Li Zongkai saw Liao Youzhi looking at him and was about to speak when the box door was knocked; the dishes had arrived.

The waiter opened the door, and a waiter along with a chef each pushed a small cart specifically used for serving dishes, with many exquisite bowls and plates arranged on three layers: top, middle, and bottom.

In no time, a series of steaming, aromatic dishes were placed on the dining table—four cold dishes and eight hot dishes, including braised Lion Head meatballs, pig stomach chicken soup, stir-fried pork, chicken stewed with mushrooms...

In terms of ingredients and sophistication, these dishes naturally couldn’t compare to the banquets before the disaster broke out, but they were an explosive presence now. Many struggled to survive in the cold and hunger, while the leaders of the Survivor Forces had already returned to their previous dietary standards, even surpassing them!

Equality never existed. At the onset of the disaster, almost everyone was reverted to their original forms. Some died anxiously in fear, others exploded in rage in desperate situations, and yet others rose up to lead more people to survive. The stronger one was, the more resources they could obtain.

"Come, everyone, have a taste. To prepare this table, I almost emptied the warehouse, hahaha. But as for drinks, we can skip them. I believe no one will want to drink. Chairman Li, you seemed to have something to say just now, please continue."

Liao Youzhi instructed everyone to start eating and then looked at Li Zongkai again, trying to resume the previous topic.

Li Zongkai symbolically picked up a piece of white-cut chicken and said slowly, "Instead of directly breaking into the opponent’s base camp, why don’t we try to lure the enemy into a trap? Once the leader of the opposing side is captured, they will certainly panic, leading to their defeat without a fight. Wouldn’t that be better?"

Gong Chengming, who hadn’t had much presence, cast a veiled glance at Li Zongkai and then quietly continued to eat, as if he had no role here other than to enjoy the meal.

"Luring the enemy into a trap, hmm... care to elaborate?" Liao Youzhi inquired curiously.

"We now assume the zombie horde was attracted by the group from Celestial Horse Island, though we can’t fathom their motives. I think we could send someone to negotiate, appearing humble and friendly, and invite their people into the city to talk. By then, how we handle it will be up to us, the safety coefficient is very high!"

Li Zongkai’s demeanor was quite composed, and his ideas leaned toward conservatism. The task needed to be done, but he valued his own safety more.

Logically, such a steady plan should receive approval, at least from some of the members, but the dining table remained unusually silent. It was clear that everyone was deep in thought, and as for what they were thinking, only they knew!

"Old Li, your method sounds risk-free, yet implementing it is no small feat. Who wouldn’t be as shrewd as a monkey these days? Who would dare to casually venture into someone else’s territory?"

Liu Yao shook his head, feeling that Li Zongkai’s proposal was impractical.

Under normal circumstances, Yang Xinqi would have certainly berated Liu Yao, but this time he was notably silent. While others spoke, he rotated the lazy Susan, constantly picking up food, like a starving spirit reincarnated.

"Director Liu makes a good point, not everyone shares close relations like we do..."

Liao Youzhi pretended to be pensive, then suddenly turned to Gong Chengming, who was eating slowly beside him, saying, "Younger Brother Gong, don’t just eat like Old Yang. The Survivor Alliance is half yours—quick, share some ideas!"

"Leader Liao, you’re making it sound like all I do is eat!"

Yang Xinqi, somewhat embarrassed, put down his chopsticks, picked his teeth with his tongue, and said, "Director Gong, you hold off on voicing your great insights for now. Let me speak first, or Leader Liao might think I’m nothing but a glutton!"

"First of all, I’m not very supportive of Chairman Li’s plan because I can’t think of any reason compelling enough to lure the enemy out. Even if we manage to invite people to Qin City and take advantage of the situation to wipe out Celestial Horse Island, once the news spreads, our reputation might suffer greatly..."

"The fear of no one daring to trade with us is minor; what’s worse is that we might become the target of everyone’s criticism! Alright, I’m done, Director Gong, your turn."

Gong Chengming’s expression bore some resemblance to Li Zongkai’s, with an air of calm and a slight smile, "The Alliance needs only one decision-maker. Brother Liao, you should be the one to make these decisions."

"That’s not acceptable!" Liao Youzhi shook his head with a displeased look, saying, "Today, you must come up with a plan. You’ve previously investigated the northern side and should be very familiar with it. Come on, I know you have many ideas, don’t keep them hidden."

Unable to refuse, Gong Chengming put down his chopsticks, picked up and relit his extinguished cigar, and said, "Actually, I agree with Chairman Li’s plan for three reasons. First, our current living environment appears safe but is, in fact, fragile. We must always be on guard against zombies while also preventing external forces from taking advantage of us."

