Cave Refuge

It wasn't so much about reconstructing the city as it was about gathering survivors and clearing the once submerged city, after all, compared to completely building a city from scratch, it was simpler and more direct to gradually clear those that had been under water.

By this time, although it couldn't be said that every survivor had a tablet capable of connecting to satellite communication in hand, on average, one in every five people possessed a tablet.

So when the Imperial Court issued a summoning order, some of the survivors living in the newly established camp suddenly entertained the idea of leaving, wanting to head to the address provided by the order to seek refuge.

However, while the idea of seeking refuge took root in many hearts, when it came to actually undertaking the journey themselves, those individuals became anxious. Consequently, many began to persuade friends and family, hoping to have others accompany them in leaving the camp.

At this moment, as the controller of the base, Madeline, was chatting and sipping tea with Zachary in the tent—though rather than tea, they were actually drinking the pitch-black Ice Cola.

Zachary put down his cup and suddenly spoke, "You must be aware of the current situation in our camp. People's hearts are restless, and here you are, leisurely drinking cola with me in the tent. Aren't you planning to do something about it? If all the survivors in the base are led away by those instigators, I wonder what you will do then."

After listening to Zachary's question, Ye Liuyun did not offer an explanation. Instead, she laughed quite freely. When her mood had somewhat settled, she slowly began, "If we were near the Imperial Capital when the Imperial Court's summoning order came, I would definitely have led all the people from the base there without a second thought.

Or let's say we were still near Pengcheng when the order was issued, I might have hesitated before sending a few people to scout the situation over there, then decided whether to lead people to join based on the intelligence gathered.

But we are currently in the coastal regions of Guangdong and Guangxi, unfamiliar with the land. Are you certain that we, survivors without any foundation here, would certainly have a better life by rushing to join them?

Not to mention anything else, at least in our camp, everyone can still count on two meals a day. Although the coarse grain is all made into mush with Food Bricks, at least some fish meat is added to it. Not to joke, but it could at least be considered a type of seafood porridge.

But if we were to join them, who can guarantee what kind of life and treatment we would receive? I've never denied that the Imperial Court is good to us ordinary folks, and the rules they make initially are for our benefit.

But while the rules may be intended for our good, the actual enforcers of these rules may not necessarily have our interests at heart. We may not have to worry about food and drink now, but if we go there and they suddenly implement a centralized management of all resources, what do we do with the supplies we have saved? To give or not to give?

The troublemakers in the camp now, I think, are just too well-fed with too much leisure time. I wanted to create a paradise, but they just have to pull me back. It seems I've given them too much credit."

Listening to Madeline's complaints, Zachary merely listened without voicing his own opinion.

In the base, regardless of gender, age, or health, unless they were in a management position or were elderly, weak or disabled, everyone was assigned to various types of work. Although the base was indeed at a stage where everything needed rebuilding, the workload assigned to each person wasn't too heavy.

Perhaps it was precisely the provision of some free time and rest that allowed such chaotic and wild ideas to emerge in the minds of these people, who not only failed to appreciate the stable life they had but were also easily swayed by the grand promises made by others.

"It's not good to keep dragging this on. Such matters are better handled sooner rather than later. After all, an old saying goes, 'Never test the hearts of men lightly.'"

Upon hearing Zachary's reminder, Ye Liuyun fell silent for a moment before uttering resentfully, "They eat my food, drink my drinks, and in the end, still complain about this and that. They're all ungrateful bastards. If we don't teach them a lesson, they will never know who really calls the shots in this base."

Seeing Ye Liuyun's resolve, Zachary was about to praise him when someone suddenly burst into the tent, and barely after stepping in exclaimed, "We're in trouble, boss, someone..."

The person stopped mid-sentence upon realizing that not only was their boss Ye Liuyun in the tent but also other people sitting opposite him.

Ye Liuyun, observing the disheartening state of his subordinate, spoke annoyed, "He's not an outsider, just spit out what's happened."

Upon hearing Ye Liuyun's words, the other person hesitated no longer and blurted out, "Boss, someone's leading a revolt, saying they want to leave here, that they want to head to the nearest city from the collection order."

As Ye Liuyun's subordinate reported this, Ye Liuyun himself was at a loss for words. Talking about Cole Carson, then Cole Carson arrives - he and Zachary had just been discussing this very matter, and as fate would have it, it actually happened.

After confirming that there were indeed people stirring up trouble in the base, Ye Liuyun immediately stood up and left the tent, and Zachary, intrigued, also went outside to have a closer look, curious to watch the drama unfold.

Perhaps Ye Liuyun's subordinate had warned them too late, at this point, the riotous crowd had already gathered near Ye Liuyun's tent. As Ye Liuyun walked out, those who had been vocally criticizing him suddenly fell silent.

Looking at the crowd that had hushed as they gathered, Ye Liuyun wasn't angered but instead spoke very calmly, "I don't know why you're assembling here and causing trouble. You're not prisoners in the camp, and I've never restricted your freedom.

Since some of you believe in the Imperial Court's collection order and want to defect there, to help build and contribute to that city, I won't stop you. You don't need to notify me, just go."

Originally prepared to denounce Ye Liuyun, the crowd found themselves in an awkward position upon hearing him speak. They had banded together, influenced by someone's instigation, believing that Ye Liuyun wouldn't easily let them leave because of his dedication to the camp's construction.

But as they gathered to confront Ye Liuyun, even before they could speak, Ye Liuyun had already made clear his stance, instantly rendering them embarrassed.

Those who had instigated the revolt witnessed the previously heated crowd now cooling down and immediately felt a sense of doom.

If the situation escalated, leading most in the camp to fall out with Ye Liuyun, they would be content regardless of the outcome, as chaos would allow them to remain hidden.

However, if both sides calmed down and put the matter on hold, they were sure that Ye Liuyun would secretly investigate the cause for the sake of the camp's stability. Everyone living in the camp knew each other, and if Ye Liuyun wanted to investigate, he probably wouldn't need half a day to track it back to them.

For this reason, those who knew there was no turning back stood out from the now quiet crowd and audaciously challenged, "If you're not restricting our freedom, then why don't you let us have the food from the storeroom!"

Upon being directly questioned, Ye Liuyun was not angered and retorted, "Your food? Where did you get any food from? The entire camp's food supply is depleting my personal reserves. In other words, the entire camp relies on me for sustenance. What food is yours?"