Chapter 239 - 223: To Go or Not to Go?

Chapter 239: Chapter 223: To Go or Not to Go?

Yu Dong had been mulling over this issue ever since the meeting yesterday.

No one knew if the zombie horde would come again. They couldn’t just stick to their old ways; the cruise ship base was already a small society in itself. If they broke the current balance, the whole system could collapse.

The differences in how their two teams were formed and trained had led to conflicting ideologies, which had now become an irreconcilable point of friction between them.

The Combat Team believed they had conquered this new world in the first three months. They woke up at 5:30 AM every day to train, fought zombies until 6:00 PM, and just grabbed a quick bite to eat in the field for lunch. They did the hardest, dirtiest, most tiring, and most dangerous work, bringing massive amounts of supplies to the cruise ship and supporting so many people... They felt they deserved better treatment and more respect.

They’d killed more zombies than the military!

They even helped the army capture the armory... The military had no right to criticize them!

All because they took a little something for themselves on the outside?

Didn’t the logistics team members take things?

And what about those small, independent teams? Whatever supplies they found were theirs to keep. Anything they didn’t need, they turned in to the cruise ship for a nice sum of points.

They admitted they weren’t as noble as the military personnel and that the soldiers were well-disciplined. But to blow such a minor issue out of proportion... that was a complete dismissal of all their hard work.

The military, on the other hand, saw Yu Dong’s men as a gang of bandits. They drank hard, ate well, stole, robbed, and womanized—they did it all. They were a squad that trampled on others and leeched off them. Even if they were capable and had accomplishments, they were completely untrustworthy.

Both sides had their reasons, and from their own perspectives, they were right. Since everyone had been cooped up on the cruise ship lately, the verbal sparring had become increasingly frequent and obvious.

Yu Dong believed this problem couldn’t be solved in the short term. It would require a long-term effort to instill discipline and change mindsets.

That’s why Yu Dong thought it was better to part ways sooner rather than later, while both sides could still control their own men and before any violent incidents erupted...

A clean break while they were still on civil terms. In the future, they could be like the other settlements on Binhai Avenue, cooperating and dividing labor, coming together to help when major events occurred.

Yu Dong laid out all his thoughts and analysis frankly to Qiao Yunliang. Qiao Yunliang responded:

"You’re absolutely right. We do need to deal with this... But we’ve been on the ship this whole time and haven’t chosen a location for our new base yet. Let us go scout some places. We’ll factor in the likely path of the zombie horde and how quickly we can support each other... Once we’ve confirmed a location, we’ll start moving our things."

"Okay. And the guns you’re giving us?"

"We’ll leave them for you on the cruise ship."

With the agreement settled, Yu Dong left.

He still had a meeting with the Combat Team tonight to plan tomorrow’s route and go get some urgently needed supplies.

Binhai Avenue was now clear, and vehicles could pass freely from the North River District to the Zongshan District. Their first strategic objective had been achieved.

Yu Dong no longer possessed his precognitive abilities. From now on, he and his team would have to face the unknown future together.

...

"Zheng, tomorrow you’ll take some men and capture the cannery in the North River District. Scavenge for more supplies along the way. Keep what’s useful and sell the rest to the cruise ship."

"Li, tomorrow, bring twenty men with me. We’re going to scout the area around Binhai Avenue and pick a location for our new base."

Li Shengguang replied, "Yes, Commander."

Zheng Zhonghu said in a low voice, "Commander, at a time like this... is it really necessary for us to set up a new base?"

"We have to... If we don’t part ways soon, something bad is going to happen. Haven’t you noticed our soldiers clashing with the cruise ship’s Combat Team lately?"

"Then we should just find a way to deal with it... From what I can see, the main problem is with those few blond punks. Just have Yu Dong deal with them, we can hold a joint meeting, and hash things out. It’ll be fine... Commander, I don’t think we need to leave right now."

Zheng Zhonghu wasn’t just the squad leader who had guarded the armory; he was also an old friend of Qiao Yunliang’s. The two had been close even before the apocalypse, so he didn’t mince his words.

