Trash in the Apocalypse

In the shroud of the dark night, Jun continued to hunt for evolved carriers on the outskirts of Manila, the capital city. He was alone and didn't bring anyone with him to get the most out of this trip. 

With his current abilities, there were almost zero possibilities that he could die unless he was ganged by several unique survivors or high-ranked carriers. Even in a situation where he gets cornered, he could just run away by climbing up a high place and teleporting back to town.

Standing at the top of the edge of a building searching for his next target, his smartwatch notified him that a new message arrived. With a simple glance, he saw that it was from Blake Shu, the leader of the underground information group, Newsroom.

Since there were no targets to be found, he decided to open the message. It was a report of the unusual things happening in Antipolo City.

After the president was rescued, Rodriguez Duforte immediately ordered the army to start planning on how to move to the north. He made several adjustments to survivor welfare, which immediately raised the people's appreciation of him. Except for the few people who continuously rejects the motion for moving to the north, his return as the nation's president has been smooth.

The country is at the risk of peril and the president officially announced that the whole country is under martial law.

The military that finally had its Commander in Chief back could finally bear its fangs to those officials who had personal interests in mind even when the country was in crisis. Those who submitted their renewed allegiance were forgiven and demoted while those who tried to feign ignorance were stripped of their powers and still forced to obey orders.

Additionally, the survivors that came from Black Haven were being used for propaganda by the government. These people spread dark rumors about how Black Haven was run and how dangerous it was for civilians. They were doing it willingly as if they held a grudge against the territory.

After getting the gist of the message, Jun sent Blake Shu a reply. It was the actions the Newsroom has to do in order to help Black Haven over the situation.

Jun didn't look down on the other group. It was natural for them to use every resource they have to raise morale. With survivors telling horror stories to scare the population, there was nothing else he could do but play the same game. 

Jun doesn't know who gave the other to spread such stories, yet he can't remain passive and wait for the territory's reputation to plummet down. Since the other group resorted to such an underhanded method, they should expect to be hit back with the same degree in return.

Since they want to strengthen their image to get the backing of civilian survivors, I'll gladly play and take the other side of the coin!

"Spread rumors about how beneficial Black Haven is to those who are already strong. Try to leak information about the available goods, but don't give too many. Just enough to entice lone elites to come over. Most importantly, they are free to do whatever they want in Black Haven as long as they don't go overboard. We are neutral territory, not good, not bad. Try your best to get as many elites as you can. Even if they're not elites as long as they have the courage to fight, they would become stronger after joining Black Haven."

Upon sending his response, Jun resumed his hunt.

—

—

Back at the Stronghold, Antipolo City...

Blake Shu has read the message countless times and pondered the next actions that he should take.

During the time he was invited to join Black Haven, he and his group were accommodated properly. Hunting equipment and supplies were sent to aid them to get a stable footing in the city. He even made a separate department for selling trinkets and goods that came from Black Haven, earning them a lot of money and reputation.

Even then, he could still be considered as someone who kept standing on the fence and was forced to make a decision now.

In the past, all he had to do was gather relevant information and report it back. It was an easy task and most of the time, some other jobs from other politicians overlapped together causing him to save more time.

However, Jun's request meant that he finally had to choose sides. The time has come whether to support the man who had been helping them survive or side with the old government slowly rebuilding itself from the ground. 

After pondering for some time over the matter, he smiled and contemplated within.

"I want power and I want stability.

"The old government can give stability as long as you work for them, however, they want strict control over most workforce and want to know everything. Unless we work under them, it was impossible to become one of the leading powers.

"The only option was to fully ally with Black Haven for a better future. I can consider other local jobs as our cover, and to ease the government's focus on us."

With a decision in mind, Blake Shu called his trusted aid into the room and explained his decision. After everyone absorbed the changes, they started planning on how to perfectly execute the order.

First, they had to spread rumors about the benefits Black Haven gives to strong individuals. Followed by soft informational opportunities about jobs available in the territory like farming, fishing, and hunting. 

The reason why the recent survivors left was that they couldn't adjust to the physical labor and wanted to rely on the government for easier jobs. Through their clouded minds, they never imagined that office jobs and relaxing jobs would be far gone and could only be seen in the past. Even if there are availabilities, they need strong connections since there are lots of competition around.

The Newsroom worked itself tirelessly through the evening spreading good information around. They provided alcohol for people to get drunk while sneaking in such rumors. 

The night was cold quiet and a fight started without anyone knowing.