Chapter 32

Su Hao didn't say a word.

Although he had never lived in an orderly and civilized era, he had seen many films and literary works about this period in the computer data. How to put it! Many people were busy to demonstrate their own value. Salaries, benefits, houses... especially the last type of reinforced concrete structures, which in this era were the best embodiment of one's status and ability. Sometimes, thinking about it really made him feel absurd—humans conquered nature, settled down, built cities, and then turned their struggle against their own kind. The big shots used various methods to empty the pockets of the little people, thus creating so-called "economic brilliance."

Looking at the middle-aged man squatting beside him, Su Hao's gaze was somewhat complicated.

"You... what's your name?"

He still didn't know the other person's name.

"My surname is Chen, Chen Kun."

The middle-aged man's voice was very calm.

"I remember you said you have a son. Um... how old is he?"

Su Hao tried to find a suitable topic.

"Thirteen years old, living in Guangzhou with my wife."

Chen Kun cleared his throat, awkwardly shifting his gaze, but Su Hao still caught the dimness and pain in his eyes: "To be precise, my ex-wife... we got divorced."

"Tell me about your son!"

Su Hao grabbed a cloth to wipe his hands, took out cigarettes from his pocket, and offered two to Chen Kun: "How is he?"

Chen Kun was silent for a moment, a nostalgic smile appearing on his face: "He looks like me. He attends a key middle school and does well in his studies."

"You must be proud of him."

"He comes to see me every summer. Talking about the divorce... she was a good woman. If I hadn't drunk so much and had fewer social engagements, things wouldn't have gotten out of hand. She gave me one last chance—five years. If I could become the person I was when we first met, we would reconcile. Now..."

He crushed the cigarette between his fingers, sniffed hard, and wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes.

Su Hao looked at him with pity, speaking calmly and sincerely: "At least, you're still alive."

"I don't know how long I can hold on..."

Chen Kun shook his head blankly: "Many people have died, and those who survived mostly turned into monsters. Compared to them, being alive seems abnormal. Maybe, I should learn from that woman who jumped off the cliff and find a comfortable way to die."

Su Hao didn't try to persuade him or get angry. He pondered Chen Kun's words, unwilling to agree but unable to find any reason to refute them. The two of them sat in silence until a few women from the temporary shelter waved to the construction site, signaling the workers to come for their meal.

"Maybe one day, you'll realize your thoughts are wrong."

He stood up, speaking calmly: "The dead know nothing; only the living can see the future. Who knows, you might see your son again."

Chen Kun's body trembled slightly, his gaze still lost but with a hint of something else.

"As for now, we need to eat first, then we'll have the energy to talk about other things."

Su Hao smiled and extended his right hand.

...

The canteen was a makeshift shed built with wood and waterproof cloth. A stove made of stones burned with wood, and the steamer was piled high with rice. The pot of rice porridge was thick, and another pot contained neatly arranged slices of cured meat, glistening with oil and emitting a tempting aroma.

The tables made of rough wooden planks were simple but sturdy. Two basins were filled with freshly stir-fried water celery, the tender green leaves interspersed with red peppers, making them look very appetizing. In the hot season, plants grew abundantly, and there were many wild vegetables in the lowlands and on the mountains. After the rain, there were even many delicious mushrooms in the pine forests. All people needed to do was pick, wash, and cook them.

Su Hao was in charge of cooking. He first filled a large lunch box, then added a thick stack of cured meat and stir-fried vegetables. A woman helping with the cooking quickly took it and ran to give it to Tao Yuan, who was standing on a brick pile and responsible for security.

There was enough food for everyone, and no one objected to Su Hao or Tao Yuan taking the first servings—their workload was greater than anyone else's, and they worked much more. While there was a bit of favoritism, it seemed fair on the surface. After all, apart from the core team members, no one knew the specific effects of the silver bones in the zombies' bodies or the concept of enhanced humans.

People lined up, holding their own bowls and chopsticks, waiting for their food at the wooden table. There was no need for much talk; they all knew the rules. The atmosphere wasn't particularly lively, but it wasn't as gloomy as one might imagine.

A middle-aged man in a shirt, with a rather scholarly air, approached the table, smiling and handing over his lunch box. Behind him were five or six men and women of similar age. They seemed to be familiar with each other, chatting and laughing, forming a stark contrast to the somewhat somber crowd around them.

