It only took one morning for everyone to clear out the Administrative Building.
Then, they spent an entire afternoon moving Walker bodies and giving the entire first floor a quick clean.
Those in combat gear were responsible for moving the bodies, and once the barricade gate was opened, the others took care of the cleaning.
They cleaned diligently, especially after Shawn explained that they would be living there for a while.
Shawn seemed to have endless energy, digging a nearly 3-meter-deep pit on the lawn beforehand and tossing all the bodies into it.
Anyway, these bodies wouldn't rise again, so they might as well become fertilizer for the land; this stuff was even better than chemical fertilizer.
Although some were rotten, there was no denying the sheer quantity.
After finishing all this,
Shawn, bare-chested, revealing his smoothly sculpted, chiseled muscles, walked towards the Administrative Building.
At this moment, the sun was beginning to set; it was around 4:30 in the afternoon.
As soon as Shawn entered the Administrative Building, he caught a scent, a sweet and sour aroma, coming directly from the cafeteria.
"What are we eating today? It smells pretty good," Shawn asked with a smile, leaning against the cafeteria's iron doorframe.
Inside the cafeteria, there was the 'whoosh' of boiling soup and the lively chatter of everyone teasing each other.
When they heard Shawn's voice, everyone turned their heads in unison.
"Perfect! Shawn, come quickly... Tomato spaghetti!"
Carol brought out a steaming bowl of tomato sauce from the kitchen like she was presenting a treasure; the sweet and sour scent Shawn had noticed earlier was indeed from the tomatoes.
"They weren't fresh tomatoes, just some canned ones. I heated all of them and cooked them into a sauce to pour over the pasta."
"You eat first; there'll be venison steaks later. You'll like them."
Shawn took the metal plate, sniffed it, and his eyes lit up.
He didn't always get to eat hot food; he was almost sick of canned goods and mushroom soup from before.
The pre-made meals rewarded by the System all had attributes, and Shawn wanted to save them for critical moments.
Fortunately, there were still some collected snacks and high-calorie foods to tide him over for now.
Now, smelling the tomato spaghetti, how could he possibly resist?
Gripping his fork, Shawn skillfully twirled a mound of spaghetti, thoroughly coated in the thick, sweet sauce.
But just as Shawn was about to bring it to his mouth, he suddenly paused.
Shawn looked up, and a dozen pairs of eyes around him were all focused on his hand.
They moved with the motion of his hand.
Grumble—
Carl's stomach rumbled, as if a white, greedy worm was churning inside.
Shawn looked at everyone, then at the plate in his hand.
"So this is just the first plate."
"Carl must be starving from guarding the door outside, and I'm sure everyone else is incredibly hungry too."
After a moment's thought, Shawn still brought that mouthful of spaghetti to his mouth.
The sweet and sour taste, coupled with a hint of black pepper, exploded in his mouth with the warm sauce.
That mouthful of pasta seemed to slide down his throat, the deliciousness fleeting.
But Shawn didn't continue eating.
He suppressed the urge to take a second bite, placed his fork upside down on the edge of the plate, and offered it to Carl, who was leaning nearby.
Carl stared at the plate without speaking, only swallowing inexplicably.
He took the plate, twirled a small mound like Shawn, and brought it to his mouth.
His cheeks puffed out as he savored that bite, reluctant to swallow.
His gaze remained fixed on the plate, unwilling to look away.
But the next second, Carl passed the plate to the person beside him.
The entire cafeteria fell silent, with only the clinking sound of the metal plate and fork.
No one was in a hurry; they just waited quietly for the plate to reach their hands, took a bite, and passed it to the next person.
Everyone controlled their portion size.
It went around for more than a dozen rounds, and there was still some left in the small plate.
Sean looked at Shawn, then at the person beside him, and silently took the plate.
He twirled the last three strands of spaghetti and put them into his mouth.
He tilted the iron plate and drank the remaining sauce.
Sean's shoulders trembled slightly, and his breath was held.
It was as if these noodles hadn't just entered his stomach, but his heart.
In that moment, Sean seemed to experience the taste of 'team'.
Looking out for oneself was not the best survival philosophy; 'team' was the fundamental reason for people to live on.
Sean put down the iron plate and let out a long sigh of relief.
It was only the amount of a couple of crackers, yet Sean felt completely full.
Nothing could fill a person's heart more than satisfaction.
Sean was content.
"Oh!" Carol walked out of the kitchen, looking at the empty plate in front of Shawn with some surprise.
"Did you finish so quickly?"
"The venison steaks aren't ready yet, but the rest of the tomato spaghetti is. You can have my share later."
Saying that, Carol turned and went into the kitchen. When she came out, she had two more plates of tomato spaghetti in her hands.
Behind her were Andrea, Old Dale, and Otis, who had followed her in to help.
They distributed the spaghetti in their hands to everyone, while Carol handed her last plate to Shawn.
Was she hungry?
Carol was very hungry.
But she felt that she wasn't as hungry as Shawn.
As she watched her hand over the iron plate, Shawn was about to refuse, but he saw Carl stand up first, holding his plate, and coming to Shawn.
He showed Shawn a slightly childish smile, carefully squatted down, and placed his plate next to Shawn's empty one.
Just like before, Carl twirled a large mound and put it on Shawn's plate.
Looking up again, Carl showed a brilliant smile.
"Shawn, returning yours."
Saying that, Carl returned to his seat and began to eat heartily, burying his head.
Was Carl's behavior childish?
It was utterly childish.
Not just his actions, but even his words were very childish.
But his actions seemed to affect everyone present.
They all stood up and placed a large mound from their own plates onto Shawn's plate.
The originally empty plate now had a small mountain piled up inside.
It was filled with warm sauce, just like before.
Only now, the spaghetti on Shawn's plate was more than twice the amount it had been earlier.
They couldn't say what Carl had said.
Everyone just silently added to the height of Shawn's plate, then returned to their seats and ate heartily.
"Damn, it smells good."
Shawn used the food to cover his face; his slightly red eyes indicated that his heart was far from calm at this moment.
Carol, holding a plate in her hand, was first startled, then showed a knowing smile.
She imitated everyone else, sat cross-legged directly on the ground, and began to eat heartily.
They were all starving.
Later, the venison steaks were also ready; they tasted milder than lamb but chewier than chicken.
Shawn only ate one piece and felt somewhat full, so he shared the rest of the steaks with the others.
"Am I their nanny?"
Watching them, under his 'care', all look up with expressions of gratitude and eagerness, Shawn subconsciously asked himself in his heart.
But then, Shawn shook his head, denying it without hesitation.
"No."
"A Wolf Pack will actively protect weak or disabled wolves. Under the 'leader's priority allocation' principle, the Head Wolf will choose to 'pretend to eat', thereby distributing food to weak pups."
"And the growing Wolf Pack will support the Head Wolf, maintaining the Wolf Pack's continued growth and survival."
"Therefore..."
Shawn suddenly looked straight ahead, his gaze more resolute than ever.
"I am not a nanny; I... am a leader!"
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