Chapter Seventy-One

In an instant, over a hundred new people had arrived. Although in this prison, which could accommodate several thousand, the addition hardly made a dent, compared to the previous twenty or so, it suddenly became lively. Zhao Qiang woke up quickly. With his formidable ability to recover, his body soon adjusted to its best state. Zhao Qiang looked around, bantered with Li Zihan, chased after little Zhang Yu, filling the whole prison with laughter and energy. Everyone was in high spirits.

Zhao Qiang was playing with little Zhang Yu and Zou Lin when Wei Tao came in, his expression serious.

"Little Octopus, why don't you go find Sister Zihan and play? Uncle has some business to take care of," Zhao Qiang said, noticing Wei Tao's hesitant demeanor. Knowing he never visited without a reason, Zhao Qiang gently set little Zhang Yu down, patted his bottom, and watched the boy happily scamper off.

"Old Wei, I just got back, and you already have another task for me?" Zhao Qiang flopped onto the bed, unrestrained as always in front of Wei Tao.

Wei Tao glanced at Zou Lin without speaking. Though she was a quiet country girl, Zou Lin could read the room. Realizing this was a conversation between men, she excused herself, leaving Zhao Qiang and Wei Tao alone.

"Alright, Old Wei, it's just us now. What do you have to say?" Zhao Qiang lit a cigarette, puffing lazily with a mischievous grin.

"It's like this." Wei Tao found a spot to sit, his tone cold. "You know, I was just an ordinary instructor. I've trained many soldiers, but I'm not a commander. With fewer people, I could manage, but now..."

"Is there a problem now?" Zhao Qiang asked.

Wei Tao shook his head. "I'm just a soldier. Killing is what I do best. Management isn't my forte. Zhao, listen, I hope you can stay and help me run things here."

"Boss, are you crazy?" Zhao Qiang blew out a ring of smoke, clearly indifferent to the suggestion. "You know, before all this, I was just a good-for-nothing. No money, no influence, no job. I never even held a class officer position back in school, and now you want me to help you run this place?"

"Brother, I don't care what you did before. What you've done now proves you can handle this. If you're willing to help, nothing will be a problem," Wei Tao said sincerely. With the growing number of people, managing this micro-society alone was beyond him.

Zhao Qiang didn't really want to refuse Wei Tao, but after all this time rescuing survivors, he still hadn't found his wife. Even if his recent outings weren't solely for that purpose, he'd never given up hope. If he stayed to manage the prison, he wouldn't be able to go out anymore.

Wei Tao truly couldn't manage so many people alone. Before, he didn't have to worry about management—there were only about twenty people, most of whom were soldiers who needed little oversight. He focused solely on safety. Now, with over a hundred mouths to feed, conflicts and daily needs required someone to take charge. The situation with Li Zixin had been a good example.

After thinking for a while, Zhao Qiang said, "I think more and more survivors will join us in the future. This kind of rough management won't cut it. Maybe it's time we divide up the work?"

"Divide the work? How do you mean?" Wei Tao asked.

"Old Wei, what do you think of Meng Longwei?" Zhao Qiang asked, noncommittal.

"I haven't had much contact, but he seems like a decent guy," Wei Tao replied, not sure why Meng was being brought up.

Zhao Qiang stubbed out his cigarette. "Here's my thought: you know what happened at the Orange Isle. Meng Longwei managed things there very well, keeping over a hundred people organized. With him and the rest of us, managing this group shouldn't be a problem. I think we should let him continue doing what he does best. With him on internal affairs, we won't have to worry about management. As for security, Old Wei, that's your area of expertise, isn't it? That way, our little world will run smoothly."

Wei Tao nodded. "That could work, but can we trust the newcomers? There's one guy among them who's a real handful, and I'm worried there might be trouble."

Zhao Qiang laughed. "Don't worry about that. I've met Old Meng—he's a good man and won't cause problems. As for the troublemaker, you must mean Blade. I haven’t had much interaction with him, and he keeps to himself. Besides, he hasn't done anything out of line yet. Just keep an eye on him, and things should be fine."

"And what about you?" Wei Tao finally voiced his greatest concern. Though Zhao Qiang spent much of his time outside, nearly everyone here owed their lives to him. His reputation was unmatched, and everyone liked the easy-going big guy. Yet, he was always heading out.

"Me?" For a moment, Zhao Qiang was serious, but as Wei Tao pressed on, he reverted to his usual carefree self. "I'll do what I do best. You all keep things running here, and I'll continue searching for my wife. We’ll stay out of each other's way."

Wei Tao's tone turned cold. "And your responsibilities? You bring all these people here and then just leave, dumping everything on me? What kind of logic is that?"

Seeing Wei Tao wouldn't relent, Zhao Qiang chuckled and changed the subject. "Old Wei, didn't I just say we need division of labor? You handle defense, Old Meng handles internal affairs, and I’ll take care of outside operations. I wouldn't want to steal your jobs now, would I? By the way, there’s one more thing I want to discuss."

"Go ahead," Wei Tao said.

"I want to form a small squad."

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These past few days, Old Six has hit a bottleneck, sitting in front of the computer unable to write. I want to apologize to everyone and hope to break out of this slump soon. But as always, this book will never be abandoned.