After coming down from the seventh floor, Lu Li, who had originally still been thinking about Bounsweet, had long since given up on the idea of catching it. Without slowing his steps, his mind began turning again.
His requirements for the three Pokémon he wanted to find this time were actually quite high. At the very least, they couldn’t be Bug-type Pokémon like Little Yellow. They had to be Pokémon capable of evolving multiple times, with plenty of potential.
Lu Li subconsciously thought of Doraedee again. [TN: Doraemon + Indeedee]
“Do I have to ask Indeedee to help me find Pokémon again? But my requirements are so high this time. Can Indeedee really find any?” Lu Li was beginning to have doubts.
He couldn’t even catch Bounsweet, let alone other Pokémon. Pokémon capable of surviving in this world were unlikely to be willing to become his partners.
After agonizing over it for the entire afternoon, Lu Li finally came to a realization.
Eating properly was still more important.
After dinner, Lu Li was called into the office again.
This time, besides the two female assistants, Yao Xia and Wu Lingge, there was also Old Xu, the captain of the Scavenging Team, as well as Fatty Lei, An Kang, and other members of the camp’s management.
This could be considered a small closed-door meeting.
As the saying went, major matters were discussed in small meetings, while minor matters were discussed in large ones. This time, they were here specifically for a small meeting.
It was still about the situation in the Anke area.
Old Xu impatiently voiced his opinion. “My view is that we shouldn’t stick our noses into other people’s business. What does it have to do with us whether the survivors at Anke Camp live or die? In a world like this, it’s enough for us to take care of ourselves.”
Old Xu’s tone was rather confrontational, and everyone present knew his words were aimed at Jun Shutong.
As far as Old Xu was concerned, Jun Shutong couldn’t even protect Dawn Camp anymore, yet she was still worrying about the survivors over at Anke Residential Complex. Her sympathy was simply overflowing too much.
As a staunch supporter of Jun Shutong, Yao Xia coldly retorted, “This isn’t just about Anke Residential Complex. At the speed those bat demon beasts are moving, sooner or later they’ll reach Dawn Camp too.”
In truth, Yao Xia didn’t support Jun Shutong meddling in the affairs of Anke Residential Complex either. The only reason she had snapped back at Old Xu was to uphold Jun Shutong’s authority as leader.
Wu Lingge quietly observed Lu Li’s expression. Having come from the influencer scene, she was exceptionally skilled at reading people. The one rule she had set for herself was that she absolutely could not offend Lu Li.
Lu Li listened expressionlessly as everyone argued. In truth, he had already made up his mind.
With his current strength, he was incapable of saving everyone he encountered. Once he accepted that, many decisions became much easier to make.
Old Xu looked displeased upon hearing Yao Xia’s words and was just about to retort when Lu Li suddenly spoke.
“For now, use the people from Atonement Camp to hold them off. Old Xu, tomorrow, go to Atonement Camp and pick ten people. Break their legs, then throw them into the bat demon beasts’ nest.”
“It’s safe to go there during the day. As for the order, start with those whose crimes are the most severe.”
Since Lu Li had spoken, Old Xu naturally didn’t dare object. He dared to argue with Jun Shutong now because she no longer held “truth” in her hands.
But Lu Li did possess “truth,” and it was far more powerful than the “truth” Jun Shutong had once wielded.
“Yes.” Old Xu nodded respectfully, not daring to voice the slightest objection.
“But this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. Atonement Camp only has a little over a hundred people. Even if we sacrifice all of them, it’ll only buy us ten days,” Jun Shutong quietly reminded him.
Jun Shutong wasn’t opposed to Lu Li using the people from Atonement Camp to fill the gap. What worried her was that once Atonement Camp ran out of people, Lu Li might start using the other survivors in their camp instead.
“We’ll stall for as long as we can. Besides… it’s about time we considered relocating the camp,” Lu Li said.
Jun Shutong, who had heard Lu Li mention this before, immediately asked, “To Juzi University?”
Lu Li nodded.
Jun Shutong asked nervously, “Do you have a relocation plan? Like how many people we’ll move? Or how we’ll move them?”
Right now, Jun Shutong was afraid that Lu Li would only take a small number of people with him, but she was equally afraid that he might simply abandon Dawn Camp altogether.
“We’ll talk about that when the time comes. Tomorrow, I’ll take some people to the Golden Residential Complex. If we make any unexpected gains there, we’ll go with the plan you proposed before,” Lu Li said.
A glimmer of hope flashed through Jun Shutong’s eyes.
The plan Lu Li was referring to was Jun Shutong’s earlier proposal to relocate all the survivors from Anke Residential Complex to Dawn Camp.
Lu Li’s thinking was simple. If the Pokémon in the Golden Residential Complex were strong enough and needed living humans, then they could join forces and resist the swarm of Zubat together.
