The construction team members were taken to the school and arranged in the third teaching building, staying with the vocational school students. No breakfast was provided, as they had already eaten. They would have to wait until lunchtime. This made the construction team members incredibly grateful; going hungry for a while was a small price to pay for protection.
Wang Xiang had been observing carefully since entering the school, wondering why this place was not attacked by zombies.
Upon reaching the school gate, two male students moved the roadblocks aside to allow the vehicles to enter. The retractable gate had been dismantled, as it was unusable without power; taking it down was more convenient. Looking up at the distant buildings, he saw people holding binoculars, acting as lookouts. This meant that any approaching zombies would definitely be spotted.
"That's right, why didn't I think of setting up lookouts?" Wang Xiang felt a pang of regret. If he had been more cautious last night and assigned people to watch, perhaps they wouldn't have been ambushed by the strong zombie. Even if they couldn't defeat it, at least they could have hidden.
However, Wang Xiang soon noticed something strange. The students moving around inside the school seemed to have red cloth strips tied around their arms, which were very conspicuous. He quickly asked Li Xiang, who was beside him, "You all have red cloths tied around your arms. Is there a rule for that?"
Li Xiang didn't hide anything and directly replied, "This is a rule of our Self-Aid Association. Tying a red cloth around your arm signifies your identity. Everyone who joins the Self-Aid Association must wear a red cloth on their arm."
Afterward, Wang Xiang continued to observe carefully and found that the school had become a highly regulated base with virtually no idlers.
Wang Xiang and his group were assigned to a separate classroom. Nearly eighty people were crammed into one room, which seemed too narrow, but no one could complain. Being able to guarantee their safety was enough for now!
After the construction team was sent to the school, some immediately felt that an opportunity had arrived. Li Tianxiao and four leaders had already heard from the students about the conflict between Shen Feng and the construction team. Now that these workers had entered the school, their previous grievances could be exploited.
Li Tianxiao excitedly said to Dean Hu, "Our chance has arrived. Previously, we only had thirty-odd people, not enough to confront those outside. But now, with the construction team having about eighty people, if we can pull them to our side, things will be much easier!"
Dean Hu nodded with satisfaction and then said, "Actually, I also have good news. A student I know has decided to join us, and this student holds a very important position within the Self-Aid Association. With his support, seizing leadership will be much simpler!"
Li Tianxiao looked at Dean Hu in surprise and asked, "Someone from the Self-Aid Association will join us? Are you joking? Could it be someone planning to be a spy?"
Dean Hu said smugly, "Tianxiao, you are still too young. You have no idea how serious human greed can be. This person feels he hasn't received what he wants within the Self-Aid Association, so he's decided to rebel. However, he has only one demand!"
"What demand? Don't tell me he wants to be the boss?" Li Tianxiao quickly asked.
Dean Hu said indifferently, "It's just for a woman. That female doctor who does nothing all day. I think this person simply likes her and dares not confess. So, he has decided to cooperate with us in our rebellion, as long as we hand over the female doctor to him!"
"Of course, that's no problem. It's just a woman!" Li Tianxiao said with relief.
Li Tianxiao didn't care about women; all he cared about was whether he could regain his former high status.
However, after thinking about Shen Feng's combat team, Li Tianxiao felt a bit helpless and asked, "What about those male students? They are the main fighting force now. What if they fight back? We might not be able to defeat them!"
Dean Hu had already thought of a plan. He said directly, "Indeed, we can't defeat these male students, but we can seize the opportunity! When these male students go out, we will take the chance to kidnap Chang Jianyi. Shen Feng has the best relationship with her. With a hostage in hand, we won't have to worry about Shen Feng not obeying us! Then, we can make him obediently hand over command. Heh heh, our plan will be successful!"
Li Tianxiao quickly nodded, "That's right, we can't defeat these male students, but surely we can defeat these girls?"
In a separate room, five people were planning how to seize command. Before the zombie outbreak, they had always been high-ranking figures. At this point, how could they be content with being ordinary? Of course, they couldn't take orders from a freshman student. Now was the time for revenge! They recalled their experiences over the past few days: they only received half the food others did, and in the eyes of others, they were no longer the leaders they could order around.
However, the most crucial point was how to persuade the construction team to help. Li Tianxiao hadn't figured this out yet.
Dean Hu was quite at ease and said, "Tianxiao, when trying to win people over, you must give them what they want. You understand this principle, right? So, as long as we can give these construction workers what they want, it will be absolutely fine! Don't worry, I'll find an opportunity to persuade them!"
At noon, Chang Jianyi suddenly walked into the construction team's room and asked directly, "Is there anyone who can operate an excavator or a bulldozer? If so, follow me. The rest of you, stay here!"
The construction team members looked at each other, none of them speaking. They didn't understand what she wanted to do.
"Better living conditions, eat whatever you want!" Chang Jianyi said.
