The Apocalyptic Queen Theresa Novel - Chapter 127

Chapter 127 Reaching The Central Provision Depots "I don't accept that logic," Bennie said flatly, his gaze turning to Theresa with the chill of a winter storm. "Covering for them doesn't erase the fact that they did nothing." His tone was devoid of sympathy-cold and mechanical. "Resources will be allocated strictly according to contribution. If someone added nothing to the effort, they won't receive a single ration. It doesn't matter who vouched for them." A heavy silence descended over the crowd like a blanket of snow-still, tense, stifling.

Then Lucas stepped forward, shielding her with quiet authority. "No need to argue," he said coolly. "Blazing Sun Camp is now under the K1 Camp banner. Any supplies owed to her, we'll deduct from our own share." His frame cut off Bennie's line of sight like drawing a curtain. Bennie's expression darkened further, his voice coated with frost. "Since that's your stance, Mr. Keaton, I won't press the matter." Without waiting for a response, he spun around and walked away, his team trailing silently behind him. The other teams, seeing the standoff dissolve, quickly took their cue.

The compromise seemed acceptable enough, and they scattered in silence, relieved to avoid further conflict. Once the crowd thinned out, Lucas glanced over at Theresa, clearly trying to smooth things over. "Theresa, don't take what happened just now too seriously. They were just-" She cut in brightly, slapping his shoulder in mock camaraderie, "Oh, save it. You dragged me here to freeload, didn't you? Why would I take offense at that?" She wasn't some clueless girl convinced that Lucas was indebted to her.

On the contrary, he had gone out of his way to expect nothing from her-letting her coast effortlessly beside him. That debt? As far as she was concerned, it had already been repaid in full. So why would I waste time getting upset at someone like him? That would've been downright idiotic. No, her issue wasn't with Lucas. It was with the others. And at the very top of her list-Bennie. He'd marked himself clearly as her next target. If I don't return this humiliation tenfold, I won't be worthy of my name!

By midday, the earlier commotion had dissipated, and the teams began reorganizing in preparation for the next phase of their journey. The bloody clash from the day before had taken its toll, but it came with a silver lining-the path was cleared, and the worst of the zombie horde had been annihilated. With Kl Camp spearheading the effort, the group moved as a unified force, eliminating stray zombies and dragging away the wreckage from old traffic pileups. Bit by bit, the clogged highway was cleared, giving them a direct path forward.