Rules and Resolve

"I hear Wei Xun's voice, they're finally back!"

"Open the door, I'm starving!"

"Yeah, I hope there's bread today. I've had enough of instant noodles; I'm about to throw up!"

A cacophony of voices filled the air, and then the heavy door swung open, revealing a crowd of unfamiliar faces to Chen Feng.

There were men and women, including some elders and children. Unlike the survivors outside, these people wore relatively clean clothes and, except for their pale complexion from lack of sunlight, they didn't exhibit any obvious negative emotions.

They were being well taken care of.

Chen Feng used the term 'Domesticated' to describe these people.

As soon as the apocalypse began, they were protected by Wei Xun and the bespectacled man. They had never faced any danger—clothes and food were provided for them, and in the corner, some schoolgirls were even applying makeup!

How interesting...

In this environment, they still had the luxury to do such things. If they were outside, they wouldn't survive an hour.

At that moment, a middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion, dressed in a suit, walked over. Even in the shelter, his hair was slicked with grease, and he wore a tie as if he were a leader visiting the countryside for an inspection, rather than someone hiding from monsters.

Ding Liang.

He was a director at Wei Xun's school and the head of the university's education department. Having worked in education for decades, he was in charge of managing the food in the shelter and oversaw the allocation of duties among the residents.

Moreover, most of the survivors in the shelter were students from the school, so he held significant prestige.

Ding Liang glanced at Wei Xun without much enthusiasm. However, upon seeing that Wei Xun carried only a single package, he frowned and said with displeasure, "What's going on? How come you found so little food today?"

Although Ding Liang knew that the survival of everyone in the shelter depended on Wei Xun and the spectacled man, his position as an education director had long cultivated a sense of entitlement. Since Wei Xun and the spectacled man were always obedient, he naturally saw himself as the shelter's de facto manager.

Only one package of food? There were over a hundred people in the shelter. How would that feed everyone? Even if divided, each person would barely get enough to fill their palm.

"Wei Xun, what exactly did you do out there? With so little food, how do you expect everyone to share it? Have you forgotten about your teachers and classmates waiting here for their life-saving rations? How can you treat them this way? Do you have no conscience?"

Ding Liang was a powerful figure at the school, accustomed to commanding respect. He looked down on all the students with a stern, authoritative demeanor. Even when speaking to Wei Xun, he didn't show any restraint, scolding him without hesitation.

"Yeah, I'm starving here! This won't even fill a gap between my teeth."

"Some people are just amazing, completely ignoring our needs..."

"I bet he and Yuan Wen must have eaten their fill outside before coming back. Otherwise, how could they have found so little food?"

Prejudice and Ignorance.

Chen Feng observed the faces of these people.

Having never experienced the true horrors of the apocalypse, they had no idea of the dangers outside. They took Wei Xun's efforts for granted, like maggots feasting on the fruits of someone else's labor and sacrifice.

Hearing the growing noise, Ding Liang frowned and looked back at the crowd. Then, he glanced at Chen Feng and asked, "By the way, where's Yuan Wen? Didn't he go out with you? And who's this kid? Why is he with you?"

Wei Xun slowly raised his head, a cruel smile creeping across his face. In a cold voice, he said, "Yuan Wen? He's not coming back. I killed him!"

"What?!"

Ding Liang looked as though he couldn't believe what he had just heard. He frowned and stared at Wei Xun in shock.

"I said, I killed him!"

"Wh-Why?!"

"Enough! Stop pretending! I've had enough of all of you! Why the fuck should I risk my life every day to feed you worthless pieces of trash? I won't do it anymore! I'm done!" Wei Xun shouted, his voice filled with rage.

"Wei Xun, do you even know what you're saying?" Ding Liang's eyes widened as if he were seeing Wei Xun for the first time, a look of disbelief on his face.

