Chapter 551: Execution, Handling, Punishment (Large chapter, please subscribe, la la la)

Zhang Su was a bit shocked when he saw the scene around him. He hadn't expected the effect of emotional contagion to be so excellent. He hurriedly suppressed the anger in his heart, controlled it within a relatively appropriate range, and at the same time pressed his palms down toward the crowd.

"Your thoughts are the same as mine. The people of Bajiazi Village are unforgivable! We lost a total of ten companions—ten whole people. They were someone's beloved friends and family. Let these people who have been hurt the deepest execute them. Is there any problem?"

"No problem!"

The crowd had no objections to Zhang Su's decision. They believed that those who had lost their beloved friends and family must be the saddest and angriest, and it was very fair for them to carry out the execution! Soon, five executioners walked out of the crowd! The five people from Bajiazi Village were brought to the playground. The executioners didn't use knives because there were three women among them, so they used guns, which were more straightforward.

Bang bang, bang bang bang...

After five gunshots, this nightmare created by the Bajiazi Village people infiltrating the barracks was declared over.

No, it wasn't completely over.

Zhang Su arranged for people to move the five corpses away, then looked at the combat personnel of Civilization Guardian. His gaze swept over the faces of the thirteen people who had stayed behind, and he said with a solemn expression: "The outside invaders have been dealt with, so now we should investigate the person responsible for this! Who was the one who finally made the call to open the gate and let the Bajiazi Village people into the barracks? Stand out!"

While saying these words, Zhang Su tried to mobilize the emotion of fear in his heart, but unfortunately, there weren't many things that made him fearful nowadays, so the effect wasn't very good for the time being. Through this operation, he realized his shortcoming and would focus on strengthening his training in fictional emotions in the future.

The emotion of fear wasn't strong enough, but it was there, causing a certain impact.

Thump!

In the crowd, a man suddenly knelt on the ground. He looked at Zhang Su and Li Zongkai, his face pained as he said: "Yama King, President Li, I cannot shirk the responsibility for today's catastrophe. It was me—I agreed to let those people in!"

"He Jun... sigh."

Li Zongkai felt heartbroken when he saw the man kneeling on the ground. This person was usually steady in his work. His combat power wasn't the top-tier, but he was a versatile hand who could lead teams, charge, and manage internal affairs in the camp. He hadn't expected him to make such a mistake.

"And me..."

Another man knelt side-by-side with He Jun with a thump, grieving: "The decision was made by me and Old He together. If there is to be punishment, punish me together with him!"

The vast majority of people didn't know that before the Bajiazi Village people arrived outside the barracks, there had been a disagreement among the combat personnel about whether to accept them. At this time, He Jun and Ding Xiaoshuai, who were kneeling on the ground, were the two who had insisted on opening the gate.

Seeing that the emotional influence was effective, Zhang Su immediately controlled his heart, trying his best to look at the two people in the field in a state of calm as an ancient well. When not needed, he had to develop the habit of having weak emotional fluctuations to avoid causing unnecessary influence on the surrounding crowd. Fortunately, this kind of training wasn't difficult.

However, it would be best to find a way to have a switch, but there was no time now!

"There were thirteen combat personnel left in the camp. If only you two agreed to accept Bajiazi Village, you definitely wouldn't have opened the gate. Speak, what other hidden reasons are there!"

Zhang Su thought to himself that if he and Yu Wen were not at Tianma Islet and no temporary commander had been appointed, they would most likely have adopted a minority-submits-to-majority approach to make decisions, or more likely, they would have held an attitude of "the less trouble, the better" and simply ignored them.

If he knew what had happened at Tianma Islet, he would definitely give himself a silent thumbs-up. Regarding the matter of the Dajiaobao Township people coming to ask for help, the choices made by Zhong Xiaoshan and others were exactly the same as what Zhang Su had thought.

Safety or crisis, continuation or extinction—it was not a destiny in the dark, but fundamentally caused by human actions.

When Zhang Su's words were asked, the crowd fell silent for a moment. Of course there were hidden reasons, but they were hard to say...

The combat personnel left in the camp looked at each other; there were clearly things that were hard to speak of.

