Chapter 557: Chapter 557: Job Openings
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes narrowing slightly.
“Even if they sohow called for help, the distance is too far. No one would get there in ti. I’m telling you, they’re either dead or turned into zombies by now. And if that’s the case, then it’s perfect for us.”
The nephew blinked, confused. “Perfect?”
Leader Zhang smiled. “Yes. We’ll go to Boss Su’s place, cause a scene, and demand answers. If she tries to deny anything, we’ll just say she’s lying. We have proof. Or at least… we’ll make so.”
The nephew stared at his uncle, his heart feeling strange in his chest. A part of him didn’t like how confident the leader was, but he didn’t speak.
Leader Zhang noticed his silence and sighed. “I’ve trained you for years, yet you still worry too much.”
He stood up slowly and walked over to his nephew, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Even if she saved a few people, so what? We’ll bla her for the others who died. We’ll say she sent them to their deaths. And if we need proof, we’ll find a zombie that looks a little like soone from our base. Maybe change its clothes, ss with its face… whatever we need to convince the alliance.”
His eyes glead with quiet calculation. “They won’t be able to fight back. The more we speak, the more others will believe us.”
The nephew’s eyes lit up with realization. “Uncle… you’re a genius.”
The next morning, the plan began.
Leader Zhang and his nephew sent out a small group of trusted subordinates to search nearby zombie zones. After a few hours, one of them returned, excited.
“Leader! We found one! This zombie kind of looks like Zhen.”
The nephew looked at the photo on the soldier’s device. The zombie was tall, had short black hair, and its ruined face did look a little like Zhen. It was enough.
Leader Zhang nodded in approval.
“Perfect. Bring it back. We’ll start the next step.”
As the soldiers left to collect the zombie, the nephew couldn’t help but glance at his uncle again.
Even though everything looked like it was working out, there was still a strange feeling in his heart.
Like sothing was about to go very, very wrong.
Everyone was busy, so were preparing transport, others whispering about what was going on. No one really knew the full plan, but they all trusted Leader Zhang.
anwhile, the “fake proof” zombie had been locked in a steel cage. Its wrists were tied and its head covered in a torn cloth, just enough to hide the worst parts of its face. From a distance, it really looked like Zhen.
Leader Zhang stood beside the cage, arms crossed, a smirk on his lips. “Get the story straight,” he told the soldiers.
“A batch of people from the base left for Hope base. After a week, we found their belongings on the ground and suspected that they had died midway. In the end, we saw zombies just like those people, and it is because of Boss Su’s negligence that they died.”
He paused, giving a glance to everyone else to make sure that he had their attention.
“We will claim that those ex-mbers of our base had send ssages to Boss Su but she refused to help and didn’t answer them.”
One soldier raised a hand nervously. “But… didn’t we never send that ssage?”
Leader Zhang gave him a cold stare. “We will now. We’ll send a fake record too. You’re the witness. Got it?”
The soldier gulped and nodded quickly.
By late afternoon, they began their journey to Su Jiyai’s base. The wagon carrying the zombie was tightly locked, but even still, it growled and banged against the walls sotis, making a few younger soldiers jump.
As they neared the edge of Su Jiyai’s land, Leader Zhang straightened his jacket and put on a sad face.
“Rember,” he said to everyone, “we’re the victims. Keep your voice low. Act broken. This is a funeral, not a fight.”
……………….
In a small, quiet room tucked deep inside the base, an old man slowly opened his eyes.
He sat up with difficulty and reached for the edge of his bed.
His legs weren’t there, just two tal stumps ending in worn-out connectors. He looked at them and smiled bitterly. “Still here,” he muttered to himself.
For the last few months, he had been surviving using the crystals his son left behind.
His son had died in a zombie raid last year, and the old man had kept those crystals like treasure. But now… they were almost gone. Maybe one or two left, and that wasn’t enough to pay the rent next week.
“I need to do sothing,” he whispered. “I have to eat. I have to care for the child.”
He had a small granddaughter who stayed with him. She was only seven, and he didn’t want her to grow up without proper food or a safe place to sleep.
He had tried starting a food stall once. But he wasn’t a good cook, and people had stopped coming. That plan had failed.
Now, he wheeled himself toward the market, deciding to check the job board again.
He had done this every week, hoping soone needed help, even just for cleaning or sorting. But most jobs needed strong people, people who could run or fight or carry heavy boxes.
The streets were already busy, filled with people shouting deals or talking about today’s weather.
The old man passed them quietly, his wheelchair wheels creaking a little. He reached the job board, a large digital screen with bright lights and blinking job posts.
His eyes scanned quickly.
Suddenly, sothing new popped up.
“Hiring Disabled and Elderly! Work in a Factory…No Experience Needed!”
The old man’s eyes widened. He clicked on the ssage, heart beating fast. The job description was clear:
“Looking for elderly, injured, or disabled citizens. No special skills required. Benefits: Free accommodation, two als a day, and 2000 points per week. Comfortable work inside our factory. Join us and live with dignity.”
The old man’s hands shook. “2000 points… als… a room…”
He didn’t need anything more.
He clicked the “Apply” button, thinking he might have to wait days for a reply. But only five minutes later, a ssage appeared.
“You’ve been accepted! Welco to our family. Report tomorrow morning to Su Enterprise Factory at 8 AM.”
Tears filled the old man’s eyes. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you, Boss Su…”
…………………
Across the base, others like him were having similar monts.
A woman in her mid-30s stood trying to calm her crying child. Her left arm ended at the elbow, and life had been hard ever since she lost it in a zombie ambush.
She used to carry supplies for hunters, but no one wanted soone who couldn’t lift full crates anymore.
She checked the job board, more out of habit than hope. But then, she saw the sa ssage. Her eyes scanned quickly, and as she read the part about “disabled and elderly,” her breath caught.
She imdiately applied, and when the approval ssage ca minutes later, she held her child close and cried.
“We’re going to be okay,” she whispered into her daughter’s hair. “Mommy has a job now.”
…………………….
In another corner of the base, a teenage boy tapped his cane slowly against the sidewalk. He had lost his sight in an accident years ago. His parents were gone, and he lived in a shared ho with a few older survivors who helped him when they could.
He heard soone talking about a new job for the disabled. Curious, he asked to be guided to the board. A kind neighbor helped him click on the ssage and read it out loud.
The boy smiled. “Do they an it?” he asked.
“They do,” the neighbor said. “Apply now.”
The boy did. And five minutes later, he smiled even wider. “They accepted … they really accepted .”
……………………
Near the old weapons shop, a middle-aged man sat alone, rubbing his temples. He was once a respected soldier, but the war and the zombies had left scars not only on his body but deep in his heart.
He had nightmares, and he couldn’t work with loud noises anymore.
He saw people whispering about a new factory, so he followed them to the job board. When he read the description, sothing clicked in his chest. It felt calm. Gentle. Maybe even safe.
He applied with shaking hands, and when the reply ca, he didn’t cry, but for the first ti in years, he smiled with peace.
……………………..
anwhile, more and more base mbers started gathering around the newly opened factory. It was still empty, with no sounds or lights coming from inside. But a clean sign hung on top: “Su Enterprise Processing Animal at.”
Beside it, another smaller building. The na wasn’t revealed yet, but people could guess, it was a shop.
“What’s Boss Su doing this ti?” soone whispered.
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