"What? You want to confiscate our food? No way, absolutely not!" a rotund middle-aged man exclaimed excitedly. He had stored a significant amount of food in his house, and if it was taken away, what would his family eat in the future? Even though Sylas promised daily food distribution, who knew if that would hold true? It felt safer to keep the food in his own hands.
Hearing the man's outburst, other survivors began to stir uneasily. No one liked the idea of being controlled or dictated to. Despite Sylas clearing the villa area of zombies and possessing immense power, some still harbored rebellious thoughts. They were gambling that Sylas wouldn't dare to kill indiscriminately. After all, those living in the villa area weren't ordinary citizens—they were formerly wealthy or influential individuals. The idea of being under Sylas's control was hard for them to accept.
Tilda felt a bit troubled by the middle-aged man's outburst, unsure of how to handle the situation.
Sylas gave the man a calm glance and said, "Tilda, our rules are simple: those who obey stay, those who don't are expelled. If anyone dares to resist, they will be killed on the spot. Execute the order."
After saying this, Sylas turned and returned to the villa, leaving the rest to Tilda. He also wanted to observe Tilda's ability to handle the situation. If she couldn't manage such a small task, she wouldn't be worthy of Sylas's trust.
"Yes, Leader," Tilda responded loudly, her gaze becoming resolute. Turning to the middle-aged man, Tilda raised her weapon and aimed it at him. "You have one chance: hand over the food or leave the community. The choice is yours."
"Why should I? This is my food, and this is my home. You have no right to kick me out," the middle-aged man protested excitedly. Facing zombies, he naturally wouldn't dare to resist, as zombies weren't living beings and couldn't be reasoned with. But now, facing other humans, he felt emboldened to rebel.
"This is the Leader's order. Anyone who disobeys will be expelled," Tilda commanded loudly. A large group of female warriors, armed with spears still stained with zombie blood, surrounded the man and began to drive him out. Confronted with these sharp weapons, the middle-aged man quickly relented.
He shouted loudly, saying he was willing to hand over the food and obey the orders. But Tilda, gritting her teeth, didn't stop the expulsion. She was a smart woman and understood the significance of Sylas's command. It was about establishing authority. Therefore, the middle-aged man had to be expelled.
If Tilda were ruthless enough, she should have killed the middle-aged man directly. Not only was the middle-aged man expelled, but his family was also driven out. He had a son and a daughter, both of whom were expelled alongside him. Tilda had shown the greatest mercy she could.
Otherwise, it wouldn't just be an expulsion; it would be an execution on the spot.
The middle-aged man and his family were driven out of the villa community, and the commotion attracted nearby zombies. Seeing the approaching zombies, the man and his family had no choice but to flee quickly. Without food or weapons, and now expelled from the safe villa area, they were left to wander the streets. Their fate was undoubtedly sealed—they were as good as dead.
All the other survivors witnessed this scene. Their hearts trembled, and a flicker of fear passed through their eyes. They knew the situation outside—the streets were filled with zombies. Being expelled from the community was a death sentence. They had to avoid being driven out at all costs.
These women were ruthless; it was best not to cross them. This thought ran through the minds of the survivors.
With this demonstration of authority, managing the remaining survivors became much easier. The rest of the survivors obediently handed over the food they had at home. However, many of them didn't have any food left. Those without food were the happiest because, according to Sylas's orders, they would still receive daily rations.
In fact, that's exactly what happened. Sylas distributed food to each household daily based on the number of people in the family. While it wasn't the best food, it was enough to fill their stomachs and keep them from starving. With no zombies left in the community and Sylas providing food, life was much better than before.
Tilda, with her leadership experience, had no trouble managing the small number of survivors. Meanwhile, Sylas and his women returned to the villa and held a small meeting.
"Master, are you planning to turn this place into a survivor base?" Clarissa asked as soon as they returned to the villa.
Sylas smiled and shook his head. "No," he replied. "Don't be fooled by our current safety; this place isn't ideal. This is just a temporary residence for us. Once we're ready, we'll leave here."
Sylas's words surprised everyone. They had thought he intended to establish this place as his territory, but it turned out that wasn't the case.