The emotions of the ordinary members were complex. Their lives and safety benefited from the protection of the combat personnel, but this time they had almost lost their lives because of a wrong decision. However, they were very clear that even so, they, who enjoyed the protection, had no right to stand out and judge.

"Dazhuang, you tell me!"

After looking around, Zhang Su finally found Dazhuang, whom he had met once before.

Dazhuang was one meter eighty-six tall, which was considered outstanding even in the north where tall people were as common as clouds. Moreover, he was very sturdy, with a body full of muscles, weighing over two hundred and forty pounds. He was the strongest combat power Li Zongkai had left in the barracks. If only close-quarters combat was considered, he was also the number one in the entire Civilization Guardian.

Hearing Zhang Su call his name, Dazhuang scratched his head with a conflicted expression, stomped his foot, and began to explain the reason.

"We... most of us didn't, didn't clearly express our stance, so, so... mainly those people from Bajiazi Village were too good at lying. One by one, they looked pitiful as hell, and also... also at that time they mentioned the system set by President Li, and finally, upholding the principle of prioritizing rescue and assisting as a supplement, so... so that happened."

No matter where it was, there would always be swing voters; this was a hard thing to avoid. But this policy of "prioritizing rescue and assisting as a supplement" made Zhang Su feel very dissatisfied!

"Mr. Zhang, I also have a serious mistake in this matter. I want to make a self-criticism to you!"

Things had reached this point, and Li Zongkai felt that he was indeed hard to shirk responsibility, so he decisively stood out to admit his mistake.

If it weren't for Li Zongkai's special status and the 【Loyalty Brand】, Zhang Su would really feel that this guy was deliberately making trouble...

"Old Li, what do you want me to say about you? Damn, this is the apocalypse, do you understand? Not only do zombies eat people, but people also eat people. People are even worse than zombies. The people of Bajiazi Village harmed everyone to survive. Are they wrong? Standing from their perspective, there's not a damn thing wrong with it! If they succeeded, the evil deeds they committed against these brothers would be heroic feats in the eyes of their own people. To survive, people can use any means necessary. Tell me, what were you thinking to set such a bullshit policy of prioritizing rescue and assisting as a supplement!"

Zhang Su was very angry, but he immediately poured all his anger onto Li Zongkai to avoid spreading it to the surroundings and affecting the crowd. After scolding him, he looked around and said with a firm attitude.

"My idea is very clear. No matter how many survivors are outside—one hundred, one thousand, even ten thousand—if it requires sacrificing our own people to save them, then there is no room for negotiation. If someone must be sacrificed, it can only be the people outside. Do you think that's right?"

"Right, absolutely right!"

"That's right, Brother Zhang is right!"

Everyone around felt a warm current surging in their hearts when they heard Zhang Su's words. This philosophy was very different from some of the policy directions Li Zongkai had mentioned before, but it was very popular among the crowd. Just imagine, if you couldn't even guarantee the safety of your own companions, what right did you have to rescue outside survivors? After being tortured by the apocalypse, all the "white lotuses" and "saints" were dead...

"Regarding today's matter, I believe that no matter what decision was made, your inner starting point was good. But a good starting point cannot pay for mistakes. The responsibility that should be investigated must be investigated!"

After gaining a wave of favor, Zhang Su turned to look at He Jun and Ding Xiaoshuai.

"I deeply realize my mistake in this matter. It was my lack of experience, and I have an inescapable responsibility!"

Li Zongkai's emotions were complex. He was the first to stand out and take responsibility.

"No, President Li, you have no responsibility because we didn't ask you for instructions before making the decision. This was our own decision, and I will take all the responsibility!"

"That's right, President Li, the situation when you set the system was different from now. It was our lack of flexibility that caused the tragedy. Blame us!"

The two kneeling on the ground didn't shirk. So many companions had died; this responsibility couldn't be shirked no matter how they tried.

The people around whispered. Zhang Su's ears twitched slightly, and he heard most of the conversation. Although the ordinary members didn't speak up to plead for anyone, the meaning in their words was very clear: Li Zongkai couldn't be blamed, because at least half of the people on the scene had had the opportunity to enter the barracks and become members of Civilization Guardian because of the system he had set.

