Chapter 68: Voices of Dissent

Hearing Fan Li’s suggestion, Yang Shuo, Hu Huayao, and Liu Hao simultaneously turned their gazes toward the seat at the head of the table. In their eyes, this was the very first collective meeting since the formation of their group.

Why are you all looking at me? My intention is to encourage brainstorming. One person’s ideas are limited—listening to more suggestions will help us survive on this land.

Fan Li’s expression remained stern as he nodded. “Everyone, share your thoughts. After all, we’re all in the same boat now.”

“Food.”

“Water.”

“And more people.”

At that moment, Hu Huayao spoke after some consideration. “Even if we can get food from the shops nearby, these are nonrenewable resources. They’ll run out one day. The same goes for water. Electricity is already gone, and without maintenance, the water supply equipment will degrade and eventually fail. Food and water—these are things we cannot do without if we want to survive.”

Hu Huayao was a clever man. He knew that hiding his injury earlier had displeased Fan Li, so he wanted to redeem himself. When being chased by a beast, you don’t have to outrun the animal—just your companion.

He continued, “Once we have enough food and water, we can try to accept more people.”

“More people?” Fan Li asked.

“Yes!” Hu Huayao nodded. “More people means our strength will gradually increase. But with our current capabilities, we can’t treat everyone equally. Even if some want to join us, we’ll have to do some basic screening.”

Hu Huayao didn’t specify the criteria for this screening, but Fan Li understood what it meant: the old, the weak, the sick, and the disabled would be excluded. Perhaps Hu Huayao hadn’t said it outright because he was a father—already stretching the rules—or perhaps because, under Fan Li, he was just an employee: he could make suggestions and draft plans, but the final decision always belonged to the boss.

Fan Li gave Hu Huayao an extra glance. He had to admit, after spending some time together, Hu Huayao had proven himself—capable, intelligent, and emotionally astute. A true talent, though not without his own calculations. Such a person was worth using, but also worthy of special caution.

Fan Li nodded thoughtfully. “That’s a good suggestion. I’ll consider it.”

Recruiting more people had always been part of Fan Li’s plan. Every time a newcomer joined, his Prestige Points increased. Although he still didn’t understand what the Prestige Points listed in the Monster Manual were for, he believed that, just like other attributes and kill points that affected his strength, uncovering their purpose would greatly enhance his safety.

Yang Shuo, sitting to the side, watched as Hu Huayao leaned back in his chair after speaking. He felt a bit uneasy. In his opinion, after being reprimanded, Hu Huayao should be keeping a low profile, not trying to steal the spotlight.

A slight cough. Yang Shuo turned to Fan Li. “Brother Li, strength is what really matters. Food and water are everywhere on the streets right now. Most of the people in this county have turned into zombies. Any random shop could provide for us. If there’s no water, bottled water will do. I say, dealing with the zombies should be our top priority. So I propose we acquire a batch of powerful weapons.”

“Fire axes, sickles, shovels, chainsaws—and if possible, we should try to get our hands on some firearms!”

Yang Shuo wasn’t wrong. In peacetime, with laws and order, nobody kept many controlled weapons at home. Even after searching the entire building, Fan Li had only found kitchen knives and wooden sticks—barely any use against zombies.

The head is a zombie’s weak spot. If you want to kill them in one blow, weapons like fire axes and chainsaws are far more effective.

Unfortunately, these weren’t available nearby; they’d have to search along the way to find any.

As Fan Li pondered this, Liu Hao suddenly raised his right hand, wishing to make a suggestion.

“No need to be so formal. Go ahead,” Fan Li said, granting some special privilege to the group’s doctor.

“Medicine!”

“We need more medical supplies!”

When it came to medical matters, Liu Hao’s demeanor was more confident than before. “Throughout history, humanity has faced countless plagues. The most devastating ones have left huge marks—SARS, the plague, smallpox, influenza. Plagues are caused by highly infectious microorganisms—bacteria and viruses. Usually, they break out after natural disasters, when sanitation deteriorates.”

He spoke slowly, but the fear on his face became harder to hide. “So many have died. In a county with hundreds of thousands of people, how many perished? What about bigger districts? Cities? In megacities with tens of millions of people constantly on the move, how many died in this disaster?”

“Although the dead have turned into zombies, their bodies are still corpses—they rot, dry out, and eventually become walking husks. How many germs are spread by countless decaying corpses wandering the streets?”

“We must take precautions. We don’t have enough medicine now. We need to acquire more supplies as soon as possible. If an epidemic breaks out and someone here gets infected, at least I’d have something to work with for treatment and advice.”

“The zombie outbreak is just the beginning of this disaster. If the surrounding air becomes contaminated by decaying corpses, the consequences could be several times—even dozens of times—more horrific than what we’re facing now!”

Everyone was stunned by Liu Hao’s words. As ordinary people, none of them had considered the chain reactions zombies could trigger.

Clearly, expertise mattered, and this wasn’t something a layman would easily think of.

Food, water, more people, stronger weapons, and medicine to prevent infectious diseases—these were the proposals the three of them put forward.

Each suggestion was valuable, confirming that Fan Li’s earlier decision wasn’t wrong. One tree alone doesn’t make a forest. He possessed the Monster Manual, not an encyclopedia of the world. As an ordinary person, absorbing knowledge and advice was nothing to be ashamed of.

Time passed quickly. When nobody else spoke, Fan Li looked around at his current team. “That’s all for now. I’d like to rest.”

“All right!”

The others exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement. Their deferential attitudes only further confirmed Fan Li’s authority within the group.

As Hu Huayao and Liu Hao left the room one after the other, Fan Li suddenly called out.

“Yang Shuo!”

Yang Shuo, who had just been about to close the door, froze. He glanced at the departing Hu Huayao and Liu Hao, and a hint of pride flashed in his eyes. See? I really am the most trusted one. Brother Li must have something special for me to do.

“Wash the dishes,” Fan Li’s calm voice came from inside the room.

Yang Shuo’s face froze in the act of opening the door. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.