Chapter 121: Doubting Life
At this moment, Keller couldn't help but doubt his own eyes. Alice noticed Keller's stunned and incredulous expression, a hint of amusement playing at the corners of her mouth. Doubting life was just about right.
Ignatius opened several crates like opening blind boxes, revealing hand grenades, packs of explosives, various firearms, and ammunition. Not only Ignatius was delighted, but the onlookers were also excited. With these weapons, they wouldn't fear the pirates even if they came; they'd have to beg for mercy.
Ignatius, with a smile on his face, said, "You've all worked hard this time; all rewards will be given."
Alice suppressed a smile. She had been tired for several days and wanted to go home to rest. After saying hello, she left.Returning to the courtyard area, she found it unusually quiet inside. Although it wasn't common to visit each other's homes randomly, faint voices could usually be heard.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home," Alice called from outside the door.
Footsteps approached, and soon the door was opened by someone. Blanche walked out, her face lit up upon seeing Alice.
"Is it little sister back?" Alexander squeezed out beside her.
"When did you come back?" Blanche pulled her inside, asking with concern.
Seeing the joy on their faces, Alice's heart warmed. She smiled and said, "Just got back, everything went smoothly."
The family sat down, and Arnold poured her a glass of water, asking softly, "Did you find many weapons?"
"You weren't at the base, so you wouldn't know. Pirates have been rampant lately, harassing us every now and then. The people at the base have been forced to hide in the office building and the Far Voyager Building."
"So that's why. No wonder the base is so quiet," Atticus added. "Luckily, we have the electric fence outside our home. The pirates couldn't break in even if they tried."
These days, the electric fence had been a great help. Several waves of pirates had come, only to be electrocuted upon discovering people living here. Apart from that, the greatest benefit was not having to deal with crowds.
They heard from the Base Commander that the office building and the Far Voyager Building were already full of people. There were conflicts and even fights every day. People's belongings were being looted. The ugliness of human nature after the apocalypse was infinitely magnified, with some people only waiting for the opportunity to pounce.
Because of the turmoil at the base, the previously calm surface was shattered, revealing everyone's true colors. With the base still maintaining order, they didn't dare to act recklessly. If the pirates were to break in, those who ran the fastest would be them.
Ignatius was exhausted but had no choice. He could only use supplies as a threat, kicking out anyone who dared to cause trouble. They had heard that there were fewer troublemakers these days. Some people couldn't bear such a life and simply ran back home to hide in the cellar.
More people still didn't dare to go home. At least in the office building, they could keep their lives and didn't have to worry about pirates breaking in. There was no special protection at home. If pirates raided, they could only leave it to fate.The Allen family lived their lives as usual, but now they had shotguns for when the pirates came!
Alice omitted the ambush by Keller and the others, only mentioning how they found the armory and how they moved the weapons.
Meanwhile, after taking a refreshing shower, Hurley came downstairs feeling clean and refreshed.
Ignatius was busy registering the individuals who had distinguished themselves this time, preparing to reward them generously. He was happy, not sparing any expense for the rewards. With these weapons, they were sufficiently equipped to fend off pirate attacks.
"How did you figure out that Keller was from R country? Give me the details," Ignatius asked with a smile as he saw his eldest nephew coming down the stairs.His eyes were full of admiration. Indeed, his nephew was just like him, showing his prowess.
Hurley, unaware of what was going through Ignatius's mind, saw him registering the names and truthfully explained, "In summary, it was because of Alice and me that we saved this batch of weapons."
"What a bunch of useless fools! A few women easily fooled them. There's no shortage of women in the base, so why are they so shameless?" Ignatius exclaimed angrily. If they hadn't been exposed this time and all of them had fallen for it, the consequences would have been unimaginable. At best, this batch of weapons would have been stolen; at worst, Hurley and Alice would have been implicated along with them.
Thinking about this, Ignatius tore up the list. Not punishing them was the greatest reward; their material reward was reduced by two-thirds.
"Your subordinates have such low vigilance. Shouldn't you also reflect on yourself?" Hurley asked indifferently.
Ignatius choked for a moment but then reflected on his words. There were too many affairs in the base, and he was too busy to focus on training; he had to rely on others to handle it.
"No, I have to bring them back for retraining," Ignatius said, furrowing his brow tightly. There was too much to do, too much to handle. He needed to find an assistant.
Ignatius's gaze fell on Hurley as he assessed him."Why are you staring at me?" Hurley became alert and was about to walk away.
But Ignatius, who had guessed his thoughts ahead of time, grabbed him. "Since you've come to join me, I believe you wouldn't want to freeload. How about this? I'll leave the training to you from now on."
Hurley: "... Who said I wouldn't mind freeloading?"
Hurley had just thought of refusing when he saw Ignatius suddenly sigh, looking exhausted. The words he was about to say stuck in his throat.
"Just this once, I'll help you train them, and after that, I won't intervene anymore." Unable to bear seeing Ignatius in such a tired state, Hurley reluctantly agreed.
Ignatius immediately smiled and patted his shoulder. "Young man, I have high hopes for you. Don't disappoint your uncle."
Then, he took it a step further, "By the way, you're so skilled with guns; you must have some understanding of weapons. Those weapons haven't been maintained for a long time. Find some time to inspect them and see if they're still usable. If there's any damage, repair it promptly."
Hurley: "I don't live here. I go out to earn resources. You'll have to find someone else."Wasn't this endless? He agreed to help with training, and now he had to repair weapons too.
Ignatius's expression turned troubled at the refusal. "Mohanan, you're my only family. If even you won't help your old uncle, who else can I rely on? When I was young, I wanted to go out and make something of myself, but I ended up leading an ordinary life for half a lifetime. Unexpectedly, after the apocalypse, I was presented with an opportunity and became the Base Commander, managing everyone. Since I've taken on this position, I can't ignore them. No one believes in me, except for you. Anyone could betray me, but not you."
Hurley looked at him with a vein popping on his forehead. After not seeing him for a few years, his old uncle had become quite the actor.
"Alright, I'll go check the weapons," Hurley finally chose to compromise. But thinking about the daunting task of inspecting the weapons, he felt a headache coming on. "I'm not doing this for nothing. The resources given to me must satisfy me."
"No problem, what's mine is yours, ," Ignatius immediately changed his tone, wearing a pleased expression. "Once I retire, I'll hand over the position of Base Commander to you. The kingdom I've built will be yours."
Hurley's eyelid twitched, feeling exasperated. "No thanks, nobody wants that position."
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