This matter was very tricky and hard to handle...

It involved the rules and regulations set by the original leader, democratic voting, tacit approval, and other behaviors. If the subsequent events hadn't happened and the Bajiazi Village people had followed the rules, even if they had rioted again long after uniting, it would have been easy to handle...

But now ten people had died, and the problem was serious! Li Zongkai had faults, but they weren't big. The use of the system needed to be adapted according to environmental changes; there was nothing to say about that. It could be said that the entire development of Civilization Guardian was built on the various systems he had established. It would definitely change in the future, but the past matters couldn't be investigated.

Publicly or privately, and even considering public opinion, Zhang Su wouldn't severely punish Li Zongkai. So, what remained were the two people who had truly made the decision.

How to punish them fell on Zhang Su. If it was too heavy, it wasn't appropriate; if it was too light, it was even less appropriate! "You two, look up at me!"

Zhang Su turned his head to look at He Jun and Ding Xiaoshuai.

The two looked up. He Jun's face was full of vicissitudes; he was about forty years old. Ding Xiaoshuai was young, in his early twenties, similar to Qi Xiaoshuai. The two were born in the same era, and their parents had also given them the same names...

"Did you think being a boss was easy and making decisions was simple? Now that people have died because of your decision, tell me, what should we do?"

Zhang Su put his hands behind his back. It was hard to handle, so he would kick the ball once first. There were no waves in his heart, and he seriously felt the emotions of the two.

"No matter what I do, I can't save the lives of my companions, but I am willing to accept any punishment. Even if you want me to die, I won't shirk it!"

Ding Xiaoshuai shouted hysterically, his expression resolute, with an attitude of being ready to die for a cause.

He Jun, however, was silent for a long while, then said dully: "I cannot die. I want to atone for the mistakes I made! If I die, I won't be able to atone, and I'll be even more sorry to the friends and family of the dead companions. I want to atone."

Narrowing his eyes, Zhang Su listened quietly to the two speaking. No one noticed his eyes light up. Just now, he clearly saw the corners of Ding Xiaoshuai's eyes twitch, and he subconsciously wanted to glance at He Jun, but he restrained himself.

If there was only this subtle movement, Zhang Su wouldn't think much, but in a vague way, he perceived the emotional fluctuations of the two. It was a very mysterious feeling.

He Jun, who spoke in a low voice, was full of remorse in his heart. Although he said he couldn't die, he didn't feel a desire to live in his tone. The talk of atonement was basically credible.

In contrast was Ding Xiaoshuai. His emotions were very complex. Zhang Su couldn't distinguish what the various emotions were, but he perceived a touch of luck. Perhaps because the psychology of luck accounted for a large proportion, it was perceived by him.

If there wasn't He Jun as a reference on the side, Zhang Su might really not have been able to detect Ding Xiaoshuai's complex emotions.

Luck.

Zhang Su didn't like the emotion of luck, especially in this situation. What was Ding Xiaoshuai lucky about? Lucky that this disaster didn't affect more people?

Lucky that the Yama Legion arrived quickly to resolve the disaster?

Or was he holding onto luck, hoping to use a sincere attitude to deceive sympathy and then avoid punishment? Except for the first kind of luck, the other two made Zhang Su feel disgusted. Added to the thoughts exposed by Ding Xiaoshuai's micro-expressions, he already had the answer to handling this matter in his heart.

"I respect your own choices!"

Before the crowd could react, Zhang Su walked forward, pulled the bolt of his gun, and aimed at Ding Xiaoshuai, whose face was full of panic and astonishment.

Click.

A shot rang out. At a distance of less than two meters, there was no possibility of missing. The bullet pierced the cotton hat and very decisively took Ding Xiaoshuai's life.

"Since you are willing to use your life to comfort the dead souls, go in peace!" Zhang Su walked forward and closed Ding Xiaoshuai's unwilling eyelids, covering the surprise that remained in his eyes.

As his voice fell, the gunshots echoing in the wilderness gradually subsided.

