, wanderers will not enjoy any sort of benefit. If wanderers wish to obtain resources, they may spend Origin Crystals to purchase them from the shelter or complete missions issued by the shelter at set intervals in exchange for resources…]

Once Zhao Xingping was done reading, he slowly walked out of the crowd with a pensive look on his face.

Many people around him were discussing the announcement.

A survivor said with a worried face, “The shelter is no longer going to provide food until we’re full. Does that mean that we won’t be able to fill our stomachs in the future?”

“That shouldn’t be.” The companion who answered him seemed rather hesitant. “Didn’t it say right there that we’ll enjoy even higher benefits if we become residents? We’ll definitely be becoming residents.”

“While that’s what it says, it never goes into the exact details about the benefits. With the communal pot meals over now, I just don’t feel good.”

Zhao Xingping came over and called out to the two survivors.

They were all laborers in the shelter, and even if they weren’t very familiar with each other, they all knew each other.

Zhao Xingping didn’t agree very much with their opinions. “The shelter said that it would provide according to your performance, but if you compare it to how it was calculated before, you’ll discover that we’re getting even more food than before.

“Not only that, I saw on there that as long as we work hard, not only can we eat our fill, we can eat even more than before, and there will be more kinds of food and perhaps even some alcohol and tobacco. These were things that we never had before, and just the thought of it makes me excited.”

After some thought, the other two nodded.

From this perspective, the shelter’s reforms were good for them.

“But it also said that we had to comply with the work assignments. The shelter won’t make us into cannon fodder, right? Like making us bait to draw over demonized beasts.”

This survivor seemed to recall some terrifying memory, and shivered.

Zhao Xingping laughed. “Take it easy. If the shelter really wanted to make us cannon fodder, it would have done that long ago. It’s not like we could resist. Would there be any need to make up all these procedures? In my view, this institutional reform is because the shelter has so many people and can’t be as easygoing as before.”

They hadn’t been at the shelter for long, but they had seen for themselves how the shelter had treated survivors.

Zhao Xingping continued, “Moreover, just look at what that announcement says. If you become a resident, you’re guaranteed drugs! Medicine! If we survivors get sick, the shelter will actually give us drugs to treat us!”

His voice was trembling a little.

In the apocalypse, many people died not because of demonized beasts or starvation, but because they fell ill and weren’t treated promptly. In this harsh environment, minor illnesses became major ones, and one could only moan in pain as one died.

Everyone understood how precious drugs were!

They were even more valuable than food!

In the wilderness, it wasn’t rare for someone to pay exorbitant prices for a small bottle of medicine, perhaps even their life.

Zhao Xingping had never heard of a shelter that would offer medicine to survivors to treat their illnesses.

He felt disbelief, and he also felt very… lucky.

…

In the villa area, in front of the castle’s garden…

“Chief, the rest of it is fine, but will people really join the patrol team?”

The patrol team offered the most benefits, but it also had the strictest requirements.

All shelters had a defensive force like this, but their requirements weren’t so strict. Generally speaking, their duties were to patrol the insides of the shelter and fend off demonized beast attacks.

But on the announcement…

Chief Tang had requirements like periodic demonized beasts hunts, a certain amount of training completed every week, and even assessments, with those not reaching the standard being asked to resign…

Chen Haiping felt that this was all a joke.

Fighting demonized beasts? This was extremely dangerous. If these were desperate times, some survivors would choose to join, but in this shelter, so long as one didn’t slack off, one could eat their fill and sleep well. How many people would choose to join the patrol team in these circumstances? Chen Haiping was very doubtful.

At present, the patrol team had only four people: Captain Roger, himself, and two ordinary people with passing marksmanship. This was everyone in the patrol team. Moreover, it was normally Captain Roger who would go out alone to search for resources and hunt demonized beasts every day. He would occasionally come along to hunt some demonized beasts.

Chen Haiping felt that Awakened were the best fit for the patrol team, as they were the only ones with the ability to resist if they encountered demonized beasts out on the field. Alas, these Awakened were used to power and authority, and had grown incredibly conceited. Given their lack of relationship with the shelter, why would they give their lives for it?

At its peak, Wang Tai’s shelter had been able to lay claim to seventy to eighty Awakened, but less than half actually obeyed Wang Tai…

Chen Haiping had been watching over the last few days, and among the Awakened that had appeared in the shelter, excluding some Awakened who had extremely good temperaments or had been assisted by the shelter in successfully awakening, the rest were woodworms that would more likely hinder the shelter’s development than not.

And in these conditions, Chief Tang had required a certain amount of training, periodic assessments, and the resignation of those that didn’t meet the standard…

Chen Haiping felt that this was crazy.

“Old Chen, trust me. While we might not have a lot, we at least have a handful of people. This is enough for a small team, and there will naturally be a second, a third… and many more. The patrol team will gradually start growing in scale.”

“But even the Awakened can choose to join the moving teams. With their innate strength, they can easily obtain enough remuneration. The majority of people won’t do anything if it doesn’t benefit them, so why would they join the patrol team?”

Roger angrily roared, “These people are no different from cowards! What’s the point in letting them remain?!”

What was the point?

Tang Yu would say that there naturally was a point. Hadn’t he raised these people for so long so that they could serve as an example?

The pigs were fat and could be butchered now.

Without an example, how could anyone understand the shelter’s power?

Tang Yu restrained Roger and turned to Chen Haiping. “The patrol team is a good assignment, and it’s only easy to get in because it’s lacking members. It will be much more difficult to get in in the future… You have to realize that periodic organized hunts and the completion of a certain amount of training have benefits that only the patrol team can enjoy.”

“Benefits??”

Chen Haiping was instantly struck dumb.