Indeed, they were the people's soldiers. Even in the apocalypse, with no order to speak of, he held onto justice in his heart, unlike other survivors who were cold and ruthless, devoid of any moral底线. Actually, it wasn't hard to understand—in the apocalypse, the naive couldn't survive. Shen Yunyun had no doubt that someone like Chen Feng, who would save anyone he saw, would eventually be dragged down and killed by the very people he helped. Human evil would be magnified infinitely in the apocalypse, without moral constraints, legal deterrence, or the oversight of public decency. People could do whatever they wanted, everything centered on themselves—those who obeyed thrived, those who resisted perished. Of course, there was also goodness in the apocalypse, a stark opposite to evil.
"They're all our compatriots; we can't just watch them die. Humanity should unite to fight the zombies together," Chen Feng said firmly. He had held this belief back at the base too. But after witnessing the rampant bullying and corruption there, with no justice to be found, he resolutely left. Even if staying at the base would have better ensured his survival, he refused to stoop to their level. He believed that as a human, no matter the circumstances, one must have principles—otherwise, what difference was there between humans and animals?
After hearing Chen Feng's statement, Shen Yunyun looked at Zhang Yifan. Zhang Yifan shared his own thoughts: "Right now, we can barely protect ourselves. If we pick up every person we see, we'll eventually be worn down and killed. We need people who can kill zombies, not dead weight." His thinking was simple: he just wanted to survive. Such a humble desire sounded deeply poignant. If it were Shen Yunyun, she would have made the same choice. No matter what you wanted to do or how high your ideals and ambitions were, staying alive was the most basic necessity. Sure, she talked a good game when pushing Zhang Yifan, but it was all just empty slogans. After all, she was just motivating others to improve; she didn't need to do anything herself. But now it was different—she needed them to help her collect gold and silver.
Shen Yunyun said, "Actually, your ideas don't have to conflict." Both of them widened their eyes, staring at her in disbelief. Their views were worlds apart—how could they not conflict? Meeting their puzzled gazes, Shen Yunyun spoke unhurriedly: "You want to survive and stay safe; you want to save more people. Have you never thought about starting your own base? That way, you can rescue more survivors and improve your own safety." "But you don't know how evil people in the apocalypse can be," Zhang Yifan said, pursing his lips. "Yet everyone either unites and lives, or splits and dies. Building a new social order has never depended on one person's effort—it always takes a group. The old society needed all kinds of talent, and establishing a new order still requires people from every field, even a farmer or a street sweeper. Everything needs to be rebuilt." Both fell silent, clearly taking in her words. "If that's the case, we need to choose a leader." "You should be our leader," Chen Feng said decisively. Shen Yunyun hadn't expected them to pick her as their leader. She was fully qualified, given she had enough food, but she had no desire to take on that burden. After all, she was just an ordinary person—how could she handle such a huge responsibility? The greater the power of a leader, the heavier the responsibility. A right decision could benefit many; likewise, a wrong one could bring catastrophic destruction to countless people.