"Hong Captain, try mine..." Seeing that there was nothing interesting to watch and there wasn't much time for rest, everyone dispersed and went to eat or find a shady spot to lie down. But one person didn't leave and instead approached Hong Tao, handing him a cigarette box.
"Oh, Randy, you seem to have a good understanding of Chinese culture. You even know to offer cigarettes. But the cigarettes you chose don't suit my taste. Anyway, what do you want?" Hong Tao looked at the cigarette box and didn't take it. It was a slim one, and he didn't like smoking slim cigarettes. But Randy's effort to adapt to the local customs was not in vain, so it could be considered as encouragement.
"Just now, I listened to everyone's speeches and I was deeply moved. I also want to ask about this matter." Randy didn't smoke originally, but there were many smokers in the rescue team, especially among the higher-ups. Whenever they said something, they would take out their cigarettes to share. In order to facilitate communication, Randy had no choice but to join in.
In fact, not only did he learn, but several female members also started smoking. It wasn't to cater to the leaders' habits, but to alleviate loneliness, solitude, and fear of the unknown.
"...No need to beat around the bush, continue!" Hearing that it was still about this topic, Hong Tao quickly took the cigarette. The two packs of Zhonghua he got from the convenience store on the bridge were probably all fake, but it was still better to smoke slim cigarettes than fake ones.
"I want to know how the rescue team will operate in the future... Don't get me wrong, I don't oppose you being the leader. Yes, I am American, but the American system has also evolved step by step. It didn't start out like this."
After all, Randy didn't grow up in the original environment, but he learned quite well. However, when he encountered a cunning person, he would easily reveal his bottom line with just a few words, without even making a second attempt.
"If this is your true intention, then I congratulate you. Our views on this matter are converging. But don't be too happy yet, I can't answer your question right now. I'll tell you the reason, it's because it's too big and too far away. I can't see clearly what lies ahead, so I can't determine the direction. The only thing I can do now is to lead everyone to survive, expand the team as much as possible, and wait until we figure out what exactly happened and what the world is like before I can possibly answer your question."
Hong Tao was mostly telling the truth. In the eyes of outsiders, he was a leader, commanding dozens of people. Although he couldn't control everything, he appeared knowledgeable, capable of solving anything, and unstoppable. It seemed like he knew everything, could solve everything, and nothing could defeat him.
In reality, most of it was just an illusion. He and the other survivors were essentially no different, just lucky ones, all in a state of confusion, all needing to find the right path, all needing to survive.
The reason for creating this illusion was simply because he was a little braver, had a better way with words, had more life skills, and had a deeper understanding of human nature. That's all.
Compared to predicting the future, he was just as clueless and helpless, only able to take one step at a time. This was a high emotional intelligence way of saying that it was up to fate, whether they could survive or not depended on whether the heavens favored them.
Without much frustration and hardship, as long as these sources of infection that could turn people into monsters mutated a little, and then there was airborne transmission, he could only watch his companions die one by one. He might even be infected faster than others.
"...Things may not be as pessimistic as you think. Indeed, when the disaster just happened, I was also desperate, as if it was the end of the world and I could turn into a monster at any moment. But through these days of observation, I feel that the monsters are not as terrifying as they seem. As long as the survivors can unite like us, it is very likely that humans will ultimately triumph!"
But these truths sounded too pessimistic to Randy's ears. He wasn't an optimist, but he was generally rational. It was precisely because of this that he felt that the future could be better day by day.
It wasn't just a feeling, but a conclusion drawn through observation and logical analysis. Yes, there were a large number of zombies, and compared to them, the survivors were almost like finding a needle in a haystack.
But zombies had no intelligence, not even as good as ordinary mammals. They relied solely on some kind of instinct. Even if they could use solar energy for energy, didn't need to eat or drink, and could even live forever, as long as their intelligence didn't suddenly skyrocket, they would eventually be wiped out by humans. And this wouldn't take too long.
The rescue team currently only had over thirty people, half of whom were women and children, but they were already able to plan and target the killing of hundreds or even thousands of zombies without any harm to themselves. If this group could continue to expand and reach hundreds or even more members, the speed of clearing zombies would be even faster.
At the same time, with enough manpower, it meant having a variety of skills. By using existing resources to restore some power, small-scale production would definitely not be a dream. Completely occupying the city or certain important factories and mines would also not be a dream. Long-distance travel would also not be a dream.
If calculated like this, from a small group to a large area, from several areas to regions, it would definitely not be a dream for humans to restore the military, the government, and order.