"Zheng, can’t you see the situation? They don’t want us here anymore. They think our men are too much trouble."

Qiao Yunliang felt a little helpless. He hadn’t wanted things to come to this, but what was done was done. If they wanted to maintain a good relationship, they had to separate.

Zheng Zhonghu said dismissively, "It’s the apocalypse... There’s no reason to give up a good setup and make our soldiers freeze outside with us. I can’t stand for that. Besides the Combat Team, I’d say most people are still happy to have us here."

Hearing this, Qiao Yunliang stopped what he was doing and gave Zheng Zhonghu a long, meaningful look.

"Zheng, what you’re saying... is very dangerous."

"Commander, I’ll be blunt. The logistics, commerce, and order on this cruise ship are already well-established. The soldiers have adapted to life here, and I don’t want to make them leave. Other people might not care about our troops, but we do!"

"This isn’t a matter of staying just because we want to, Zheng. Are you really this dense, or are you just playing dumb with me?"

How could Qiao Yunliang not know what he was talking about?

Anyone could see how good the cruise ship was.

"Anyone who tries to stop us from staying has ulterior motives! Forming cliques to exclude us during the apocalypse? What kind of behavior is that? What’s their agenda?"

Qiao Yunliang looked at Zheng Zhonghu and couldn’t help but laugh. "Zheng, are you planning on just being a shameless freeloader? You may not care about saving face, but I do. Come on, we won’t freeze or starve out there. Didn’t our forefathers have it much harder than us? And didn’t they make it through? You’re the only one making such a big deal out of it!"

"If you ask me, we should just take over the cruise ship. Disband the Combat Team, integrate them into our squads, and I’ll whip even the biggest troublemakers into shape. Then it’ll be equal work for equal pay, and we’ll all be one big family. The conflict will naturally disappear."

After building up to it for some time, Zheng Zhonghu finally said what was on his mind.

Qiao Yunliang’s expression changed in an instant.

"Zheng, do you have any idea what a mistake you’re suggesting? That’s seizing the people’s property!"

"In times of war, everything must yield to the military. Special times call for special measures."

Zheng Zhonghu was completely unfazed, still feeling he was perfectly justified.

Seeing that Qiao Yunliang was about to lose his temper, Li Shengguang quickly stepped in to mediate.

"Commander, Squad Leader Zheng is just considering the soldiers’ living conditions and our future sustainability. He’s thinking of the greater good, not personal gain... Besides, I have a concern of my own."

"Speak."

"Will the zombie horde still come? What if we move into the new base, and then the horde arrives? Wouldn’t all our hard work have been for nothing? We’d have to abandon all our supplies and end up coming back to the cruise ship anyway... And we have to consider another problem. Suppose we leave and give them the guns. The next time we need to return... will the newly-armed Combat Team even let us back on board? We both know how easy this place is to defend and how hard it is to attack."

Advisor Li’s words made Qiao Yunliang pause and think.

’He’s right. This isn’t the clean break we’d originally planned. The threat of the zombie horde is still hanging over our heads... We might need to get back on this ship at any time.’

’If we leave, all the leverage will be in their hands. They can let us on if they feel like it, and if they don’t, it would be extremely difficult to force our way back in.’

’Our entire strategy was based on dealing with the zombie horde Yu Dong predicted. But it hasn’t happened yet. Is it really wise to split up and hand over the guns now?’

Qiao Yunliang trusted Yu Dong’s character, but he had a very poor impression of the Combat Team’s leader, Zhao Youcai... The man was an extremist. The Combat Team under his command was capable of anything.

He couldn’t leave the fate of his men in someone else’s hands.

But if they didn’t separate and just remained on the cruise ship, the two teams were bound to have a major falling-out sooner or later. The fact that nothing had happened yet was a testament to the ideological work the leaders on both sides had put in to keep things calm.

The failure of the zombie horde to appear had put Qiao Yunliang and his people in a difficult position.

"But if we just refuse to leave, how am I supposed to explain that to Yu Dong? I’ve already given him my word..."

Qiao Yunliang prided himself on his good reputation.