The broth color was close to red-orange. It looked spicy, but the aroma from the food was not spicy.
Tang Shaoyang scooped the broth and gave it a taste. A strong spice assaulted his bud of taste. It was sour and a little bit spicy. But not the spicy of that chili but more like the spicy of the ginger.
He actually liked the taste. When he swallowed the broth, he felt his chest and stomach were warming up. He then glanced back at the people who worked on food.
They were surely considerate to make this kind of food. The night in autumn was chilly, this food could help the soldiers warm their bodies up.
Tang Shaoyang nodded his head as he savored the food. In his third spoon, his ears were twitching as he heard something interesting. With all passive skills and high Sense, he could hear the conversation outside from inside. His subordinates were talking about him.
Gan Shuo, Liao Zhenya, Zhen Yang, and the other survivors from Huzhou City gathered at one table. Gan Shuo, the older man, kept glancing at the building. He was trying to spot the Leader.
"He finally shows his face, I thought he was going to hide from us!" Gan Shuo spoke in a harsh tone while controlling the volume of his voice.
"He" in Gan Shuo's mouth was Tang Shaoyang. He still resented that the fact Tang Shaoyang did not help them in the battle against the zombies.
"But he gave us food, enough food to fill our belly, and also a nice place to stay, Uncle Gan. I think he is good," Wan Yongzhen disagreed with Gan Shuo.
Wan Yongzhen was a seventeen years boy who tried to join the army but was spotted by Fan Rui and Gu Yingjie. He expressed his honest thoughts since he was not allowed to join the battle. He and his sister were provided with food, getting consoled, and moral support. It was a nice place for him who lost his parents.
"That's because you are not in the battle, Little Wan. But once you become a soldier, No! You don't have to become a soldier, get another profession," Gan Shuo immediately shook his head at the thought. Wan Yongzhen was too young to be on the battlefield. He was not ready for the cruel battle.
"I heard from Captain Gu that The Empire offers other jobs as well. Better you stay away from the battlefield," Gan Shuo seriously advised the teenager, "You have a sister to take care of, if…"
The older man did not finish his words as Liao Zhenya nudged him from the side. She elbowed him to not finish the sentence.
"I know you are not satisfied with Our Lord who just watched us fighting the zombies, but he must have a reason for that, Uncle Gan," Zhen Yang tried to calm the older man. At the same time, he glanced around. He was afraid that the other soldiers heard them.
"But I also have my reason to stay alive. I have a wife and also children. I am not going to die for a leader who does not want to fight with us!" Gan Shuo shot a glance at Zhen Yang as he replied cynically.
"But no one died. We have the Healer Division. Healers were assigned evenly for each group, and I heard that we don't have casualties," Liao Zhenya supported Zhen Yang, "Lord Tang must be aware that we will not die in the battle as long as we have healers on our back".
"What's wrong with you? Why would you side with the Lord? Our body might be healthy and fit, what about our mind!?" Gan Shuo pointed his head with his finger, "If this continued, I might go crazy for real."
"Last night might not be the last, we might face the same situation later, but please also look at the situation from Lord Tang's perspective, Uncle Gan. Once you understand that, you will not act like this," Zhen Yang was shaking his head. While he understood why Gan Shuo was angry, he also understood behind The Lord's action. If he looked at the big picture and also the future, he agreed with Lord Tang's decision by not joining the fight.
"What do you mean to look at the situation from his perspective? He is our Leader, It's the Leader's job to protect his subordinates!" Gan Shuo raised his voice slightly.
"Hah… Uncle Gan, you should realize by now that the zombies keep growing, not just in numbers but in power as well!" Zhen Yang did not back down as he met with the old man's gaze.
"That's true, so? That's why The Lord should protect his people!" Gan Shuo did not back down. He felt that his opinion was right and it remained the same.
"I agree with you! The Lord should protect his people, but the people are not the soldiers! He must protect the people who could not fight, the elders and the children. That's why he forms military groups, selecting people that fit to enroll in the military. We are selected to be the people who will protect the people who could not fight, your wife and also your children," Zhen Yang explained his thoughts patiently, "Please let me finish my argument first, Uncle Gan," he stopped midway when he noticed Gan Shuo was about to cut his words.
"Since you know that the zombies keep growing in power, that means we have to grow stronger as well to face them. How do we get stronger? Killing the zombies and leveling up! That's the fastest way to grow stronger!
Our Lord realizes this issue hence he did not join the fight. He wants us to level up and grow stronger by killing those zombies. He wants us to get all the levels so that in the future when we face stronger zombies, we can survive and protect our loved ones!
We can't keep relying on one person, Uncle Gan. And I agree with the decision. This is the best for me. I want to protect what's mine with my hand. I don't want to rely on others!"