284: Destroy and then build

Tian Ming looked at the woman and retorted, "You think I'm the one who made the situation like this, right?"

The woman said, "Yes, I believe if you hadn't appeared, the Alliance wouldn't have suffered such severe losses."

Tian Ming smiled, a very relaxed and indifferent smile. He looked at the woman and said, "You're right, if it weren't for me, the Alliance wouldn't have suffered such severe losses. But without me, humanity wouldn't even have a chance to fight against the zombies. And yet, you're here blaming me. Ridiculous!"

Tian Ming paused and continued, "Only those who can't control their own destiny will blame others. You've reminded me, so I've decided: from today onwards, all survivors in Donghai City must obey the command and dispatch of the Shelter's Comprehensive Management Department. Those who do not comply will be sent to Jiang Chen."

Tian Ming's words exploded in the conference room like a thunderclap. The woman stared blankly at Tian Ming, speechless for a moment.

Inside the conference room, the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.

Tian Ming ignored the stunned crowd and continued, "I didn't call this meeting to listen to you pushing blame and complaining. When it comes to management and operations, all of you are elites; in this, I'm not as good as you. The situation is already like this, and no amount of complaining will do any good. Those willing to rebuild the base cluster with me, raise your hands. Let me see."

Tian Ming's gaze swept across the conference room, and he waited for everyone's reaction. People gradually raised their hands; although some were slow and hesitant, they ultimately chose to support Tian Ming.

More and more people raised their hands, and finally, everyone in the entire conference room raised their hands. These people were all elites and not foolish. Although some wanted to set the pace, to find a scapegoat for the Alliance's losses, to make Tian Ming pay for the losses, and to psychologically manipulate Tian Ming into becoming their workhorse.

But Tian Ming was not foolish, nor would he pay for these people's ideas. What he wanted was everyone's support and obedience. At this point, what was democracy?

Since everyone had raised their hands, Tian Ming stopped with the nonsense and began to assign tasks. First, counting the number of survivors and tallying available resources. Second, integrating human resources for strategic deployment.

Tian Ming said, "Given the large population, the Underground City cannot accommodate so many people for a while. Therefore, I will enclose the entire Donghai City and its surrounding areas. I will personally lead this effort. My idea is to build a wall, a giant wall 50 meters wide and 100 meters high, with a diameter of 200 kilometers and a wall length of 628 kilometers. This will enclose an area of 31,415 square kilometers. Within this area, I guarantee your safety."

"What about the ordinary civilians left in the original bases?" someone below asked.

Tian Ming slowly said, "Jiang Chen will take care of them."

"Are we just going to watch them be kept like livestock?"

Tian Ming glanced at the person, a hint of disgust in his eyes, because it was still that woman who spoke.

"I'll give you two guns, why don't you go save them?" Tian Ming said coldly.

"You are a Full Element Ability, why would you let an ordinary person save them? Shouldn't you be the one to save them?"

Tian Ming gave a look, and Zheng Haoyu immediately understood, directly escorting the woman out. Several large men simply carried the woman out by force.

Although the woman screamed loudly, everyone in the conference room seemed not to hear. No one would sympathize with such a self-righteous, self-inflicting, morally blackmailing, and saintly person.

"Order on the surface will be overseen by Elder Lin Yao, military defense by Bai Yan. The remaining security and a series of minor details, you can distribute among yourselves according to your own methods. Settle down as quickly as possible and stabilize the internal situation. If anyone causes trouble, arrest them all and deal with them as necessary."

Tian Ming's voice was beyond doubt, and no one in the meeting objected. Except for a few individuals, most of the base officials were rational; they knew that if Tian Ming had not borne a large amount of pressure and contained Jiang Chen, it would have been highly unlikely for them to be sitting here for a meeting. Therefore, most people tacitly accepted Tian Ming's decisions.

"That concludes today's meeting. I will deal with the zombies moving south. So, just do your own jobs well. I don't want to hear any dissenting voices again. If you have an opinion, keep it to yourself."

After the meeting, Tian Ming left alone, while the others did not rush to leave. Seeing Tian Ming go, Bai Yan looked at Lin Yao, stood up, and said, "Is the Alliance going to be a dictatorship now? Is everything decided by Lu Tianming alone?"

Lin Yao waved his hand and said, "Just do as he says. Gather our personnel, check for vacancies, and communicate with Ji Ruping of the Comprehensive Management Department. Let's get everyone settled first."

"Commander, he..."

Lin Yao's face darkened, and he sternly shouted, "Enough! What do you want to do? Is this the time for checks and balances and internal strife? Bai Yan, as a military Commander, you can't be unaware of how bad the current situation is, can you? Do you have to make Lu Tianming side with Jiang Chen and enslave us before you're happy?"

Bai Yan lowered his head and whispered, "Understood, Commander!"

Lin Yao waved his hand and said, "Go, do your job well. Gather the important personnel and send them to the Underground City first. Everything must start from scratch, and he will give us time."

Everyone remained silent and began to act. As long as morale was stable, what was lost would eventually return.

Donghai City's southeastern main road out of the city.

Tian Ming stood on a temporary watchtower, looking at the continuous mountain range, and let out a long sigh of relief. At this moment, Jiang Chen's voice came through the communication channel.

"Lu Tianming, how is it? Doesn't failure taste bad?"

Jiang Chen was currently in the Beidu Central Base, with several staff members adjusting communication equipment around him, while several corpses lay on the ground. Jiang Chen was directly contacting Tian Ming through the Alliance's communication channel.

Tian Ming smiled indifferently, "Why do you think I failed? What, you don't dare to send Corpse Kings south now, so you sent so many Miscellaneous Soldiers down? I haven't collected enough Red Crystal Cores yet!"

"Forget it, you only have a mere two million people left over there. When I evolve a batch of intelligent second-generation corpses, let them learn human technology, and then slowly deal with you. I have eleven bases and nine million people. Don't worry, I will take a long-term approach, let them continue to multiply and thrive, providing a continuous source of food to pave the way for my corpse race's evolution." Jiang Chen's voice was full of triumph.

The communication was cut off. At this moment, a figure flashed, and the long-unseen Iron Dude and Dr. Qiao, two Corpse Kings, appeared before Tian Ming.

The two Corpse Kings knelt on one knee, showing great respect for Tian Ming.

"Master, what do you summon us for?"

Tian Ming glanced at Iron Dude and Dr. Qiao and asked, "Do you want to eat people?"