"But what's the point of specific divisions?"
"We didn't have specific divisions before, but everyone still did their part, didn't they?"
Michonne asked, her dark forearms crossed, clearly puzzled.
Hearing Michonne's words, everyone looked at Shawn, as many of them clearly shared her thoughts.
Even without Shawn mentioning it before, everyone had already divided their work, which led to the current core group managing different sections.
Now, a specific division seemed to have little meaning, no different from before.
Facing everyone's questions, Shawn simply told them to wait.
"It may not be useful now, but that doesn't mean it won't be useful later."
"The second rule I'm about to announce will need to be based on these specific group divisions."
A one-cent coin appeared in Shawn's hand as if by magic.
He held the coin between his thumb and forefinger, the '1' side facing the crowd.
"The second rule, with a specific implementation date to be determined, but I believe it won't be long before it can be rolled out."
"That is, everyone belonging to the Prison, from top to bottom, including all of you present, will implement a contribution point system."
Contribution point system?
This was a familiar yet strange term.
Perhaps it was occasionally heard before the apocalypse, but ever since the apocalypse arrived, such systems had vanished with civilization, and it was unexpected to hear it from Shawn's mouth again now.
To the side.
Merle was slumped on the dining table, dozing off; he felt utterly exhausted tonight.
Daryl turned around and smacked him on the forehead, startling Merle awake.
"Ah?!"
"What? What…point system?"
Merle looked dazed, seemingly still a bit disoriented.
"Merle, pay attention! This is the important part!" Shawn frowned.
Merle snapped to attention, then said with a wry smile.
"Talk properly, Shawn. You're reminding me of a teacher I had when I was very young, and that's not a memory worth revisiting…"
It was a nightmare!
Seeing Merle awake, Shawn continued.
"The contribution point system, as the name suggests, calculates points based on everyone's contribution to the Prison."
"Contributions include, but are not limited to: killing Walkers, acquiring supplies, research and inventions, important information, recommending new members to join, and so on."
"Contributions can earn points corresponding to their importance, and points can be exchanged for all supplies and equipment currently owned by the Prison."
"Eating requires points, using energy requires points, acquiring new equipment and weapons outside of the military requires points, receiving medical care requires points…"
"That's why I said it's important; points are very likely to be the factor that accompanies you the longest in the future, apart from your family."
Points…
Everyone chewed on the word repeatedly.
Rick's perpetually furrowed brow suddenly relaxed, and when he looked up at Shawn again, there was a light in his eyes.
"So that's it."
Otis, next to him, asked softly and somewhat reservedly: "You know why Shawn is doing this?"
Rick nodded slightly, directly speaking for Shawn what he had just thought of.
"The Prison's supplies are always limited and cannot support everyone's unrestricted use."
"The contribution point system Shawn is implementing is essentially adding a threshold for everyone to acquire resources."
"But this threshold is not a restriction."
"Using points to exchange for all benefits and living conditions can both ensure the efficient use of resources, avoiding waste, and to a certain extent, maintain everyone's sense of urgency. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."
"In other words, as long as we continue to work diligently for the Prison, everything will be no different from before, and a more complete system might even allow us to live better."
"Conversely, for those who are accustomed to slacking off, appearing to work hard but actually shirking their duties, this cuts off their possibility of muddling through."
"Killing multiple birds with one stone."
Rick's mind worked very quickly.
Or rather, as a former Deputy Sheriff, he was inherently more sensitive to systems.
So when Shawn proposed the 'contribution point system,' he instinctively analyzed the pros and cons, which led him to these thoughts.
Hearing Rick's explanation, everyone lowered their eyes slightly and nodded in agreement.
If it was as Rick said, then this 'contribution point system' indeed had a necessary existence.
As the Prison's members grew, many hidden problems would gradually surface.
And before there were rules, the Prison was, to put it plainly, a motley crew huddled together for warmth.
With rules but no system, the Prison could not be maintained for long.
The Prison needed its own system, and the meaning of this system's existence must be primarily positive, capable of profoundly influencing the Prison's development.
It needed to drive everyone to continue developing the Prison with greater motivation.
To give an analogy, it's like Shawn is the current Mayor of Atlanta. As needs and resources become more abundant, how can the 'Atlanta' continue to develop?
The answer is simple.
Encourage with tangible benefits, allowing everyone to see an upward path.
More work, more gain—that's the idea behind this.
Human nature possesses the darkest root of evil, one of which is an occasional fondness for being difficult.
Many times, things easily obtained are not valued; they need a little obstruction.
Work requires diligence to get promoted and raise salaries;
Study requires improved grades to gain recognition and access to top universities…
Aligning resources with effort and ability will make people strive with a fighting spirit, rather than just waiting to die.
The Prison now needs talent and labor, not nestlings with open mouths chirping for food.
Everyone must unite and wholeheartedly develop the Camp, and only then can an indestructible Prison be forged.
"That's right." Shawn agreed.
"Everyone can understand it as: points are like currency before the apocalypse, but only valid within the Prison."
As he spoke, Shawn again gestured to the coin in his hand.
"We are not short on food or energy, so we only need to set a low amount to ensure everyone's basic survival."
"But for other things, for example, potatoes and beef are both food, but if both could be eaten without any cost, wouldn't that be a bit unfair?"
Shawn looked at Carol.
"Every time the cafeteria serves meals, it tries its best to ensure an even distribution of categories for everyone, even desserts and meat. I think there isn't much food left, is there?"
"You're right. There are thousands of people in the Prison now, thousands of mouths, and we can't satisfy everyone."
Carol nodded, everything was just as Shawn said.
The wild game obtained by Daryl and Merle from hunting had long been insufficient. Now, the Prison was not lacking in basic filling food, but it was short on meat, vegetables, and fruits.
If they continued as before, preparing food unconditionally for everyone, then the Prison would likely constantly face a shortage of these supplies.
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