Chapter 243 - 227: You Just Can’t Let Go of Your Power, Can You?

Chapter 243: Chapter 227: You Just Can’t Let Go of Your Power, Can You?

"What? Qian Chenglin got into it with the cruise ship’s logistics team again?"

Qiao Yunliang’s head throbbed as he listened to the report.

That young soldier, Qian Chenglin, was certainly full of fighting spirit...

He was at that hot-blooded age, and stubborn to boot. He was really becoming a troublemaker.

’I even had them operate separately. How did they still manage to clash?!’

Qiao Yunliang walked down to A Port, where Yu Dong was also arriving.

Fortunately, it was just a verbal argument. In the end, after both men said a few words to their respective teams, the crowds dispersed.

Qiao Yunliang called Qian Chenglin over to speak with him alone.

"Qian... I know you have a strong sense of justice, but different situations call for different methods. As long as it’s not a major mistake, we can give them a chance to improve. I’ve already spoken with their leader. They’ve accepted your suggestions and will be conducting disciplinary training for their team, so you need to let it go. You were the one who started trouble today, so I have to punish you. Three days of confinement in your room. Go."

"Yes, Commander!"

Qian Chenglin went to accept his punishment.

Yu Dong also disciplined his logistics team, telling them to cut the crap.

Finally, Yu Dong and Qiao Yunliang met.

"Qiao, I don’t mean to rush you... but with the way things are, it’s best if our two teams separate for a bit to cool down. You go handle your business, and I’ll focus on training my team."

"Yes, soon. It’ll be soon..."

Yu Dong didn’t see it as an irreconcilable conflict. After all, everyone was working for the greater good.

They just had different methods. As long as he and Qiao could understand each other and maintain communication, it would be fine.

...

At the gate of A Port, unnoticed by either team, a small red light glowed in the darkness.

Wang Dingbei, who was there to inspect, smoked a cigarette as he watched the recent conflict unfold. He didn’t step in to resolve it—otherwise, things would have been brought under control long ago. He just watched.

After stepping down from his leadership position, Wang Dingbei’s role had become much simpler, giving him more time to think and observe.

He had witnessed all the arguments and conflicts between the two sides over the past few days.

His loyalties didn’t lie with the combat team or the logistics team, nor with the military. He viewed the situation from the perspective of the entire cruise ship base.

’The root cause is that the two leadership structures haven’t merged under a unified management.’

’Yu Dong is unwilling to relinquish his power, and Qiao can’t bring himself to seize control of the cruise ship.’

’Neither man is willing to be the subordinate, so they can’t create a joint force. And the two teams, led by these different leaders, have all fought their way out of zombie hordes. They have strong personalities, and neither side will submit to the other.’

’Even if the conflict over private stashes didn’t exist, other conflicts would still arise.’

’Hoarding supplies was just the spark. The key issue is the clash of philosophies and the friction between two unintegrated teams sharing the same space.’

’If this goes on long-term, it will inevitably lead to an outbreak of conflict and infighting. There is no other option.’

While others saw the specific problems, Wang Dingbei had grasped the true underlying issue.

’There are only two solutions now. Either Qiao takes his people and leaves quickly, without trying to solve or delay any more problems—these ideological issues are endless.’

’Or, Yu Dong proactively relinquishes his power, embraces the military, and fully integrates his people into their structure. They would need to establish new, more reasonable rules for distribution. The cruise ship would then become a single faction, with him going from the number one leader to the second-in-command, allowing the integrated force to continue their previous plans.’

Wang Dingbei favored the second option.

Integration was better than separation. That was the only way to maintain maximum strength!

Yu Dong’s drone army and Crossbowmen, the military’s heavy firepower, and the cruise ship’s formidable engineering capabilities—their recent push straight through Binhai Avenue in the North River District was the best proof of this.

They could even mow down mutated zombies with ease.

And that was when the military wasn’t even at full strength. Now, they were an army with no shortage of ammunition!

The power of this integrated force would be unprecedented!

So immense that they might even be able to defeat the great zombie tide of hundreds of thousands, or even millions, that Yu Dong had predicted, and then cleanse all of Yanhai City!

If they split up, they would never be able to achieve such power...

After some thought, Wang Dingbei decided to find Yu Dong.

He didn’t like to speak in riddles; his style was to be direct, and he wasn’t afraid of offending people.

In the current situation, Yu Dong was likely too caught up in it to see clearly. As his old partner, Wang Dingbei had to go and wake him up to what he truly needed to do.

Yu Dong had just been about to rest when Officer Wang called him up to the deck on the 16th floor.

"What’s up, Wang? Still up this late?"

"Yu Dong, I remember when we first started fighting zombies, what was the strategy you told me we should use?"

"Blitzkrieg!"

"Exactly... After that, you were always emphasizing how precious time was, that the zombies were mutating faster and faster, and we couldn’t afford any delays. When you kept improving the benefits for the combat and logistics teams, did I ever stop you?"

"No. Lin Mo was always against it, but you and I saw eye to eye. You were even the one who took the lead in handing out cigarettes to the combat team."

That was the honeymoon period for Yu Dong and Wang Dingbei. Their arrangements for fighting zombies were spot-on. Later, Lin Mo didn’t even want to increase their benefits anymore.

Of course, later on, Wang Dingbei also felt the benefits were high enough, and he joined Lin Mo in halting the "Winter Subsidy" plan.

"So, Yu Dong... aren’t we supposed to be continuing the fight against the zombies? They’re still undergoing even more terrifying mutations. Can’t you see the power our two teams would have if they merged into one?"

"I want that too, but haven’t we been dealing with all this conflict recently? There’s nothing I can do."

If the previous incidents hadn’t happened, Yu Dong would have actually been quite happy to cooperate with the military.

"Is there really nothing you can do? Or are you just unwilling to let go of the power in your hands?"

Wang Dingbei lit a cigarette, staring into Yu Dong’s eyes as he spoke.

Yu Dong, who had thought this was just a late-night chat, instantly became alert and scrutinized Wang Dingbei anew.

"Wang, what are you trying to say?"

"If the two teams merge, the military, with its greater numbers and more guns, will certainly take the main leadership role. You’ll go from being the leader of a base to Qiao Yunliang’s second-in-command. That’s a simple deduction, isn’t it?"

"Why are you suddenly bringing this up?"

"Isn’t being the second-in-command of a city enough for you, Yu Dong? How much power is enough? For the sake of Yanhai City’s grand cause, can’t you make a small sacrifice? Don’t let the two teams split up. As long as you propose it, the military won’t refuse. Getting together and wiping out the zombies while you still have the people and guns is more important than anything else!"

Hearing Wang Dingbei say this, Yu Dong understood what he meant.

"But forcing our two teams to merge... is that really viable? Won’t it cause turmoil? I have no problem being second-in-command, but what about all the people under me? What will happen to them? They’ll just become appendages of the military, losing all their autonomy. Will Zhao Youcai be purged? Will Sun Yu be made an example of? Will Huang be sidelined?"

"Don’t I have to consider these brothers who’ve risked their lives for me?"

"Wang, you’re too idealistic. You expect everyone to sacrifice their own interests for the greater good. Because you’re a noble person, you think everyone can be as noble as you."

"Instead of that, it’s better to accept a little less efficiency. We can operate separately for day-to-day matters and only gather when something big happens."

Seeing that Yu Dong was already thinking in terms of his own faction’s interests, Wang Dingbei sighed and walked off the deck.

"In that case, you’d better send Qiao Yunliang and his people away quickly... Don’t give them any reason to stay."