Chapter 756: Reward of a Day Off

Just when Fan thought everything was on the right track and would proceed smoothly, an accident occurred; this day during the evening roll call, all five people in one Tent were missing.

Fan thought they had met with some accident, so he immediately questioned the few Soldiers acting as overseers. Those Soldiers were all somewhat panicked, not expecting such a big blunder on their first mission. While working, they felt everything was normal, the Slaves were working diligently, and the surroundings didn't look like there would be any wild beasts, so they relaxed their vigilance and went to find a place to enjoy the shade and chat together.

As for the fact that several Slaves had gone missing, they hadn't noticed at all. Now that the people were gone, they would certainly be punished, but the main problem now was where those missing Slaves had gone and why they had disappeared without a sound. If it were wild beasts or other dangers, they hadn't discovered them, and they would have to eliminate this danger when they continued working later, otherwise, more situations would only occur.

Facing Fan's questioning, the few Soldiers couldn't say a word, and they couldn't defend themselves either. Seeing this, Fan stopped questioning them and directly ordered them to stand at attention nearby. As for when the punishment would be lifted, he would decide after seeing how the problem had arisen.

However, those few people all lived in the same Tent, so this brought up other considerations; if a danger had really occurred, it shouldn't have been so orderly.

So Fan asked the somewhat nervous Slaves: "Whoever among you knows the specific situation or has any clues can speak now; I can give you a day off tomorrow to let you have a good rest."

The Slaves were immediately tempted, but they were also very confused and didn't know what was going on, so they could only silently lower their heads again.

But at this moment, one Slave raised his hand very high. Fan saw him at a glance and then pointed at him: "You, come here, step out of line."

The Slave who raised his hand immediately walked out of the formation and stood at the very front. He was now both fearful and excited, just waiting for Fan to ask.

"Do you know the specific situation? Tell me about it."

That Slave immediately stood straight, but after lifting his head for a moment, he immediately lowered it again: "During the noon break, those few people were all sleeping next to me. In that rest area, those few people were on the very edge. Usually, I sleep on the very edge; I don't know why they had to squeeze over there.

I didn't pay attention at first, but while I was sleeping groggily in the middle, I heard them seem to get up. I don't know what they went to do, but I was sleeping quite soundly, so I didn't bother with them. When I woke up again, everyone had already gotten up to prepare for work. I didn't see those few people and thought they had already started working, so I didn't pay attention."

"I guess they must have taken advantage of everyone sleeping and snuck away."

Once these words were spoken, the Slaves instantly started whispering. Although the voices were very soft, with so many people, to Fan, it sounded like a swarm of noisy flies buzzing.

The Adjutant immediately shouted to the crowd: "Everyone be quiet, stop talking!"

The whispering stopped instantly. Fan said to that Slave: "Good, this news of yours is very important. What is your work number? Say it. You don't have to work tomorrow; you can rest for a day, or keep it and use it when you want to rest. It is always valid."

That Slave immediately said excitedly and loudly: "Report to the Leader, my work number is 1176. I want to rest tomorrow."

"Fine, noted. You go back first. If you want to eat breakfast tomorrow, come out and eat; if you want to sleep in, that's fine too, but no food will be saved for you."

The Slave bowed and saluted Fan excitedly, then trotted back to the formation. The other Slaves cast envious gazes. Although their workload was bearable, who doesn't like to rest? They all knew that the Workers of Huaxia had fixed holidays. For them, these Slaves, it was only possible to rest under weather conditions that didn't permit work. To want to obtain a holiday otherwise could be said to be impossible. Even if their bodies were uncomfortable, as long as it wasn't a major problem, they wouldn't dare to bring it up.

The Soldier responsible for roll call noted this person's work number in the notebook to avoid forgetting this person tomorrow.

As for what those few Slaves went to do, everyone now had some idea in their hearts. Fan said to the Soldier again: "Take a count; many tools are missing. What tools are missing?"

The Soldier responsible for the count had already finished checking and immediately replied: "Report, one pointed hoe and one Iron shovel are missing. Everything else is sufficient."

Now it was very clear: those few people stole two tools and then ran away. Moreover, what they took should have been the tools assigned to themselves. If they had taken someone else's tools, they would likely have been discovered immediately when starting work in the afternoon, and they wouldn't have been able to run far.

This also showed that the escape plan of those few people had been in the works for a long time, and they were exactly from the same Tent, able to plot together without fear of being known by others. Fan just felt it was a pity that their two pieces of Ironware were stolen just like that; those two tools were much more valuable than a few Slaves.

Now the dereliction of duty of those few Soldiers was confirmed. The Slaves needed a noon break, did they need one too? What if those few Slaves had taken advantage of the noon break to kill them and take their Weapons? Fan glared at them with a look of "iron failing to become steel" and let them continue standing at attention.

This matter couldn't be hidden; after all, the tools were lost, and it would have to be reported upward later. The punishment for those few people was unavoidable. If the tools hadn't been lost, he might have been able to find a way, and perhaps the punishment could have been avoided, but now it was impossible.

Fan said loudly to all the Slaves: "It is now certain that those few people have escaped. I will say it again: if you want to escape, then escape. Those of you who don't want to work can leave now. I guarantee I won't chase you. Chasing you and catching you is a waste of time and energy."

"Do you think you can survive in this wilderness just by holding two tools? You know better than I do what the situation is like outside; after all, you wandered for so long before, right?"

"I just feel sorry for my two tools now. Once they are killed and eaten by wild beasts, the tools will be left in the wilderness. After a long time, they will rot in the wilderness. What a pity."

Afterwards, he waved his hand: "Alright, it's none of your business now. Go back and rest. By the way, if you discover anyone preparing to escape in the future, or doing other bad things, including forming cliques to bully others, you can report it to the responsible Soldier."

"For those who report, as long as the matter is true, they can be rewarded with a holiday according to the situation."

Dismissed!