"I know exactly what I'm saying. And stop pretending, Ding Liang. Don't think I don't know that every time we bring back food, some of it mysteriously goes missing. You think I don't know? You've been hiding it. You give these people nothing but instant noodles and stale bread, while you keep the good stuff for yourself. I've heard you eating in the corner more than once!"

Wei Xun's eyes were dark and menacing, like a mad dog ready to bite anyone in sight, no longer caring about Ding Liang's authority.

"Wei Xun, I'm the school director! How dare you speak to me like that?!"

Ding Liang broke out in a cold sweat, his face turning ashen like a toad gasping for breath, the muscles at the corners of his mouth twitching uncontrollably.

He admitted to hoarding some food, even when the others were most in need. His actions had led to several students venturing out in desperation to find food on their own, never to return.

Guilt?

What was there to feel guilty about? He was the school director and deserved respect. Besides, he managed the daily lives of these people. Even if he had no merit, he had put in effort. What was wrong with keeping a bit more food for himself?

What was wrong with that?

He couldn't let this escalate. Ding Liang narrowed his eyes, formulating a plan, and then addressed the crowd behind him, "Wei Xun has lost his mind! He's conspiring with this stranger to oppress us. Yuan Wen is already dead by his hand. Can we tolerate this? We should—"

Before he could finish speaking, Ding Liang suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest. He looked down to see a scaly arm piercing through his chest. He wanted to speak, but his chest trembled violently, and he couldn't utter a single word.

Wei Xun stepped forward, glaring into Ding Liang's eyes, and spat out each word with venom, "Go to hell!"

With a forceful twist, Wei Xun's arm tore through Ding Liang's internal organs, ending his life instantly.

Meanwhile, a cruel, crazed grin spread across Wei Xun's face, an indescribable pleasure and excitement surging within him.

He realized that killing people was even more thrilling than killing monsters!

Chen Feng watched Wei Xun, noting the instability in his emotions. After killing two people in succession, Wei Xun seemed to be teetering on the edge of madness. If left unchecked, he could very well become a bloodthirsty maniac in the future.

The future was uncertain, and Chen Feng didn't know what might happen.

However, at this moment, Chen Feng needed a ruthless agent. Compared to the timid and useless people who wouldn't even dare to kill, Wei Xun's crazed, berserk personality had earned Chen Feng's approval.

As for the future, if Wei Xun became uncontrollable, a mindless killer who jeopardized Chen Feng's plans, he would simply be discarded. It wouldn't be a problem.

The foundations were almost complete.

Chen Feng stepped forward, surveying the stunned crowd, and spoke loudly, "From now on, the rules here will change. Only those who work and contribute will get food. As for those who expect to gain something for nothing, there's only one outcome—they'll be thrown out to feed the bugs."

"Men over fifteen and under fifty years old must follow Wei Xun to search for food. Women will organize medical facilities and ensure immediate treatment. Children and the elderly will clean the shelter to prevent the accumulation of waste."

The air-raid shelter was a focal point, and Chen Feng intended to spread his influence from here to the surrounding areas.

After issuing several commands, the crowd remained in stunned silence. A moment later, one of Ding Liang's close associates finally snapped out of it and shouted, "What nonsense are you talking about? Who are you? And Wei Xun, are you really crazy? Even if the school director was hoarding food, you shouldn't have done this, especially without proof!"

"Kill him."

Chen Feng spoke calmly, addressing Wei Xun.

Without hesitation, still caught up in his madness, Wei Xun stepped forward, and with a single punch, the man's head exploded.

The crowd gasped in horror, finally realizing the gravity of the situation. If Wei Xun was a mad dog, then who was this man that he obeyed so unquestioningly?

In this moment, aside from the terrified sobs of a few women, no one dared to voice any objections.

Without rules, there can be no order.

Chen Feng looked around and spoke once more, his cold voice ringing in their ears, "I don't like being interrupted when I'm speaking. I'll say this only once: if anyone fails to comply or dares to slack off, then they'll die…"