As Anthony listened to the discussions of the villa owners around him, for the first time, he truly grasped the terrifying intelligence of cultured individuals.
Although these people had lost their martial advantage in the post-apocalypse, their sharp wit was still formidable.
When dealing with a group of military academy students, some of them even resorted to the full spectrum of thirty-six strategies!
Indeed, those who play the game of strategy have the dirtiest hearts.
For a fleeting moment, Anthony resolved to be more cautious with these people from now on. If any of them decided to play dirty, he wouldn't even know how he met his end.
"Alright, alright!"
He clapped his hands to interrupt them, saying, "You all understand the situation. From now on, everyone should go to the villas and find a place to stay. It's best to stick together in groups."
An older resident hesitated. "Anthony, I live on the ninth floor. There's too much stuff at home. I can't move it."
"What's there to be afraid of? After work, we'll all go together and help you move it!"
At that moment, the humanity that had long been extinguished in their hearts showed brief signs of revival.
The reason was simple: the arrival of the Nanshan Military Academy students had instilled a sense of threat, uniting them in a rare show of solidarity.
Of course, Anthony knew this unity was only temporary.
Once the threat was gone, once those people were dealt with, the fighting and bickering would resume as they once again tore each other apart for a scrap of bread.
"Anthony! We found a zombie!"
Perhaps even the heavens were aiding the residents, for they had truly discovered a recently mutated zombie in an abandoned villa.
The super-zombie was incredibly powerful, but Anthony and the others fought with all their might.
The seventy-odd residents worked together, each one throwing themselves into the battle. After a fierce struggle, they managed to drive the zombie out of the villa area, at which point they broke into triumphant cheers.
"Catch it! Don't let it escape!"
"Quick, grab it! Whether we get roasted chicken depends on today!"
"Catch the zombie, get roasted chicken!"
The residents shouted with all their might, and soon enough, Thomas and Luther appeared.
As they stepped outside, they were greeted by the chaotic noise from the villa area. However, since they had made prior agreements with Anthony and were still newcomers, they were hesitant to overstep their bounds.
"Thomas, it's a zombie!"
Luther sneered arrogantly. "Didn't Anthony say that if we catch a super-zombie, their leader would reward us with roasted chicken? Today, I'm going to see if that's true."
With that, he signaled a few people to follow him.
"Stop!"
Thomas stepped forward, blocking their way with a cold expression. "Did you forget what I told you yesterday? This is a sensitive time. We need to avoid conflict with them and keep them relaxed!"
"But…"
Luther was disgruntled, feeling that those weak, cowardly residents were no match for them.
Thomas interrupted him sharply. "No buts. No one is going! Let's go…"
Charles, one of Luther's subordinates, leaned in and whispered, "Luther, that 'leader'—do you really think he'll give us roasted chicken?"
"Maybe..."
Luther, having just been reprimanded by Thomas, nodded reluctantly.
Charles, still doubtful, asked, "But where would he even get roasted chicken from? It's probably a lie, isn't it?"
"Damn it, if you're asking me, who should I ask?"
Luther replied irritably. "Yesterday, I caught one of the residents from the community. He said their 'leader,' a guy named Miles, lives in the D villa and has millions of supplies stocked up."
Millions?
The others nearby gasped in shock.
Most of them had no concept of what "millions" truly meant. Some had likely never even imagined such wealth in their entire lives.
But one thing was clear—roasted chicken was real!
"Luther, come here…"
Thomas, hearing the stir behind him, immediately darkened and waved Luther over, where he proceeded to scold him in no uncertain terms.
"Are you out of your mind?"
"What's wrong now?"
Thomas glared at Luther, unrelenting. "Why the hell did you tell them all that? Do you know the guys haven't eaten in two days? If they find out, they'll definitely rebel!"
Greed makes people act recklessly, and hunger is an even greater motivator.
These students had little experience with danger, so once they learned that zombies could be exchanged for roasted chicken, would they still behave?
If they rushed into the villa area all at once, the residents would surely grow wary.
And Thomas's entire plan would be in ruins.
"What are you afraid of? We can just fight them if it comes to that!"
Luther still bristled with defiance, feeling that Thomas was simply being too cowardly.
Thomas shook his head in exasperation. "If this were like yesterday, we might have had a chance by taking a risk, but now? There's no chance."
"No chance? They're only seventy or so people! We've trained in martial arts since we were kids. How could we possibly lose?"
Thomas, truly at his wit's end, patiently explained, "Right now, our brothers are settling into their 'new homes,' getting a meal every day. It's not much, but they're not starving. And… you just said yourself, they might even get to eat roasted chicken."
"I…"
Luther blushed in realization of his mistake.
"Think about it—if we charge in right now, Miles won't even need to fire a shot. He'll just toss out a few roasted chickens, and we'll all fall into chaos!"
Thomas, having given a long and careful explanation, saw Luther gradually begin to regret his rash thinking.
Seeing this, Thomas smiled and coaxed, "Don't feel bad. As long as we have people on our side, why should we worry about food? If Miles wants to reward us with roasted chicken, fine—but one chicken won't feed all of us. All we need is for you to rally the troops, and they'll rush in, take down Miles, and grab his supplies."
"Of course…"
He added quickly, "But not now! We need them to lower their guard, to believe we pose no threat first…"
But fate, it seems, had other plans.
After Luther left, Charles quickly spread the news about the 'roasted chicken.'
As soon as the others heard, they couldn't resist—everyone was shouting to catch zombies.
However, there were few zombies left in City in the Clouds, especially with Miles' system of rewards and punishments—zombies had become a rare commodity here.
If there was anything with real purchasing power in City in the Clouds right now, it was undeniably—zombies!
After a fruitless search, some began to protest.
"What is this? The people in the villas are living it up while we're here being treated like livestock. It's so frustrating!"
"Be thankful! At least we get thirty portions of food a day."
"Are you kidding me?"
Someone sneered. "There are over four hundred of us, and thirty portions of food is barely enough for anyone. That Luther guy, he's always eating more than his share, who knows how much he's hoarding for himself!"
"So what? He's the boss, he gets to do that."
"They said if we catch a zombie, we get roasted chicken, right? Why don't we…"