Chương 76: Reform Through Labor

The leader's last bit of bravado crumbled at Jack's words. Forgetting all about the men behind him, he hurriedly begged for mercy.

"Please don't kill me! I know I was wrong!" Jack looked at him and suddenly grinned.

"Relax. I'm a good person. I'm not going to kill you." A flicker of relief crossed the leader's face, but Jack wasn't finished.

"Not killing you doesn't mean we're going to pretend none of this happened."

"Of course not," the leader said quickly.

"You're absolutely right. As long as you spare me, I'll do whatever you want."

"Whatever I want?"

"Anything." The leader agreed without hesitation. Staying alive was all that mattered for now. He could worry about everything else later. Jack's smile widened as if he knew exactly what the man was thinking.

"Remember that." He told Vane and the others to keep the group where they were, then took off the submachine gun and handed it to Vane. Vane hesitated for a moment before accepting it with both hands. Jack said nothing, but the look they exchanged was enough. The fourteen men became even more obedient once they saw the weapon in Vane's hands. Jack then brought Elias and Megan into the unfinished trading post, far enough away that the others couldn't hear them.

"What should we do with them?"

"We can make them work," Elias said after thinking it over.

"But we can't allow them into the area behind the trading post. That limits what we can have them do."

"That's the problem," Jack said.

"That's why I brought you two over to discuss it."

"Then keep them outside the moat," Megan said. Jack looked at her.

"And have them do what? We haven't even finished building inside the moat. Why would we start another project outside?" Megan gave both men a helpless look.

"What job is taking up the most people right now, even though it barely requires any skill?" Jack and Elias looked at each other.

"Making brick blanks," Megan said.

"And laying them out to dry." The answer immediately made sense.

"Gordon can show them how it's done," she continued.

"Once the clay has been prepared, all they have to do is fill the molds, shape the brick blanks, carry them out, and arrange them properly. A few demonstrations should be enough unless all fourteen of them are complete idiots." Elias slapped his thigh.

"Of course!" He looked toward the land outside the moat, already working through the idea.

"There should be a large clay layer beneath this area. We can mark out a section outside the moat and have them dig up the clay, make the brick blanks, and lay them out to dry right there." That would keep all fourteen men outside the inner area. They would only need someone to supervise the work and check the finished brick blanks regularly. Better yet, the people currently making brick blanks could be reassigned to other work. The arrangement seemed practical, but Jack soon noticed one problem.

"What about water?" Jack asked.

"Making brick blanks takes a lot of it. Are we supposed to keep hauling water out there all day?"

"We won't have to," Elias said.

"Thomas left an extra outlet near the growing area when he installed the water pipes, remember? We can extend a pipe from there to the work area outside the moat." Jack remembered the unused outlet.

"What about food? We can't let them starve or die of thirst."

"Give them enough potatoes each day, and they can drink directly from the pipe," Elias said.

"There's no reason to give them bottled water or assign someone to cook for them."

"Fair enough. We'll start with that and adjust the arrangement later based on how they behave." With the basic plan settled, Jack returned to the fourteen men. Every one of them watched him approach, afraid he might have changed his mind. The leader immediately tensed. Jack stopped in front of them but said nothing. He took his time looking over the group, letting the silence stretch until the pressure became almost unbearable. Only then did he clear his throat.

"I will now deliver your sentence on behalf of the side of justice." The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A sense of dread immediately swept through the group. Jack clasped his hands behind his back and continued in a perfectly serious tone.

"You barged into this trading post, used trade as an excuse for extortion, attempted to seize someone else's supplies, and openly threatened to kill anyone who stood in your way." He paused deliberately, giving them just enough time to imagine the worst.

"After careful consideration, all fourteen of you are hereby sentenced to death." The verdict sent the entire group into a panic. Some tried to back away, only to stumble into the people behind them, while others immediately began begging for mercy. The leader went deathly pale. His legs shook so badly that he could barely remain standing. Then an unpleasant smell drifted through the air, and a dark patch began spreading across the front of his pants. Jack almost laughed.

He had expected the man to hold out a little longer. Instead, the so-called leader had lost control of himself almost immediately. Still, Jack kept a straight face. He let the silence drag on, giving all fourteen men plenty of time to experience what they believed were their final moments.

"However—" The panic stopped almost instantly. Fourteen pairs of eyes locked onto Jack, clinging to that single word as their last hope.

"Your intentions were vile, but you haven't actually killed or injured anyone. Therefore, your lives will be spared." Jack paused before adding,"But you will not escape punishment." He swept his gaze across the group and delivered the revised sentence.

"Your death sentences are hereby commuted to reform through labor." Relief swept through all fourteen men. One collapsed onto the ground as his legs gave out, while another closed his eyes and gulped down several deep breaths. Even the leader forgot about his soaked pants. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and hurriedly forced a grateful smile.

"Thank you! Thank you for sparing us!" Jack raised a hand.

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not finished." Their relief immediately faded. Jack pointed toward an open area outside the moat.

