If they still stubbornly adhere to the old system, not only would it be unpopular, but it would greatly slow down the camp's development.
Bruce has now freed himself from the Axeheart work.
Now, every time he goes out, Charlie and Tony handle the Axeheart, while he specializes in scouting terrain and locating Cold Beasts.
It can be foreseen that in the future, when there are enough members in the Axeheart Realm, the camp can split into two teams: one specializing in hunting and the other in Axeheart.
Even teams for picking Crystal Fruits and scouting terrain can be organized.
Any organization that wants to increase its gains must have divisions of labor, delineate different departments, and let each perform its duties for maximum benefit.
This principle was easily understood in the past life, but now Bruce must patiently explain it in terms they can understand.
"Cold Beasts are powerful, but have you noticed, the more people break through among those like Clark and Jordan, the higher our hunting success rate. Peter broke through today, so maybe our success rate will be even higher tomorrow.
Just imagine, if there were twenty, thirty, even forty or fifty people in the Axeheart Realm, wouldn't we be able to take down a Snow Mane or Frost Wolf by sheer numbers? Would you still fear not having Cold Beast Meat?"
This sentence made Charlie and the others' eyes light up.
During this time, they followed Bruce out, and they all witnessed the steady increase in hunting success rates. Indeed, the more people, the higher the success rate.
Especially Bruce's latter point, about having forty or fifty people—taking down Cold Beasts by sheer numbers made them ponder deeply.
During this period, they've only encountered two types of Cold Beasts, the Snow Mane and the Frost Wolf.
Though limited, they're deeply familiar with these two types of Cold Beasts, including their traits and strengths.
Snow Manes are powerful, but at most only around ten thousand pounds; the Frost Wolf's advantage is speed, not strength.
According to Bruce, if there were indeed forty or fifty Axeheart Realm combatants, taking on these two types of Cold Beasts head-on wouldn't be a problem.
"Moreover, remember clearly what I'm about to say next."
Bruce stood up, pointed towards those around the bonfire, and said solemnly:
"You all just said you want to protect family members, be it brothers, sisters, or mothers, and that's good. However, I also hope you remember.
The world outside is fraught with peril; none of us can guarantee that every outing, every hunt, we will survive.
If one day, any one of us were to die unexpectedly, among those people would be your loved ones.
By then, if someone suggests not giving them any Cold Beast Meat, only allowing them one Crystal Fruit per day, would you want me to agree?"
At the final inquiry, Bruce emphasized his words.
This questioning was like a thunderclap, making the seven people's bodies shudder.
They suddenly realized how selfish and ignorant their thoughts had been.
Especially Charlie and Tony, who had just proposed the change, hung their heads, faces full of shame.
"We are a whole, and as such, we cannot only think of ourselves. Cold Beast Meat is vital because it strengthens people, but if only a few become strong, as it was with the previous Axeheart team, you all saw the end result.
Against Mimicking Monsters, we were powerless, simply awaiting our slaughter. Therefore, we must enhance our overall strength.
When the day comes that everyone in the camp is in the Axeheart Realm, will we still fear Cold Beasts? By then, even if Mimicking Monsters come, we'll have the strength to fight. Note that when I say whole, it also includes your loved ones."
Bruce spoke these words with emotion.
Hearing him, everyone gradually shifted from shame to determination, looking at Bruce with ever-growing conviction.
Unbeknownst to them, many people around the bonfire had gathered to listen to Bruce's words, faces full of emotion.
"Our goal is just to survive, but merely surviving isn't enough. We need to live with dignity, with confidence. We're human, not some creatures hiding in the shadows.
Those Cold Beasts, Mimicking Monsters, they are. One day, I want them to kneel before me and before the Harper Camp, quaking in their boots!"
Bruce was never someone who would easily compromise.
If living meant having no dignity, then it was better to die with honor.
But in this perilous world of cold winter, achieving this goal was extremely difficult.
Hunger, cold, daylight, Cold Beast, Mimicking Monster…
Any of these could take countless lives. Relying on oneself alone is impossible.
Only by uniting and harnessing the power of more people can this goal be achieved in the quickest and best way.
This was the most profound realization Bruce came to after crossing over.
Bruce believed that, being human, everyone yearns for a dignified and respectful life.
This is the most basic and essential need in the human heart, without exception. He was like this, and so were Charlie, Tony, Clark, and others.
The other people in the Harper Camp were also like this. And Cold Beast Meat was the ticket to such a dignified life.
Previously, when he couldn't distribute Cold Beast Meat, every time Bruce returned, the camp was lifeless, except for those few who could cultivate with Cold Beast Meat.
