Chapter 712 - 335 Shadow Mutations (Part 2)_2
Dashuang believed that everyone could stay, if there were conflicts, they would be resolved, and if not, the conflicts would be set aside. Snow Egg also agreed, thinking that two deputy commanders could be appointed, with Stone issuing work instructions, and Starlight and Shana each leading a team.
The atmosphere started to shift for the better, but Stone said, "I’m tired, I don’t want to play this game anymore. I’ll roll out far away." Months ago, when he saw both the Sales Supervisor and CEO die, he knew that Shadow was on a downhill path.
As the boss, he had supported Shana’s authority all by himself; he hadn’t made Starlight the Deputy Commander because he knew that would likely spark a conflict between two factions. But Stone had miscalculated one thing: Starlight might have been new, but Peanut wasn’t, and Emerald Feather was Peanut’s die-hard. Add to that, both Starlight and Emerald Feather were doctors, with similar daily work and living schedules, so the three of them got along very well.
When the Sawmill split from the Doomsday Fortress, Shana tried her best to manage the Sawmill, but it was no match for the Doomsday Fortress. Shana wasn’t the housekeeper type; she was more suited to being a squad leader. This was why Stone believed that after Lin Ma’s death, Shadow was bound to downhill.
As the boss, his talent lay in utilizing people, but without anyone to use, he couldn’t make it as a boss. All he could do was to ensure a stable food supply, increase the number of bonfires, and guide Shana in how to handle things in private.
As long as Stone was willing, Shadow could still be managed, but he had lost interest in Shadow. Stone stood by his view that Shadow’s faults were his faults as the boss; he would exile himself. "You want to reform or do whatever, it’s up to you," he said.
Starlight had no intention of seizing power, and she had her reasons for calling a meeting: publicly, she saw the current problems with Shadow—loose freedom leading to low productivity and lack of unified management regulations; privately, she detested Shana, convinced that Shana had snitched on her to Stone. Seeing Stone’s attitude, Starlight hurriedly tried to dissuade him, apologizing incessantly. The meeting ended in disarray.
That very night, Stone took some building materials, drove away the armored car, and left the base. The next day, Shadow held another full meeting, with Shana reading Stone’s message, asking them not to disturb a farmer’s life. Starlight suggested joint management of Shadow with Shana and further persuaded Stone to come back.
Shana said she would not stay with Shadow; she only wanted a pickup truck and basic weapons and ammunition. Cotton and Dashuang said they would leave with Shana. Little Knife, annoyed, said, "Disband, just disband, we don’t need the base." Snow Egg took the armored truck and some basic weapons along with some grains and left Shadow with Little Knife immediately, heading towards the Angel’s Alliance.
Starlight lost the will to persuade anyone, leaving only her, Emerald Feather, Peanut and Su Shi behind. Su Shi told Starlight to take what they could; he didn’t leave because the Doomsday Fortress had a minimum requirement of four people. He hoped Peanut would give him a lift, to take him to Stone. If he couldn’t find Stone, he would go into the mountains to live in seclusion.