Had the Oscars not been suspended this year, Nathan would undoubtedly have been the best actor.
The look of pure cowardice in his eyes was simply impeccable.
Anthony, looking at him with disdain, sneered, "So, you're saying that the reason you caught this zombie is because of my luck?"
"I..."
Even a fool could hear the implication in those words.
Anthony was trying to claim a share of the spoils.
Nathan stammered, "Anthony, please don't do this... My brothers haven't had meat in days. Mr. Miles even cut off our rations... If we don't catch more zombies, we'll starve to death…"
"I don't care if you starve," Anthony spat, his voice dripping with contempt. "I haven't had meat in three days either. If you know what's good for you, leave the zombie with me, and I might consider tossing you a chicken leg to taste."
"No!"
The youngest of Nathan's six brothers stepped forward, his face flushed with anger. "We caught this zombie with our own effort, why should we give it to you?"
"Exactly! We searched all over for this one! Nathan, we can't give it to them!"
"Right, we'll go to Mr. Miles and tell him about this!"
The others chimed in, glaring at Anthony.
Anthony's expression darkened, and he laughed coldly. "I really underestimated you all. A bunch of outsiders dare to act so arrogant? You think Miles would believe you over me?"
Nathan was indeed an outsider.
They had only arrived here from the factory six or seven days ago.
Anthony and his group weren't very familiar with them, and many of the residents didn't even know what they were here for.
In front of the roasted chicken, the residents were extremely exclusive.
One of them sneered, "Anthony's right. You bunch of outsiders, get out of our community!"
"You're just a bunch of beggars. If it weren't for Miles' charity, you'd all be dead by now..."
The six brothers, having been scorned by the residents, were enraged.
"Shut up! It was Mr. Miles who asked us to come here and protect him from people like you!"
"Don't act like I don't know! You people have opposed Mr. Miles in the past. It's only because you were scared of him that you're so obedient now!"
Bang!
Anthony's face twisted into a snarl as he fired a shot.
The one who had been cursing, the sixth brother, let out a wail and collapsed, clutching his stomach.
"You think I'm showing you mercy?"
Anthony aimed his gun at Nathan and the others, his voice dripping with malice. "If you've got the guts, make a move. Let's see if you're faster or if my bullet is."
"Ah!"
The sixth brother writhed on the ground, curling into a fetal position.
He continued to wail, "Nathan, save me! Please, save me... I think I'm dying… Ah, it hurts so much, I can't take it... I'm going to die..."
Seeing his incessant cries, Anthony's lip twitched.
Where the hell did they find this idiot?
You get shot in the stomach and you can still scream like that?
Nathan's face was dark with annoyance as he discreetly kicked the sixth brother.
"Ah!"
Only then did the sixth brother stop struggling, his head lolling to the side as he "died."
The ruckus drew the attention of Luther and his group.
The sight of the bloodstain on the ground was particularly eye-catching.
Luther sneered, "Thomas, looks like their own people are fighting each other."
"Don't bother, let's just watch..."
Thomas, wary, stood from a distance. Seeing the large pool of blood pouring from the man's abdomen and hearing the gunshot, it was obvious that Anthony had killed him.
Anthony, Nathan, and the others also noticed them, becoming serious at once.
"Last chance. Are you giving it or not?"
Anthony pressed his gun against Nathan's temple.
"Give it to them..."
Nathan shot him a glare full of fury, his voice full of helplessness and resentment.
The fifth brother, his voice breaking, added, "Nathan, but he killed the sixth brother!"
"Let him die then. Do you want to die too?"
Nathan's eyes flashed with red, and he roared at him, "Give him the damn zombie and let's go!"
Under the threat of the gun, any resistance was futile.
Luther and his group watched as Anthony took the zombie from them, while Nathan and his brothers, carrying the "dead" sixth brother, quietly walked away.
This was the harsh reality: in the apocalypse, the strong survive, and the weak perish!
Luther shook his head with a hint of regret. "No wonder there are only a hundred or so survivors in such a big community. It's the same everywhere—just a nest of demons!"
Thomas laughed. "If we hadn't hidden that food from the start, we'd probably be just like them by now."
"Didn't you say we should try to divide them?"
Luther sneered. "Looks like we don't need to lift a finger. They're already at each other's throats."
The fact that both groups were willing to kill over a single zombie showed that the residents of this so-called 'Cloud City' were far from united.
Thomas, a sharp and calculating man, had always been a person of influence, even back in school.
When the apocalypse struck and most of his classmates were decimated, Thomas had unhesitatingly teamed up with the most capable survivor, Luther.
One excelled in physical combat, the other in strategic thinking, and together they had forged a strong alliance among the remaining survivors.
His eyes glinted as he smiled. "Now's not the time. Let's wait and see… I want to see how Miles handles this."
"He?"
Luther scoffed. "That's just a turtle hiding in its shell, too scared to even step outside. He's enjoying himself inside while the rest of us fight for survival. He won't care about these people's lives."
As he had expected, Miles didn't interfere with the situation.
Soon, Nathan's complaints about Miles were leaked by someone with ulterior motives.
Luther heard the news and chuckled. "Thomas, now is it time to act? If we approach Nathan, he'll definitely agree to join us."
At this point, everyone saw Nathan as a hapless victim—disregarded by his boss and oppressed by his colleagues.
Who would expect loyalty from someone like that?
But Thomas shook his head. "Not yet. Miles is probably paying close attention to this matter, and it's possible he orchestrated it as a show."
Thomas was sharp and acutely aware of the political dynamics at play.
They had just arrived in Cloud City and weren't familiar with the local power structures.
If they moved too quickly to bring Nathan into their fold, even if they succeeded, what could one Nathan really do for them?
Two days later, the events of that day had gradually been forgotten by most.
The students from Nanshan Military Academy had become accustomed to the task of "zombie hunting."
Their luck seemed to be improving as they managed to catch seven or eight zombies in just two days, driving the long-starving students into a frenzy.
There's an old saying: once a dog tastes meat, can it still eat shit?
Unfortunately, the numbers were too large, and even if they divided the catch, there wasn't enough for each person to have a full bite.
The leaders of Luther's group, of course, were able to feast, while most of the food was hoarded by them.
This led to growing discontent among the other students.