The Undead and Unstoppable Apocalyptic Queen novel Chapter 73

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Chapter 73 The Currency of Survival

Chapter 73 The Currency of Survival

The list detailed the exact exchange rates for food in the points system.

One pound of rice cost one point. One pack of salt, one point. One egg, one point. One pound of pork, ten points. One live chicken, fifty points.

Of course, there were also ways to earn points–the exchange rates worked the same in reverse.,

All crops you harvest can be exchanged with me for points. And killing zombies or collecting gleamstones also earns rewards!” Theresa announced.

She held up a handful of gleamstones for everyone to see.

“Leo, you recorded the gleamstones they just collected. At one point per gleamstone, that counts as your base points. Going forward, any gleamstones you find and bring back from hunting zombies will be worth ten points each!”

Leo and the others were stunned.

Everyone understood instantly.

From now on, in Theresa’s camp, points would be the currency. And judging from the number of gleamstones just collected–ranging from sixty to eighty per person–that meant their base balance was already in the sixty to eighty point range.

If they traded it all for food, that was easily 600 to 800 pounds of food per person!

“In addition,” Theresa continued, “everyone will be required to pay ten points a day in resident tax. This tax covers the use of all land and housing within my territory.

“Miss a payment by a day, and a 10 percent late fee will apply. If you’re ten days overdue, you’ll lose your residency rights, have all your property confiscated, and be expelled from the camp. Residents are encouraged to report tax evaders–successful reports will be rewarded with half the confiscated property!”

The crowd tensed up.

“But in return, every official resident of my territory will be under my protection. I’ll provide the safest living environment possible. Inside my borders, you’ll be able to live and work freely, just like before the apocalypse. Plus, I’ll distribute welfare benefits on a regular basis.”

Since ancient times, rulers had used five tactics to govern people: ignorance, weakness, fatigue, humiliation, and poverty.

Ignorance meant unifying people’s thoughts–ensuring everyone aligned with a single authority.

Theresa needed them to think as one. To survive under her leadership, they had to agree with her vision and build the camp together. That was ignorance.

Weakness meant ensuring the camp had strength, but individuals didn’t–no groups could form strong enough to challenge her authority.

Like Dane’s gang from yesterday.

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Chapter 73 The Currency of Survival

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They stuck together like thorns, each with their own agenda. With Dane at the helm, they were a potential threat. Theresa would never allow them in–why bring trouble into her camp?

Weakness meant dismantling such power clusters, splitting up alliances so that every person was individually aligned under her leadership.

The people she’d accepted so far were all loosely connected, not loyal to any one leader. Leo had some influence, but not enough to pose a threat. As soon as Theresa took them in, everyone was more willing to trust her. That made them safe to integrate.

Weakening individual power ensured no one could disrupt the camp. That was weakness.

Fatigue meant giving everyone daily tasks and goals to keep them busy.

The points system did just that. With ten points due every day just to stay in the camp, they couldn’t afford to be idle. Missing payments meant penalties–and eventually expulsion.

Everyone had to contribute. Chasing points gave them purpose. That was fatigue.

Humiliation came from the internal reporting system. It ensured her rules were followed and punishments enforced. People would stay alert, work diligently, and follow the rules. That was humiliation.

And finally, poverty.

Poverty kept people too poor to save or think about rebellion. Like the “paycheck–to–paycheck” lives before the apocalypse, most people could barely cover their expenses, with little chance of accumulating wealth.

This kept them too busy surviving to stir up trouble. That was poverty.

But for Theresa’s fledgling camp, everyone was already broke.

There was no need to enforce poverty yet.

What she needed now was growth.

Rapid development and camp construction!

Ten points a day were enough to keep everyone working. And for those who worked hard, saving up wealth was still possible.

Of course, as the leader, Theresa would ensure everyone’s safety and support them in any emergency, while also providing some benefits.

As long as her people worked hard, she would make sure they enjoyed the best conditions of any camp around.

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