Hypocritical

"Are you daring to hit me?" Obviously, Robert didn't expect Clark to start with a slap directly to the face without considering his feelings.

"I see you're used to being someone else's dog. Shut up! Speak again, and I'll knock your teeth out!" Clark said without any courtesy.

The people here were gradually frightened by someone named William, thinking that there was no other way but to endure, which gradually led to the current situation.

Mastering crucial resources and gradually making the other side submit – this strategy was quite familiar to Clark, who often read online novels.

"You really dare to use force," Olivia Turner smiled on the side, not stopping or affirming.

"Let's go. Let's see what kind of guy this William is," Clark took the lead to go upstairs. John followed silently, and Olivia Turner followed suit.

Robert touched his still hot face, trailing far behind, his eyes full of ferocity and malice.

The stairs led directly to the upper floor. From the outside, the building looked abandoned, but the facilities inside were still intact, allowing them to see everything outside from inside.

Clark went straight over and pushed open the door. A middle-aged man with a cigarette in his mouth was enjoying himself, and several young people stood in his room, ready to obey his commands.

Seeing Clark entering suddenly, he was initially surprised but quickly calmed down.

"You're the newcomers?" William smiled and said, looking like an innocuous good guy if Clark didn't know about his deeds in advance.

"Speak up if you have something to do. Don't waste my time," Clark laughed. He disliked people like William the most – insincere, full of hidden motives.

"Alright, alright. You just arrived and probably don't know the situation. I received orders from the Alliance to manage this place. So, you have to listen to me, obey the arrangements, and collect the necessary daily supplies. Of course, I can consider giving you a bit more since I see you have some capabilities," William said, observing that Clark was a tough nut to crack, not like the mouthy Robert from earlier.

"Boss, kick them out. He just hit me!" Robert, covering his face, ran over, looking wronged.

"Oh?" William didn't expect Clark to have already taken action. His face showed some displeasure, but he continued to smile and said, "It must be a misunderstanding. You guys just arrived and don't understand the situation. About a hundred people here all rely on me for survival. I have rules for speaking and acting."

"Haha!" Clark suddenly burst into laughter. "Keep pretending, go on!"

William's face turned unpleasant. Although everyone here knew he was hypocritical, and he knew that they knew, it didn't stop him from continuing his act. However, Clark wasn't playing along, and that presented a problem.

"It seems like you don't belong here," William said with an unfriendly expression, turning to Robert. "Kick them out. We don't have much food, and we can't afford disobedient people."

At the same time, he looked at John, signaling him to take action.

"But they brought an injured Alliance soldier," John said hesitantly.

"Shut up! Act quickly!" William impatiently threw away his cigarette butt.

The young people around William wanted to take action, but John's stern expression stopped them. Robert, on the other hand, stayed on the sidelines, lacking the courage to strike first after being slapped by Clark.

"You useless bunch! What am I keeping you for?" William, finding himself unable to command his subordinates, became furious. He resorted to coercion and temptation, "Listen to me, and I guarantee he'll eat well every day, and I'll even find him a woman!"

This offer seemed quite tempting. These young men, full of vigor, having enough to eat and having a woman, were about to see their most important dreams easily come true. Will they accept?

"Clap, clap!" Two clear sounds echoed. Clark had quickly approached William, delivering two slaps, stunning him. Fearless against zombies, why fear such a despicable person?

"Are you daring to hit me?" William, obviously unprepared for being hit, didn't dare to act out. At this moment, Clark was close enough for him to see a dagger in Clark's hand.

"Do you know the consequences? I'm appointed by the Alliance!" William gritted his teeth, forcing out these words.

"Haha!" Clark laughed. If he were in a better state, he might have burst into tears from laughter.

"I don't care if what you say is true or false. It makes no difference to me. If you're capable, call for help from the Alliance!" Dealing with swindlers and scoundrels, reasoning was the least effective method. Knocking them down directly, wasn't that satisfying?

"You!" William's face turned purple with anger, but it was clear that his resolve was waning.

Everyone present noticed this change, and naturally, no one was willing to listen to him anymore.

"Alright, you just stand aside. I'll take over now. If you don't agree, you can ask my knife here." Clark spoke while cutting a piece off the wooden table corner like slicing tofu.

"Sigh."

Someone sighed.

Some people stepped back.

The most expressive were William and Robert. They were genuinely scared.

"Now, distribute enough food and fresh water to everyone immediately, so that everyone can eat their fill!" Clark instructed John.

John wasn't a bad person at heart; he was just too honest and easily fooled by the likes of William and Robert.

"Okay!"

John happily followed Clark's instructions and started distributing food and water to everyone.

"By doing this, the food will be quickly depleted. We don't have enough food for everyone to eat their fill. You're harming everyone!" William suppressed his anger and spoke in a low voice.

"I know, but at least they can eat their fill for now!" Clark hadn't planned on keeping everyone permanently in this basement; it was impossible. With over a hundred people gathered without producing, only consuming, no matter how many supplies they had, there would be a time when they ran out.