"From now on, all fourteen of you will work over there. You'll dig up clay, make brick blanks, and lay them out properly to dry in the sun." Several of the men quietly relaxed again. The work would be exhausting, but compared with dying, making brick blanks sounded like the best sentence they could possibly have received. Jack's next words quickly wiped away their relief.

"Each of you must produce three hundred brick blanks a day, and at least ninety percent of them must remain usable after drying. If even one of you fails to meet the quota, none of you will receive food that day." The fourteen men immediately began looking at one another. Only moments ago, they had all been on the same side. Now every person around them was a potential liability who could leave the entire group hungry.

Several glanced toward the smallest and thinnest among them, while others turned their attention to the men known for avoiding work. Jack watched their reactions with satisfaction.

"Do you understand? Any objections?"

"We understand!"

"No objections!" Their answers overlapped as everyone rushed to respond, afraid that the slightest hesitation might make Jack reconsider sparing them. Jack let them finish before pointing toward Gordon.

"He'll teach you how to make the brick blanks. From digging up the clay to shaping and laying them out to dry, you'll follow his instructions." It took Gordon a moment to realize Jack had just put him in charge. He came over and stood beside him. Jack's expression turned serious.

"Let me make one thing clear. Don't even think about laying a hand on him. If anyone tries, you'll wish I had kept the original sentence." The fourteen men hurriedly promised that they wouldn't dare. Jack nodded.

"You're also free to run. If you think you can get away, you're welcome to try." Several heads lifted at once, and something flickered in the leader's eyes. He quickly lowered his gaze, pretending the offer meant nothing. Inwardly, however, he had already dismissed Jack's warning. Running in broad daylight was impossible with so many people watching them. But once night fell, all they needed was one opening to disappear into the wasteland. Jack noticed the leader's poorly hidden confidence but said nothing.

He simply waved Cass and Megan over and quietly gave them a few instructions. Cass glanced at the fourteen men and immediately understood. Megan nodded, and the two left the trading post together. The leader watched them go. Something about the exchange made him uneasy, but he had no idea what Jack was planning. Before he could think about it any further, Jack addressed the group again.

"One more thing. From now on, you'll be responsible for keeping an eye on one another. If anyone plans to escape or tries to avoid their share of the work, you can report them to us." The fourteen men began looking at one another differently. A moment ago, they had only been worried that someone might fail the quota and leave the entire group hungry. Now every person standing beside them had become someone they needed to watch. Jack gave them enough time to understand what that meant before adding the bait.

"Of course, I don't expect you to report each other for nothing. If the information is true, there'll be a reward." Someone immediately asked, "What kind of reward?" Jack smiled.

"You could be promoted to supervisor. Supervisors won't have to make brick blanks alongside everyone else. Their job is to watch the workers, make sure no one slacks off, and ensure that both the daily quota and quality requirements are met." The moment they heard that a supervisor wouldn't have to do the same physical work, interest appeared across the group. No one reacted more strongly than the leader. He had already been wondering how to hold on to his authority.

As far as he was concerned, the supervisor's position naturally belonged to him. Jack's next words destroyed that assumption.

"But the supervisor's position isn't permanent, and I don't care who used to be in charge. Your old status means nothing here. Whoever proves capable gets the position, and if they perform badly, someone else takes over." As Jack looked across the group, the men who had been ready to continue following their leader began to reconsider. If they wanted to stick together, they would first have to trust that no one among them would sell out the others for the supervisor's position.

Jack watched their reactions with satisfaction. Just then, a familiar buzzing sound came from overhead. The leader looked up and saw a drone hovering directly above them. The camera beneath it slowly rotated until it pointed at the fourteen men below, and his heart sank. Jack followed his gaze with an amused smile.

"You know what a drone is, don't you?" No one answered. Even those who had never seen one in person had heard of such machines from the old world.

"This one has a maximum detection range of fifteen kilometers," Jack continued, pointing overhead.

"On a full charge, it can stay in the air for two and a half hours." Several faces immediately changed. Anyone who had been counting on the darkness to hide their escape was no longer so confident. Before the leader could fully process that, a cloud of dust rose from the nearby wasteland. A four-wheeled vehicle emerged through it, circled around the unfinished moat, and headed straight for the trading post, with Megan in the driver's seat and Cass riding behind her with the drone controller.

The CUEV soon came to a smooth stop in front of the group. Jack walked over and patted the vehicle.

"You recognize this too, don't you?" The leader's expression grew even worse, but Jack didn't wait for an answer.

"Eight hundred kilometers on a full charge. Top speed: thirty kilometers per hour." All fourteen men fell silent. The drone could detect them from fifteen kilometers away, the CUEV could chase them across the wasteland, and Jack and Megan both had guns. Even if they waited until dark and scattered in different directions, disappearing into the night was no longer an option. Jack looked across their faces before settling his gaze on the leader.

"If you want to run, I won't stop you." He pointed toward the drone overhead, then patted the CUEV beside him.

"Honestly, I'd love to see you try." The leader opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Whatever hope he had left was gone, and the others looked no better. By then, every escape plan they had been quietly considering had fallen apart.