If there was nothing reliable in Golden Residential Complex, then they would have no choice but to relocate the camp ahead of schedule.
Besides, Lu Li had never planned to take everyone with him. More importantly, the survivors here might not even be willing to follow him to Juzi University.
The road ahead stretched for ten kilometers, and the future was simply too uncertain. Many survivors who were content with the status quo had no desire to take such a risk.
He had even prepared himself for the possibility of relocating with only a handful of people. Juzi University wasn’t exactly short on manpower anyway, so it didn’t really matter whether the people from Dawn Camp were willing to go with him.
Jun Shutong sighed when she heard this, but she didn’t say anything more. She knew that once Lu Li made a decision, there was no changing it.
Old Xu’s eyes flickered slightly after hearing this. If possible, he actually didn’t want to relocate. Although this place couldn’t support too many people, if their numbers decreased, it could still serve as a long-term residence.
“Sister Jun, you should make your choice too. We don’t have much time left.” After saying that, Lu Li stood up, turned around, and left the office.
Watching Lu Li’s departing figure, Old Xu raised his eyes toward Jun Shutong.
“Sister Jun, what do you think about relocating the camp?” Old Xu asked cautiously.
Looking exhausted, Jun Shutong pinched the bridge of her nose and said, “Lei, conduct a survey in the camp and ask who would be willing to leave with us.”
Fatty Lei opened his mouth, but swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
He really wanted to object and say that things were perfectly fine here, and there was no need to relocate the camp at all.
But in the end, he didn’t have the courage to say it, so he could only nod gloomily.
Fatty Lei was also deeply conflicted at the moment. If he followed Lu Li and the others, Juzi University was nearly ten kilometers away. It wouldn’t be surprising at all if something went wrong along the way.
On top of that, after Lu Li had previously used him as bait and gotten him chased by the bat demon beast, he had long since been left with a psychological shadow.
“Should I relocate with Lu Li and cling to his thigh? Or should I stay quietly in the mall and wait for the Federation to rescue us?” Fatty Lei was torn beyond measure.
Even after a whole month had passed, Fatty Lei still held onto a sliver of hope in the Federation.
What if the Federation had already regrouped and begun a counterattack?
After everyone dispersed with their own thoughts, Yao Xia softly reminded her, “Shutong, there definitely won’t be many people willing to relocate with us. You need to prepare yourself mentally.”
Hearing this, Jun Shutong asked in return, “How are you so sure I’m willing to leave with Lu Li instead of choosing to stay here?”
“Women’s intuition. And…” Yao Xia fell silent for a moment before saying with an extremely serious expression, “No matter what happens, I’ll relocate with Mr. Lu.”
Hearing her own trusted subordinate express such unreserved loyalty to Lu Li, Jun Shutong asked gloomily, “Why? Do you really trust me that little?”
“Ah…”
Yao Xia sighed. She knew that the reason Jun Shutong still harbored unrealistic hopes was mainly because she had not yet truly been worn down by this awful world.
But over these past few days, Jun Shutong had indeed taken good care of her. Not only had she kept Yao Xia by her side as an assistant, she had also arranged a very easy job for Yao Xia’s daughter.
“Shutong, have you ever considered that your current status and authority come from Mr. Lu?” Yao Xia asked.
Jun Shutong nodded without the slightest hesitation.
She understood her own situation far too well. If not for Lu Li’s support, she would have been driven out of power long ago.
“The moment Mr. Lu leaves, you’ll become like duckweed without roots. At that point, being forced out of the leadership position will be absolutely inevitable.”
“In this apocalypse, once a woman loses power, especially if she has no value besides her beauty, then what awaits her will be hell…”
Yao Xia had already made her point perfectly clear. She trusted Lu Li not because she valued his character, but purely because this man wasn’t even tempted by a beauty like Jun Shutong.
She had long been tormented enough by men whose brains were ruled by their lower halves, and deep down she felt that nine out of ten men in this apocalypse were all the same, which was why she had firmly decided to stand on Lu Li’s side.
Jun Shutong sighed and promised, “I understand. No matter what happens, I’ll leave together with Lu Li.”
Yao Xia visibly relaxed at that and then sincerely advised her,
“Shutong, prepare yourself for the possibility that only a few people will leave. If someone tries to bind you with morality or emotions when the time comes, I hope you’ll still be as resolute as you are today and leave together with Lu Li.”
Lu Li also knew that using the people from Atonement Camp to plug the gap was only a temporary measure, but so what?
He was already preparing to abandon Dawn Camp, so naturally there was no need for him to consider what path Dawn Camp should take in the future.
Day 32 after the arrival of Pokémon.
Lu Li was preparing to make a trip to the Golden Residential Complex and, while he was at it, investigate the distribution of Pokémon there.
Lu Li had just finished breakfast when Yao Xia stopped him.
