26: Black ticket White ticket

Qiu Wuhui was brought to the Central Building's plaza, where Dogzi and a few others tied him tightly to a pillar.

Qiu Wuhui's actions had severely impacted the Shelter's safety, and this matter had a significant influence.

Wu Cuiling's Clinic was the only Clinic in the entire shelter, and if Dr. Wu had an accident, then the entire shelter's medical care would be gone.

Tied up for a day and a night, Qiu Wuhui, who had not had a drop of water, was extremely weak, his face deathly pale.

The next day, as everyone was collecting supplies, Tian Ming looked coldly at Qiu Wuhui.

"Is my sister better?" Qiu Wuhui looked up and asked weakly.

Tian Ming turned to look at Dogzi, who understood, waved his hand, and Qiu Qian was helped over. Seeing his sister out of danger, Qiu Wuhui finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Boss, everything I did yesterday was for my sister. I understand the Shelter's rules, and I am willing to bear all the consequences."

At this moment, Qiu Wuhui's sister, seeing her brother tied up, pushed away Wan Yu, who was helping her, and stumbled towards them.

And Qiu Wuhui's mother had tear stains on her face as she looked at her son.

Qiu's mother had knelt outside Tian Ming's room all night, begging him to spare her son, but Tian Ming did not agree. Rules are rules, the beginning of order, and the consensus of everyone in the Shelter.

Qiu Wuhui looked at his sister and mother, his lips trembling slightly, wanting to say something, but his parched throat blocked him.

Qiu Qian walked up to her brother, looked at his haggard appearance, and tears flowed uncontrollably. She reached out, wanting to caress her brother's cheek, but she seemed so powerless.

She clenched her fists tightly, looked at Tian Ming, and pleaded, "Boss, please, let my brother go. He knows he was wrong, and he will change."

Tian Ming looked at Qiu Qian and said coldly, "Your brother violated the rules, but he did not cause casualties, so the final decision will be left to everyone to judge! If everyone in the Shelter acts like your brother, then no one will make it through this winter."

Qiu Qian knew Tian Ming was right; if everyone acted recklessly for their own sake, the Shelter would have no meaning, and it would be even more dangerous than a city full of zombies.

She lowered her head, tears streaming down her face. Qiu Wuhui looked at his sister, his heart filled with guilt and self-reproach. He knew how much pain his actions had brought to his sister and mother.

Tian Ming looked at the crowd in the plaza and said, "Qiu Wuhui, for his sister, openly defied the guard team and kidnapped Dr. Wu. Although no serious consequences were caused, his behavior was atrocious. This unstable dangerous individual, should he be killed or spared? Let everyone vote!"

The crowd in the plaza looked at each other, and for a moment, the atmosphere became extremely tense. Some people sympathized with Qiu Wuhui, believing he did it for his sister.

But more people looked at Qiu Wuhui with resentment in their eyes; they wished Qiu Wuhui would die immediately, so there would be one less person, and they could get a little more supplies.

Qiu Qian knelt down, crying bitterly, and pleaded with the people in the plaza, "Please, everyone, give my brother another chance. If you must kill someone, kill me; I'll take the blame for my brother."

Qiu's mother also knelt down and said, "Give my son a chance; if he dies, I won't live either..."

Qiu Qian's voice carried endless pain and despair, and Qiu's mother's words were even more heartbreaking. The people in the plaza watched this scene, their expressions varied. Some had sympathy in their eyes, while others appeared indifferent.

Tian Ming raised his hand, and a stack of papers appeared in his hand, and next to it, a ballot box appeared.

"Lin Yue, distribute the papers."

Lin Yue stepped forward and took the papers. The papers were half black and half white, with a dividing line in the middle, making them easy to tear in half.

Tian Ming continued, "If you agree to give him a chance, vote with the white part. If you agree to execute him immediately, vote with the black part. To prevent duplicate voting, the remaining half of the paper will be destroyed on the spot in front of the ballot box."

After Tian Ming finished speaking, he gave Dogzi a look.

Dogzi immediately organized his people. As each person cast half of their paper, the other half would be collected by Dogzi. Several big men stood by the ballot box, tearing the collected papers into shreds.

Soon, the results from the ballot box were tallied. The black and white papers seemed to be of similar thickness.

Lin Yue counted them in front of everyone. The plaza was extremely quiet, and Lin Yue's voice echoed, because everyone knew that the number of white papers would determine Qiu Wuhui's life or death.

"Counting complete. A total of 587 people participated in the vote. Black votes, 290. White votes, 297."

Qiu Qian let out a slight sigh of relief, while Qiu's mother, due to the sudden relaxation of her taut nerves, went limp and fainted.

Qiu Qian quickly went forward to support her mother, and Wu Cuiling quickly went to check on her.

"She's fine, just fainted," Wu Cuiling said.

Tian Ming looked at the voting results, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "Since everyone is willing to give him a chance, I have nothing more to say. However, while the death penalty can be waived, the living punishment cannot be escaped. Qiu Wuhui will join the supply collection team and be stripped of his rotation qualifications."

Supply collection was definitely high-risk, but it ensured full meals and the most distributed supplies.

Tian Ming's mention of no rotation meant that others only needed to go out once a week, rotating. But Qiu Wuhui needed to be full-time, four days a week.

Qiu Qian's eyes flashed with a complex expression upon hearing this judgment. She knew this was Tian Ming's final bottom line, and she could no longer plead for her brother.

Qiu Wuhui looked at his sister and shook his head slightly at her.

"I am willing to accept this punishment!"

After Qiu Wuhui was untied, he stumbled over and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Boss, for sparing my life."

"Don't thank me, thank everyone!"

Qiu Wuhui turned his head and looked at the crowd with complex eyes. Half of the votes were black, indicating that half of these people wanted him dead.

But he still bowed with difficulty and said thank you. He had secretly made up his mind that since some people wanted him dead, he would have to make something of himself. At that time, those who cast black votes for him would surely pay the price for their actions today.

He seemed to feel the ferocity in Qiu Wuhui's eyes. He was like a wounded, hungry wolf, staring at this group of people.

The faces of those who cast black votes were strange, their eyes darting away, not daring to look at Qiu Wuhui, and they also vaguely regretted it, perhaps they shouldn't have cast black votes.

After the supplies were distributed and the crowd dispersed, Tian Ming waved at Qiu Qian and said, "Come here!"

Qiu Qian walked over and timidly called out, "Boss!"

She came from a good family, her skin was well-maintained, fair and tender with a hint of baby fat, like a porcelain doll. Her eyes were large, and although she wasn't tall, she had a youthful and delicate feeling about her.

Tian Ming reached out and placed his hand on Qiu Qian's shoulder, checking the effectiveness of the virus clearance.

But his brow suddenly furrowed. The virus was still in Qiu Qian's body, but it was highly organized and not attacking Qiu Qian's body.

He grabbed Qiu Qian's hand. In that instant, a sharp blade appeared in Tian Ming's hand. With a flash of the blade, Qiu Qian screamed. Her delicate palm was instantly cut open by Tian Ming.