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"Oh? Has someone already caused trouble?"
"Not really."
Chen Haiping shook his head, "I just feel that some people are slacking off at work. The main issue is that there are too many survivors now, and we're lacking managers. We can't fully understand the situation. Although there haven't been any big problems so far, in the long run, this will be detrimental to the development of the Sanctuary."
"Not only that, but I also suspect that some people are hoarding food during meals, which is causing daily food consumption to be higher than expected. I discovered this only this morning while counting the food supplies, but it's definitely not a one or two-day issue."
The Sanctuary's system was originally very crude, and you could even say there was hardly any system at all.
The daily arrangement for survivors was actually just giving them a general direction. There was no clear workload, work audit, or anything like that.
It was the same during meal times. Due to the large number of survivors, we now use a communal meal strategy, which is quite filling and much better than the food at an average Sanctuary. But obviously, for some people who are inherently greedy, no matter how much others give, they will never be grateful or satisfied.
With that said, Chen Haiping couldn't do much about it.
At the end of the day, he used to be a soldier, and even though he reached the rank of sergeant, dealing with these issues left him feeling quite helpless.
Tang Yu understood.
The Sanctuary was in the construction phase, with a myriad of problems needing immediate attention, and Chen Haiping clearly had to prioritize these issues.
This was still because there were too few trustworthy people.
He, Eileen, and Luo Zhe were the core leadership of the Territory.
Chen Haiping was in the secondary level of leadership.
Then there were a few reliable survivors, who mostly held important positions or were in the management staff, but it was clearly not enough. As the number of survivors in the Territory increased, the need for trustworthy personnel would grow.
This was because the Sanctuary's foundation was inherently weak. In other Sanctuaries, even if they weren't official ones, those who managed to establish a Sanctuary always had a large group of followers. These Sanctuaries had populations, resources, relatively complete operating systems, and were able to absorb outside survivors continuously.
Meanwhile, the Territory could hardly be called a true Sanctuary yet, and it could not have enough deterrence against outside forces like other Sanctuaries.
Especially since among these outsiders, many were unruly Awakeners.
Tang Yu looked at the Territory map, at the small dots representing survivors.
Apart from the first two groups of survivors who arrived at the Sanctuary, the rest were mostly yellow dots, with some green dots, and a few red dots as well.
It was quite glaring.
These red dots weren't members sent by Lin Wei for investigation, but troublemakers among the survivors.
Perhaps these individuals hadn't yet done anything harmful to the Sanctuary, but the red dots indicated that these people harbored hostility toward the Territory.
Dealing with these people was quite troublesome… Well, he wouldn't admit that it was because he found it troublesome that he hadn't dealt with it yet. It must have been because he was busy with the Territory's construction and didn't have the time.
Now, with the Source Crystal, the Return City Scroll issue should be resolved quickly.
Before heading to Lindong, let's settle these minor issues first.
"How about this, old Chen, you draft a notice and post it up. Feel free to write whatever specifics you want, then find some time to do a census of the survivors. No need to rush; give some people time to prepare, so when the time comes, we can collect the returns with interest. Hmm, that's about it."
Chen Haiping covered his face.
He felt like his burden had once again become heavier.
...
On the outskirts of the holiday resort, in a small forest.
Ding Qiang had set up a rocking chair under the shade of a tree, lying there comfortably with a sausage in his hand, slowly savoring it.
"This taste… It's delightful. I never realized sausages could taste this good before."
In the distance, a loud rumbling sound could be heard. It was the Puppets demolishing rock.
It was the time of day for transporting materials.
Yet Ding Qiang continued to lounge there leisurely, as if the work had nothing to do with him.
He was certainly resistant to the Sanctuary's arrangements. As a dignified Awakener, he should be treated as an honored guest wherever he went, yet here he was assigned to such menial work. He even thought this place could hardly be called a true Sanctuary.
A few survivors in number, and a city wall that was baffling—if it weren't for the food here being far more plentiful than elsewhere, he wouldn't even give this place a second glance… Perhaps there had indeed been a Sanctuary here, but it was later wiped out by Demonized Beasts, which would explain the abundance of food.
Ding Qiang was still somewhat apprehensive about this place. At least those stone-mining Puppets looked quite extraordinary, likely the product of some ability user. If not for that, he wouldn't even adhere superficially to the Sanctuary's arrangements.
Suddenly, a young man with yellow hair came running breathlessly, "Boss… Boss, something's wrong…"
"What are you panicking about! At worst, it's just the discovery of us secretly stealing food from other survivors; it's no big deal. Your boss here is an Awakener, not afraid of this so-called Sanctuary." Ding Qiang glared at the yellow-haired youth, face filled with arrogance.
The youth caught his breath, looking up admiringly.
As expected of the Awakener boss, he spoke with such authority. In contrast, he felt ashamed for getting flustered over a little bad news. Since the boss said so, there must be nothing to worry about regarding the recent bad news as well.
"Boss, it's not that… The Sanctuary… The Sanctuary posted a notice, saying they would reform the system by dividing survivors into permanent and mobile personnel. Permanent personnel must follow work assignments, and future food distribution would be based on work performance, offering greater benefits, but anyone failing to meet work requirements would face penalties, including removal of benefits…"
"As for mobile personnel, the Sanctuary imposes no restrictions on them, as long as they don't violate Sanctuary rules. It also states that the Sanctuary will periodically issue tasks, which mobile personnel can complete to exchange for resources. The tasks supposedly include exploring surrounding areas and collecting specific items…"
The yellow-haired youth did not notice that the more he said, the darker Ding Qiang's face became, until it was completely black.
...
The small square in front of the villa area was always the liveliest place in the entire Sanctuary. Every day, most of the wood and stone was transported here by survivors, and during breaks, many survivors would gather to chat. It was one of the few leisure activities after the apocalypse.
The Sanctuary allowed for proper rest, understanding that ordinary people couldn't work nonstop all day long. As long as they weren't deliberately slacking, Tang Yu didn't mind.
In fact, the work intensity here was something most survivors could handle, and the work compensation far exceeded other places.
At this moment, a survivor pushing a cart came in, noticing a notice posted on the bulletin board beside the Gate, containing what seemed to be important information, with many survivors already gathered around it.
Zhao Xingping quickly pushed a full cart of materials to the designated location and hurried back to the square, eager to see what the notice said.
He had arrived at the Sanctuary two days earlier, unlike many outsiders who came through their own resources; he was just an ordinary person, without the fortune of joining a team with Awakeners. Yet Zhao Xingping felt lucky, still recalling that day he hid in a dark corner, enduring the hunger pangs and a Demonized Beast looming not far from his shelter.
At that time, he was filled with fear and anxiety, until… Captain Luo appeared and sliced the Demonized Beast into two with a single sword stroke. Soon after, he was taken to the Sanctuary, becoming one of its ordinary survivors.
He could eat three meals a day and even enjoy vegetables and meat. It all felt like a dream.
He didn't know how to repay the Sanctuary's kindness, so he could only make every effort to do his job well.
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