In the face of modern military and weapons, the advantage of the number of zombies seemed to disappear. There were so many arsenals in the world, so many large-scale weapons of mass destruction. Just take out a few and it would be enough to deal with the zombies.
There was no need for high-end weapons. Just set up landmines with airplanes, tighten the encirclement of zombies step by step, and then conduct carpet bombing at a World War II level, and more areas could be cleared soon.
The only difference would be between a world with a population of 7 billion and a world with a population of 10 million. The speed of recovery would definitely take several decades, but human civilization would not be affected, and it might not even regress. The term "temporary stagnation" was more appropriate.
"Well, you are quite optimistic. I hope so..." Hong Tao originally thought that this visa officer, who had seen and experienced a lot, would have a different opinion, but he didn't expect it to be the same as Zhang Tao and Pan Wenxiang.The ancients say that it's pointless to talk if there's no common ground. After all, I can't provide any evidence, and it's meaningless to argue about nothing. Even if I feel like chatting, it's only a topic for after-dinner conversation.
"What are you worried about? Is there something I haven't considered?" Randy isn't Zhang Tao, she quickly sensed that Hong Tao was just humoring her.
"Well... it's simple, let me give you an example. Suppose when we get to the embassy, you suddenly find that there's another group of survivors also looking for weapons. Both sides are evenly matched, they don't want to join us, and we don't want to join them, because we don't know each other. In this situation, what would you do?"
Hong Tao finished his thin cigarette in just three puffs, not really finished, but he had sucked the filter flat, leaving a strong taste of tar. He had intended to end the conversation, but seeing Randy's serious discussion, he felt it was disrespectful to brush her off, so he had to take out another pack of Zhonghua from his pocket, unwrap it and light up. Fake cigarettes are better than no cigarettes at all.
"It's simple, both sides split the weapons equally!" Randy gave the answer without even thinking, shrugging her shoulders, showing disdain for the question.
"I'm not happy with that. After all the effort, I only get half of the weapons, I'm not satisfied. So, I take advantage of their unpreparedness, open fire on them, kill some of them, capture the rest, all the weapons are mine, and the people are mine too, what do you think?"
With a spicy taste rushing into his throat, under the influence of nicotine, Hong Tao felt much better, at least he no longer thought about the guy who had eaten people and run away. Then he grinned and continued to question Randy.
"…Why…why would you do that?" Looking at the man in front of her, with a crooked smile, one eye higher than the other, not quite laughing, not quite crying, Randy suddenly felt very unfamiliar.
Although they had known each other for less than half a month, this man had never shown such an evil expression before. Yes, evil, she could clearly feel from his smile that all the hypothetical situations he mentioned could become reality.
"Why? Let me think... because I need manpower, because I need weapons, because I didn't eat enough in the morning, because my hemorrhoids are acting up and I'm in a bad mood... Is the reason important? Even if I don't do this, can you guarantee that the other party won't do the same? If you can't guarantee it, then I have to do it. I can't put my life and the lives of my companions in the hands of strangers. Don't forget, there's no place to reason now, and no constraints. After they kill me, they won't even say sorry, they might even spit on me and call me a fool!"
One question made Hong Tao lower his opinion of Randy. This soldier was too naive, just like a boy scout, no wonder she was so optimistic.
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If all the survivors in the world could be like her, not to mention one in ten thousand, even if it was one in a hundred thousand, humans would still be the ultimate victors. But the question is, could this happen? If it could, humans would have established a global village long ago, and without any worries, they would have ventured into the vast universe.
"…Damn, I still haven't fully adapted to the current situation! You're right, reaching a consensus is indeed a big problem. Besides killing, is there any other solution?"
After hearing Hong Tao's answer, Randy immediately fell into deep thought, pondering while knocking the back of her head with her fist. She was straightforward, admitting her mistakes more smoothly than breathing, then she lit another cigarette and continued to ask questions.
"…It might be easier to merge with a weaker group, but the chances are slim. Any team that can survive and develop in the current situation won't be too weak. What do you think is the likelihood of a group of strangers with exceptional abilities coming together, is it more likely to unite or to be wary of each other? I think, any strong person is very opinionated and hard to persuade, unless faced with a great crisis, the chances of uniting are very low!"
Hong Tao could feel that Randy wasn't just asking casually, she was really planning for the future. Regardless of whether it was for her own benefit, it was worth discussing further. Compared to her, many people in the rescue team hadn't even thought about these issues in detail, don't ask, if you ask, they'll say they can't think that far ahead, it's too troublesome.