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墨書 Inktalez
The sunlight streamed in through the window, and as Li Nan lay on the bed, he felt a warm sensation. When he opened his eyes, the room was filled with bright sunlight, but Mo Xiaohui was nowhere to be seen.
Li Nan smiled, "It's already late in the morning; I shouldn't be this lazy!"
After tidying up, Li Nan got dressed and went downstairs.
In the hall downstairs, a bowl and chopsticks were already set out, along with a few steamed buns. Though simple, it was quite a decent meal in this post-apocalyptic world.
The entire Small Buildings was empty. Li Nan guessed that Mo Xiaohui had taken Lingdang'er out for physical training, while Li Dapeng was likely pestering Fatty for gun training.
Each family member had their own tasks, leaving Li Nan with nothing much to do.
Logically speaking, since Li Nan had taken over Brother Three's position, there should be many rules to hand over. However, Li Nan found these matters quite troublesome and had previously passed them all onto Bitter Melon and Long-Faced Man. The efficiency of these two was decent enough that they hadn't caused any trouble for Li Nan.
At this moment, Li Nan enjoyed the rare peace and quiet, trusting that the original team under Brother Three would handle things without issue.
Just as Li Nan was about to take a big bite of his bun, a man burst into Small Buildings. Li Nan looked up and recognized Bitter Melon.
"What's up? Have your ribs healed?" Li Nan gestured for Bitter Melon to sit down and eat, but he waved his hand, indicating that he had already eaten.
At this time of day, it seemed only Li Nan and those who indulged excessively every day hadn’t had breakfast yet, so he didn’t press the matter.
Bitter Melon stood across from Li Nan and said, "I have something to discuss with you, Brother Nan. I’m not sure if this is the right time."
Li Nan smiled, "Go ahead; there's no such thing as the wrong time!"
"Since you took over Brother Three's position, nothing much has happened in the camp. It's been quite stable—no internal conflicts or fights have occurred, nor have any Zombies attacked. It's just that..."
Li Nan anticipated that after some flattering words would come a twist in the conversation, so he asked, "Just what?"
Bitter Melon frowned, "It's just that the food in the camp is a bit tight; we might not have enough to last until tomorrow!"
Li Nan stared at the steamed buns on the table, seemingly surprised. "How is that possible? Previously, Brother Three brought back a batch of food from the Granary; how could there be no food now?"
Bitter Melon muttered under his breath, "Let me explain this in detail. Brother Three risked his life and indeed brought back quite a bit of food from that Granary. At that time, a large Truck with a ten-ton capacity made ten trips, all thanks to the brothers who helped. However, that food cannot solve the problem!"
Li Nan felt it was unbelievable. "What exactly is going on?"
Bitter Melon continued to explain, "That batch of one hundred tons of food was distributed according to the rules. The three big brothers in the camp each took one-tenth as their personal stash, while the remaining seventy tons were shared among all the brothers who contributed. However, Brother Three has around sixty or seventy people under him. Those who contributed significantly could get one or two thousand jin, while those who contributed less could still get seven or eight hundred jin. Naturally, our people won't go hungry, but others are starving!"
Hearing this from Bitter Melon, Li Nan smiled and said, "Since our group won't go hungry, that's enough. The rest can starve; it doesn't matter if Brother Long and Second Brother's people suffer!"
Bitter Melon shook his head. "It's not that simple. When this camp was first established, there were only about twenty or thirty men. As the camp grew in size and population, there are now around two hundred people here. Most of them are young and strong laborers, but there are few who can wield guns as warriors. In other words, the three big brothers who hold power in this camp act like local emperors, each controlling a faction. The newcomers are like commoners; the three big brothers provide them protection while they must rely on their own abilities for survival. Those who are useless can only stay and eat scraps while doing heavy labor..."
Upon hearing this, Li Nan felt nothing was wrong with it, but Bitter Melon continued, "Recently, outside Zombies have been increasingly active, so those commoners can't get any food at all. Even if they manage to find some food, after being divided among the three big bosses, they probably won't even have enough for a full meal. The current situation is that most of the commoners in the camp have no food!"
Li Nan exclaimed in disbelief, "Since those roles are commoners, why don't the three big bosses lend a hand? Can they really watch their own people starve?"
Bitter Melon replied with a hint of amusement, "Aren't you one of those local emperors yourself, Brother Nan?"
The steamed bun that Li Nan was swallowing nearly choked him; after coughing once, he laughed and said, "Indeed! So now this is my responsibility. What do Brother Long and Tiger Brother say about it?"
Bitter Melon answered, "Brother Long and Tiger Brother don't care at all about the lives of the remaining hundred people. The food they control will only be used to support those willing to become their loyal Gunslinger!"
