Chapter 109

Chapter 109 Find Him and Be Rewarded
He joined her just to get his hands on some supplies! B*stard!
“Kyle, remember that from now on, Quentin is Blazing Sun Camp’s archenemy! Do not buy into a thing he says! Catch him right away and break his legs if you see him! I want him to suffer to death!”
Kyle replied, “I got it.”
“I can’t believe this!” Theresa snapped, glaring at the near-empty shelves. “He only took things from the first floor, thank god. Didn’t even bother checking the second or third.”
Tessa hovered nearby, unsure whether to speak.
“And he took the pile of clothes Kyle gathered, Theresa muttered bitterly, clenching her fists. “That man…”
Despite her fury, she let out a breath. “At least the dogs did their job,” she added. “Kept the car safe. I had Kyle load everything from the first floor into it beforehand, remember?”
Tessa nodded, cautiously.
“They ate so much of the food. Some of it’s spoiled now, too. Theresa went on, pacing. “We’ve got less than a quarter left. Less than a quarter! I’m just going to tell myself I gave them a third and be done with it.”
Tessa opened her mouth but thought better of it. Theresa’s anger was snowballing, feeding on itself.
When they got back to camp. Theresa wasted no time. She sat down at her desk, pulling out a sheet of
paper.
“Tessa,” she said sharply, “I want this playing on every screen in camp. All the time.”
She held up the notice she had just written. A photo of Quentin stared out from it, next to a rough sketch she had drawn herself.
That was the moment it became official-Quentin was no longer just a problem. He was Blazing Sun Camp’s archenemy.
Find him and you shall be rewarded a bounty of 100 points!
Theresa wasn’t about to let bygones be bygones-not when it came to Quentin. His deceit had pulled the rug out from under her, leaving her in a deep funk that lingered far too long. She had been so rattled that thoughts of expanding her territory had completely fallen by the wayside. Instead, she poured all her energy into running the camp, improving its systems, and finding solace in the company of her loyal dogs -creatures she could count on through thick and thin.
It had been three months since the world turned upside down. Slowly but surely, the camp was finding its footing. In the beginning, the residents had planted quick-growers like mung bean sprouts, cabbages, and baby bok choy-just enough to keep hunger at bay. Now, they were reaping the rewards of their hard work with heartier, more bountiful crops like potatoes and sweet potatoes.
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The reclaimed land was now bursting at the seams with life: fields of corn, wheat, and sorghum stretched out in rows, while tomatoes, cucumbers, large cabbages, and spinach filled the garden beds. To top it all off, patches of strawberries and blueberries added a sweet note to their hard-earned success—a real feast for both the eyes and the table. Read full story at.net
Theresa had handed over nearly every seed in her stash to jumpstart the planting effort. David, whose abilities revolved around plant manipulation, took the lead in getting the crops off the ground. Meanwhile, Leo-along with a few others gifted with enhanced strength and speed—took on the backbreaking task of expanding the farmland. The rest of the group rolled up their sleeves and pitched in, working side by side to sow the fields and care for the growing plants.
To top it all off, a recent upgrade to Theresa’s territory system gave their efforts a major boost: crops grew faster and yielded more than ever before.
At long last, the territory was bearing real fruit. Blazing Sun Camp had weathered the worst of its early trials. The tide had turned-what once had been Theresa carrying the entire camp on her shoulders was now a community that stood behind her, giving back what they could.
The surplus harvest poured into the camp’s warehouse, exchanged for points under Theresa’s system. After settling their earnings, she opened up a selection of daily essentials for them to claim. But the flood of goods was more than they could spend in one go, and unspent points quietly stacked up in their accounts, turning into personal reserves of wealth.
With the apocalypse still looming large and resources in short supply, food was all they could reliably produce. Theresa, however, had a keen eye for economics. By leveraging the imbalance-known as the price scissors-between cheap farm goods and costly manufactured items, she was able to keep the camp’s economy running smoothly.
The price gap was no joke. Grain, for instance, was bought from residents at a point per pound. But if someone wanted a brand-new shirt? That would set them back a hundred points.
In other words, a piece of clothing equaled a hundred pounds of grain. However, it was far from equal. Though a piece of clothing was nowhere near worth a hundred pounds of grain, it was how it was.
By hiking up the cost of manufactured items and keeping staple food prices low, the price scissors served as a powerful tool to help residents gradually reclaim their accumulated wealth. It created a fair trade-off for the effort they put into farming.
Since food production was the only thing within their reach, the residents had no choice but to rely on Theresa for everything else. Though non-essential items like clothing came with a steep price, many were willing to save up their hard-earned points to make the purchase.
All things considered, the system turned out to be a win-win. For the people of Blazing Sun Camp, it was a setup that not only rewarded their hard work but gave them a pathway to stability and a better life amidst the chaos.
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