The people around were dumbfounded. This...

This was the trial? Zhang Su used his actions to tell everyone: that's right, it was this swift and decisive. He stood up and looked at He Jun on the side: "You chose to use the rest of your life to atone, so let's see your performance in the future. I believe you won't let everyone down!"

Shooting Ding Xiaoshuai was very sudden, and the process was very short. Except for a very small number of Yama Legion members who weren't startled, only He Jun...

Except for being startled by the gunshot at the very beginning and shaking his body as a conditioned reflex, he didn't move after that, as if the life or death of the person beside him had nothing to do with him.

Hearing Zhang Su's words, He Jun looked up at Zhang Su and nodded without speaking.

"See that? This is the person you think is nothing special, who is not much older than you, yet easily handles life and death. A little brat like you dares to bicker with him? Mr. Zhang not splitting you in half with a blade is already giving me face. You'd better behave yourself in the future!"

Behind the crowd, Ding Yongguo was sternly lecturing his nephew Zheng Ziwen.

"He... but he, what exactly does he have that's extraordinary? I haven't seen it."

Zheng Ziwen felt a tremor in his heart as he watched Zhang Su's decisive and ruthless handling of Ding Xiaoshuai, but as a rebellious young man, he was unconvinced in his heart, in a state of half-submission.

Ding Yongguo took a deep breath. If the environment wasn't wrong, he would have swung his hand and slapped Zheng Ziwen. He suppressed his anger and said: "Can't you damn well judge things from other people's reactions? Hundreds of people are respectful to him; are you the only one with an extra brain? Get lost to the side, you're annoying!"

Zhang Su could hear the discussions in several places in the crowd, and he also knew that Ding Yongguo was lecturing his nephew, but he didn't have the time to listen carefully. Looking at He Jun's gray eyes, he sighed in his heart and raised his hand: "Get up, back to the team!"

After dealing with the main responsible person, the indirect responsible person also had to be punished!

Zhang Su looked at Li Zongkai and said earnestly: "Old Li, it can be said that you have responsibility for today's matter, and it can also be said that you don't. I think you should accept some punishment!"

"I should be punished, I should be punished. Mr. Zhang, whatever you say is fine, I have no complaints!"

Li Zongkai's attitude was correct and very sincere.

"I don't deny your ability and achievements in internal affairs construction, but you lack the correct judgment related to survival in the apocalypse. Take a rest for a while recently and mainly assist Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi in their work. Is there any problem?"

After Zhang Su finished speaking, Li Zongkai didn't have much reaction, but Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi in front of the crowd were startled.

After Tianma Islet received the troops of the Four Tigers of the North City, the number of people soared directly to over seven hundred. Even if everyone gathered at Tianma Islet, the integration between the various branches would take time. The biggest leader didn't need to be said—it was the Yama King, Zhang Su.

And the managers of the respective branches were most likely the former leaders.

Originally, the Le Gou branch was leaderless, and Zhang Su had occasionally let out word that he wanted Li Zongkai to take over the management. Civilization Guardian plus the Le Gou branch was nearly four hundred people, more than half of the number of people at Tianma Islet. More people also symbolized greater power.

Now it was over. He was directly dismissed and became an assistant to a leader of the same rank. If this gap had been in the past, the person being dismissed would definitely have been heartbroken, and might even have wanted to jump off a building...

Yu Wen frowned and pushed his glasses in confusion. He thought that Zhang Su would just scold Li Zongkai and it would be over. Who would have thought that he would bring it up again at the end, and the punishment wouldn't be light. Of course, this weight wasn't measured by life or death.

A commotion arose within the Civilization Guardian crowd. Obviously, everyone was puzzled by this punishment and felt it was unreasonable, but in the end, no one dared to speak. Everyone could see what the current situation was like.

"No problem, absolutely no problem. My ability is insufficient, so I should train. Only in this way can I grow. Thank you, Mr. Zhang, for giving me such an opportunity!"

The person involved, Li Zongkai, was the one with the least reaction. After hearing Zhang Su's words, he felt a sense of relief, and a look of ambition appeared on his face.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 552 =====