Su Hao put down the iron spoon he was using to serve the food, glanced at the man standing in front of him, raised his left hand, and pointed at him and the others, saying slowly: "You, you, you, and you few, all of you, step aside."

His words were not finished, but the implied meaning was clear. Anyone with a functioning brain could understand.

The middle-aged man holding the empty lunch box's face turned slightly stiff. This change spread like a virus to the others he had pointed at. They were stunned for a few seconds, then erupted like a volcano.

"Why can't we eat?"

"Why are you doing this?"

"This food isn't made by you; we all have a share."

These people were visibly agitated, surrounding the table and shouting angrily.

Su Hao used the lid to cover the steamer, blocking the spittle flying from their mouths. He looked at them calmly and said, "I value democracy and principles. I have a few questions—every morning from eight to twelve, where were you? When the truck needed unloading, where were you? When the foundation needed concrete, where were you?"

The shouting gradually subsided. The people in front of the table were still angry but didn't continue shouting. No one answered Su Hao's questions. The other team members waiting in line behind them grew impatient and pushed to the front, urging Su Hao to continue serving the food while whispering to each other.

"They've been staying in the tent, sleeping until ten in the morning."

"For the past few days, they've hardly done anything, just gathering to play cards or chat. They didn't help with cooking or labor. Old Zhang kindly reminded them this morning, but the leader of the group mocked him, saying something about 'dog nature and slave nature being innate'..."

"These people deserve to go hungry. Even if they don't get bitten by zombies, they'll starve to death."

The volume of the surrounding conversations gradually increased. The people eating or getting their food clearly had no intention of speaking softly. They either squatted or sat, or stood nearby, eating while listening to others' discussions and occasionally chiming in with their own opinions. The core message was "no pain, no gain" and "no work, no food." They watched the people standing at the wooden table with mocking, cold, and disdainful gazes.

Soon, the queue at the wooden table had reached the end. Su Hao filled the last person's lunch box, giving them plenty of cured meat and vegetables, then moved the steamer to the side, picked up his own meal, and sat on a rock, eating calmly while watching the middle-aged man standing at the front.

His eyes were filled with anger and resentment, and he was gripping his empty lunch box tightly, exuding an air of authority from top to bottom.

Yes, it was authority, the kind officials have, the basic aura of superiors over subordinates.

Su Hao completely ignored the threatening look. He didn't realize that his calm and natural actions were seen by the middle-aged man as outright contempt.

The scene was quite awkward—the steamer and food basins on the wooden table had been taken away, and everyone was eating. Apart from the five companions gathered around, no one objected.

The middle-aged man's face was ashen. He glared at Su Hao with hatred, his eyes almost turning into knives, cutting into the young man's flesh.

After nearly three minutes of stalemate, he finally made no move. He quickly scanned the people around the shelter, gripped his empty lunch box, and walked heavily toward the distant tent, filled with anger.

The other five men and women were hesitant, some with clear anxiety on their faces, but they still followed him.

The people eating in the shelter didn't comment. When the atmosphere became cold and silent, someone laughed out loud. Soon, more people joined in, and the laughter quickly turned into a chorus.

Su Hao was also laughing. He picked up a piece of thick cured meat with his chopsticks and chewed it with relish.

He had many ways to handle this situation—physical punishment, scolding, or even killing the group led by the middle-aged man. No one would object to any of these methods.

In the future era, such brutal and savage methods were very effective. People threatened by hunger and death needed a strong and ruthless leader. However, now, such methods might cause other team members to be repulsed. The reason was simple—the dark age had just begun. They had experienced the virus outbreak and seen the cruelty and madness of the zombies, but their thinking and logic were still rooted in the civilized era. Food and laziness, in their view, were not capital offenses but merely flaws in character and status. Wealth, position, and rank... many people's minds still retained a fixed concept of these useless things. But regardless, the tolerance of the common people for the upper class only existed in peacetime. In a chaotic and disorderly world, only strength could decide and rule everything.

In the future, a saying spread among the common people in the wilderness: "The meat of officials is very tasty."

Because they were fat.

Among the core members, Su Hao was undoubtedly the team leader.

However, his status was not accepted by the other new members.

Most of the people rescued from the bathhouse came from wealthy backgrounds, with enviable wealth, status, and position. They were self-centered in their subconscious and knew the relationship between zombies and the virus but couldn't quickly eliminate their inherent arrogance. Pure force would only make them resentful. It was better to openly address the conflict and gain recognition through the fairest means, thereby earning their support.