The rest mostly lay stiffly by the fire.
But ever since Bruce took out the Cold Beast Meat to distribute, they changed.
Almost everyone, after having enough to eat, would find opportunities to train, wanting to increase their strength, join the Axeheart Reserve Team, and obtain some Cold Beast Meat.
The sudden burst of vitality from these people made Bruce realize that the hearts of everyone in the camp yearned for change.
As long as given the chance, anyone could unleash tremendous energy.
When countless individuals bursting with tremendous energy form a group and move toward the same goal, no difficulty can stand in their way.
Many hands make light work, is not just an empty word. The size of the camp, differentiated by the number of people, is clear evidence.
All camps know that increasing the population is the way to become stronger. But limited by resources and strength, they couldn't do it.
But now, the Harper Camp, relying on the Small Torch's path, can do it. It was naturally impossible for Bruce to still stubbornly adhere to old rules.
Letting go of personal gains and losses, sharing some Cold Beast Meat would increase the camp's living strength, absorb more people, expand the camp's size, and this cycle would repeat, which is the best route for the camp's development.
Charlie, Tony, and others weren't actually foolish, but limited by past knowledge and experience, their vision could be short-sighted.
Moreover, since ancient times, interests have moved people's hearts.
Letting go of personal gains and losses has never been an easy thing. Fortunately, with Bruce setting an example in front.
At the beginning of Thomas and the Axeheart Team's hardships, Bruce shared the Cold Beast Meat he brought back with them.
So now, Bruce has the confidence to make them do the same. In fact, Bruce could completely dictate his will.
He believed that if he forced it, whether it be Charlie, Tony, or Clark and others, or even the rest of the camp, no one would oppose him.
With his current influence, he could definitely do it. But he didn't, and instead chose to present facts to Charlie and the others and reason with them. Abolishing an old system and establishing a new one is simple.
But making everyone understand the reasoning behind it, letting the system truly work, and even having everyone become common maintainers of the system is not so easy.
Any system aims to regulate and develop the organization.
If the implementation of the new system led Charlie, Tony, and others to have issues with the rest of the camp, or even sparked conflicts, it would go against this purpose.
The main reason is that Bruce clearly felt a while ago that those like Charlie, who were the first to break through to the Axeheart Realm, really had issues with other people in the camp, and it was indeed developing toward conflict.
That's why Bruce was so patient in explaining to them why he wanted to do this.
What benefits this would bring to them and the camp.
After Bruce clarified all the pros and cons, seeing Charlie, Tony, and others deep in thought, he didn't disturb them, just kept silent, waiting for them to figure out what he said.
After a long while, Tony was the first to raise his head:
"Leader, I understand, only when everyone becomes stronger, we can truly not fear those Cold Beasts anymore and avoid repeating the previous tragedies. I'm willing to follow your lead, and stick to the 3-5-2 ratio for meat distribution."
"No matter how strong an individual is, it can't change the overall environment of our camp. The leader is right, only when everyone plays a role can we live better and longer. I also agree, the meat distribution rule remains unchanged."
"That's right, now that we can hunt, there's more Cold Beast Meat than before, enough to nurture more Axeheart Realm power.
If we still stick to the old rules, Harper will at most only restore to the previous state. I also support the leader's opinion, the meat distribution rule remains unchanged."
---
Clark, Jordan, and the other five also spoke up in agreement, clearly having not only listened to Bruce but also truly understood him.
"Currently, prioritizing the nurturing of more Axeheart Realm power is indeed more important!"
Unexpectedly, the last to understand was his brother Charlie.
Seeing the sincerity on everyone's faces, knowing they truly recognized it from the heart, Bruce felt relieved inside, with a slight smile on his face.
This matter, while not huge, is definitely not a trivial one either.
Distribution of benefits has always been an eternal dilemma.
Whether to prioritize the individual or the collective has never had a definitive answer.
But it is certain that the current Harper should definitely prioritize the collective.
A group that has no strength, unable to even go out at night, not only does not help the camp but also drags down those of the Axeheart Realm.
Even picking Crystal Fruit carries some risk.
Abandoning them is naturally impossible, but endlessly picking Crystal Fruit to feed them is even more inappropriate.
As the old saying goes, it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish, which Bruce deeply agreed with.
Helping them to become strong and improve their survival ability is the right path.
And as the strength of everyone in the camp increases, the speed at which resources accumulate will also accelerate.
With more resources, the population it can support will also grow, and so the cycle continues, the future of Harper Camp is limitless.
Of course, more importantly, the resources for the camp's system upgrade also have a source.