Chapter 208 - 193: Comparing Treatment

Chapter 208: Chapter 193: Comparing Treatment

Most of the vehicles on Huanggang Road had keys and could be started normally. The Logistics Team had always been about the same size as the Combat Team, with a total of 45 members.

Many of them knew how to drive. They gradually moved the vehicles blocking the road, drove them to the spacious B Port, and parked them in neat rows.

If a car was out of gas, they simply brought over a gasoline can, filled it up on the spot, and easily drove it away.

But the new energy vehicles... they gave Huang Zhiqiang a headache.

"What are we supposed to do with these pure electric cars when they’re out of juice? Are we going to have to set up a diesel generator to power a charging station just to charge them? That’s way too much trouble. New energy vehicles really are unreliable."

Yu Dong, who had come over to help, said, "Let’s just tow them back for now. We’ll keep the ones that are easy to drive. As for the difficult ones... Zhou says the big batteries inside are good stuff. He can use them."

"Alright..."

While the Logistics Team cleared the vehicles, the Combat Team cleared out the surrounding zombies to ensure a safe work environment for them.

The Logistics Team didn’t just drive cars. They also had to clean up the zombie corpses left behind by the Combat Team, find flammable materials like wooden frames and sofas, coat them with a special incendiary paste, and pile up the bodies to be burned.

On top of that, they had to conduct a thorough search of every secured building, carrying away anything useful or valuable.

The 45 members of the Logistics Team were so busy they couldn’t stop.

Just then, Zhang Wei, who was always with Huang Zhiqiang, said, "Boss Huang, look at us. This work is tiring and dirty. The workload is no less than the Combat Team’s. Why do they get special rations of cigarettes and alcohol, but we don’t?"

Huang Zhiqiang, who had been engrossed in searching an adult novelty store, paused for a moment.

"Because killing zombies is more dangerous, I guess..."

"Yeah, but their pay is also 20 points higher than ours... It’s not that we absolutely have to be on par with the Combat Team, but at the very least, we shouldn’t be earning the same as those on the cruise ship who are just living the good life, building houses, and shooting the shit all day, right?"

"They’re skilled technicians, so it’s somewhat reasonable."

"Boss Huang, it’s not that I’m short on points. The main thing is, all these guys have been following you. Lately, everyone’s feeling that it’s unfair. I’m afraid they’ll stop respecting you."

At this point, Zhang Wei glanced cautiously behind him. "Boss Huang, about Deputy Head Liu Hao... I overheard him yesterday saying he’s going to talk to Officer Wang. If he’s the one who gets this benefit for everyone... I’m afraid they’ll all start looking up to Liu Hao. We can’t have the deputy head getting promoted to the main position..."

Hearing this, Huang Zhiqiang’s anger flared up.

"My second-in-command is going straight to the leadership without telling me? Does he really not see me as the team leader? Fine, fine. We’ll see who’s faster, him going to Wang or me going to Dongzi. Does he even know how to handle this kind of thing?"

"That just goes to show your high status, Boss Huang... I’ve always thought that on this ship, besides the three main leaders, you’re the next most important person."

"Do you even understand what a founding member is? My bond with Dongzi goes back to when we used to jack off together. Even Zhao doesn’t come close to that. Alright, Zhang Wei, you don’t have to provoke me. Since I’m the head of the Logistics Team, I have to be responsible for our guys. I can definitely secure this little benefit."

"Boss Huang, you’re the man!"

Huang Zhiqiang snorted and went straight to find Yu Dong.

After listening, Yu Dong was a little exasperated.

"So now the Logistics Team is getting competitive about benefits..."

"I can’t help it, Dongzi. The Logistics and Combat teams are together every day. You could say we’re partners in killing zombies, right? The difference in benefits is just too big to justify. I think the fact that my guys reported this to me instead of just stealing supplies shows they respect the system, don’t you think, Dongzi?"

"Hmm... Voicing concerns is a good thing. If they keep it bottled up, it could lead to trouble. How about this: I’ve noted your request. We’ll discuss it tonight when we get back, and I’ll give you an answer tomorrow."

