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墨書 Inktalez
Tang Zhaodi soaked in hot water for half an hour before finally catching her breath. The already thin child now seemed to be nothing but skin and bones. She neither cried nor made a fuss, just stared blankly with her large eyes, which looked hollow and filled with despair.
Li Ming heated his milk and fed it to the little sister. At this time, greasy food was not suitable. Yu Tian cooked some millet porridge and stir-fried a bit of vegetables and eggs. He fed it to the still somewhat dazed Tang Zhaodi and also placed some charcoal in the room. After finishing her meal, Tang Zhaodi fell back into a deep sleep, her quietness making one feel heartbroken.
Li Yan and Zhou Miao wandered around the village aimlessly. More and more people had been leaving in recent days, and the collapsed houses appeared desolate and bleak in the night. No one knew what the future held, but humanity had made the cruelest choices before the world truly reached its end.
It was unclear what the Safe Zone's intentions were; they announced daily how many spots were left in the Safe Zone. As the number of spots dwindled, a rush for spots began. When only ten spots remained, a strong man's food was traded for fifteen hundred pounds. It was both laughable and tragic; perhaps to those frantically rushing towards it, the Safe Zone represented hope and the last remaining sanctuary.
There were not many villagers left; Li Yan gathered Zhang Hong and Zhang Yi to call everyone together for a meeting. Zhang Sanye was supported over by his son Zhang Mo, as he was elderly and had visibly aged due to recent events. Unexpectedly, Li Yan's group spotted Tian Guifang, who looked alarmingly thin, her face so pale it could reflect light; one might think they saw a ghost at night. Tian Guifang glanced at Tang Zhaodi behind Li Ming, her eyes flickering before she lowered her head.
There were fewer than a thousand people remaining in the village. Originally, there were even fewer villagers in Zhangjia Village, with only about a hundred people including women and children. This was understandable; rural residents generally had some surplus grain, while outsiders might have brought food but consumed it quickly without knowing how to farm or having new sources of food, leaving them unable to enter the Safe Zone.
Zhang Sanye realized that the Li family’s young men intended to take charge. It was fine; he had witnessed them driving away bandits during this time, and Zhou Laoyezi was also kind-hearted. If they could indeed lead the villagers, it would be a blessing for everyone.
The old man coughed a few times before speaking: "Everyone can see that we have been abandoned by the government. Heavenly Father has not let us all perish; we must live our lives well. I’ll say something from an old man's perspective: today we need someone to take charge."
Zhou Miao raised an eyebrow; this old man was quite perceptive—he had noticed their intentions even before they expressed them. After his words, no one spoke up in response. With all the natural disasters lately and seeing that the government would no longer intervene, they felt uncertain about their future.
"Li Ge, you should be our village chief; we will follow you. If someone else were to take charge, I would be the first to oppose it," Zhang Hong stood up despite his wife's attempts to pull him back.
Several other men expressed their support as well. Zhang Sanye's son Zhang Mo looked at his father, who nodded at him. Zhang Mo stood up on behalf of his father: "Everyone has suffered quite a bit during this time; honestly speaking, those who could leave have already left. If we don’t unite now with those of us who remain, we might face even greater disasters ahead. We have all seen Li Yan and Zhou Miao's capabilities."
"If it weren't for them during this period, many of us would have died under the rubble. I also wanted to leave; everyone knows why I didn’t go. Since I am here now, I won’t say anything more. Without the government, we still need to guard against robbers; if we lack organization and leadership, survival will be even harder. I propose that Li Yan become our new village chief; of course, anyone who disagrees can speak up."
Indeed, there were dissenters; Zhao Shun belonged to that type who lacked courage but had thin skin when it came to appearances. He had brought food when he arrived but later lost it all due to flooding that spoiled it. Then his mistress stole quite a bit from him; he now found himself at rock bottom.
Even so, he believed that if someone were to take on the role of village chief, it should be him. He used to work in city government and had connections that allowed him to navigate easily through life. A person like him was far superior to Li Yan in terms of capability; however, he was also clever enough not to underestimate others' potential. "I say being village chief isn't something just anyone can do; one must have capability. Li brother is strong but being chief requires experience too—preferably someone who has done similar work before. I recommend Comrade Min Liangyu; he previously worked on civil affairs at the provincial level and is most suitable."
Min Liangyu instinctively straightened his chest while sitting, feeling quite proud of the gazes directed at him. It had been a long time since he felt this way. Back then, he was a deputy department-level official, and if it weren't for that damned natural disaster, he might have already reached a higher rank. However, with the apocalypse, the military took the lead. Min Liangyu adjusted his glasses and adopted an official tone. "Brother Zhao, don't say that. You are quite suitable as well. I remember you used to work in civil affairs; although your rank wasn't high, you often visited rural areas and have plenty of experience."
Zhao Shun was a decent guy.
Li Yan squinted his eyes and curled his lips into a cold smile. He had been waiting for this moment to speak up; he certainly didn't want such scum in his fortress.
In an instant, the scene divided into two factions, each with their own selfish motives. Eventually, things escalated to the point where they were almost ready to fight. Zhang Sanye slammed the table and shouted, "My old man is still alive!!" This was clearly directed at those from Zhangjia Village.
However, after this outburst from the old man, the scene quieted down. The atmosphere remained strange; no one spoke as they exchanged glances. Min Liangyu felt displeased; once he became village chief, those who opposed him today would be in for a rude awakening. Zhao Shun lowered his head, a cunning smile in his eyes; that fool Min Liangyu would regret it when he became village chief.
