My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse novel Chapter 949

Chapter 949: Chapter 947 Rakan’s Awakening 5

"Ha... ha ha..." The young man scratched the back of his head awkwardly, searching for a decent excuse to justify why he’d even suggested taking a day off. "Well, uh... don’t we need a day off anyway? You know, so we can work more effectively and efficiently..."

Before he could finish his sentence, Hue cut him off.

"Don’t even think about it," Hugo snapped. "Back when we were hauling cargo, did the heavy workload ever stop us from doing our job? Besides, that kind of work was purely physical, it didn’t even require much thinking, so what you’re saying doesn’t really apply here."

"If you’re just looking for an excuse to slack off, then step down from my team. I don’t want to lead a group that acts like someone owes us something when, in truth, we owe them for the good life we’re enjoying now. They took us in and gave us a place here, and working hard for them is the least we can do."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone before continuing, his tone slightly calmer but still edged with authority.

"Once this project is done, we’ll have plenty of time to rest, and even improve ourselves if we want to. Whether you use that time to get stronger, smarter, or simply recover, that’s up to you. But for now, remember your place."

If they thought that just because they were working for the base, they were automatically entitled to its supplies and facilities, then they were in desperate need of a wake-up call. None of the resources or infrastructure in the base was built by them, it was all established long before they arrived.

In truth, they were nothing more than strays taken in from the roadside. And if they refused to work for their food, it wouldn’t be long before they were cast out to fend for themselves. After all, there’s no such thing as free food in this world.

That was why Hugo chose to remind the young man and the others, not out of anger, but concern. He knew the boy had been growing restless, secretly envious of the Winters’ men who were busy training.

But what the young man dismissed as a menial task was, in fact, far more critical than combat training. When the weather turned extreme again, their survival would depend on these biogas chambers to power the air conditioners during scorching heat or the heaters during freezing nights.

In other words, this work wasn’t minor at all; it was the backbone of their comfort and survival.

Being reprimanded, the young man lowered his head in embarrassment, lips pressed tightly together. He didn’t argue or try to defend himself; instead, he quietly reflected on Hugo’s words. After a moment of silence, he finally nodded, as if he had just realized what Hugo was truly trying to teach him, before returning to his work with renewed focus.

Watching the scene from the surveillance feed, Duke couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction. He could finally relax a little. Hugo had proven himself capable of handling both responsibility and leadership. Duke made a mental note to entrust him with more critical projects in the future.

For now, once the biogas project was completed, they could shift their focus to helping Marcus manage the farm. Those who didn’t show enough diligence might be permanently assigned to food production and farming instead.

The work there wasn’t always demanding, especially between harvest seasons, since the fields were self-sustaining thanks to the irrigation system and fertile soil.

Still, Duke was already thinking ahead. Time inside the territory flowed differently, and if some of them were to stay there long-term, it might be best to build proper housing. Perhaps a boarding house within the territory space, somewhere they could live comfortably while contributing to its growth.

For people like Hugo, those who could see the bigger picture and prove themselves trustworthy, Duke planned to assign them to heavier, more critical tasks in the future. With that decision made, he began studying the map of the territory space, mentally marking the ideal spot where a boarding house could be built.

As he worked, his gaze drifted to Kisha, who was equally focused on her own tasks. After a moment of thought, he spoke.

"Wifey," he began, his tone casual but thoughtful, "I was just thinking, since time inside your territory flows ten times faster than the outside world, it must be inconvenient for Marcus and the other farmers to keep coming and going."

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