"Why do we have to leave here? Isn't it good here?" Clarissa asked. After all, this was her home, and she naturally didn't want to leave this familiar place. The other women also looked at Sylas with puzzled expressions. They too had lived in this city and didn't want to leave if it could be avoided.
Sylas explained, "We have to leave. You all know about the mutated zombies. I've noticed that their numbers are increasing, and they are getting stronger. Currently, the mutated zombies are only at level one, but in the future, there will be level two and level three mutated zombies. The city has a massive number of ordinary zombies, and this large base will inevitably lead to a large number of mutated zombies. We have many ways to deal with ordinary zombies, but how will we handle large numbers of mutated zombies? For our safety, we must leave the city. This place isn't suitable for long-term residence.
"Another issue is resources. Water and food are essential for our survival. This community doesn't meet our living conditions. It lacks a water source and has no farmland for growing food. If we rely solely on stored food, no matter how much we have, it won't last. We need farmland to grow crops and develop livestock. Only with these conditions can we sustain long-term living."
Hearing Sylas's explanation, Clarissa said seriously, "The Master is right. This place really isn't suitable for us. It looks like we will need to move in the future."
Hayden, Sydney, and Lillian also nodded silently. They hadn't understood Sylas's actions before, but now they realized his deeper intentions.
Sylas continued, "In the future, we must establish our own survivor base. After all, we still need to have children, and I don't want my kids growing up in an unsafe environment."
Hearing this, Clarissa's cheeks instantly turned red.
The other women had the same reaction, their faces flushing with a mix of emotions.
"Where will we go in the future?" Clarissa asked, her face still red.
Sylas shook his head and replied, "I don't have a clear idea yet. I've looked at maps but haven't found a suitable location. When you have free time, you can also look at maps and help find a place that would be good for us to live."
"We will definitely look," Hayden said enthusiastically. Sylas's vision for the future gave Hayden and the others hope for survival and a reason to be optimistic.
"This is just a temporary base, but we can manage it well to gain experience for running our own future base. Another point is that we need to be cautious of these survivors. You never know what they're thinking. For our safety, we must manage these survivors properly. That's why I insist on registering them and collecting their food. Controlling their food supply means controlling their lifeline."
Sylas further explained his reasoning to the women.
"You don't need to explain. We understand," Clarissa said softly, her eyes filled with love as she looked at Sylas.
Feeling the love in Clarissa's gaze, Sylas impulsively embraced her and kissed her. The other women blushed at the sight but didn't shy away; instead, they watched the couple with amused smiles.
After a while, they broke the kiss. Lillian boldly said, "Master, I want one too."
"Come here," Sylas said with a smile, beckoning her.
Lillian smiled slightly and willingly fell into Sylas's arms. Sylas, holding Clarissa with one arm and Lillian with the other, kissed Lillian. With beauties in his arms, Sylas felt he could do anything. Life was truly good now.
Hayden and Sydney felt a bit awkward but were happy to see the affection and joy in the group.
Of the four women, Clarissa and Lillian had already made their move, leaving just Hayden and Sydney. However, Sylas wouldn't pressure them, leaving it entirely up to their own volition.
After a while, Tilda came over to report that the survivors had been dealt with and that the female warriors were rested and ready to continue fighting.
Sylas nodded and said, "Let's continue clearing the neighborhood. Our goal today is to finish clearing it out completely."
There was no need to leave anyone behind to guard the villa area. Since it was surrounded by zombies, if any survivors tried to escape, Sylas didn't mind. As long as they could survive and escape, he wouldn't stop them. Therefore, no warriors were needed for guarding.
The neighborhood had several apartment buildings, with many residents and even more rooms, making it more challenging to clear than the villa area. So, Sylas changed his strategy.
He first divided the teams to clear all the wandering zombies in the neighborhood, ensuring a zombie-free environment. This initial step alone took over an hour to complete. The front and back gates of the neighborhood were also closed, preventing outside zombies from entering for the time being. As long as the zombies within the neighborhood were dealt with, it would be temporarily zombie-free.
For the first time since the apocalypse began, Sylas walked through a neighborhood without zombies. Seeing this, both Sylas and Tilda, along with the others, were filled with joy. Who wouldn't want to live in a zombie-free environment? Sylas and his group certainly preferred such a place.
Next, they needed to deal with the zombies inside the apartment buildings.