"Dongzi, you gotta do me a solid here. I’ve already been bragging to my guys..."

"Less bullshitting in the future..."

On the sixteenth day of the apocalypse, clearing Huanggang Road and the construction site took the entire day.

During dinner, Yu Dong, Wang Dingbei, and Lin Mo discussed the issue of the Logistics Team’s compensation.

Lin Mo said, "Actually... I think we should stop the Combat Team’s daily special rations. That was an incentive for the early days when there were no points. Now they can earn the highest daily point rewards; they’re perfectly capable of buying their own."

"Yeah, but we’ve been giving it out for a while now. If you suddenly stop, they’ll all complain... We need to prioritize stability with the Combat Team, we can’t dampen their morale. I say we keep giving it to them. Let’s talk about the Logistics Team."

Lin Mo thought for a moment. "If that’s the case, I’d be inclined to raise the Logistics Team’s daily pay to 100 points, same as the Combat Team, and then give the Combat Team an extra subsidy. That seems more reasonable. What do you two think?"

Wang Dingbei shook his head.

"Raising their pay by 20 points only gets them half a pack of cigarettes. Are we out of smokes and booze in the warehouse? From what I see, we’re giving them out every day, and the stash is just getting bigger, isn’t it?"

"Where did all this stuff come from? Wasn’t it brought in by the Combat and Logistics teams? The fact that they aren’t secretly pocketing it already shows great discipline. Let’s not be stingy with this small comfort. When people start stealing, you’ll know you’ve created a problem."

"You two don’t smoke, so you don’t understand us old smokers. A few cigarettes a day can make the whole day better. Otherwise, it just feels like something’s missing..."

With that, Wang lit up a Yuxi cigarette and took a long, satisfying drag.

Yu Dong and Lin Mo were unfazed. They were long used to Wang’s habit of smoking during meetings.

After a moment of thought, Yu Dong felt that Wang had a point.

He was currently building a large-scale defense for the zombie horde, and the Logistics Team was about to be pushed to their limits. He couldn’t afford to have internal conflict among his people at a time like this.

The Combat and Logistics teams had always been like brothers. There was no need to let unfair treatment cause a rift between them.

Yu Dong: "Fine. We’ll add cigarettes and alcohol for the Logistics Team too. That leaves a 20-point difference between the two teams, as a sign of respect for the Combat Team’s top-tier compensation."

Wang Dingbei: "That’s the right call. When everyone’s on the same page, the team is easy to lead. There are plenty of supplies out there. The key is to get them quickly, not to nitpick with our own people."

Lin Mo sighed. "You’re relying on material incentives for the frontline personnel. That’s fine in the short term, but in the long run, it’s definitely not as effective as spiritual motivation. The people who truly believe in our team and what we’re doing are the ones with the real fighting spirit."

"You can’t do all the ideological work by yourself, Lin Mo... Desperate times call for desperate measures. First, we catch the mouse. We can worry about whether it’s a black cat or a white cat later."

With two votes from Yu Dong and Officer Wang, it was passed. The Logistics Team would also be supplied with a pack of cigarettes and a bottle of beer daily.

When Huang Zhiqiang announced the news, he was tossed into the air by the members of the Logistics Team, with Zhang Wei leading the celebration.

"Boss Huang is the man!"

"Following Boss Huang was the best decision I’ve made since the apocalypse started!"

"Boss Huang is my sun in this post-apocalyptic world!"

Huang Zhiqiang shot a smug glance at Deputy Head Liu Hao.

Liu Hao: "?"

’What are you looking at me for?’

After reaching a consensus, Wang Dingbei and Lin Mo selected another 15 survivors who could operate heavy machinery to join the Logistics Team.

The Logistics Team leaped to become the largest group on the cruise ship. With his personal prestige soaring, Huang Zhiqiang had been walking with a swagger lately.

Every few days, Lin Zhixue had to endure Huang Zhiqiang’s subtle bragging. She was sick of it but had to maintain a smile, which left her feeling completely exasperated.

’A small man puffed up with success.’

The special, large-scale construction project for dealing with the zombie horde also began in earnest.