Then, a dozen or so workers raised their hands. They all wanted to enjoy a better life, so they immediately raised their hands. Afterward, they were taken away by Chang Jianyi and placed in rooms in the fifth teaching building, under guard. They could eat, but they couldn't go out.
As dusk approached, Shen Feng returned with villagers from another village. There were only over three hundred people, so they could only be housed in the first teaching building. These were large classrooms, capable of accommodating many people. However, the meeting could not be held for the time being.
Afterward, everyone began to eat. Everything seemed peaceful, as usual. But at this moment, Dean Hu quietly entered the construction team's room and said to those present, "Everyone, does anyone recognize me? I am the dean of this school. Of course, the principal and vice-principal are dead, so my position is the highest now."
"Hello!" The workers didn't quite understand what the old man wanted when he walked in, but hearing that he was a leader, they dared not underestimate him.
Dean Hu then asked, "I'm here to clarify one thing. No, why are some people missing?"
Wang Xiang explained, "During the day, a female student came in and took some people away. They were the ones who could operate excavators and bulldozers!"
Dean Hu frowned. He hadn't expected their existing combat strength to be reduced by more than a dozen people, but this wouldn't affect the follow-up. He then continued, "Brothers, I know you all want a better life, but this life won't appear out of thin air. I have a plan now that requires your help. Of course, once it's done, you can have whatever you want!"
As soon as he said this, the workers began to discuss among themselves, wondering what the old man wanted. Was he planning to send them to their deaths?
"What exactly do you want? Why don't you explain it clearly? I promise I won't spread it around carelessly," Wang Xiang asked cautiously.
Dean Hu glanced outside, making sure no one was paying attention, and said, "We want to seize control here. I don't care about the Self-Aid Association; it's all child's play. What do these kids know? Following a student around aimlessly. Only by following me can I lead them to survive! But I don't have enough manpower, so I need your help!"
"Don't joke, we can't defeat those male students! If you want to fight, go yourself!" Upon hearing the plan, Wang Xiang immediately shook his head. In a one-on-one fight yesterday, he hadn't even seen how the other side moved before his arm was broken. Moreover, those male students were clearly not to be trifled with. Fighting now would be completely unprofitable.
Dean Hu didn't expect these people to be so timid and continued, "According to our observations, we have actually grasped the pattern of the male students' movements. So, as long as we act when the male students leave, we can succeed. The vocational school students are too far from the fifth teaching building, and they are just ignorant children, easier to control! Besides, you wouldn't even be unable to defeat those girls, would you?"
When the workers heard that they only needed to deal with the girls, they immediately understood. That's right, wasn't this a good opportunity? Before, they were afraid to act rashly because of the presence of the male students, but if those male students were all gone, wouldn't their opportunity have arrived?
"What can you give us?" Wang Xiang quickly asked.
"Once we occupy this school, you can have whatever you want!" Dean Hu said, patting his chest.
Hearing this promise, everyone was somewhat moved. They had lived in fear for so long, just wanting a stable life. Now, the opportunity was right in front of them. If the school were occupied, wouldn't they have food and clothing without worry? Moreover, the school clearly had enough food. If they could occupy it, they would truly turn over a new leaf.
"We want food and housing. It absolutely cannot be living in classrooms like now; at least, we should live in dormitories! Secondly, many of us are single men. You must give us wives. Only then will we follow you!" Wang Xiang said excitedly.
"Agreed!" Dean Hu didn't care much. It was just some girls, what was the big deal? As long as he could return to his leadership position, everything would be worth it. At that time, these people would still revere him.
However, at this moment, Dean Hu thought of Shen Feng. This kid was a ruthless character, and he couldn't push him too hard. If he was pushed to the brink and came back to attack them, they might not be able to defend themselves!
So, Dean Hu quickly said, "Prepare to act tomorrow, but I must remind you, absolutely do not harm a woman named Chang Jianyi, the woman who called your companions away! Understand? She is Shen Feng's woman. If she is harmed, the value of the hostage will be reduced!"
"You can rest assured about my actions. We will absolutely not harm them," Wang Xiang quickly guaranteed.
"That's right. Let's all act together tomorrow. I also have over thirty people who dislike Shen Feng's actions. Moreover, tomorrow there will be an inside helper to assist us. You can rest assured, dealing with a group of girls will be a piece of cake!" Dean Hu was confident at this moment, believing his plan was foolproof. Once they took action, it would be a day of success!
Wang Xiang also thought of the mountains of food and the fair-skinned university students. Thinking of this, he felt a surge of excitement. It seemed that opportunities always favored the lucky. At this moment, wasn't the opportunity here? Moreover, Wang Xiang had his own ideas. Why should he obey their orders? Once the school was occupied tomorrow, wouldn't it be whoever's fist was stronger that made the rules? Then he would be the master of this base!
Both sides harbored their own ulterior motives, believing that the success of their plan would lead them to the pinnacle of life. However, they had not considered one thing: that the girls actually possessed combat capabilities, which were merely masked because they were usually responsible for cooking and cleaning.