Chapter 37 – Trading Blades for Lives

Song Tian had an ordinary appearance but a burly build, and his every move carried a faint military air. Although Wang Lin was arrogant, she seemed to heed Song Tian’s words, merely letting out a cold snort before turning her head away.

However, her gaze frequently darted towards Ling Mo, and she occasionally cast impatient glances at Xia Na. Unfortunately, neither Ling Mo nor Xia Na reacted to her behavior.

After inquiring about the situation from Li Yu, Song Tian sent him off and then invited Ling Mo and the others into his “office.”

Being the leader of the camp, this residence was different from the plain rooms on the second floor. It was not only renovated but also fully furnished, indicating that it was inhabited before the apocalypse. Song Tian’s office was one of the bedrooms that had been converted. The extra furniture was removed, leaving only a bed, a desk, and a four-seat sofa.

For some reason, Wang Lin followed them in, sitting on the edge of the bed with a disgruntled expression.

“Take a seat. Don’t worry, everything’s been cleaned,” Song Tian said as he leaned against the desk, motioning for everyone to sit on the sofa. However, his additional comment made Liu Yuhao and Wang Cheng, who had just sat down, exchange peculiar glances.

The implication was clear: someone had died on that sofa…

But after surviving in the apocalypse for so many days, even Wang Cheng had developed a certain level of resilience over the past couple of days. If they could sit among piles of corpses, what was a sofa where someone had died?

“As Li Yu mentioned earlier, it was our team that caused you trouble. I apologize for that.”

As soon as Song Tian apologized, Wang Lin let out an unhappy grunt from the side.

Ling Mo initially wanted to say it was nothing, but seeing Wang Lin’s reaction, he sneered and said, “We were living there just fine. When your people came, we were forced to abandon our place. Moving wasn’t the issue, but we had to leave behind the supplies we had painstakingly gathered.”

After hearing Ling Mo’s words, both Liu Yuhao and Wang Cheng had somewhat peculiar expressions. It was true that they had left in a hurry, but apart from a climbing rope, Ling Mo shouldn’t have lost anything significant, right? Was he implying that the other party should compensate for this? Let’s not forget, this was their Camp, and in the Apocalypse, supplies were more valuable than lives. Even though Song Tian’s attitude seemed gentle, expecting him to provide compensation was a bit of a stretch.

But if Liu Yuhao and Wang Cheng could think of this, wouldn’t Ling Mo have considered it as well? He wouldn’t have spoken up if he didn’t have some leverage.

First, there was Xia Na’s presence. If Song Tian tried anything excessive, Wang Lin would definitely object, so it wouldn’t get too ugly. Second, they had combat strength as a backup. Not to mention Ling Mo himself, just Xia Na and Ye Lian, these two female zombies, could turn the Camp upside down. Although some people here were quite skilled, their strength was still far from that of Mutation Zombies.

Most importantly, Ling Mo wasn’t deliberately trying to rob them.

After speaking, he particularly glanced discontentedly at Wang Lin, and this look was immediately caught by Song Tian.

Ling Mo’s meaning was clear: Not only did you implicate me and cause me to lose supplies, but now you’re asking me for something!

Song Tian suddenly felt a headache coming on. He had witnessed Ling Mo killing a Mutation Zombie with his own eyes, so he had some apprehension about Ling Mo’s strength. It was precisely because of this that he temporarily stopped Wang Lin, aiming to find a more gentle way to retrieve the Short Knife. But now, with Ling Mo’s words, even if Song Tian had a thick skin, he felt embarrassed to speak up.

Should he adopt a tough stance and forcefully demand it? Even though this was his own Camp, Song Tian had painstakingly established this place and naturally didn’t want to see any trouble. The Camp was still relatively new; although it appeared orderly on the surface, there were many underlying issues. Forcibly taking the Short Knife would not only create trouble but also set a bad precedent. Other people might do such things, but as the Leader of the Camp, Song Tian absolutely could not.

In the Apocalypse, strength was the currency of communication, but in the early stages of establishing a Camp, Song Tian knew he needed to win the hearts of the people.

Most critically, from the moment he saw Ling Mo, Song Tian had a thought: to recruit Ling Mo and his group! Having a strong individual who could single-handedly kill Mutation Zombies join the Camp would be a tremendous boost!

“I’m really sorry…” Song Tian, ignoring Wang Lin’s continuous meaningful glances, said with a thick skin, “So, Mr. Ling, what do you suggest we do…”

“Just call me Ling Mo,” Ling Mo said, frowning in thought for a moment. “I understand that with so many people in your Camp, supplies must be tight. I’m not planning to ask for compensation… but this Short Knife…”

Facing Wang Lin’s murderous glare, Song Tian forced a hearty laugh and said, “It’s just a short knife. Consider it a gift!”

Exchanging a short knife for a highly skilled new member was worth it! As for Wang Lin… he could endure her dirty looks for a few days…

“Coward!” Wang Lin cursed angrily before storming out.

Song Tian awkwardly smiled, then spoke again, “I’m really sorry for causing you to lose your place and supplies. How about this: our camp is short-handed right now. Would you consider joining us?”

Though the camp was small, Song Tian’s methods were impressive, and Ling Mo had some admiration for him. But joining the camp? No way. Staying with two female zombies and a bunch of survivors was more thrilling than dancing on the edge of a knife. Moreover, the two female zombies, especially Ye Lian, needed to constantly consume gel to evolve. The constraints of joining the camp were too many, and he needed to hunt mutation zombies.

Therefore, Ling Mo shook his head without hesitation and said, “Thanks, but the three of us have other things to do, so we can’t join you right now. However, my friend here is quite capable.” As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Liu Yuhao.

This outcome left Song Tian quite disappointed, but since Ling Mo didn’t completely shut the door, Song Tian felt there was still hope. After all, Xia Na was Wang Lin’s cousin!

With this thought, the disappointment on Song Tian’s face faded, and he followed Ling Mo’s gaze to Liu Yuhao. “Would you be willing to join? And what about you?” he asked, turning to Wang Cheng.

Hearing this, Wang Cheng glanced nervously at Ling Mo before resolutely nodding, “I’ll join!”

This camp clearly wasn’t a place for freeloaders. As a healthy young man, Wang Cheng would have to go out and gather supplies, so his decision was made with great determination.

Not joining? Ling Mo wouldn’t support him! The key point was, he knew that Xia Na by Ling Mo’s side was a zombie!

Staying with a zombie was too thrilling for Wang Cheng to handle. But with Wang Lin around, he didn’t dare reveal this. Who knew what Wang Lin’s attitude towards Xia Na was? Besides, Xia Na looked completely normal. Would anyone believe him if he said she was a zombie? Offending Ling Mo without any certainty would be courting death…