Everyone looked at each other, completely clueless about what Alex really wanted. A skinny boy who had previously groveled at Digby's feet bit his lip hard and, with a "thud", knelt down in front of Alex, his face eager to please: "Alex, if you're willing to save me, from now on you'll be my benefactor, my second parents, my father! I'll always follow your lead and obey your commands! Whatever you ask of me, I will do it without question! Dad! Dear dad! Please save me!"
"Get lost! Am I that old?" Alex kicked the skinny boy away, visibly disgusted. "Master! I'll be your loyal pet dog! Woof, woof, woof! Please, master, give me something to eat!"
A slightly overweight boy, crawling on the ground like a dog and imitating a dog's bark, slowly approached Alex, speaking in a flattering and obsequious tone: "Master! I'm your dog, your most loyal dog! Please take me in! Whoever you tell me to bite, I'll bite. If you tell me to go east, I'll never dare go west. If you tell me to chase rabbits, I'll never dare chase chickens!"
This overweight boy was the son of a government official, and it was said that his grandfather was a high-ranking official in the province. He used to be extremely arrogant and bullying in class, often leading a group of cronies to bully other students, taking pleasure in humiliating and harassing them. However, because of his family background, the school could do little about him, and many students from less influential families had no choice but to endure his behavior in silence.
This boy, a scion of a political family, truly lived up to his heritage, groveling to new extremes, even causing Alex to crack a smile. As a lackey, this kind of person was indeed quite suitable.
However, Alex didn't need lackeys in this apocalypse. If he was to take on any followers, he preferred those who could fight, not useless sycophants.
"Slap!" Alex harshly slapped the overweight boy's chubby cheek, threw a sausage on the ground, and then stomped on it, saying to the boy, "Since you're a dog, eat this sausage clean off the ground like a dog!"
The overweight boy, driven by extreme hunger and enticed by the smell of the sausage, didn't care about the dirt and crawled over to lick it off the ground.
Seeing the overweight boy getting food by acting like a dog, the rest of the boys looked at each other in dilemma. They still had a shred of dignity and didn't want to grovel before Alex like a dog just for a sausage.
The skinny boy, seeing the overweight boy's success, quickly crawled in front of Alex, imitating a dog's bark and desperately wagging his rear end to please Alex.
Alex kicked the skinny boy away once again, saying coldly, "If that's the only trick you know, then I'm sorry, you might as well fend for yourselves."
Alex's words plunged everyone present into a state of fear.
Only Terry fell into deep thought. After a moment, he turned to Darlene and said, "Xueya, whether we can survive now depends on you."
Darlene was taken aback and frowned, "Mr. Terry, what do you mean? The food isn't in my hands!"
"Yes, Mr. Terry, the food and water are all with Alex…" Another girl next to Darlene also said in confusion.
Unbeknownst to them, their reference to Alex had shifted to a more respectful tone, which made Alex, sitting nearby and listening to their conversation, inwardly sneer: You urge me to be kind, yet when I was kind to you, you treated me like a dog, taking my goodwill for granted!
And now that I've become the villain, you all realize how precious my kindness was to you. It's not that I was born cruel and ruthless; it's you who taught me to be strong! From today on, I want all of you to grovel at my feet, becoming my most wretched servants!
Terry secretly motioned with his hand, covertly calling a few people aside: "Alex specifically asked if Darlene was Digby's woman; there must be a reason for that! Darlene is the most beautiful among us, so naturally, she should attend to Alex. As long as Darlene pleases Alex, he will definitely give us the food and water!"
Terry said this, sneakily glancing at Alex, who was sitting there, seemingly interested in their conversation. Seeing no reaction from Alex, Terry became even more convinced of his reasoning: "Darlene! We don't have much time; go over to him now!"
"No way! Why should I have to sacrifice my dignity just so everyone can have food and water? Why not them?" Darlene pointed at the other girls around her.
"Because you're the most beautiful! Darlene! What time is it now, and you're still concerned about your purity! As long as you can win Alex's favor, we won't have to starve or thirst anymore!"
"Yeah, that's right! Darlene, I wish Alex had chosen me! If Alex wanted me to accompany him, I would go right now and attend to him well. Right now, only he has the ability to get food and water. Being his woman is your luck!"
The two girls beside Darlene eagerly echoed. After all, it wasn't their dignity on the line. If just coaxing Darlene could get them food and water, why wouldn't they do it? The principle of 'better you than me' was at play.
"Enough! Stop talking! To accompany that bumpkin, I'd rather die!" Darlene, despite her desire to survive, was too proud and haughty to bear the thought of giving her first time to someone she despised, a disgusting bumpkin. Even with Digby, who was tall, handsome, and treated her very well, she had always insisted on waiting until marriage.
Darlene's arrogance and vanity made her value her purity more than life itself.