Chapter 558: Bouncing Back from Rock Bottom! The Fearless Ju Tianrui! (Extra 5000 words! 9/10)_2
There are still a dozen or so people keeping the line in order.
The refugees craned their necks, hoping it would soon be their turn.
...
Watching this scene, Ju Tianrui's expression turned complex as he spoke to his subordinate at his side: "Dong Tai, is everything that should be prepared ready?"
Dong Tai nodded emphatically and said: "Camp Commander, are we really going to leave? But, are you sure we shouldn't go look for Xiao Jun and the others? Perhaps they have stabilized now."
"No need. Whether we can leave or not is still an unknown. Let's deal with the immediate problems first."
Dong Tai hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he didn't speak.
He too was conflicted, torn between considering the lives of his brothers and the distress of watching these refugees remain trapped here.
Forget it, don't think about it anymore.
Dong Tai decided not to ponder any further. They had already reached this point.
At worst, they could just have a showdown with Gan Shang and his people.
He refused to believe that their group of over seventy couldn't overpower Gan Shang's disorderly army of over three hundred.
The steaming process was very fast, with four iron pots rotating.
This ensured that there was always one pot with food ready, keeping the distribution of food uninterrupted.
Two hours later.
Almost every one of the less than two thousand refugees had gotten a bowl of porridge.
Ju Tianrui and Dong Tai exchanged glances, and Dong Tai quietly led his men away.
Ju Tianrui stood before the refugees and struck the iron pot with a metal rod a few times.
Ping pong pong echoed.
This harsh sound suddenly hushed the crowd of refugees.
It also caused Gan Shang and his group to turn their attention to Ju Tianrui.
"What is he trying to do?" Gan Shang frowned.
It was within his expectations that food would be distributed to the refugees.
But he couldn't understand what else Ju Tianrui had in mind.
According to his previous speculation, after Ju Tianrui distributed food, he would likely come to him for help due to food shortage.
But suddenly, he couldn't figure out what Ju Tianrui was planning.
Ju Tianrui began to speak.
"We're leaving, but we can't take you with us."
Ju Tianrui's first sentence already stirred a storm in Gan Shang's mind.
Leaving?
No.
They haven't settled their accounts with Xiao Jun and the others yet.
Moreover, Juzi Island was basically built by Ju Tianrui and his people.
After so much effort, to just give up and leave?
The refugees below started to buzz with discussion.
Following that, Ju Tianrui uttered his second sentence.
"Some of you joined us at the beginning and helped build this camp, while others, you were deceived into coming here."
With the last words, Ju Tianrui glanced at Gan Shang in the distance.
Gan Shang's face immediately turned as cold as ice.
Is he trying to have a showdown with me?
Is he planning to involve these refugees in creating trouble for me?
Ha!
He's overestimating these refugees and overestimating himself.
Humans are herd animals that like to follow the crowd.
Although things weren't as good as imagined after their arrival,
at least there were walls and protection—it was safe.
Food?
It's been almost two years since the apocalypse started; going out to scavenge now, what food could they find?
Although there was also the reason Gan Shang didn't allow them out, the fundamental fact remained that most of them didn't want to go out.
There were so many zombies outside, it was safer inside the walls.
They'd rather starve than be eaten by zombies.
That terror of constantly being on edge was frightening and debilitating.
Ju Tianrui continued: "I can't take you with us, we're out of food, and we don't know where we're headed.
But now, I offer you a chance—if any of you want to leave, I can let you out."
Hearing this, the refugee camp erupted into noise.
"We can leave! I've wanted to get out of this damn place for a long time."
"Deceived into coming here, little food, not allowed out, might as well take our chances out there."
"Let's go, let's all leave together."
...
Yet, there were those who watched coldly, as if they were not part of the group.
But more people fell silent.
...
Seeing the excitement in the crowd,
Gan Shang could no longer restrain himself and yelled: "Whoever leaves will never be allowed back in.
Also, we will not give them any food or make any trades with them. Think carefully.
Are you going to leave, get bitten by zombies, or stay in this safe haven?"
Like a bucket of cold water, it drenched the refugees' heads.
From top to bottom, leaving none dry.
They had all come from far and wide to survive until now, not just by luck.
They were acutely aware of how dangerous it was out there.
They often couldn't stay in one place too long because staying too long made the human scent stronger.
Zombies attracted to the smell of humans would come attacking at night.
Therefore, they needed to keep moving, to constantly seek new shelters.
Juzi Island.
Though they were barely provided with food, at least it was safe here.
The refugee crowd suddenly became quiet.
They calmed down.
Going out might just be a dead end.
Leaving was difficult, although it meant freedom, they would be directly confronted with the threat of zombies, and what about food?
Staying seemed simple; perhaps, by submitting to Gan Shang and his people, they could receive a tiny portion of food. Although the slots were extremely limited, surviving, being a lackey, wasn't shameful.