Su Hao and all the core members were enhanced humans. They weren't afraid of these people's resistance. New members wouldn't receive weapons like guns without the approval of the other core members. If a large-scale rebellion occurred, even the weakest core member, Li Xiaomei, could kill everyone.

To eliminate potential threats, no one outside the core members received Su Hao's blood, let alone the silver bones for enhancement.

Su Hao needed enough manpower to complete the construction of the camp before winter. Therefore, he wouldn't kill easily. He also believed that these people, after seeing the terrifying post-apocalyptic landscape, wouldn't leave over trivial matters.

After all, staying here meant having food to eat, a place to live, and dedicated security.

What they needed to do was just general labor.

Team cohesion was something that developed over time and through living together. Su Hao couldn't guarantee that every new member would genuinely support him, but once the initial construction of the camp was completed, they would at least have enough recognition.

Fair rewards and punishments were the foundation of maintaining the team.

But Su Hao didn't notice—when the middle-aged man stood in front of the wooden table, his eyes kept involuntarily scanning the gun on Su Hao's waist.

...

"Snap—"

Two chopsticks were broken in half, the splintered ends thrown to the ground and trampled underfoot.

Li Yongxiang sat on a military bed with a dark expression, staring at the chopsticks under his feet. The empty lunch box was thrown to the side, cracked from being squeezed too hard.

He didn't like his current life at all.

Cement, mortar, stones, rebar... damn it! These things should be the specialty of migrant workers. Why were they assigned to him? Of course, wearing a safety helmet and shoveling a few scoops of soil for the camera was appropriate. He had done such things many times before. But the problem was, there was no cell phone signal, and which TV station would send a reporter to do a special feature on him here?

As a deputy department-level official, Li Yongxiang had a pride and authority that ordinary people couldn't understand. He didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He had struggled for decades, enduring unimaginable hardships and sacrificing many things, including his dignity, to reach his current position.

He wanted to climb even higher. This wasn't a delusion or a fantasy—he was negotiating an investment with a multinational corporation. If it came to fruition, this achievement would be enough to promote him to the next level.

The virus outbreak was very poorly timed. If the company representative hadn't stayed at that bathhouse the night before, Li Yongxiang wouldn't have been there at that moment. The outcome made him laugh bitterly: the esteemed representative turned into a zombie, and he was kidnapped by a group of thugs, locked in a dark room, and almost eaten.

He was very angry but also helpless.

Li Yongxiang once thought Su Hao was a rescue team from the military or police, but the result was disappointing. On the way from the city to this wilderness, he saw shocking and terrifying scenes. The piles of bodies were unforgettable, and the zombies scavenging for food made him tremble with fear. However, two completely different voices appeared in his mind.

Reason said, "The world has changed. Abandon unrealistic thoughts and live honestly."

Fantasy said, "This is all fake; your eyes are deceiving you."

The former had countless vivid examples as proof.

The latter was like a mirage, beautiful but intangible. However, it occupied an increasingly larger share of Li Yongxiang's thoughts, eventually driving out reason.

He couldn't help it.

Believing the former meant giving up many things: status, rank, wealth, and interests. He had almost spent his entire life striving for these. Suddenly falling from the high clouds and returning to the status of an ordinary person... this was the most terrifying nightmare.

He would rather be bitten to death by zombies than believe this was real.

Because of this strange and stubborn mindset, he refused to follow Su Hao's instructions and become a construction worker for the camp.

"What should we do? Should we... help with the work this afternoon? If we do, he should give us food for the evening."

The woman beside him was timid, her voice low. She nervously looked at the fierce Li Yongxiang, not realizing that he had already categorized her as a fence-sitter, ready to be discarded.

The woman was very fat, weighing at least 100 kilograms. If it weren't for her youth, Li Yongxiang wouldn't have had any intimate relationship with her beyond friendship.

The other members of this small circle included three men and one woman. Li Yongxiang didn't know if their reasons for refusing to work were the same as his, but for now, they were his only potential allies.

"I want to leave here."

Li Yongxiang was straightforward: "That Su kid is definitely lying. To the north, Chengdu, Xi'an, Beijing... other cities must not be in chaos. The army should be stationed in areas not yet affected by the virus. I don't believe the whole world turned into hell overnight. It's not scientific or logical."

---

The page turned, and the advertisement began.

The page turned, and the advertisement ended.