Chen Yu was not surprised by Zhao Lei's reaction. After all, his men had a gun to Zhao Lei's head. It would be too far-fetched to say it was a misunderstanding.

This explanation alone is hardly convincing.

Chen Yu was not angry about this. Instead, he waved to the surrounding "militiamen" and said, "Put down your guns. I will negotiate with them."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately removed the gun barrels that were pointed at the heads of the prisoners, but still stood guard on both sides with their guns still in hand, in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

To show sufficient sincerity, Chen Yu made a special effort to have the "militia" return the prisoners' masks to them, since it was freezing cold and their faces could easily get frostbite if exposed.

Seeing all this, Han Wantong took a deep breath and said to Chen Yu in a low voice, "Chen Yu, I can trust you one more time, but since you say it's a misunderstanding, can we leave now?"

Chen Yu shook his head with a wry smile: "Ms. Han, I think you've misunderstood. Your trust is very important to me, but at this moment, I'm afraid I can't let you and your team leave directly."

"So what exactly do you want?" Han Wantong asked angrily.

Seeing this, Zhao Lei quickly gestured for Han Wantong to be quiet, fearing that her actions would anger Chen Yu.

"Well, Ms. Han, didn't you ask us about our background just now? Now, it's my turn to ask you, right? Everyone should be open with each other; that's the foundation for building trust," Chen Yu said with a smile.

"Heh." Han Wantong sneered.

She felt incredibly stupid for believing Chen Yu's lies, which led to her teammates being captured.

A fully armed team of over a hundred people like yours, who would believe you're just passing by!

She had sincerely invited Chen Yu and the others to join their "Frost Alliance" time and time again, but the result was so ironic.

“We’re not bad people, this is my identification.” Chen Yu said, taking out his two “Cold Relief Militia Corps” appointment letters and showing them to the “Frost Alliance” members.

“As you’ve seen, when it comes to rescue, our ‘Anti-Cold Disaster Relief Militia Corps’ is a legitimate organization recognized by the military and government, while your so-called ‘Frost Legion’ or ‘Frost Alliance’ is just a civilian gang. It’s obvious who has more authority, isn’t it?” Chen Yu said with a serious expression. “To ensure that you don’t use disaster relief as a pretext for doing anything improper, we have a responsibility and an obligation to conduct a more comprehensive investigation of you.”

Han Wantong scoffed, not buying Chen Yu's explanation.

"Chen Yu, the authority and legitimacy you speak of are sometimes less important than practical actions in the eyes of those of us who have personally experienced the harsh cold and struggled to survive. Although our 'Frost Alliance' is not officially certified, every member of ours is a warrior who has earned the right to live on this land with sweat and even life. Every life we ​​save is the best proof of our authority."

Her gaze was firm as she looked directly at Chen Yu. "As for your concerns about us doing anything improper, I can tell you clearly that our 'Frost Alliance' has its own principles and bottom line. We will never do anything to harm the innocent or disrupt order. We were established to save survivors. As for your so-called authority, it is merely a formality. What truly wins people's hearts is action and contribution."

"Is that so?" Chen Yu said with a mocking smile. "How can a nobody like you represent the entire 'Frost Alliance'? Perhaps you do have a pure heart, but how can you know what the people above are really thinking?"

"I can make my own judgment; you don't need to worry about it!" Han Wantong sneered. "Our leader cares about the well-being of all people. Every decision he makes is based on careful consideration of the overall situation and deep concern for the survivors. The reason why our 'Frost Alliance' has been able to unite so many like-minded people is because we share a common belief and goal—to light the flame of hope for every soul yearning to survive in this extreme cold disaster."

Chen Yu shook his head at this, saying that it made it sound as if the "alliance leader" she was talking about was a saint.

Chen Yu dismissed this with disdain. He had witnessed too much of the complexity and darkness of human nature. In this post-apocalyptic world where order had collapsed, no leader of any power, especially a major one, would be an ordinary person.

After all, this is an apocalyptic world where order has collapsed. Without a tough approach, how can one possibly intimidate the masses below?

Not everyone is like Chen Yu, who can carry inexhaustible resources with him.

Those who preach righteousness often lack sufficient resources themselves. If they don't exploit their subordinates, how do they support their extravagant lifestyles?

Some might question why leaders must enjoy a luxurious lifestyle, and how can it be determined that they cannot live a simple life like the grassroots members and face difficulties together?

Of course not! It's human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm. It's hard for anyone to completely resist the temptation of privilege. You've finally gained power, and you expect people to live like refugees? Is that even possible?

Even assuming he truly possesses such high moral character, what about his family? Can they tolerate it? Or can they simply stand by and watch their family members suffer from hunger and cold every day?

If he could truly do that, then it wouldn't be a question of whether he's a saint or not; it would be an act of utter inhumanity! Such a person would cause far more harm than those greedy leaders.

In the apocalypse, resources are extremely scarce, and it is impossible to take care of everyone. Choices must be made. When a so-called "saintly leader" makes such choices, can he still maintain his selfless and noble persona?

He might painfully say "for the greater good" when making a choice, but has he ever considered what right he has to decide who is an "insider"? Why doesn't he himself become the sacrifice for "for the greater good"?

However, if one does not make any choices and provides relief to everyone, it would be unfair to everyone, because if that were the case, then everyone would be killed by him.

Therefore, in the end times, this is a very contradictory paradox.

Chen Yu also established a survivor base to save human civilization, but the resources he controlled in his alternate dimension destined him to be fundamentally different from other leaders of other forces.

First of all, he doesn't need to be supported by his subordinates at all. In fact, to be honest, at least for now, the entire Tianyu Base is supported by him.