“I can guarantee that. The mall definitely meets construction standards.” An Kang raised his hand and swore to it.
As for why he was so certain, one reason was that one of his relatives was a shareholder in the mall, while another was that he was fairly familiar with the mall’s owner.
When the mall had first been completed, all of its various indicators had met the required standards. Since An Kang had been the one who provided the loan, he had even specially arranged for several groups of people to inspect the mall and confirm its safety.
Jun Shutong nodded, then looked toward Lu Li.
Lu Li was also currently trying to guess why this damned place kept experiencing nonstop minor earthquakes.
Unfortunately, all communication equipment had malfunctioned, so he couldn’t determine the range affected by the earthquakes. If they were global, that would actually be better.
That would mean “Voldemort” had definitely descended into this world. As long as it couldn’t fly and didn’t decide to pick a fight with that fat-headed fish, this planet would still be relatively safe. [TN: It’s a pun on Voldemort’s Chinese name “the demon lying on the ground,” which refers to Groudon.]
But if the earthquakes were only occurring in a small area, that would mean one or perhaps several extremely powerful Pokémon might be living deep underground nearby.
As for the possibility that it was caused by a natural disaster?
Hadn’t they seen the old professor over there shouting that geography was dead?
How could this possibly be a natural disaster?
“Then here’s the question. If we’re going to relocate, where exactly are we supposed to go? What place could possibly be safer than here?” Lu Li stood up and asked in return.
Lu Li did not support relocating. Although a group of Rattata lived beneath the mall, they had two powerful “thighs” nearby to cling to. If they moved somewhere else, not only would they definitely encounter new dangers, but they might not even be able to find new thighs to cling to.
“If a major earthquake really happens, then no building nearby will be safe. And if it continues to be nothing more than minor earthquakes, then we might as well stay right here.”
“At least we already know what dangers exist here, so there’s no need to take new risks.”
After Lu Li finished speaking, he didn’t add anything else.
After all, such a simple and straightforward question didn’t really need to be brought up for discussion in the first place.
Jun Shutong strongly agreed with Lu Li’s view.
For one thing, even if they relocated, they had no idea where they should move to. For another, if a major earthquake really struck, moving somewhere else nearby wouldn’t make any difference. If they were going to die, they would still die.
“Then the second topic: benefits for the Scavenging Team,” Jun Shutong said, and most of the people in the meeting room immediately pricked up their ears.
Most of those qualified to enter the meeting room were young and able-bodied. They were also the camp’s main labor force, and almost all of them were members of the Scavenging Team.
Now that they heard Jun Shutong was going to provide benefits for the Scavenging Team, everyone naturally looked forward to it.
At this moment, An Kang stood up, held the document in his hand, cleared his throat, and deliberately coughed.
After successfully drawing everyone’s attention, An Kang began explaining the Scavenging Team’s benefits with great enthusiasm.
First was three meals a day.
After all, no one had the strength to work on an empty stomach. In addition to that, they would also receive extra contribution points.
An Kang had already finished organizing the contribution point system, and it had been put into use yesterday.
Within the camp, contribution points were effectively currency. They could be exchanged for various supplies at the Supplies Department, and materials brought back by the Scavenging Team could also be exchanged for points.
The last benefit was security.
Anyone who encountered an accident while searching for supplies would receive lifelong care from the camp as long as they survived. Even if they died, their family members would receive a higher level of welfare benefits.
After An Kang finished speaking, the others in the meeting room couldn’t help but nod.
The benefits the camp gave the Scavenging Team were definitely the best in the entire camp. They were even comparable to the treatment enjoyed by the leader, Jun Shutong.
Lu Li could understand it. After all, if you wanted people to risk their lives, you naturally had to offer enough benefits in return.
There was no monthly salary or daily wage system within the camp. All contribution points had to be earned through labor or exchanged for supplies. At present, the only treatment the camp provided to elderly people and children without contribution points was to meet their most basic survival needs.
Two meals a day and a small amount of water were free. Everything else required contribution points.
At present, only the camp’s two leaders received fixed daily or monthly compensation.
Lu Li was quite satisfied with this. He could enjoy the same treatment as the Scavenging Team without having to go outside and take risks. What more could he ask for?
As for becoming the camp’s leader…
Lu Li currently had no intention of taking the leader’s position.
For one thing, he didn’t have the energy for it. For another, Feebas still hadn’t grown strong enough.
After finishing the discussion about the Scavenging Team’s treatment, the final topic was much more troublesome.
After An Kang finished speaking, Jun Shutong continued, “More and more people have been joining the camp recently. At present, the camp’s population has already reached nearly eighty. The food and water that originally could have lasted us a month can now only last less than half a month.”
“This is a very serious problem. And there’s an even more critical issue: we’ve already collected all the supplies that can be gathered from the entire mall.”
“If we want to open up a new source of resources, there are currently only two options. One is to search the surrounding residential complexes for supplies, and the other is to go to the seventh floor.”
The seventh floor was also a restaurant area, and most of the restaurants up there were meat restaurants, such as barbecue restaurants and hotpot restaurants.
That meant there could be a large amount of food on the seventh floor, and perhaps even various kinds of drinks.
If they could thoroughly clean out the seventh floor, the camp would be able to hold out for at least another half a month.
“So now, everyone discuss whether we should designate the seventh floor as our new scavenging area, or designate the surrounding residential complexes as our new scavenging areas,” Jun Shutong said, then once again looked toward Lu Li in tacit understanding.
Everyone else followed Jun Shutong’s gaze and looked at him as well.
Lu Li: “…”
With everyone in the meeting room staring at him all at once, Lu Li felt his scalp go numb.
He couldn’t help complaining inwardly: Jun Shutong is obviously the one in charge of making decisions for the camp, right?
This is obviously something everyone should discuss and decide together. Why are all of you staring at me?
Although he was speechless inside, Lu Li didn’t let himself lose composure. Instead, he calmly said, “I think the seventh floor is safer than the other residential complexes, even though the restaurant’s glass roof has already been shattered.”
“But if everyone moves along the walls while operating up there, we should still be able to avoid the notice of most flying demon beasts. In that respect, it’s safer than crossing the street.”
“But there is one problem. The seventh floor is very likely to have become the nesting ground of some flying demon beasts. However, if we go to other residential complexes, we’ll face similar dangers anyway, so I’m more inclined to collect the supplies on the seventh floor first.”
After Lu Li finished speaking, Jun Shutong asked, “What does everyone think?”
“I agree more with Brother Lu’s opinion,” Huang Jiafei was the first to voice his support.
Fatty Lei immediately followed suit, saying that scavenging the seventh floor was still more reliable than traveling a long distance to break into other residential complexes.
In the end, the opinions were almost completely one-sided. Everyone agreed that they should go to the seventh floor to scavenge for supplies.
“Then tomorrow, our task will be to first figure out the situation on the seventh floor. Don’t prioritize gathering supplies yet. Also, everyone should try to avoid the aquarium area. There’s a section of the aquarium on the seventh floor as well, and it’s open-air.”
Everyone nodded to show that they understood.
Jun Shutong only gave that one reminder and didn’t say anything more. After all, anyone who had managed to survive until now valued their own life greatly. Those who didn’t take their lives seriously had already died long ago.
“If any of you discover demon beasts on the seventh floor, mark down their locations. That way, everyone can avoid those areas in advance later,” Lu Li added.
He also didn’t want anything to happen to the Scavenging Team. After all, from a certain perspective, the members of the Scavenging Team were his “bread and butter.”
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