"Second, from the city to Celestial Horse Island is not far but not close either. The closest is the Apocalypse Corps, about thirty kilometers away, while the farthest Civilization Guardian is over fifty kilometers away. The risks of long-distance warfare are something you all know better than I do."

"Third is the issue of information. We are definitely familiar with ourselves but know very little about the situation on Celestial Horse Island. I believe mobilizing troops from four families to attack one place won’t be an issue, but the eventual losses are hard to estimate."

"As for the issue that Director Yang just mentioned, I think there’s no need to worry too much. In the post-apocalyptic world, what people care about more is the fist. Whoever has the bigger fist has the right to speak, the right to set rules. Becoming the target of all is overthinking. There are no eternal enemies or friends, only eternal interests!"

Compared to Li Zongkai’s vague plan, Gong Chengming laid out specific points, and even analyzed Yang Xinqi’s perspective, which was very persuasive.

The scene fell silent again, with only the sound of chewing echoing.

After a moment, Liao Youzhi let out a long breath and said, "In today’s world, it’s not easy to gather like this. Tonight, we must come up with a plan, and let’s not be coy about it, we’ll decide by voting! Come on, those who support directly going over there and reasoning with them, raise your hand."

This ’reasoning’ was not your typical reasoning; everyone knew the power of convincing through reason. Soon, two people slowly raised their hands.

"Crap, I didn’t think the two of us would end up together. Damn, fate must be blind!"

Liu Yao turned his head away with an odd expression, avoiding eye contact with Yang Xinqi, who had raised his hand alongside him.

Yang Xinqi rolled his eyes at Liu Yao, sneered disdainfully, and couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. Instead, he said, "There are many villages to the north and a vast amount of farmland. None of us should pretend to be saints; taking down the forces up north and splitting the resources as soon as possible is the real deal!"

Liao Youzhi nodded, without commenting, and then said, "Then those who think directly attacking is too aggressive and that we should use strategy to solve the problem, raise your hand."

Gong Chengming and Li Zongkai exchanged a glance and slowly raised their hands.

"This vote, haha, two to two, still don’t know what to do!"

Liao Youzhi shrugged with a twisted mouth.

"Leader Liao, how could you forget yourself? What’s your stance?" Liu Yao asked with a peculiar expression.

"Oh, right, right, right, haha, look at my brain, busy thinking of solutions and forgot my own vote."

Liao Youzhi patted his forehead in frustration, then pretended to ponder deeply. He hadn’t forgotten; he was merely putting on a show.

The atmosphere at the scene was quite subtle, with an indescribable weirdness.

Gong Chengming slightly closed his eyes, seemingly confident in Liao Youzhi’s choice. Liu Yao and Yang Xinqi also appeared confident, puffing on cigars, while Li Zongkai, who had barely eaten earlier, began to dig in earnestly.

After about two or three minutes, Liao Youzhi tapped his fingers on the table and said, "I think we should press on at once, directly bring the troops to their city and reason with them, after all, prolonged delays may lead to issues."

With Liao Youzhi speaking, the vote result became three to two, and the matter was settled!

Upon hearing Liao Youzhi’s words, Gong Chengming’s body visibly stiffened, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Liao Youzhi’s decision took him by surprise. Although he was the number two, outside, whether you’re number one or number two, as long as one person clarifies their stance, how could the other sing a different tune?

If the roles were reversed, and Liao Youzhi had stated his position first, no matter the thoughts, Gong Chengming wouldn’t oppose!

Compared to Gong Chengming’s surprise, Li Zongkai merely put down his chopsticks, wearing a regretful expression, seemingly not too concerned. For him, whether to attack proactively or to lay a trap for the opponent, the focus was on getting the job done.

"Well, I knew Leader Liao is wise, hahaha."

Liu Yao got the result he wanted and was naturally thrilled, giving Liao Youzhi a big thumbs up.

"Haha, you’re too kind, too kind. Although I feel we should directly press to the city, we still need some strategy. We can’t truly act like reckless men leading brothers straight over. Who knows what tricks they have!"

Liao Youzhi laughed, waving his hand, then seriously said, "My men have clashed with theirs, and Younger Brother Gong has even been deep into the north, but the information we have is very limited. We must not skimp on the necessary investigations.

I propose that we each send five excellent brothers from our four groups to form a special reconnaissance team to investigate the situation in the north, and it would be best if they could directly capture a few people from Celestial Horse Island. Do any of you have objections?"