Cave Refuge

When the street staff and officials from Liu's Gate arrived, Tianyu's brothers-in-law had already concluded their 'interrogation' and had identified their superior, and thus had ceased their action.

Upon seeing this, the officials from Liu's Gate first separated the Dong family from the man lying on the ground, and then asked the surrounding individuals about the incident.

When they found out that the Dong family was retaliating against the spread of rumors, the officials felt like brushing the matter aside, considering it no different from an alcohol-fueled row.

Both parties were at fault, and would normally be locked up for a few days of reflection. But they couldn't do that now, so they hastily mediated the situation, and the matter was resolved with an apology from both sides.

The audience, now aware of the outcome, were filled with fear of the Dong family and dared not fabricate stories about them anymore. The Dong family had successfully established their status in the Refuge Center.

During the dispute, the three members of the Dong family who were involved in managing the Refuge Center merely followed the street staff quietly, not intervening and letting the officials handle the situation.

Once back in the administrative area, the street staff and officials complained to Mr. Thompson, "You guys occupy such a good area, stop causing trouble. Let people talk, it's not going to do you any harm."

Mr. Thompson disagreed and retorted, "We can't let them continue spreading misinformation. It's not only for our family's sake but also for the stability of the Refuge Center.

Someone may exploit this. Today they can gossip about us living in the U-shaped zone, tomorrow they could spread rumors about your security room. But this is irrelevant. The most important issue is our Refuge Center is connected to others.

If we do not handle this seriously, those individuals might incite others to act against us, given the high turnover of personnel in here."

Upon hearing Mr. Thompson's words, the others fell into deep contemplation. Although everyone knows that law and order become stricter amidst chaos, it requires a hardened resolute to enforce it.

To ensure the Dong family's stability in the Refuge Center, Mr. Thompson knew that he had to help them make a firm decision:

"I don't think this disaster will be over soon, so I'm not sure how long the food in the Refuge Center will last."

Mr. Thompson's words exploded like a thunderbolt in their hearts. Even though everyone had speculated about it, no one wanted to believe this dreadful truth.

"Not counting those transient individuals, there are a lot of people in our Refuge Center. If a faction organizes, it could create substantial trouble. While the Liu's Gate brothers have guns, they are vastly outnumbered. I suggest we establish a security team to assist with their duties."

"I have another suggestion. Since the subway stations have reinforced glass barriers, why don't we take control of this place? Let people go out but not come in, turning the Refuge Center into a semi-enclosed area, similar to a lockdown during a virus outbreak. Not only will this reduce the pressure on our Refuge Center, but it will also maintain its stability."

After listening to Mr. Thompson's suggestions, everyone fell into contemplation.

Mr. Thompson's suggestion was quite advantageous to them as fewer people meant easier management. Stability within the Refuge Center was their top priority at the moment.

In fact, they were already exhausted dealing with the incessant troubles within the Refuge Center. The Dong family's assault was just another case, albeit with more participants involved. Fights, thefts, and petty crimes had become all too common in the Refuge Center.

"This is a big deal, and I can't make the decision independently. I'll report it and see what they say."

When the weather cooled down and the underground Refuge Center officially began operation, officials had already found that the external magnetic field had stabilized and newly created electronic devices wouldn't have any issues.

Phones were definitely out of the question, so officials equipped each Refuge Center with radios to communicate via radio waves.

If a problem did occur, the Pengcheng Government was resolute in its action. Just like Kyoto in the year '08, stability was the most critical matter.

Hence, upon the command of high-ranking officials, all subway Refuge Centers transformed from fully open to semi-enclosed shelters.

All the Refuge Centers allowed people to leave but not enter, and anyone causing trouble would be ejected.

Of course, they were not leaving them out in the freezing cold, but driving them into the subway tunnels.

This wasn't an act to let them fend for themselves but to direct them to either end of the subway line where they would be received by the Refuge Centers.

Mr. Thompson didn't know about the situation in other subway Refuge Centers, but their own Refuge Center began a hubbub after the announcement. Some people took this opportunity to stir up trouble.

Against this situation, the well-organized security team acted promptly, quickly captured the instigators, and without a word, tossed them out from the station platform.

Witnessing the firm and decisive action of the Refuge Center, the rest of the people gradually calmed down.

After this incident, the security situation in the Refuge Center improved significantly. The thefts that used to occur daily were now a thing of the past, and everyone's temperaments had become much gentler.

The only thing that hadn't changed was the fear of the Dong family that had taken root in everyone's hearts. The Refuge Center had set up six security teams of about ten people each. Perhaps due to the incident involving the baton, there were members of the Dong family in each team.

In the evening, Mr. Thompson summoned his whole family for a brief meeting:

"You did well today. This isn't the time to be nice. Those who are kind will be taken advantage of. We have to make others scared of us at this time.

Don't worry about anything else, strike when you have to, but be safe. Don't let yourself be alone. We have a large family, and if we fight, it should be many against a few."

Reflecting on the apologies made during the daytime, the younger generation found it rather amusing. The attackers were unharmed, while the victims were left covered in scars. Yet both parties had to apologize to each other. The young people were relieved that they were on the aggressive side.

"Now, you all are dispersed among different security teams. Don't try to be the team leader. We have a lot of people in our family, and if we become the team leader, we wouldn't stand out. But even if you're not the team leader, you should maintain a good relationship with the other members of your team. "

"I've got a pack of cigarettes for each of you. Don't be generous and distribute all your cigarettes. Think about the time when you were at school and everyone took turns to smoke one cigarette. We only have so much, and you should use it sparingly."