NOVEL NEXT Chapter 857 Supply Distribution
He had lost both his parents during the early days of the apocalypse. They had sacrificed themselves to protect him and his grandmother, using their own bodies as a decoy to draw away a zombie horde and buy time for others to escape. Entrusted to the soldiers in those final moments, the boy and his grandmother survived, but survival had come at a steep cost.
Since then, the boy had been doing what little he could: babysitting younger children with his grandmother to earn a few work points, just enough to afford some instant noodles, clean water, and the occasional biscuit. But as he grew, the meager nutrition wasn't enough, and the pay was barely sustainable.
So his grandmother had brought him here, to the new vegetable prep building, one of the few places where an elderly woman like her could still work. And even though he was only ten, he could help too. After all, every pair of hands mattered now.
His grandmother nodded and happily pulled him inside. In the building, Mrs. Winters and her staff were busy registering people who came to apply for the job. Once registered, a staff member handed each elder and child a basket and guided them to the other side of the building, where they could find a spot and begin working.
When their basket was filled to the brim, they could simply return to the main building to have it weighed and recorded. After that, they were free to choose whether they wanted to continue working or cash out. This system gave the elderly and children the flexibility to work at their own pace and rest when needed.
Once they chose to cash out, their work points would immediately be calculated and given to them. They could then go home and either use the points to buy supplies or save them for future emergencies.
After explaining everything, both the elderly and children were visibly happy. Many of the survivors who made it to City B had no remaining family, and some lacked the physical strength to take on more demanding work.
Most relied on simple jobs like babysitting, and because they were either very young or elderly, their options were limited, they didn't qualify for most of the jobs posted on the mission board.
This new opportunity gave them a sense of hope. Their income would now depend solely on their own effort, how much they could contribute each day. There were no long-term commitments, no penalties for taking breaks, and no salary deductions.
They were free to come and go as they pleased, any day of the week, which made it especially appealing to the elders. Many of them still had responsibilities at home, such as preparing meals or looking after other families' children.
Because of this flexibility, even parents who already had jobs began sending their older children to help out at Mrs. Winters' workshop, treating it like a daycare. And in many ways, it was.
Young children who could assist with simple tasks were welcome, and when they got tired, a nap room was prepared in the back where they could rest. Even if the children didn't meet the full weight requirement, Mrs. Winters still rewarded their effort with minimal work points, as a small encouragement.
However, to prevent parents from exploiting the system, Mrs. Winters also implemented safeguards, ensuring that while every effort was recognized, fairness and responsibility were maintained.
Seeing everything fall into place and the plan progressing smoothly, Kisha was finally able to relax. Although she hadn't yet resolved the Military Academy cafeteria's supply issue herself, the other leaders stepped in with solutions, and even took the initiative to establish a treasury.
With this system, all income generated from the base, including the supplies sourced from her territory space, could be properly recorded and accounted for. In effect, the entire operation had become a well-managed business, which was a welcomed outcome.
With that settled, Kisha shifted her focus to redesigning various rooms to make the building feel more like a proper academy rather than just an administrative office. She added more training rooms and proposed to Aston that students take responsibility for cleaning the academy as part of their daily routine.
She also suggested involving them in helping out in the cafeteria in exchange for academic points. This approach would not only reduce the workload of the cafeteria staff but also teach the students discipline and teamwork.
As for the lingering supply issue, whether it should come directly from the Supply Center or be distributed from her territory's warehouse to the cafeteria's storage, part of the solution had already been set in motion.
Mr. and Mrs. Winters had volunteered to manage the vegetables, including peeling, washing, and delivering them to the cafeteria. Kisha could use this arrangement as a cover to discreetly deliver most of the supplies directly from her territory's warehouse, easing the burden on the main logistics team.
To ensure consistency and avoid anyone from noticing the discrepancies in delivery records, Kisha asked Aston to appoint a trusted individual to personally oversee the deliveries and manage the supply accounting. She planned to maintain a fixed schedule of supply distribution from her territory's warehouse, designating the academy cafeteria as one of the official recipients.
All Aston's team needed to do was time their deliveries accordingly and update their internal records to align with the schedule. This way, the cafeteria staff would see everything as business as usual, without suspecting anything.
Once everything was agreed upon, Aston and Kisha finalized a delivery schedule: supplies would be sent daily at 7 a.m., which mean that inside the Military Academy, they would be receiving the bulk deliveries every ten days.
This meant that within the Military Academy, the cafeteria staff had to carefully plan how to utilize their supplies over a ten-day period. Fortunately, the crops grown in Kisha's territory space were naturally long-lasting and resistant to spoilage. Even the pre-peeled vegetables would remaine fresh for days, so there was no need for concern.
To maintain optimal freshness, the staff could prioritize cooking with the pre-peeled ingredients first. Once those were used up, they could switch to peeling and preparing the remaining whole vegetables themselves. This method helped ensure nothing went to waste and kept meals fresh and nutritious while optimizing their own time.
In addition, Kisha planned to connect the building to an electrical supply, which meant the cafeteria could finally utilize the industrial refrigerator in the back. This allowed for proper storage of meat and other perishables.
Non-perishable or slow-perishing items could be stored in the adjacent dry-storage room, which Kisha designated as the official connection point for her territory's warehouse. From there, she could manage what supplies would be delivered, when, and in what quantities, keeping the entire process seamless and discreet.
By doing so, Kisha could automate and schedule the delivery of specific supplies directly into the storage area. With everything in place, from delivery timing to storage solutions, the supply system would function seamlessly, and Kisha could finally rest easy knowing everything was under control.
Seeing all the piled-up animal byproducts in her warehouse, Kisha smiled with satisfaction. The only things she lacked now were more supplies and system points, but she was confident this plan was going to work.