Published at 16th of January 2023 7:46 pm

Chapter 309 It's Easier to ask for forgiveness than approval

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Even though Mathew and his group left the room first, they still had to wait outside for a guide that Marcus would assign to them.

After all, even though they were going to snatch a considerable number of people from Marcus’ camp, it was still a thing of the future. And for now, only Marcus and his men had the ability to command those under them.

Yet, as it soon turned out, the guide appeared to be someone they already knew. And someone they were talking with just recently.

“You?” Mathew raised one of his eyebrows when he saw the approaching man. “Don’t you have more important things to do or something?” he then asked.

“I’m just curious how you are going to convince those people to leave with you,” Marcus grinned while locking his hand behind his back. “Even if I’m protecting them as of now, it was one hell of trouble to force them to fall in line. So, I can’t help but be curious,” he smiled while looking right into Mathew’s face.

“Curious about what?” Mathew asked, perfectly aware he was walking right into the trap Marcus set for him.

“About what kind of wonders and lies you will use to make them follow you,” Marcus replied.

“Well then, lead the way,” Mathew suggested as he took a step back and theatrically bowed in half while letting the man pass by him.

“Everyone is gathering in the main hall,” Marcus said. His lips then twitched. “And it’s in the other way,” he added.

They didn’t need to walk far. The entire block that Marcus turned into the stronghold for his group was maybe a tenth the size of the school’s grounds that were Mathew’s original seat of power. And while the residential buildings went up to seven floors in the highest points, there was still far less room in this block than there was within the campus.

And yet…

As it turned out, Marcus managed to gather far more followers than Mathew, even when counting both the population of the saved students and the civilians from the media building.

‘There has to be at least two hundred of them,’ Mathew thought as he stepped through the doors and entered what Marcus called the ‘main hall.’

In reality, it was the very place that the zombies were desperate to break into before Mathew and his girls cleared up the horde.

The ‘main hall’ in reality was just the main area of the car workshop, currently cleaned from all the movable equipment.

The equipment to fix the cars wasn’t of much use in the apocalypse and now served as the structural part of the barricades set all over the place. Yet, stuff like a massive crane that was used to lift the cars up and other bigger pieces of equipment remained.

Yet, even those turned over a new leaf, as the crane used to lift the cars now lifted a small balcony with a group of three guards armed with automatic guns overlooking the entire area.

“Everyone, silence!” Marcus shouted from the bottom of his lungs, silencing the chatter that came from over two hundred throats. “There is a huge announcement coming now, so you all better listen to it carefully!”

Marcus then turned around and looked at Mathew with a small glint of amusement in his eyes.

“Should I wish you good luck?” he asked with a smirk.

“Nah,” Mathew shook his head. “I just forgot how this one saying went…” he muttered as he lowered his eyes, tensed up his facial muscles, and shook his head a little. “It’s better to…”

Mathew’s face then relaxed as he raised his eyes back and looked at Marcus with a bright smile.

“Wasn’t it… It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than for approval?” Mathew asked, leaning his head to the side before patting Marcus on his shoulder and stepping forward, leaving the man behind.

“Everyone!” Mathew shouted to get everyone’s attention on him.

‘Two hundred might be a pretty conservative estimate,’ he then thought as he looked at the crowd below. ‘Just how did he manage to get all those people?’

Mathew shook his head, ridding his mind of the useless thoughts.

“There are some things that you need to know before learning of my reason for visiting this place,” Mathew announced.

And behind him, Marcus shook uneasily.

“There is only enough water to keep you all alive for the next three days in this camp,” Mathew dropped the first bomb. “The situation with the food is better, and Marcus expects the problem of starvation to start no sooner than in a week!”

A wave of murmurs of dissatisfaction washed over the crown.

“But what’s most important of all, in Marcus’ eyes, you guys are not worth those precious few resources he managed to obtain!” Mathew shouted while spreading his arms out.

“Are you trying to start an uprising or what?!” Marcus whispered through his tightened teeth. He even took a step toward Mathew’s back… Only to be stopped by Nadia’s single hand.

“Don’t you dare get any closer,” she warned the man with a cold look in her eyes. “Whatever contingency plan you might have prepared, you will be the first one to die if something happens,” she announced in a voice low enough only for Marcus and Mathew’s group to hear it.

“And to be frank, I wholeheartedly agree with him!” Mathew then shouted, allowing some of the blame to get on his shoulder… even though he entered the camp only a few hours ago!

“You guys are nothing but a useless bunch that doesn’t do anything for those who risk their lives to keep you alive!” Mathew shouted, spreading his arms as far as he could… Only to then bring them together and clasp them as if he wanted to pray before raising his eyes toward the ceiling of the room. “If only there was a way for people too weak to fight the zombies to contribute…”

Mathew shook his head and closed his eyes as he lowered his chin to a natural position.

And once he opened his eyes back, his face was perfectly still, devoid of any and all expressions.

“I came here because what I need are not fighters but workers,” Mathew said in a voice as deprived of emotion as was his expression. “But I have no need for those who only can leech on others and expect to be taken care of!”

Mathew took a step forward, nearly entering the ranks of the crowd he was making a speech for.

“That’s why I’m willing to accept up to a hundred people from your ranks. A hundred people who are willing to work tirelessly, even if the job is boring, tiring, or outside of their field of qualification!”

Mathew waited for a short moment for the crowd to digest his words. He then took a step back, returning within the range of the rest of his group.

“A hundred people that I will reward with all the food, water, lodging, and maybe even some entertainment in the near future!” Mathew shouted again, moving over from the stick towards the carrot part of his proposal. “I’m willing to accept a hundred people that will follow me to my camp, where in exchange for your hard work, I will empower you to regain a bit of the stability that this apocalypse robbed from you!”

At this moment, emotions returned to Mathew’s face. He once again allowed his lips to form a small smile.

“There are only two caveats to this deal. First, we have a person with the ability to discern a lie from a truth. And everyone interested will have to prove they are willing to work hard before the scrutiny of their eyes,” Mathew announced the first rule.

Yet, instead of talking about the second one, he then turned silent.

“What about the other caveat?” someone from the crowd finally got the hint and asked.

“I’m only willing to accept people now. Once the news of the benefits of living in my camps spread and become common knowledge,” Mathew elaborated and put a wide smile on his face.

“Even if you will be someone of great value and willing to work hard, you won’t be accepted into my camps!”

Mathew, once again, allowed a short moment to pass.

“I”m not going to bother you with details. So I will say it again. We have water, we have food. We even have electricity and most of all, our camp is perfectly safe,” Mathew repeated the main points of his speech. “But if you want to join, today, right now, is your one and only chance to do so!”

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