Chapter 96 Should I kill them all
Steven, after some contemplation, arrived at a satisfactory answer.
That was, as long as he stayed in Building 25 and didn't go out, using the firepower he had and the strength of the safe house, even if people from the other 29 buildings united, they wouldn't be able to do anything to him.
In fact, in the current situation where food was extremely scarce, and the temperature was extremely cold, just stepping out into the biting wind for a few steps was a huge ordeal.
Twenty people couldn't do the work that one person used to do.
'My personal safety is not an issue. At worst, I can ride my motorcycle and break through the encirclement, using my weapons to engage in guerrilla warfare. I can slowly wear them down.'
'But doing that is really too troublesome. How long would it take to kill all the people from the 29 buildings?'
'But if I don't kill them, they will definitely come to attack me.'
Steven pondered carefully in his mind.
Should he spend some time and effort to eliminate the people in the community who posed a threat to him, or think of another way?
In the short term, Steven hadn't made up his mind.
He glanced at his phone and decided to chat with Chase.
He needed to see if all the building managers had the same idea.
Steven opened the chat window with Chase.
He didn't initiate the conversation, but Chase was very proactive in introducing their situation to Steven.
Chase: [Mr. Rogers, I come with sincerity, hoping to cooperate with you to build a harmonious community, an Apocalyptic Utopia.]
[So far, only five elderly people in Building 18 have died, and they passed away due to complications from the extreme cold.]
[Everyone is living harmoniously through reasonable planning and distribution of resources.]
[I believe this is the best way to survive in the apocalypse, preserving the spark of human civilization. It also benefits the reconstruction work after the snow disaster.]
[Currently, we lack an effective food source. We hope to cooperate with you, and in return, we can provide manpower and resources to meet your needs as much as possible.]
[And we can mediate relationships with other buildings to avoid conflicts.]
After seeing Chase's introduction, Steven felt much more comfortable.
No wonder he was the CFO of a large corporation; his emotional intelligence was much higher than that of Caitlin.
He was clear and concise in stating the pros and cons, and his tone was neither humble nor arrogant.
However, what Steven cared about most was the harmonious environment he mentioned.
It had been more than twenty days since the apocalypse began, and they hadn't lost a single person to conflict!
Steven looked at Elinor, who was massaging his feet. "Elinor, do you know anything about the situation in Building 18?"
Elinor thought for a moment and said, "I've heard a bit. It's said that their building manager is very charismatic. After the apocalypse began, he united all the residents and adopted a unified distribution of resources, allowing most people to survive until now."
Steven sighed, "No wonder he's a CFO. Managing accountants not only requires knowing how to manage but also how to maximize benefits."
In fact, Chase's approach was the most reasonable.
Other buildings, like Steven's Building 25, had wasted a lot of resources due to conflicts and internal strife.
Theoretically, if a person didn't move (including mental activity), the energy consumed in a day was minimal, and one meal was enough.
"Chase is a talent." Steven sighed, but then he said, "But even so, it's still impossible for them to survive long-term in the apocalypse."
Chase's ability lay in establishing order. Through his influence in Building 18, he united everyone early on.
But what if they faced external attacks?
Those people, accustomed to comfort, would likely be slaughtered if they encountered the Rapids gang or someone like Andrew.
Without military protection, all stability and harmony would have been illusory.
Steven asked, "If I don't agree, what will you do?"
Chase thought for a long time before replying to Steven.
"We uphold the spirit of friendly cooperation and extend an invitation to you."
"If you refuse, I will be deeply regretful. But this doesn't mean your thoughts won't change in the future. I still look forward to the next opportunity to cooperate."
Steven laughed. This official response style was quite pleasing.
He asked, "What, you don't plan to attack our Building 25? Or join in when other buildings attack us?"
Chase's reply was also very candid. "Our military force is only for self-defense, and we won't actively attack others."
"It's not that we lack strength, but pointless internal strife will only result in mutual destruction."
Steven almost wanted to applaud him.
Look at him, clearly lacking strength and being timid, yet speaking so righteously.
Back to the point, Building 18's harmonious environment had allowed them to survive half a month peacefully in the apocalypse, and they indeed lacked the courage to fight others.
Chase was a smart person.
He also knew that if Steven really fought with others, even if they went over, they wouldn't get much benefit.
It was better not to attack Steven.
If Steven lost and the snowmobile fell into someone else's hands, he could still seek cooperation with others.
Steven: [Wait for my response.]
Steven sent this message and then went to the friend request list to find others.
Previously, there were too many people wanting to add him as a friend to ask for supplies, so he ignored all friend requests.
But now, it seemed that everyone in the community wanted to talk to him and ask for his help in gathering supplies.
Sure enough, Steven added a few more building managers.
Their intentions were almost identical to Caitlin's and Chase's.
They all hoped to cooperate with Steven and asked him to help them gather supplies to survive.
However, the conditions they could offer were extremely limited.
Only labor, women, and a promise not to kick him when he's down in case of conflict.
The only difference was their attitude, good or bad, that's all.
Steven lay on the sofa, looking up at the ceiling, and murmured, "I now have two choices: fight or cooperate."
"To fight means killing all those who pose a threat to me. It's not impossible, but it would consume a lot of time and ammunition."
"Killing a large number of residents in the 30 buildings of the community would deplete all my stored ammunition. The amount of ammunition I got from the police station isn't much, just over a thousand rounds."
"This is under ideal conditions. I can kill them if they come to attack me, but if they hide in the buildings and don't come out, I wouldn't dare to risk going in."
"Moreover, although I have no psychological shadow about killing, I'm not a psychopathic butcher either."
"Most people in the community don't have much of a grudge against me. If I kill them all, I would feel a bit guilty."
"Damn, I might even end up with mental issues."
Steven rubbed his temples, feeling that killing everyone in the community wasn't a good option.
It was just too troublesome.
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