If it was in the past, as long as the government and the military gave him a good incentive and treatment, Bai Zemin might have been willing to work together with them. After all, the human race was in danger of being completely annihilated and if he received the support of the military and the government it might be much easier for him to reach Changping District where his family was located.
The problem was that Bai Zemin alone simply did not have the ability to reach his family on his own. Yanqing District had approximately five million people before the apocalypse and because it was an ecological area the forests were numerous.
How was he alone to face millions of zombies and countless mutated and evolved beasts? Even if he was strong, it was clear to Bai Zemin that overconfidence would only kill him sooner rather than later.
However, all thoughts of joining the government and the military disappeared 100% yesterday when he gained control of over a thousand survivors and obtained the Lower Leader subclass.
It was simply impossible for him to surrender such a large source of power and Bai Zemin was very clear that if he joined the government it would be impossible for him to keep his forces intact.
Hand over the firearms, his treasures, rations, the survivors... These were all things that Bai Zemin could not afford to lose no matter what.
However, there was a problem...
He looked at Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Wu Yijun before sighing secretly. He was already starting to feel a headache coming on.
"What do you all think about it?" Bai Zemin inquired in a deep voice.
"This is a great thing!" Chen He exclaimed in relief, "If the Yanqing District government still remains on its feet, then it is highly likely that the rest of the country will have at least some kind of order established as well!"
Wu Yijun shook her head and while looking at her friend pointed out, "He is just a Mayor, Chen He. Besides, this man Bai Yong can only barely represent the Baiquan Subdistrict and not the entire Yanqing District. The central government didn't necessarily manage to hold its own."
As everyone expressed their opinions and ideas on the broadcast heard, Shangguan Bing Xue had her head down seemingly deep in thought. It was only after a long time that she finally looked at Bai Zemin and asked, "What do you think about it?"
Bai Zemin, who had also been silent, looked at her and calmly responded, "Even if we want to reach Baiquan Camp we need to cross half a sub-district so it is not something that can be accomplished in one or two days considering the current situation."
Shangguan Bing Xue nodded and after thinking for a moment said quietly, "Besides, I would like to see the situation inside the camp before making a decision... I think it's not necessarily a good thing to join the government."
Wu Yijun furrowed her eyebrows tightly and seemed to realize something as she said, "That's right... Who can guarantee that those at the higher-ups didn't get corrected after acquiring real power and strange skills? Considering the current situation in which China and probably the whole world finds itself, relying too much on old agencies might be the first step to fall."
Hearing this, even Chen He frowned and fell under deep contemplation.
None of the three were ordinary people. They had lived or had some kind of close contact with the government and military forces since they were young so they knew well how high society worked.
The higher up someone was, the higher they wanted to be and the less willing they were to take orders from another being. This was an irrefutable reality and now that society had collapsed, why would they have to be guided by the old rules and norms then?
Bai Zemin was silent and after a moment's consideration concluded: "Then we will infiltrate Camp Baiquan. We can decide after seeing the situation there."
"... That's the best idea." Shangguan Bing Xue nodded and the rest also agreed.
Soon, the three of them separated and began to perform different tasks.
When only Bai Zemin was left inside the room, Lilith entered through the door in her Lili form. Seeing him still deep in thought, she calmly asked: "Why do you still care about their opinion? Considering your current strength, even that woman Shangguan Bing Xue couldn't even survive ten seconds in front of you."
Bai Zemin looked at her and could not help but secretly sigh. Lilith really was the most incredible woman he had ever met, not for nothing she was a Sixth Order existence after all. Even wearing a pair of black jeans and a white blouse and even when her appearance was slightly above average her innate charm was still terrifying.
After appreciating the beauty in front of him for a few seconds, he closed his eyes and calmly replied, "Indeed, I could force them all. But that wouldn't make me a leader, I'd be a tyrant."
"You know? It's harder to be a good leader than a good tyrant." Lilith pointed and sat down next to him.
"Maybe." Bai Zemin nodded, secretly savoring her natural fragrance. "But if I lie and force them now, in the future I won't be able to form my own faction with great powerhouses. Although I would love to move solo, to do that I need to be at the top and, unfortunately, I am only at the bottom of the food pyramid. To help you, whatever it is, I'll probably need a lot of power."
Lilith's beautiful eyes glittered curiously and she pursed her lips into a charming smile, "I see you've thought a lot further ahead than I thought... In fact, many things would be easier for you if you simply use pure power. But in the long run, your losses would be astronomical and you would probably even perish halfway through."
Bai Zemin chuckled and walked towards the exit while thinking that even an elephant could not defeat several million ants united.
* * *
After two days, different jobs were delegated to the survivors of the Beginning Village. Although not all were able to get a job and the vast majority still had to make do with the three bowls of gruel a day, none complained and happily ate what they were given.
During the past two days, the new armed militia was also properly formed, totaling over sixty men armed with different types of firearms.
Since Bai Zemin had no experience in the military environment and Chen He was born into a military family, he had to go to him to learn a bit.
In the end, the sixty armed troops were divided into three groups of twenty men each with a main leader at the head being; Shangguan Bing Xue, Chen He, and Wu Yijun.
While rations were now plentiful, every grain of rice consumed was a grain of rice that was lost forever. Although some seeds had been planted in the surrounding fields, it would take time to see if they would germinate or not, and if they did not, it was necessary to know if this was the case in all the lands or only in some areas.
There was still much to do and many things unknown about the Soul Record.