Chapter 34 Rise Of The New Warden


    David thought, The government apparatus used to be their shield. Now that the system has copsed, Theresa emerges as our genuine protector-the undisputed leader.


    Theresa invited David’s daughter, Yuki Weston, to apany her in gathering some provisions.


    Aware of the girl’s youth-and assuming David’s family had little storage space-she kept the initial offering modest: a sack of rice, a carton of milk, a tray of fresh eggs, and ten pounds of pork.


    She loaded everything onto a cart drawn by Ace and Snowy, who also helped escort Yuki back home.


    From that point onward, anything produced by her family would be sent to Theresa every day.


    Her method of sheltering others resembled establishing a camp in an apocalypse scenario-except her approach was entirely different. She had zero intention of granting anyone ess to her private fallout shelter.


    That space was her private domain.


    &


    The individuals under her guardianship were only permitted to reside within the boundaries of her territory’s influence-yet here, she was more than a guardian; she was their unwavering authority.


    The following day, Yuki visited to deliver her family’s daily offering: a box filled with vegetables, split equally between mung bean sprouts and cabbage.


    Beep!Resource delivery detected from one household. You’ve earned 3 points.


    As Theresa epted the box of vegetables, a system notification emerged in her mind. Apparently, she gained points each time she received a delivery from residents within her territory!


    Beyond the initial settlement bonus, she would keep umting points based on their daily contributions, and it seemed that the point total was linked to poption size.


    David’s family of three provided her with three points daily.


    Theresa couldn’t hide her satisfaction. As she distributed the day’s provisions-rice, milk, eggs, and pork- she added an unexpected gift: a small bag of seeds and a single lollipop tucked into the girl’s hands.


    “Tell your parents to consider nting something different,” she remarked casually.


    Yuki replied sweetly, her voice soft and obedient. “Yes, Theresa!”


    Carrying the goods, she made her way home with Ace and Snowy apanying her.


    Once Theresa saw her off, she took out a map and began strategizing the next area she intended to im. If she pushed left, it would lead her straight to the vi district.


    However, past that districty another city that was hidden beyond the hills. Thendscape there was rough, and many vigers resided in that region, so managing it would present challenges. Moreover, if zombies upied the area, simply reaching it would take half a day.


    The alternative was to head east, toward the highway. She picked up her binocrs and surveyed the road


    outside.


    Since the rescue team had evacuated a group of survivors a few days prior, the highway had experienced a new surge of activity.


    Civilians seized the opportunity as the rescue convoy led the way, jumping into their vehicles to follow the team back to the rescue camp.


    If she recalled correctly, that was the same camp that Oliver’s family had sessfully reached. It was situated on a t expanse ofnd at the junction between Ansford and the rear of Branford.


    That was the Kl Camp-one of the three main camps in the Eastern region.


    It possessed formidable military strength, but based on her knowledge from her previous life, Kl Camp always faced food shortages. They had to deploy teams to forage for supplies daily.


    If she extended her reach to the north, there was a strong possibility she’d eventually encounter ndividuals from K1 Camp. After some contemtion, she resolved to journey south instead, toward Ansford.


    There was no reason to waver, as it was time to take action. Earlier today, she cleared approximately wenty acres of destend along the roadway, eliminating all the zombies wandering within her domain. She gathered a small collection of supplies during the process.


    Most of it was sourced from vehicles that had been involved in idents along the highway.


    Her findings included four and a half bags of rice, half a bag of flour, and five boxes of instant noodles. Any spoiled meat, produce, or bread that she found, she left behind. The supplies were somewhat minimal.


    However, the points more thanpensated for it. She achieved 2000 points. The system seemed to award roughly 1000 points for every ten acres ofnd reimed.


    Structures, particrly residential ones, were valued even higher. Just yesterday, while clearing an entire vi district, Theresa received over 3000 points-even though that area was smaller than the open ground she tackled today. D


    In just a few days, Theresa had broadened her territory four to five times and umted nearly 7000 points. She was very close to being able to exchange for that AK-47.


    Just as she was ready to exchange that, red dots suddenly emerged on her mental territory map.


    She thought, Red dots? Zombies appear gray.


    Her mind raced into action immediately.


    Living intruders!


    And they were right outside her bunker-heading straight for it.


    She grabbed her dogs and jumped into her vehicle, speeding away without hesitation.


    “Hold on, sir. ording to the map, there should be a fallout shelter just ahead!” one of the guys said.


    “I’m not sure… something feels off about this area,” the leader insisted.


    A group of seven or eight men, all dressed in base-issued tactical gear, moved carefully through the forest near the shelter. The further they ventured, the stranger it became.


    B


    “Yeah. There are no zombies anywhere along the path. It’s as if someone intentionally cleared the area,” another man dered.