Assuming it was yet another mess involving Anke Residential Complex, Lu Li frowned, already full of impatience. He was just about to scold her when Yao Xia lowered her voice to a whisper and said, “Mr. Lu, there’s something you may be interested in.”
Hearing that Jun Shutong wasn’t looking for him, Lu Li curiously pulled Yao Xia over to a corner.
“What is it?” Lu Li asked.
“This morning, Old Xu went to Atonement Camp to collect people. One of the criminals there, in order to save his own life, said he wanted to see you.”
Lu Li raised an eyebrow, a probing look appearing on his face as he tilted his head and asked curiously, “See me?”
Yao Xia nodded. “Yes. He said he has something very important in his possession, something that’s very important to you and that you’ll definitely be interested in. But he made one demand—he says he’ll only reveal where the treasure is if he gets to meet you in person.”
That completely piqued Lu Li’s curiosity, and he immediately asked, “Do you know what the treasure is?”
“He didn’t say.”
Lu Li said thoughtfully, “No one came looking for me today.”
“That’s why I came to find you. Old Xu detained that man.” After saying that, Yao Xia added, “And since Old Xu kept him back, I think he intended to hide this from you and secretly take the treasure for himself.”
“Interesting. Very interesting.”
Lu Li laughed.
Old Xu had previously been a long-haul truck driver. When Pokémon first descended, his whole family had been shopping at the mall.
Lu Li didn’t know the exact details of what happened afterward, but the end result was that Old Xu had been the only survivor in his family. Then, after becoming captain of the Scavenging Team half a month ago, he had taken on two mistresses.
Recently, Fatty Lei had told Lu Li that Old Xu had at least four mistresses in Dawn Camp. Lu Li usually turned a blind eye to things like that.
But now, Old Xu actually dared to steal something meant for him. That was going a little too far.
Lu Li looked at Yao Xia with great satisfaction and asked, “You did very well this time. Tell me, what reward do you want?”
Yao Xia hurriedly said, “When you leave, I hope you can take me and my daughter with you.”
Of course, she had told Lu Li about this because she wanted something from him. More precisely, she wanted his protection.
Lu Li didn’t want to take advantage of this widowed mother, so he reminded her, “Ask for something else. Even without this matter, as long as you and your daughter are willing to follow me, I wouldn’t refuse.”
A flash of joy immediately appeared on Yao Xia’s face. She quickly bowed and said, “Then I hope you can look after me and my daughter a little more during the relocation.”
Lu Li directly promised, “Fine. I guarantee I’ll safely bring you and your daughter to the new camp.”
“Thank you.” Yao Xia bent at the waist in gratitude.
“Let’s go. Come with me to Atonement Camp and meet the man who claims to have this treasure.” After saying that, Lu Li headed toward Atonement Camp.
The conditions in Atonement Camp were terrible, practically comparable to the ninth floor of Demon Camp.
Lu Li directly said to the guards at the entrance, “I heard someone wants to see me. Go bring him out.”
The two guards exchanged a glance, then hurriedly acknowledged him and went inside, dragging out an extremely thin young man.
“Lord, this is the man,” one of the guards said.
Lu Li nodded, then looked down at the man sprawled on the ground and asked, “I heard you wanted to see me?”
Hearing this, the young man excitedly grabbed Lu Li’s trousers and cried out through snot and tears, “Lord, I have a treasure in my possession. You’ll definitely be interested in it.”
Lu Li frowned in disgust. He had originally wanted to kick the man away, but his interest in the treasure was greater, so he endured it.
“State your conditions. I don’t have time to waste here with you,” Lu Li said impatiently.
The man hurriedly explained, “I know the location of a demon beast egg, and there aren’t any demon beasts guarding it.”
A Pokémon Egg?
Lu Li froze for a moment, then a surge of wild joy suddenly welled up in his heart.
Overjoyed, Lu Li immediately found the man much more pleasing to the eye.
Changing his expression in an instant, Lu Li asked, “What’s your name?”
“I’m Yang Rui,” Yang Rui said.
Lu Li nodded and continued, “Where is the demon beast egg you mentioned?”
Yang Rui didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he carefully put on an apologetic smile and said, “Lord, I truly know I was wrong. I want to leave Atonement Camp and become a survivor of Dawn Camp.”
Lu Li knew that this was Yang Rui’s condition.
As for why Yang Rui had only now chosen to reveal this matter, all Lu Li could say was that the man had been thinking too far ahead.
He had apparently believed that even after entering Atonement Camp, he would still be able to leave alive. When that happened, the Pokémon Egg would become his greatest capital. Whether he used it to bribe powerful people or for something else, it could be immensely useful.
Unfortunately, Yang Rui’s luck was obviously rather poor. He had only been in Atonement Camp for a few days, and now he was already about to lose his life.
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