ocean-life Chapter 74 Processing Methods
Chapter 74 Processing Methods
Upon receiving the order, Ning Tieshan immediately turned around and ran upstairs, his steps quick and steady.
After Shen Qingci finished speaking, she ignored Ma Jianbo's pleas for mercy and simply stood there with her arms crossed, looking at him calmly.
Ma Jianbo gave an incoherent explanation in front of her, sometimes saying he was sleepwalking, sometimes saying he just wanted to check if the supplies had been chewed by rats. The more he talked, the more confused he became, and finally he simply shut his mouth and stopped talking.
The other survivors who were watching also didn't go back to their rooms. They all stood in the corridor and waited silently, wanting to see how Lu Chen would handle the matter.
Lu Chen didn't keep everyone waiting for too long.
Less than a minute after Ning Tieshan went upstairs, footsteps could be heard at the bottom of the stairs.
Lu Chen slowly descended the stairs, wearing a dark coat. His expression was unreadable as he glanced at the onlookers on both sides of the corridor before finally settling on Ma Jianbo.
Behind him, the massive body of the elite zombie, over 2 meters tall, squeezed out of the fire escape, its dark yellow eyes gleaming coldly, radiating the oppressive aura that only elite-level zombies possess.
Ma Jianbo's legs were trembling slightly.
The oppressive feeling of the elite zombie was different from Shen Qingci's indifference and the disdain of the onlookers. It was a physical fear... Who wouldn't be afraid of being stared at by a monster that could tear them apart at any moment?
"Commander Lu... Commander Lu Chen..." His voice trembled slightly.
"I already know about what happened to you." Lu Chen stopped in front of him and immediately defined the matter. "Before the apocalypse, stealing a few bags of snacks was a minor matter. At most, you'd get a few words of criticism from the police station."
"But this is the end times. So many people outside are starving to death because they have no food. There are still several people in this building who were rescued this afternoon after they had been starving for a day and a night."
"What you moved wasn't just a few bags of snacks, it's everyone's lifeline!"
He paused for a moment, his gaze falling on Ma Jianbo's face, his tone completely unchanged.
"So I'm giving you two choices."
"First, take your personal belongings and pack your bags. Go wherever you want; no one will stop you."
"Secondly, for the next week, you'll be doing strenuous physical labor... moving corpses, clearing zombie remains, digging up farmland—you'll be working 12 hours a day when others work 8. And for the rest of the week, you can only eat white rice. Choose!"
Ma Jianbo lowered his head, his teeth clenched tightly.
He was filled with hatred! He hated Shen Qingci for having to investigate downstairs at this crucial moment, and he hated Lu Chen for showing him no mercy and making him lose face in front of everyone.
But he dared not show it on his face.
He weighed the options in his mind for only a moment before making his decision.
"It's all my fault, I accept the punishment." He raised his head, his face switching to a pained and repentant expression. "I choose the second option: a week of hard labor and eating only white rice. Thank you, Commander Lu Chen, for giving me a chance to reform."
Seeing the other party make a decision without hesitation, a hint of surprise flashed in Lu Chen's eyes.
He thought Ma Jianbo would hesitate or even try to bargain, but the other party went through the whole process from admitting his mistake to accepting the punishment without uttering a single stammer.
However, he nodded anyway: "Okay, that's settled then!"
If Ma Jianbo had just chosen the first option and packed up to leave, Lu Chen wouldn't mind having the elite zombies lure a group of zombies from the street to "coincidentally" go to the room where Ma Jianbo was living alone, and completely eliminate this threat tonight.
But now that the other party has chosen to stay and accept punishment, the situation is different.
In the end, Ma Jianbo only stole a few bags of snacks. He couldn't possibly drive the other survivors to their deaths in front of them; that would be too inhumane, especially since the other party was so good at pretending.
Of course, if the other party wants to stay, it doesn't matter. Ma Jianbo is obviously a smart man and knows when to back down.
As long as Lu Chen can guarantee absolute military suppression, this kind of person won't dare to do anything outrageous. He may hate him, but he won't dare to act!
After saying that, Lu Chen turned and left.
Elite zombies followed behind him, their massive bodies casting ever-growing shadows in the corridor.
The survivors who were watching automatically made way for him, watching him walk up the stairs, before bursting into a heated discussion in hushed tones.
Many people applauded and cheered, feeling very pleased.
"That's how you should treat him. I got angry yesterday afternoon when I saw him lying in bed pretending to be dead."
"A week of heavy physical labor plus white rice—this punishment is so satisfying!"
"But speaking of which, Vice Captain Shen's superpower is too amazing. He can detect someone stealing things in the middle of the night without even leaving the house. Who would dare to play tricks after this?"
The focus of everyone's discussion gradually shifted from Ma Jianbo's punishment to Shen Qingci's supernatural abilities.
Before today, everyone knew that Shen Qingci was a superhuman and the most influential person in the stronghold besides Lu Chen.
But many people only had a vague idea of the extent to which her superpowers could be achieved. After tonight's events, that vague idea has become an extremely concrete impression.
She could sleep on the 5th floor and still know someone was stealing in the 4th-floor hallway. Every little movement was transparent to her.
This perception has a dual effect.
On one hand, there was respect; no one dared to harbor any ill intentions under Shen Qingci's watchful eye, because no one knew when she was investigating and when she wasn't.
On the other hand, there was reassurance. Those survivors who worked honestly were actually delighted to hear about this, because they no longer had to worry about bad guys hiding in the ranks.
Shen Qingci was able to detect it immediately, and Lu Chen was able to handle it immediately. Therefore, there was no need to worry about any problems maintaining order at this base.
Gao Yuan didn't join the others in their discussion. He squatted down and picked up the snacks Ma Jianbo had scattered on the ground, one by one.
Then he straightened up and said to Ma Jianbo, "Come to the lobby on the first floor at 7 a.m. tomorrow. Don't even think about eating if you don't work 12 hours."
Ma Jianbo nodded with his head down and turned back to 402.
The survivors who had been watching gradually dispersed and returned to their rooms. The corridor fell silent again, leaving only Tie Zhu standing motionless on the connecting corridor.
……
After finishing his business, Lu Chen went back to sleep.
Sleep is the best way to restore mental energy. According to the pattern we have found, it takes about 8 hours of sleep for mental energy to recover from complete depletion.
He finished his cultivation around 7 p.m. and went straight to sleep, so by 3 a.m., his mental energy was fully restored.
Upon waking, he wasted no time, immediately sitting cross-legged and once again using his mental power to guide the energy particles within the red moon.
Half an hour later, his mental energy was depleted again, but his superpowers increased slightly.
After finishing my practice, I went back to sleep and slept for another 3 hours until I was woken up by my alarm clock at 7 a.m.
Although his mental strength had only recovered to a small fraction and he wasn't exactly in high spirits, it didn't affect his daily activities at all.
Moreover, even during the day, as long as you don't actively use your mental energy, it will slowly recover on its own, and by noon, its mental energy will be about 70-80% back.