Chapter 142: Round Table Conference

Li Bing had been killed, zombies had besieged the stronghold, and even the iron gate of the defensive post had been destroyed, leaving them completely exposed to the enemy's eyes.

When all of this reached the faction, the entire stronghold was thrown into utter chaos. Women and children huddled together, weeping and waiting for the impending disaster.

Fortunately, the panic subsided quickly as news arrived that those zombies were artificially controlled, and their intrusion was merely to seize territory rather than attack the survivors.

This sparked heated discussions.

Many people mustered the courage to step outside their homes. When they saw with their own eyes that the zombies were acting like soldiers guarding the shattered gates, they finally accepted this reality.

Li Bing's primary core members were all in the Fourth Squad, led by Dongzi. Now, both Li Bing and Dongzi were dead, and the remaining members had been detained and imprisoned.

Fan Li's army of monsters exerted intense suppression over the survivors. Firearms were confiscated, the gates were thrown wide open, and with terrifying monsters constantly lingering by the enemy's side, the survivors completely lacked the courage to resist and utterly surrendered to the conqueror's might.

Feeling somewhat unaccustomed as he sat at the edge of the table, Li Jingyan could not help but gaze with awe at the figure in the primary seat.

Li Jingyan had never imagined that his life would undergo such a heaven-shaking transformation just by becoming a prisoner. After successively exposing the leader and his confidants, not only was Li Jingyan not cast aside, but he was catapulted into the position of a squad leader. Although he was currently a commander with no subordinates, it still meant his authority had expanded.

Seated around the circular table, besides Fan Li, Hu Huayao, Liu Hao, and Yang Shuo, were several squad leaders from the Jingmen Huafu territory, with Lu Tao and Liu Shang also among them.

Compared to the calm demeanor of Hu Huayao and his group, Lu Tao and the others representing the old regime appeared somewhat anxious and uneasy, especially with a monster leaning against a heavy iron hammer right beside Fan Li.

Judging solely by her physique, she looked very much like a cute little girl, wearing a dress styled like a petite evening gown with a pink butterfly knot tied around her waist. Yet, looking up past her neck, one was met with a face exuding death and terror.

That face seemed to harbor the nexus of all disasters; looking at it for too long would cause one's mind to blur and body to tremble uncontrollably.

Yet, such a terrifying monster was utterly docile in front of Fan Li. They witnessed with their own eyes how she executed every single command Fan Li issued. Coupled with the army of zombies lurking outside, this undoubtedly added an aura of mystery to Fan Li, making it impossible for them to categorize him with human vocabulary.

"Clack."

Fan Li tapped the table lightly, then quietly looked over at the members of the original faction. When the few of them began to feel uneasy, he suddenly spoke, "I know there used to be many rules and guidelines here. But starting from this very moment, all previous rules are null and void, and I will establish a new order right here!"

How could the few dare to refute? Driven by instinct, they nodded repeatedly.

"This is Yang Shuo. He will become the warehouse supervisor, responsible for managing and distributing all food and firearms from now on."

Yang Shuo listened blankly to Fan Li's appointment. Even in peaceful times, he would have been nothing more than a low-level thug; how could he have ever possessed such authority? Moreover, this was the apocalypse. What was most important in the apocalypse?

Weapons and food!

Yet now, Fan Li was handing over this lifeline-like authority directly to him. To Yang Shuo, it felt simply incredible.

However, Yang Shuo did not show it. Even when he felt several gazes turn toward him, he instinctively straightened his back, tightened his expression, and feigned cold detachment.

"This is Hu Huayao. I heard that you previously had a total of six squads. Starting today, a supreme command will be established above the six squads, and he will be the commander-in-chief, responsible for the personnel transfers of all units and the dismissal of squad leaders."

Compared to the excited Yang Shuo, Hu Huayao, who already possessed considerable management experience, appeared much calmer. He gave a slight nod, considering it his greeting to the others.

"In addition, I will open a hospital in the camp, and Liu Hao will be appointed as the director, responsible for the management of medical supplies."

Having occupied a new faction, Fan Li naturally needed to place his own people in key positions to feel secure.

"Besides all this, I also heard that some women have suffered unfair treatment..."

Fan Li paused abruptly as he reached this point.

Lu Tao raised his head, his fists clenched tightly, and his complexion turned somewhat pale. It was he who had transmitted this intelligence to the other party.

Li Bing had lost his humanity in the darkness, monopolizing the female survivors who still possessed some looks. Lu Tao had just learned from Liu Shang that, to reward the confidants who searched for firearms, the leader had even bestowed some female survivors upon them for pleasure—among them was his older sister.

Upon learning the news, Lu Tao felt utterly dazed. A blazing rage ignited within his heart, and he wished he could slaughter all the perpetrators to vent his accumulated hatred.

However, those men had already been detained and indirectly received a measure of protection; Lu Tao could not barge in and kill them. Therefore, he was gambling. He had leaked this information to Fan Li, praying that the man would grant him a benevolent response.

After pausing for a few seconds, Fan Li continued, "In the current world, laws have collapsed, and you possess ample freedom. I do not mind if you have close relationships with women, but I cannot accept anyone engaging in bullying under my jurisdiction. Starting today, once an abuser is discovered, I will mete out a terrifying punishment!"

"As for the accomplices, although Li Bing and Wang Dong are dead, their subordinates remain unforgivably guilty. I will have someone break one of their legs and then banish them, never to employ them again."

"Hiss!"

Upon hearing Fan Li's punishment, everyone could not help drawing a sharp breath of cold air. Having their legs broken and being banished was even more cruel than simply killing them!

Fan Li glanced sideways at the slightly trembling Lu Tao and said, "You will carry this out. Before the sun sets, I want them to disappear from this camp."

"Yes! Leader!"

Lu Tao's eyes were bloodshot. Though he could not kill them himself, breaking a leg and casting them out of the camp was no different from feeding them directly to the zombies.

Helping him eliminate his enemies and letting him vent his resentment—most importantly, his imprisoned sister was also granted freedom. For Lu Tao, although the Fan Li before him remained mysterious, he had won his absolute allegiance.

This was the apocalypse, not a world wrapped in civilization. Some women knew enough to trade their bodies for food and shelter, so why couldn't men trade their allegiance for a better life?

In Lu Tao's view, even if Fan Li truly was a monster draped in human skin, he simply didn't care. So what if Li Bing was a human? Didn't he still commit monstrous acts?

And while Fan Li possessed the ability to control zombies and seemed out of place among humanity, after occupying Jingmen Huafu, he neither pillaged nor slaughtered, and even reformed some benevolent policies. This gave Lu Tao an idea: if this person could truly ensure his sister no longer suffered humiliation, he didn't mind pledging his loyalty to a non-human entity!

[Subordinate +1]
[You have gained the respect of your subordinate!]

Fan Li nodded inwardly; clearly, his methods for winning people over had been affirmed.