Li Yan watched them perform their little drama until they had enough. The spectators—his family—were particularly entertained, especially his precious child, who was wide-eyed watching the argument unfold as if it were thrilling. If conditions allowed, that kid would probably be munching on snacks while watching.
Li Yan stood up and slowly scanned the room before speaking calmly. "Since everyone has different opinions now, let me put it this way: we come from a democratic society; we are all civilized people and don't need to resort to violence. Those who agree with me becoming village chief stand on the right; those who support Min Liangyu stand on the left.
Now, let me say one thing: if you agree with me becoming village chief, you trust my decisions. I hereby announce that those who support me will separate from the other group. This means that from now on, we will split into two villages; what happens in the other village will have nothing to do with us.
You should understand what 'nothing to do' means. If trouble comes looking for us, I, Li Yan, declare today that we will treat them just like we would treat robbers. In this world, losing one or two people is common; those who don't believe can try." As he spoke, his icy gaze pierced through Min Liangyu and Zhao Shun.
Both men felt a chill run down their spines as if they had been doused with cold water in the dead of winter; their faces alternated between pale and green for quite some time. However, they couldn't afford to back down now. Li Yan was clearly doing this on purpose—waiting until they started arguing before bringing up the village separation issue—making it obvious he didn't want them in the village at all. Zhao Shun regretted speaking up; had he known better, he wouldn't have said anything. Li Yan and Zhou Miao were both capable individuals. He had hoped to squeeze some benefits from them, but now there was nothing left.
Li Yan's words shocked everyone present—splitting into two villages? With so few people? Although Min Liangyu wasn't bad, Li Yan and Zhou Miao were also formidable.
Those who had fought naturally chose Li Yan; their homes were still over there. Since they were splitting into two villages, they certainly couldn't leave now. Of course, many still chose Min Liangyu because he had leadership experience and Zhou Miao's family was not to be trifled with; their food supplies were limited too. What if they demanded food? Right now, food was still safe in their hands. Besides, it was clear that they didn't know how to manage a village yet.
In the end, over four hundred people chose Li Yan while more than five hundred chose Min Liangyu. With these five hundred supporters backing him up, Min Liangyu and Zhao Shun felt more confident; among them were several capable individuals—quite promising indeed. Now that they had chosen their side, it was time to choose a location.
"Li Yan," Min Liangyu said confidently, "you know that One Village originally belonged to the government; no one has the right to take it for themselves. Since we are no longer one village now, shouldn't you move out of where you're living? Our villagers also belong to One Village; why shouldn't we be able to live there?"
"You want to live there?" Li Yan laughed out loud at this point—this toad wanted to eat swan meat? "That house was rebuilt by our villagers; what right do you have to complain?"
"Hey now, you can't say that... Ah!! Murder!!" Min Liangyu trembled in fear as he looked at the gleaming cleaver on the table beside him and stared terrified at Zhou Miao: "What... what do you want?"
"I," Zhou Miao said with one leg propped up on a stool in a very rogue manner. "Didn’t Li Yan just say that losing one or two people is no big deal? Since your villagers don’t care about my dignity as a person, our village naturally has to retaliate against you guys. Let me tell you something, fat pig: our villagers aren't easy to deal with; if you keep talking nonsense, I’ll chop you up—do you believe me?" With that said, he pulled out a knife and waved it in front of Min Liangyu's face.
Min Liangyu was so scared that he didn't dare to move; this was no longer a society governed by law. Given Zhou Miao's ruthless actions in the past, Min Liangyu bravely said, "Don't get too cocky; it's not really the end of the world yet. Just wait until later, and the government will come to deal with you."
The outcome of the situation was quickly apparent, and the villagers from Li Yan's side were overjoyed; they could finally breathe a sigh of relief after these past few days. However, Zhou Miao was indeed a bit too ruthless. But whatever, it was their choice; this was their fate.
On the other hand, the villagers who felt powerless dared not speak out but cursed Min Liangyu and Zhou Miao in their hearts. Hmph, don’t get too proud; following someone like Zhou Miao will surely lead to bad outcomes sooner or later.
Once the village was established, Li Yan announced their new village name the next morning: Bright Village. He wanted to call it Base since it was their starting point in this apocalypse, but for now, it was better to play it safe. Min Liangyu immediately named his village Eagle Village.
The villagers were busy building houses and moving in, both groups wary of each other trying to take advantage. With a plan in mind, their pace quickened.
Originally, One Village covered a large area, but Min Liangyu chose to settle as far away from Bright Village as possible to avoid any disadvantage. As the weather grew colder, most people moved into the houses that had not yet collapsed. Water was plentiful in winter, and as temperatures dropped, everyone searched through the ruins for wood to keep warm. With many houses down, there was no shortage of timber.
Throughout the winter, both villages tried their best to search for food and clothing among the ruins. Of course, they weren't alone; refugees eagerly joined this effort. Conflicts erupted frequently; even though villagers tried to save every penny, life remained difficult.
Author's note: Li Xiaoming looked up at his brother eagerly and asked, "Brother, can I be the Vice Village Chief?"
Li Dayan stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Well..."
Li Xiaoming pulled out a piece of candy: "Here’s this for you."
Li Dayan lunged forward: "Bribes should be something useful; with that little mouth and body, you’re quite charming..."
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