Chapter 428 - 308: Whitewashing
The method the man described was undeniably clear.
Actually putting it into practice, however, would be exceedingly difficult.
At Leo Joyce’s command, the group had already ceased their attacks. The man wasn’t speaking quietly, so most of them heard him loud and clear.
It was common knowledge that losing over a third of one’s blood without an immediate transfusion could be fatal.
Luring out this Blood Vine would require the entire blood supply of more than twenty people... For the group of fewer than one hundred gathered here, even if everyone contributed an equal share, each person would still have to lose a significant amount of blood.
Physical discomfort would be almost inevitable.
And in that state, they would still have to complete the final task of surrounding and killing the Blood Vine...
The gears were turning in everyone’s minds. When the time came, a single slip-up—a trembling hand or a shaky leg—could mean death. Even if they did manage to kill the Blood Vine, what was the point of getting their hands on a cache of unseen ammunition if they were dead?
Thus, the leaders of several small bases quickly grew timid.
"City Lord Joyce, this Blood Vine is just too much for us. How about we retreat for now and come back to fight another day, after we’ve gathered more people?"
"That’s right. It’s not that we’re stingy with a bit of blood, but after losing that much, our reactions will be sluggish. If we fail to kill the Blood Vine, we’ll end up with nothing to show for it!"
"Exactly! It’ll be safer with more people!"
"..."
’Bullshit!’ While Leo Joyce put on an expression of deep contemplation, he was cursing up a storm internally.
’What a load of pretty-sounding bullshit from every single one of them!’
’’Gather more people’! ’End up with nothing’! ’Safer with more numbers’!’
’Just how many people do you pansies have to gather, anyway?’
’You’ve got a handful of nobodies between you and you still have the gall to talk so big? You’re not afraid of tripping over your own tongues!’
’If Southreach wasn’t holding the line, clearing out the nearby Zombies, would you cowardly bastards still be able to hole up peacefully in your little corners for your Cultivation?!’
’Now, the moment you hit a snag, you all go limp. A bunch of pathetic cowards!’
...
But cursing aside, he knew the situation all too well.
The idea this man had proposed hadn’t alleviated his awkward position in the slightest. In fact, it was like being held over a fire.
Going through with this plan might work, but the losses would be steep—and that included his own people from Southreach. Even he wouldn’t be out of danger. It wasn’t easy to train a High-level Superpower User; losing them here would be like cutting off a piece of his own flesh, to say nothing of the losses for the other bases...
And that was the best-case scenario.
He could barely imagine what would happen if they failed. He’d be absolutely buried in scorn!
So, whether he pushed forward or pulled back, he stood to suffer tremendous losses, and his reputation among the surrounding bases would plummet.
It had to be said—Leo Joyce was filled with regret.
He felt, deep down, that coming on this expedition had been a terrible mistake.
Thinking of the source of the intelligence about the military base, and of certain people who had urged him to commit to this venture, he was now consumed by suspicion.
But dealing with all that would have to wait until after they left this place. For now, he had to resolve the current predicament.
Leo Joyce slipped his affable mask back on and turned to the crowd. "It’s a shame to turn back when we’re just one step away from possibly securing a huge cache of munitions, but I understand why everyone is unwilling to take such a risk. It’s my fault, really. My intelligence wasn’t thorough enough, so we couldn’t prepare as well as we should have. Therefore, even if this mission is a failure, the bulk of the responsibility lies with me..."
"So, let me begin by apologizing to all of you."
"But I’m sure you all understand my intentions. Norgate has already been reabsorbed by Central City; I’m afraid we’re next. I’m not saying that’s necessarily a bad thing. After all, Central City is teeming with talent. Having more Superpower Users join our ranks to fight Zombies and Mutant Beasts together would be wonderful! It’s just..."
"You’ve probably heard that Norgate went through a massive, bloody battle. After it was taken back by Central City, nearly everyone inside—Superpower Users and regular people alike—was wiped out! We may not know the whole inside story, but when I heard the news, I couldn’t help but think of the saying about the fox grieving for the hare. Southreach and all of your bases were built after the apocalypse, forged through blood and sweat by people who banded together just to live a little better. We did it to protect the survivors, didn’t we? If, because of some people’s selfish ambitions, we allow them to destroy our last refuge, then even in death, I’d be too ashamed to face the late City Lord Rowan!"
"That’s exactly why I gathered all of you to come here. I wanted us to arm ourselves properly before something like that could happen to us, to be prepared for any eventuality!"
"But alas, what a pity..."
Leo Joyce grew more and more despondent as he spoke, until he seemed on the verge of tears.
It was as if he was already seeing tragic visions of Southreach and the other small bases being taken over by Central City’s Power Corps, of any who dared to resist being forced into a dead end with no hope of survival.
At this, Paige Summers was utterly stunned by the man’s masterful performance.
She could understand if the members of the smaller bases, riled up by his melodramatic, inflammatory speech, didn’t know the truth. It was perfectly normal for news to travel slowly when there was so little movement between settlements.
But there was no way Leo Joyce didn’t know the real reason for Norgate’s fall!
He knew everything, yet he was deliberately being vague, intentionally directing everyone’s animosity toward Central City to burnish his own image...
’I really underestimated him,’ she thought suddenly. ’The guy’s a damn Oscar-worthy actor, the apocalypse’s very own wolf in sheep’s clothing!’
After a speech like that, it would be a miracle if these people weren’t united against a common enemy, a miracle if they didn’t desperately want to get their hands on those munitions to protect their homes.
Even though he’d only said they "might" get them, they were probably too worked up to care about the details anymore...
Sure enough, those who had just been voicing their opposition started to change their tune.
"Don’t say that, City Lord Joyce! We all know you’re doing this for the good of us all!"
"That’s right! City Lord Joyce, let’s just do it! If we get those munitions, our bases will be much more secure. At least then, if we have to face The Power Corps from Central City, we’ll be able to put up a fight!"
"Well said! Everyone knows it’s easier to defend a city than to attack one! With these weapons, even if we can’t hold out, we’ll make damn sure those guys from Central City see how tough we are!"
"Right, right! And if it comes to the worst, we hope City Lord Joyce will shelter us. We can all face the injustice of Central City’s leaders together!"
Seeing the crowd’s change in tone, one of Leo Joyce’s subordinates seized the moment and yelled, "For our bases, we’ll give it our all today! With so many of us, I’m sure we can take down this Blood Vine!"
"Yeah, let’s do it!"
"Let’s do it!"
"..."
A chorus of agreement rose from the crowd. With just a few words, Leo Joyce had completely turned the situation around. He felt a flicker of satisfaction, though the thought of the coming sacrifices still stung. But then, his gaze fell upon the petite Paige Summers, and a new idea sparked in his mind.