Chapter 127 Reaching The Central Provision Depots


    “I don’t ept that logic,” Bennie said tly, his gaze turning to Theresa with the chill of a winter storm. “Covering for them doesn’t erase the fact that they did nothing.” His tone was devoid of sympathy-cold and mechanical. “Resources will be allocated strictly ording to contribution. If someone added nothing to the effort, they won’t receive a single ration. It doesn’t matter who vouched for them.”


    A heavy silence descended over the crowd like a nket of snow-still, tense, stifling. Then Lucas stepped forward, shielding her with quiet authority. “No need to argue,” he said coolly. “zing Sun Camp is now under the K1 Camp banner. Any supplies owed to her, we’ll deduct from our own share.”


    His frame cut off Bennie’s line of sight like drawing a curtain. Bennie’s expression darkened further, his voice coated with frost. “Since that’s your stance, Mr. Keaton, I won’t press the matter.” Without waiting for a response, he spun around and walked away, his team trailing silently behind him. The other teams, seeing the standoff dissolve, quickly took their cue. Thepromise seemed eptable enough, and they scattered in silence, relieved to avoid further conflict.


    Once the crowd thinned out, Lucas nced over at Theresa, clearly trying to smooth things over. “Theresa, don’t take what happened just now too seriously. They were just-” She cut in brightly, pping his shoulder in mock camaraderie, “Oh, save it. You dragged me here to freeload, didn’t you? Why would I take offense at that?”


    She wasn’t some clueless girl convinced that Lucas was indebted to her. On the contrary, he had gone out of his way to expect nothing from her-letting her coast effortlessly beside him. That debt? As far as she was concerned, it had already been repaid in full. So why would I waste time getting upset at someone like him? That would’ve been downright idiotic. No, her issue wasn’t with Lucas. It was with the others. And at the very top of her list-Bennie. He’d marked himself clearly as her next target. If I don’t return this humiliation tenfold, I won’t be worthy of my name!


    By midday, the earliermotion had dissipated, and the teams began reorganizing in preparation for the next phase of their journey. The bloody sh from the day before had taken its toll, but it came with a silver lining-the path was cleared, and the worst of the zombie horde had been annihted. With Kl Camp spearheading the effort, the group moved as a unified force, eliminating stray zombies and dragging away the wreckage from old traffic pileups. Bit by bit, the clogged highway was cleared, giving them a direct path forward.


    By the following afternoon, they sessfully crossed the most perilous stretch of their route and cruised with ease into the wide, deste territory that housed the central provision depots. These depots had been built deliberately in barren, out-of-reach regions. The surrounding area was practically lifeless-no people, no movement, no sounds beyond the hum of engines. Even the lone highway slicing through the region was untouched, without so much as a single vehicle in sight.


    Their journey down the broad, unbroken road was almost eerily smooth. Wheels hummed against pavement as thendscape stretched endlessly beneath the setting sun. As twilight bled into the horizon and shadows began to im thend once more, colossal silhouettes suddenly emerged from the distance -enormous cylindrical structures looming like silent giants.


    The central provision depots-monumental and unmistakable-stood before them. Ripples of exhration surged through the group, impossible to contain. “We’re here! The provision depots!” voices burst forth in unrestrained joy. Grain-real supplies—finally within our grasp! Under Kl Camp’s lead, convoy after convoy thundered through the massive gates,ing to a halt before ten colossal provision depots.


    These depots operated on full automation, staffed by just ten workers-cach assigned to oversee a single depot. Beyond them, no other souls remained. “We’ve finally arrived!” someone eximed. “These are our central provision depots! Imagine the mountain of food inside! Each depot holds a staggering 5,000 tons!” Another shouted, “There are ten depots, meaning 50,000 tons in all! That’s enough to sustain every campbined for a century! We’ve hit the jackpot!”


    The wealth left behind by human civilization was incredibly abundant-so immense that uncovering even a single stash could carry survivors through a colossal ordeal. Granted, the vast majority of these treasures had sunk into oblivion after the apocalypse, much like shipwrecks lost beneath the ocean’s depths, forever out of reach. Yet, even a tiny fraction left behind was sufficient to change everything!


    Under Bennie and Lucas’mand, the entire group disembarked. Before doing anything else, they conducted a thorough sweep around the towering depots-ensuring no threats or unexpected presences lurked nearby. Once the perimeter was clear, they turned their attention to the adjacent staff building, only to find it hauntingly silent. All ten staff members had vanished. Whether they had escaped or fallen to the gue was anyone’s guess. After a brief exchange, Bennie and Lucas decided to prioritize the real mission-examining the actual provision depots.


    shlights clicked on, beams slicing through the dim. The moment the group stepped into the first depot, they were met with a breathtaking sight: a towering mountain of grain, packed to the ceiling. Cheers of disbelief and joy broke out. We have food! Real food! However, just as the surge of joy had begun to swell, reality hit them like a cold p. The second depot they entered told a different story-mold. Thick. All- consuming. The grain was ruined!


    In the months since the fall of civilization, without anyone left to regte temperature, moisture, or air cirction, the depots had be breeding grounds for disaster. Without oversight, massive stockpiles left to fester in sealed, airless vaults had either caught fire from internal heat or sumbed to mildew and moisture. And when mold took hold, it didn’t nibble at the corners-it consumed everything.


    They moved on to the third depot, only to find the same horror-a mass of spoiled, useless grain. By the end of their grim tour, reality was undeniable: more than half the depots werepletely overtaken by mold. One had ignited from the inside and burned itself hollow. Another was waterlogged beyond salvation. And one had transformed into a grotesque zoo-giant rats and swarming bugs ruling over mounds of ruined grain.