CHAPTER 288: CHAPTER 288: FRANK’S SCHEMES

Taking a deep breath, Frank was about to continue arguing when Dante added,

"Instead of scheming internally, it would be better if, in this discussion room, we find a way to control the rising problems."

Hearing that, everyone nodded in unison. General Frank clenched his fist, then lowered his head. Another idea formed in his mind.

The military discussed matters for a long time, yet no real solution emerged.

Instead, more problems arose, like the temporary power awakening solutions; they were becoming a kind of poison slowly spreading through humanity.

If they didn’t stop it before it reached madness, citizens would die even before the apocalypse struck them in full force.

At the end of the discussion, everyone left with their own concerns. Dante thought about ways to generate more water while Janet worried about food.

Miller, on the other hand, worried for his family, who still lacked enough water to drink.

Conard thought about his sister, who had mentioned the base she was living in; he considered proposing a deal with Silvy’s base but held back, since the next meeting was scheduled for tomorrow and the announcement hadn’t arrived yet.

Maybe higher-ups would soon offer a solution. With that thought, he left.

General Frank watched their shrinking figures before narrowing his eyes. He walked out and called his subordinate, Carson, into his office.

Once inside, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and cursed, saying that even wearing just a cotton shirt made him feel hot. He didn’t know how long this extreme heat would last.

Just then the office door knocked and Carson entered. He saluted General Frank and asked what he could do.

General Frank immediately explained, "I want you to spread rumors among the base citizens," and began to outline the plan.

When Frank finished, Carson lowered his head.

A trace of hesitation appeared in his eyes, and General Frank noticed.

He calmly said, "You don’t need to worry about being caught. I will handle the investigation and make sure you aren’t implicated."

A hint of relief flashed across Carson’s face. General Frank continued,

"As long as you follow my orders and execute this plan, I’ll make sure you never have to worry about food for the rest of your life."

Carson clenched his fist, looked at General Frank, and then nodded. "I’ll do what you asked," he said.

The next day, an emergency meeting was called by General Matthew, and all the generals rushed into the discussion room along with a few captains.

Once inside, General Matthew began,

"I received a message today. The higher-ups are asking all bases to go independent. From now on, we need to elect a base leader, and the military will be temporarily disbanded until a strong solution or a cure for the zombie apocalypse is found."

Hearing this, a wave of despair passed over every single general’s mind. It was pure torment.

Even though the higher-ups had tried to put the news in gentle words, it didn’t change how devastating it was.

Going forward, they had to manage the entire base, from food to logistics. Everything would be handled by the generals alone.

Now, they had to worry about every problem on their own, while the higher-ups had washed their hands clean of responsibility.

They understood what this meant. Many of them now truly wanted to abandon the military base altogether.

After all, they had only held on until now, hoping that some kind of relief or aid would come from the government.

But this announcement made it clear that things weren’t as simple as they’d hoped.

Maybe the apocalypse was going to last for a decade or more. Otherwise, the military wouldn’t have given up control so easily.

The more they thought about it, the more worrisome it became.

Even General Frank felt uneasy.

Though it seemed like a good opportunity to become the base leader and wield power, his strongest backer had been one of the higher military authorities, and now, that backing was gone.

Taking a deep breath, he glanced at General Dante. In normal circumstances, everyone would most likely vote for Dante to become the base leader.

No, if things continued like this, Dante would definitely be chosen.

Frank’s mind began to churn as he considered various possibilities of how to turn the situation in his favor.

A brilliant idea soon formed, and his lips curved into a smile.

He stared at Dante and said, "Since this is a matter of choosing a base leader, I think it would be better if General Dante becomes the base leader."

Everyone fell silent. Dante looked at Frank with suspicion.

Talia immediately interrupted, saying,

"General Frank, are you eyeing the food? Or are you thinking of blackmailing him, using his personal stash of food to support the base in names that General Dante is the base leader?"

Talia had pinpointed the problem right away.

In fact, everyone in the room already understood what Frank was implying, but no one had dared to voice it.

Now that Talia had spoken, General Conard nodded and added,

"That’s too inhuman. If you truly have this in mind, then you should give up on that idea, Frank."

With the military base on the verge of disbanding, General Conard didn’t think about saving face.

Frank quickly waved his hand.

"I knew everyone would think the worst of me," he said with a forced smile.

However, in his heart, he cursed them.

’This Talia is trained by that scheming brother of his!’

Indeed, he had such a plan; however, the only comforting fact was... that wasn’t his main plan.

Talia turned toward Dante and spoke sincerely.

"I know my own limitations. I may love power and influence, but Dante is different. He’s a people-loving man, a true soldier at heart. That’s why General Dante should be the one to become the base leader."

For a moment, everyone felt as if the sun had started rising from the west.

Frank then continued, "I don’t have any expectations from Dante, nor am I asking him to use his private stash of food to support the base."