Magic Space: Struggling to Survive in the Apocalypse-Chapter 129: The Vigilante Is Here Again
The base descended into riots. After some discussion, Evelyn Ford and Ronan Kendrick had Officer Graham and the others move into Apartment 602. Ronan slept on the floor in 601, while Evelyn and Wendy slept on the bed in 602, with a curtain hung for privacy.
Everyone felt much safer living together.
"People are causing trouble at the administration building every day now. Yesterday, I heard someone talking about burning the whole base down. I don’t see this ending well for the administration," Officer Graham said, sharing what he knew while sharpening the knife in his hands.
"But the base is so big, and so many people live here. If they really set it on fire, even more people would die. Are they really going to do that? Let more people die just to vent their hatred?"
"Evelyn, what do you think the base will do to resolve this?" Quincy asked, looking at Evelyn Ford, curious about her thoughts.
"First, the management team is a mess. Everyone wants to be the boss, so no one is in charge. After the disaster, they just started passing the buck, and nobody wants to handle it. Second, with so many people dead, the base will have to push someone forward to take the fall, or they’ll never be able to quell the residents’ fury. Third, after the water is purified, the management should lead by drinking it first. They need to dispose of all the livestock; there’s been no news from the pig farm, so I suspect they don’t want to deal with those crazed pigs. Fourth, the dead need to be buried in a new location, and the air, soil, and water sources must be decontaminated. Fifth, the base needs to distribute some supplies to appease everyone’s anger with material goods."
That was all Evelyn could think of, but she had no idea how the management would actually deal with the situation. Those people were used to being in high positions and were perhaps incapable of putting themselves in someone else’s shoes.
"The base is selling everything as usual, except for meat. I’ve still got several hundred points on my resident card. I need to hurry and redeem them. What do you guys think I should get?"
"Perhaps compressed biscuits and instant noodles are a little safer." Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh after she said it, and the others joined in.
"Let’s wait and see. The base should respond to this matter within three days, and then their solution will be announced."
That night, Ronan Kendrick opened the door and went out. Evelyn Ford opened her eyes and stared at the closed door. ’What’s he up to now?’ she wondered.
The next day, when Quincy pounded on the door, Evelyn Ford and Wendy hadn’t gotten up yet. Ronan Kendrick had already boiled water and was reading a book with intense concentration.
"Evelyn, big news!"
Evelyn Ford sat up, her hair a mess, and shot him a resentful glare.
"Did the base announce their plan?"
Quincy shook his head. "This morning, several bodies were hung up in front of the administration building. They included the young masters of the Holloway and Hooper families, as well as management personnel from the other two factions."
Evelyn Ford discreetly glanced at Ronan Kendrick. He didn’t even raise an eyelid, remaining seated and reading his book, *1,000 Homestyle Recipes*.
"Tell me everything."
Quincy sat down and began to recount the story.
"This morning, I went out to trade for supplies and saw tons of people running toward the administration building. You know me, I love a good spectacle, so there was no way I was going to miss out. So I went, and when I got there..."
"Stop. Get to the point. Cut the crap."
"How is this crap? If you want to explain something properly, you have to start from the beginning and not leave out a single detail! Are you going to listen or not? If you’re not, I’m leaving." He huffed, looking defiant.
"Ronan, hit him."
The empty cup next to Ronan Kendrick went flying, hitting Quincy squarely on the back of the head. A lump immediately formed.
"OW! My head! All right, all right, I was wrong! I give up! Ronan Kendrick, you maniac! I’ll remember this!"
Quincy met Ronan Kendrick’s profound gaze and let out a sarcastic little laugh.
"You’re so obedient. You do whatever Evelyn tells you to."
"Can you talk now? Could you please be a little more serious?" Evelyn interjected. Quincy cleared his throat and straightened up.
"Fine, I’ll get to the point. The main thing is, when I got to the administration building, I saw four bodies hanging there. One of them had an ’atonement plaque’ on it. The plaque said that if the base doesn’t produce a plan within three days, none of the management will be left alive."
When Quincy finished, he started clapping.
"Amazing. To think there’s still a champion of justice in this day and age."
Evelyn Ford snuck another glance at Ronan Kendrick, but this time he caught her. Their eyes met for an instant before they both looked away in unspoken understanding.
"What happened next? How did the administration react?"
Quincy gave a malicious grin. "The crowd snatched the bodies. The patrol team had to get the higher-ups. Seven or eight guys came out and spewed a bunch of platitudes to calm everyone down. They only got the bodies back after promising a satisfactory answer within three days."
"Do you think this ’champion of justice’ is the same one from before?"
Quincy was referring to the time several women were assaulted by three brutes. The champion of justice found the perpetrators and hung them from the administration building—the exact same M.O.
The corners of Evelyn Ford’s mouth turned up. "It’s definitely the same person."
"Such a good person," Quincy sighed wistfully.
Evelyn glanced at Ronan again. His ears twitched. He was obviously eavesdropping but still trying to look nonchalant.
Ever since the managers were targeted, it was as if the residents had finally been able to vent their frustrations. The riots subsided, and now everyone was waiting for the administration’s plan. If the base couldn’t produce one in three days, the champion of justice would strike again, and the base’s leadership might see a complete overhaul.
All the managers had bodyguards, and their residences had surveillance cameras. To be infiltrated under such secure conditions, to be silently abducted, killed, and then hung up at the administration building without being caught on camera...
Who was this champion of justice? Was it one person, or a team?
The residents were curious and felt vindicated.
The management was furious, terrified, and on edge...
Over the next few days, they all ate their meals together. Wendy, having just recovered from her severe illness, seemed to have unlocked some kind of super-strength skill. The four-year-old could actually lift a full bucket of water.
Everyone praised her, and Wendy would just grin foolishly, back to her old innocent self.
Chase Underwood and Serena Lynch hadn’t left their apartment for the past few days either. They would occasionally come over to ask for news, and Evelyn Ford would share what she knew.
In the afternoon, someone from the base administration started shouting through a megaphone downstairs.
They went on about everything, from the torrential rains, the extreme heat, the earthquake, and the blizzards, all the way to the recent tilling and planting. They were trying to paint the management as tragic heroes who had worked themselves to the bone for the people, asking for nothing in return.
But the residents weren’t pushovers. They started throwing things and shouting curses from their windows. Eventually, they started invoking the champion of justice.
"The champion of justice will kill you!"
The speaker was hit by a rock, and his head immediately started bleeding profusely. He scurried away in disgrace.
There were no winners in this war. The wheat harvest was imminent. If this situation wasn’t handled properly, the dozens of acres of wheat planted outside the base would go unharvested, resulting in another massive loss.
Right now, the most urgent task wasn’t to salvage their reputation or win back the people’s trust.
It was to solve the problem.
