Chapter 144 More Trouble Arose
Anthony and his family, along with a bunch of neighbors who knew him, gathered into a small group of dozens. Surrounding them were Candice, Jack, and other Evolved folks, all staring towards the East Side, waiting for something.
A bunch of scattered survivors noticed this odd group, but when they saw the white weapons, they got scared.
Suddenly, a flare shot up from the east, and the crowd sprang into action.
Jack, Candice, and Natalie fired their guns into the sky, making people scream and run away from the noise. The scattered crowd got squished together.
At the base of a building in their escape path, a huge bonfire lit up, its flames lighting up a big area.
Inside the building, Donovan stood by a second-floor window. With a megaphone, he started shouting at the crowd, "Follow orders, everyone stop!"
His voice made people slow down, and the bonfire's light eased some of their fear.
Anthony led his group to cooperate with Donovan, shouting slogans together. Everyone raised anything that could emit light, making those around them stop.
Jack and the other Evolved folks were crucial from the start. With their strength, they could stop many people just by holding their guns horizontally. With Donovan's repeated commands, the situation gradually stabilized.
When it's dark and chaotic, people tend to follow the crowd. But once there's light and clear leadership, along with the influence of a well-organized society, people quickly calm down.
First, dozens of people stopped fleeing, then hundreds, and finally thousands. Bit by bit, the West Side calmed down.
Anthony took Donovan's megaphone and ran through the crowd. He told everyone to return to their places and assured them the base was safe and zombies hadn't breached it.
With Donovan and Jack's help, the situation stabilized, and they even started organizing people to put out small fires.
Of course, some people didn't want to calm down so quickly. The earlier chaos had brought them benefits, like food and even women that they couldn't easily give up.
For these people, the group showed no mercy. A few women were easily subdued, but Jack and Natalie, were more ruthless, directly killing them.
This ruthlessness was crucial in quelling the chaos.
As the West Side calmed down, the East Side was also getting organized. Marcus led people out of Harborview Community, evacuating the crowd in an orderly manner.
Those near buildings were directed inside, and those in open spaces were settled near bonfires. With fewer people in the East Side and Marcus having ample manpower, progress was even faster than in the West Side.
William was also a big help. The East Side had been the living area for Evolved folks, and those who survived William's earlier wrath, along with their domineering relatives, initially resisted his management. But after William's bloody suppression, they all complied.
This whole process made Marcus's eye twitch. Even though William didn't go all out, Marcus was still freaked out by how easily William took down a one-star Evolved person. He was also relieved he had agreed to stabilize the base earlier.
With the East and West Sides under control, the other two areas didn't stay chaotic for long. Order-keeping teams quickly moved in and calmed everyone down.
By the time the base was completely calm, dawn was breaking. William, Marcus, Anthony, Jack, and the others gathered at the center of the base to discuss the next steps.
A lot of people had died the previous night, and bodies were scattered everywhere except the most remote areas. With the current weather, daytime temperatures were still high, and the bodies needed to be cleared out.
"I plan to post a job notice to hire people to clean the base. Thanks to the food left by Simon and Brady, we can use it as payment, and I think many people will be willing to do this job," Anthony said.
Yesterday, Marcus had been ordered by William to seize the base's food storage. After a skirmish with the guards and some losses, they successfully took over and got the limited food inside.
"This work-for-food method can also be used for future tasks like fortifying the base, cleaning up trash, maintaining hygiene, and even farming," Anthony continued.
William stood outside the crowd, watching Anthony speak confidently. A look of approval flashed on his face. He thought, 'This young man is really good, handling everything methodically.'
But soon, he frowned. He looked around, sensing something off. After a moment of thought, his expression changed. He suddenly lay down, pressing his ear to the ground, and listened intently.
Although William was on the periphery, both the newly adapted leader Anthony and the already respectful Marcus, along with Jack, Candice, and others, kept part of their attention on him. They all understood that William was the true power holder of the base now.
Seeing him suddenly act this way, they immediately stopped talking and gathered around.
Jack inquired, "Captain Wright, what's wrong?"
William gestured for everyone to be quiet. After listening for a few seconds, his already grim face turned even darker. He quickly stood up and said to Anthony, "Immediately arrange for people to evacuate the South Side!"
Anthony asked, "Why?"
William said urgently, "Hurry!"
Anthony wanted to ask why but was cut off by William. Without further questions, Anthony turned to arrange the manpower.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly felt the ground tremble.
Everyone else felt it too, looking at each other in confusion.
"Damn, it's too late!"William cursed, drawing Edge of the Moon.
William instructed hastily, "Anthony, organize people to evacuate the South Side. Donovan, take Mr. Rodriguez's men and set up obstacles on the main routes from the South Side to other areas. Once most survivors have evacuated or if the situation looks bad, block all these routes immediately!"
"The rest of you, follow me!" William's eyes were full of killing intent. He remarked, "Whether the base can be saved depends on us."
