The moment Director Zhang finished speaking, the scorching summer heat seemed to drop by several degrees.
A chilly sensation spread, caused by the direct gazes of the people below in the square.
An indescribable aura was pervading.
Immediately after, a brick flew up and directly struck Director Zhang on the head.
Bang!
The brick hit Director Zhang squarely on the head, knocking him directly to the ground.
Blood flowed from his head.
His condition was unknown.
Captain Lü, who was standing beside him, reacted instantly, raising his gun and aiming at the person who had just thrown the brick.
It was the Slanting Bangs youth, who now looked incredibly furious.
Furthermore, some of the other squad leaders behind the Slanting Bangs youth also looked very angry.
Captain Lü wailed internally, 'What the hell is going on?'
He glanced at Director Zhang lying on the ground and sighed.
He stepped forward to check on Director Zhang; that brick earlier had hit him at an extremely tricky angle, right on his temple, and blood was still flowing profusely.
"Doctor Song, Doctor Song, come take a look!" Captain Lü shouted loudly.
However, the square below was buzzing, and no one heard what Captain Lü said, nor did they care to.
At this moment, everyone was only concerned about one thing: the whereabouts of the food.
The people at the bottom just wanted to get some food, but according to what Director Zhang had just said, this food seemed to have nothing to do with them.
For those squad leaders, it was even more unbearable; to have some food taken from their supplies and given to others—who the hell would be willing?
Seeing Director Zhang lying on the ground, bleeding profusely, a sense of satisfaction welled up in their hearts.
Well done.
It should be like this; damn it, they had acquired these supplies by risking their lives!
Why should it be given to others?
Why?
Captain Lü now had a rough idea; the moment the Slanting Bangs threw the brick, he had considered avenging Director Zhang with a shot, but after seeing the angry crowd behind, he suddenly realized something: these people were extremely furious right now.
If Director Zhang was not injured, or did not die, it would be difficult to quell the public's anger. If he shot and killed the Slanting Bangs man, it could easily cause an internal riot, directly leading to the collapse of Liberation City.
Director Zhang lying on the ground was perhaps the best outcome for now.
"Everyone, quiet down! Everyone, quiet down!" Captain Lü shouted loudly.
But no one paid him any mind, the noise was incessant.
Bang! Captain Lü fired a shot.
Silence immediately fell, and everyone looked at Captain Lü.
"This base was built by Director Zhang himself. Without him, ask yourselves, could you have survived until now? Who took you in? Who gave you a safe place when you were at your most difficult?"
Silence!
"Speak!" Captain Lü looked at Director Zhang, lying on the ground, his fate unknown, and then at them with a complicated expression. His eyes were filled with anger and a sense of it not being worth it.
Below in the square, everyone had different expressions. Some people's eyes flashed with a hint of guilt, but the guilt quickly faded, replaced by indifference; some remained completely indifferent, as if it had nothing to do with them; and some even looked satisfied, thinking, 'Who told this Director Zhang to try and take our supplies?'
Such is the nature of humanity, nothing more.
Captain Lü spoke to the few people standing beside him, who had been following Director Zhang: "Move Director Zhang to the room first."
A few people stepped forward, lifted Director Zhang, and carried him towards the room. Along the way, drops of blood fell to the ground.
Once Director Zhang left, the scene returned to calm.
Captain Lü stood still, thought for a moment, and finally spoke: "I won't talk nonsense. Our Liberation City was not easy to establish. With this severe drought, we need to face it together. Some people have no food, and we need to face this together! I know that in such difficult times, everyone wants to store as many supplies as possible, but can you really bear to let other people in Liberation City starve to death?"
These words were somewhat emotional, but they also clearly explained who the food everyone was asked to contribute was for: it was for others who were starving.
However, human nature is selfish. No matter how much was said, there was still no response from anyone present.
Captain Lü sighed. At this moment, he also felt a bit weary; there was nothing he could do, everyone was only thinking of themselves. This was the most realistic situation, this was the truest human nature.
"Everyone, if anyone can contribute some supplies, you can come to the Yifu Building and find us. We will not keep these supplies; they will all be given to those who need supplies and have none. I hope that those with supplies can all contribute some. I represent those who need supplies in thanking you.
I hope that by 4 PM this afternoon, everyone can contribute some supplies. That's all, thank you. Meeting adjourned."
After these words, a glimmer of hope appeared in the eyes of the people at the bottom, but not much. They had been disappointed too many times. They didn't hold much hope for this time either. They had grown accustomed to disappointment.
...
The meeting adjourned, and the crowd in the square dispersed at once.
Captain Lü looked at the empty square, then at the few teammates still beside him, and sighed.
He said to his teammates beside him, "You guys wait at the Yifu Building later, see if anyone brings supplies."
"Okay, Captain Lü."
"No problem, Captain Lü."
"Captain Lü, don't worry, if anyone brings it, we'll tell you immediately."
Captain Lü looked at his old teammates beside him, a hint of guilt in his eyes. Following him, they had never enjoyed any special privileges; instead, they had always fought on the front lines.
Now, if Liberation City continued to suffer from drought, the food problem would not be solved quickly, and the crops planted would not yield results immediately.
No matter what, he never wanted his brothers to starve to death because of food problems.
They shed blood and sweat; he didn't want their families to starve because of food in the end. So he said, "Xiao Wang, Xiao Li, go gather our families and all our supplies. Move them to one central location and guard them strictly, there can be no losses. This is our last bottom line."
In fact, he had already made his final preparations in his heart. Even if Liberation City collapsed in the end, they would still survive.
Hearing Captain Lü's words, the team members exchanged glances; they had all guessed something deep down, realizing how important this matter was, and immediately said, "Okay."
Captain Lü nodded.
He then walked towards Director Zhang's room, unsure of Director Zhang's condition. He hoped he would be alright.
He also didn't know what was going on with Doctor Song now, scratched his head, and finally sighed again.
Something came up today, so just one chapter for now.
Tomorrow, I'll resume two updates. Thank you all~