Li Nan smiled wryly and said, "Those who gain virtue will attract support; those who lose virtue will have little help. If I give away eight tons from my ten tons of food, it might help them last for a year and a half!"
Seeing this, Bitter Melon smiled and said, "Brother Nan has a kind heart! I also think this is an opportunity to win people's hearts; we can make great use of it. If you are willing to part with this food, perhaps you can achieve great things in the camp!"
Li Nan swallowed his food and then picked up a glass of water. "In this world where people are as worthless as dogs due to natural selection, we cannot think like that. The continuation of humanity cannot rely solely on one or two strong individuals. Providing food aid now serves both to build our influence and save lives; we must definitely do this kind of thing that benefits both ourselves and others!"
Bitter Melon nodded, "Li Nan, you really think ahead; I was being shallow!"
Li Nan stood up and patted Bitter Melon's shoulder, "You handle the payroll; make sure to do it well!"
Bitter Melon nodded, "Leave it to me!" He then turned and walked out, while Li Nan thought to himself, "It seems I should learn more about the camp's affairs!"
Just as Bitter Melon exited the Small Buildings, he bumped into a man in his forties. Looking up, Bitter Melon recognized him as Old Zhou, the guard at the camp's entrance.
Old Zhou saw that the person before him was a capable subordinate of Brother Three and didn't get angry. Instead, he smiled and asked, "Is Li Nan in the Small Buildings?"
Bitter Melon nodded, and Old Zhou turned to enter the Small Buildings.
Seeing Old Zhou, Bitter Melon couldn't shake off his doubts. "Isn't Old Zhou one of Liu Long's people? Why is he coming over to Brother Three's side? This is suspicious!"
After passing by Bitter Melon, Old Zhou directly barged into Li Nan's residence in the Small Buildings.
At that moment, Li Nan was clearing the dishes from the table. Just as one person left, another barged in.
Li Nan sensed someone behind him and turned around. Seeing a face he barely recognized, he shouted, "Who are you?"
Old Zhou saw Li Nan and immediately put on a friendly smile, saying, "Li Nan, you really forget things easily! I'm Old Zhou, the one who guards the gate. We met just yesterday afternoon!"
Li Nan exclaimed, "Oh! I remember now. Are you here to pay your respects or what?"
Old Zhou continued with a smile, "You read my mind right away! I indeed came to pay my respects today. In my opinion, among everyone in this camp, you have the most heroic spirit..."
Upon hearing Old Zhou's flattery, Li Nan waved his hand and said, "Don't come here with your sweet talk. Go back where you came from; this small temple can't accommodate such a big Buddha like you!"
Li Nan intended to send him away, but Old Zhou trembled slightly and said, "Li Nan, don't be like that! I haven't finished what I wanted to say yet; why are you rushing me out?"
Li Nan had no good impression of the middle-aged man in his forties in front of him. Before the apocalypse, this guy was probably just a smooth talker who couldn't do anything serious and was good at causing trouble. Therefore, Li Nan didn't want to bother with him at all. It was a pity that someone with such talent was not working as a civil servant; coming under his command would definitely be a waste of talent.
Old Zhou, seeing that Li Nan was resolute, quickly said, "It's true that I was with Brother Long before, but now I really want to change my ways. Brother Long is not exactly a good person either, and if Brother Nan refuses to take me in, I'll have no choice but to become a laborer. But look at me, Brother Nan, am I someone who can do heavy work?"
Hearing this, Li Nan took another look at Old Zhou. In his forties, he had a beer belly that was neither too big nor too small, a thin face, and a large backside. Although he didn't have the demeanor of a great general, he was certainly qualified to be a treacherous minister.
Li Nan asked, "You were with Brother Long before?"
Old Zhou nodded. "When I first entered the camp, I thought Brother Long was a fierce dragon in the world. But now that I see it this way, he really doesn't measure up in front of Brother Nan. Once you arrived, my heart followed suit. That Liu Long is just an old fart who talks nonsense; he's quite despicable!"
Li Nan chuckled and said, "Won't Brother Long get angry if you talk like that?"
Seeing that Li Nan's tone had softened, Old Zhou continued, "Now that I'm under Brother Nan's command, why should I fear that old fart?"
Li Nan jokingly replied, "Did I ever say you could come under my banner? However, if Brother Long hears your words, your fate will probably be miserable!"
Old Zhou quickly changed his tone and said earnestly, "That old fart Liu Long is on a completely different level from Brother Nan; he's just an old man who shoots off his mouth. If Brother Nan has any intention, I would gladly volunteer to take him down!"
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