Chapter 160 The Only Remaining Solution
Last night, after those newly evolved folks went back, they had a change of heart. Instead of resting like everyone thought, they got up to no good.
Some of them went out and killed people. They said that back when they were just regular folks, someone had stolen their food, beat them up, or even messed with their families. Now that they had powers, they wanted payback.
Others went on a robbing spree and even raped two women.
On top of that, they didn't want to take risks anymore. They wanted to stay safe in the base and ignored the promises they made before evolving.
Out of the thirteen newly evolved, only seven showed up today. Almost half of them bailed.
Anthony went to find them, but all he got was a blunt "not coming!" Some even threatened him, telling him to scram or get beat up.
Anthony, not used to handling this kind of mess and usually following William's orders, came back fuming but silent.
"Don't know what to do?" William asked, looking annoyed.
William scolded, "I told you, you're in charge of this base now. You've been busy building it, but you haven't thought about dealing with those who don't follow you?"
"I..." Anthony started, but he really had no clue.
"Remember, in this world, there are only three ways to solve problems," William said loudly so everyone could hear.
William enumerated, "Law, benefits, force."
"To put it simply: reason, money, guns," William said as he looked at Anthony. "In the apocalypse, there's no law or reason, so forget the first one. That leaves the other two."
He continued, "We used benefits yesterday. We gave them Evolution Elixir for their help and got their promises. But now they've broken those promises, so there's only one option left."
William pointed to the gun he had given Anthony, saying, "Use this."
William explained, "You're the future leader here. You need to show everyone that those who follow you will thrive, and those who oppose you will fall!"
William added, "Don't think it's cruel. It's the best way. Now, Marcus, Jack, Michelle, go with him to find those people. Tell them they either join us in hunting or they die!" His tone was deadly serious.
Everyone around was silent. They could feel the bloodlust in William's words.
William warned, "Remember, if anyone resists, you must kill them immediately, or else, it'll be you who dies."
William leaned against a building, and the others waited quietly. In the open space were the thousand people selected, surrounded by survivors watching the scene. They were all waiting for Anthony and the others to return.
A gunshot echoed from the north side, and everyone knew something was going down.
Half an hour later, a few people came back. Anthony's hand was shaking, but the blood on his face added something to him.
William knew what it was. It was a transformation that was bound to happen in the apocalypse. He had just sped up Anthony's process.
Behind them were four people, one with a swollen face, looking down without a hint of defiance.
Because he had just seen someone who was defiant get their head blown off.
"Don't think this is over. Just showing up doesn't make up for your screw-ups. Perform well today, or I'll take back what I gave you," William said coldly to the four, then waved his hand, signaling the team to move out.
The east exit, which William had scouted yesterday, was near the feed processing plant where Iron Corpse was born.
The evolved folks went out first, silently clearing the area of mutated creatures to make space. Then, a thousand people emerged from the sewer pipes, carrying the items William had requested.
Wood, nails, steel wire, knives, meat, axes, shovels, hoes... even some useless household appliances and furniture.
For many, this was their first time leaving the base since the apocalypse began. They were all on edge, and the entire team moved in absolute silence, following William's lead.
About an hour later, they arrived at an unfinished residential area. William scoped out the surroundings and decided this was the spot for their ambush.
Once the location was set, the evolved folks started clearing out dangers and setting up sentries.
Donovan, Jack, and others began gathering useful items for the upcoming battle, like sandbags, steel bars, shovels, and abandoned cars.
Michelle, Candice, and others, following the sketches William had drawn the night before, set up obstacles and fortifications in the area.
Natalie and Lucy helped David set up traps around the ambush site using the materials at hand, based on what they had just learned from William.
These traps weren't complicated, mostly pits and tripwires. The more complex ones used simple lever or balance principles to create small mechanisms.
After William explained and demonstrated a couple of times, they got the hang of it. For David, who worked with precision instruments, it was a breeze. So he and his assistants quickly became the core team.
William led most of the people to dig pits and trenches on the side of the residential area facing the base. These trenches weren't random but followed specific patterns. The people doing the dirty work didn't understand, and William didn't bother explaining.
These trenches were techniques he had learned in his previous life. Many scholars had calculated the best proportions based on the zombies' stride, speed, walking habits, and other factors.
They could effectively slow down the zombie horde, and as the techniques developed, these ground defense trenches became so complex that they could significantly affect zombies below level three.
Although humans had always been at a disadvantage in terms of evolution speed and overall strength compared to mutated creatures, they had always been far ahead in overall intelligence.
With time, they were gradually closing the gap between humans and non-humans.
By the time everything was set up according to William's plan, it was already noon. William ordered everyone to rest and have a hearty meal before assigning tasks.
From the trenches to the obstacles and fortifications in the residential area, to the surrounding high points and the reserve team, everything was organized. The steps of the operation were clearly explained.
After that, William's team left to lure the zombie horde near the base.
Watching them disappear, the survivors holding various makeshift weapons knew that the battle was about to begin.
