Novel Full Chapter 139 - Royalty & Long-term Contract
It was only after hearing Wu Yijun's announcement that Bai Zemin finally understood the reason why even the generally cold Shangguan Bing Xue was so agitated. At the same time, he also came to understand why she said that in the end, the one who would benefit most from everything would be him.
After all, if there really was an armed camp stationed in that place, many things would be easier for him and, as a leader, it was natural to want his own power to grow and expand.
Bai Zemin looked at the beautiful Wu Yijun and asked with a frown, "Although it's none of my business but... May I know who your grandfather is? I know you come from a prominent family, but to think that even your grandfather has a high enough rank to know confidential information and even be able to take his granddaughter to such a place..."
Wu Yijun smiled sweetly and answered in all honesty, "My grandfather is Wu Jianhong and my father is Wu Keqian... You probably already heard about my grandfather and since your family is resident of Changping District, I assume you already heard his name too."
"Wu Jianhong...?" Bai Zemin muttered and his eyes grew wide: "You... Your grandfather is the Premier of China?!"
When Wu Yijun nodded naturally, the place fell silent for a second before a series of gasps could be heard in unison.
Except for Chen He and Shangguan Bing Xue who already knew about Wu Yijun's family background, everyone in the room gasped as they stared at the woman in front of them.
Even Bai Zemin himself was shocked for a moment.
Although the world had changed, it was hard to shake off twenty years of living in a normal family. For him, the Premier of China was a supreme and absolute existence but now, in front of his eyes, the beloved granddaughter of the second most powerful man in the whole country was looking at him with a charming smile.
Besides, even if the world had changed, if Wu Yijun's family did not collapse and her grandfather continued on his feet, it was only a matter of time before they would rise to power again.
But rather than feeling relieved and joyful, what Bai Zemin felt was a severe headache... For it was highly probable that in the future he would have to fight the entire old regime unless he was willing to surrender his armed power; something that was simply impossible.
How could he casually surrender to all their efforts? Bai Zemin shook his head and looked at her curiously without letting his inner thoughts reveal themselves, "I see. Then it makes sense that you would know such information... Also, to think that your father is actually the Mayor of Changping District... You sure are something eh?"
Wu Yijun shook her head and smiled bitterly, "To be honest, sometimes I wish I was born in a normal family... Besides, I hope you can continue to treat me the same way you've done so far and my family won't affect your way of thinking about me."
Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and the others inside the room looked at Bai Zemin waiting for his reaction, but he simply nodded slightly and said with a casual smile, "Of course. You don't need to worry about that. Although I'm surprised, that's all... With today's world, I don't think the past matters much considering that practically the entire society fell down."
"Hehehe..." Wu Yijun smiled sweetly and her eyes curved into a crescent moon shape. She looked at him and asked somewhat curiously, "Bai Zemin, do you have a girlfriend?"
Bai Zemin was taken by surprise and for a moment did not know what to say. Not only him, Shangguan Bing Xue opened her beautiful eyes and looked at her friend in shock.
"Yijun, you..." Chen He also couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"What?" Wu Yijun shrugged and said innocently, "I'm not asking him to go out with me. I just asked out of curiosity, that's all."
The corner of Chen He's mouth twitched a couple of times as if he wanted to say something but in the end he shook his head and remained silent. Maybe Wu Yijun's act could fool everyone here, but he and Shangguan Bing Xue knew her too well after all.
"I don't currently have a girlfriend..." Bai Zemin replied and closed his eyes before opening them again. Before anyone could say anything, he added, "But you could say that I have a long-term contract with a woman to whom I owe a lot."
"Oh?" Wu Yijun looked interested and narrowed her eyes.
In fact, everyone looked curious and looked at him. They wanted to know what kind of person she was to make even in this world he would remember her like that. Even though he had been forced to do so many things to survive and had gone through so many hardships, there was still such a woman in his mind.
You should know that there were actually dozens, if not hundreds of women of different ages who would be more than willing to become his woman but Bai Zemin never gave any of them a second glance. In fact, since the beginning of the apocalypse he was never seen to be too close to any woman except for occasional conversations with Wu Yijun or small contacts with Shangguan Bing Xue.
Invisible and away from everyone's sight, the woman who was the center of conversation watched and listened to everything with a bright smile that, fortunately or unfortunately, no one could see.
"A long-term contract, eh...? I like how it sounds."
* * *
After more than an hour of deliberation, the group finally made the decision to start moving in a southerly direction as fortunately the armed camp was located in one of the forests about 150 kilometers away from where the Beginning Village was situated.
This was a matter of utmost urgency, just as Shangguan Bing Xue had said earlier. Mainly due to the fact that they currently only had a little over fifteen thousand rounds of ammunition and the grenades did not even number twenty.
With such low ammunition and considering the low hit rate that people without military training could have against zombie heads, out of those fifteen thousand rounds of ammunition it was improbable that more than a thousand zombies could be killed and this was already a generous estimate!
Bai Zemin also asked what had happened during the day he was away and learned that Shangguan Bing Xue had the brilliant idea to divide the entire village into three areas and three groups.
The groups were as follows:
Normal Citizens: They lived in the worst housing in the outer ring of the village so the security was also lower. It was composed of those who did not want to work or who simply did not have any useful ability or the courage to fight.
Noble Citizens: They lived in the middle area of the village. Their living conditions were considerably better than those of the Normal Citizens as they were not only safer but also received better food. They were composed of those who did work and did not differentiate between doctor or animal keeper as all professions were important nowadays.
Royalty: They lived in the central area of the village. Their houses were the best and their living conditions were far superior to those of the two previous groups. The Royalty consisted of those who actively fought on the front lines against zombies, evolved beasts, and any other enemy of the village. Because they were at the greatest risk, they could eat the best food and enjoy the best treatment.
Unlike the first two groups, the Royalty members were differentiated as there were the militants and the main leaders as well as the top leader, who was currently Bai Zemin.
This type of setup was incredibly simple and even rustic in a sense. However, the reason Bai Zemin openly praised Shangguan Bing Xue for thinking of such an idea was because since they only had a little over a thousand survivors, such simplicity made the divisions extremely clear and everyone's work would be much easier.
Furthermore, with this clear distinction, the survivors would slowly begin to realize that the world was no longer as it was before and that if they wanted better treatment they should not expect help from anyone but themselves since, unlike in the past, here there was no government to complain to.