Ch 184: The Farmer Ger in the Apocalypse

Recently, the atmosphere at the Red City Base has finally become a bit more uplifting. It’s not because the New Year is approaching, but rather because, with the registration of the surviving population within the base and the restoration of networks and communication with survivor bases in other cities, some people have finally received news about their relatives and friends.

Although the probability of this happening among Red City survivors is less than one in ten, seeing those around them reunited with loved ones fills others with joy and hope as well. For a time, the ordinary civilians who had previously been indifferent to the military or the officials in charge of the base couldn’t help but develop a more favorable view of the special envoys from the capital who had brought this technology.

The military had already been frustrated by the continuous suppression in recent times, and now they were growing even more restless. “There won’t be any mishaps with the agreement we made with Shen Qing and the others, right?”

“There won’t be.” Shao Nan lowered his head slightly, his expression somewhat gloomy. “They have always kept their promises and followed through on their words.”

The only ones who had broken faith were the military.

His superior, Suo Binhai, the highest-ranking military leader of the Red City Base, looked at Shao Nan’s expression and sighed as well. He patted him on the shoulder. “I know you’re not feeling good about this, but in this world, there are always sacrifices to be made. In the face of the greater good, sacrificing the small for the sake of the whole is our duty as soldiers. The people in the refugee camp are also citizens of our country. Now that winter is upon us, do you really want to watch them freeze and starve to death? If we had full control of the Red City Base, of course, we wouldn’t have to hand things over to Shen Qing and his group. But right now, we don’t exactly have a choice, do we?”

“In a few days… once we succeed, we’ll open the outer city to take in refugees, and we won’t make things difficult for Shen Qing’s group anymore.” Suo Binhai was full of ambition. The issue of refugees had been a point of contention between him and the officials for a long time, but at last, things were going to be carried out as he had hoped. “Xiao Shao, you handled the communication and cooperation with Shen Qing’s group very well this time. You’ve been in the mid-ranks for a few years now—once this is over, it’s time for a promotion. I have a good position open by my side, and when the time comes, you’ll follow me.”

Shao Nan’s face did not show the slightest trace of joy at his superior’s promise of promotion. Instead, a hint of confusion flickered across his expression. They were soldiers—sacrificing the small for the sake of the greater good was their sentiment, duty, and mission. He could sacrifice, he could give up on his already hopeless future with Qu Weiwei. But what about Shen Qing and Song Kaiji? They were just ordinary civilians. Their base was privately owned… they had no inherent obligation.

Right now, they were merely relying on Shen Qing’s righteousness and kindness. But human nature was not something that could be gambled on. Shen Qing and the others’ patience and tolerance were not infinite. If one day, they grew tired and disgusted with this situation, if they changed and stopped “keeping their promises” and instead became just as “faithless and treacherous” as the military… what then?

Shao Nan never expected that day to come so soon.

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A few more days passed, and the next day was New Year’s Eve. Perhaps it was the ingrained anticipation and reverence for the New Year among the people, but no matter how difficult things were, everyone still tried to buy something they normally wouldn’t afford, just to preserve some sense of ritual. The Red City Base officials, seemingly proud and vindicated at last, and having gained the support of the capital’s government, were uncharacteristically generous for once. They promised that on New Year’s Eve, every registered person inside the city would receive ten vegetarian dumplings, while the refugees outside the city would each receive a coarse grain bun and a bottle of water today.

It might not seem like much, but with two to three thousand refugees crammed outside the city, these people had contributed nothing to Red City Base. The cost added up to a significant expense.

Yet beneath this seemingly peaceful and festive atmosphere, the time agreed upon between the military and Shen Qing’s group had arrived.

The first to be executed was Lu Yanghui. Song Kaiji and Tang Wenjie teleported into the city, and Song Kaiji personally slit Lu Yanghui’s throat. Fortunately, there was no one else in the laboratory at the time. Having learned from the previous incident, Song Kaiji took all the research data from the lab into his spatial storage—most of it was Lu Yanghui continuing Feng Hao’s research, specifically on Shen Qing’s blood samples.

After briefly flipping through the materials, Song Kaiji was seething with anger. These people had been studying for so long and had achieved nothing, yet they kept fixating on his Qingqing. He poured alcohol over the lab and set it ablaze. By the time the research staff noticed, half the lab was already engulfed in flames, and Lu Yanghui’s body had been reduced to a charred corpse.

Next were the government officials who had supported Lu Yanghui and sought to capture Shen Qing in order to interrogate him about the other dimension. Some of them, Song Kaiji recognized. Others, Chen Jiaxi had identified through others’ memories. None of them escaped.

The research facility was on fire, and high-ranking officials were mysteriously dying one after another… Within just half an hour, a sense of fear and horror shrouded the upper echelons of the base. Chaos ensued. No one knew what was happening, nor did they know who—or what—was suddenly attacking. Everyone was terrified that they might be next, yet they had no idea how the previous victims had died, nor how to defend against it.

While the base’s leadership was thrown into disarray, the military made its move. In the previous battle to hunt Shen Qing, much of the government’s military force had already been wiped out by Song Kaiji’s grenades. City defenses had largely fallen into the hands of Shao Nan and other mid-ranking military officers. The officials, believing they controlled the military through gasoline and salt, had let down their guard. Now, caught off guard by the military’s sudden betrayal, most mid-ranking government officials had no choice but to surrender.

At some point, the city gates had been quietly opened. There was no longer an entry fee, and refugees were now allowed to enter. After a brief moment of shock, some bold refugees cautiously stepped inside. When they realized it was real, a flood of refugees surged desperately into the city. Shen Qing, Qu Weiwei, and Chen Jiaxi led over five hundred mid- and high-ranking ability users from their base, blending into the crowd as they made their way straight to the research facility and the warehouses of the three farms.

The research facility and base farms were essentially Chen Jiaxi and Qu Weiwei’s strongholds. Over five hundred powerful ability users swiftly took control of both locations. All research data, experimental results, and newly harvested grain and seeds from the warehouses were taken into Shen Qing’s spatial storage.

Inside the research facility, the fire that Song Kaiji had set had just been put out. A group of trembling researchers was being held at gunpoint, too afraid to move. Chen Jiaxi stared at Lu Yanghui’s charred corpse before sweeping her gaze over the remaining physic-type ability users. Suppressing the surging desire within her, she ultimately forced herself to look away.

Enough was enough. She reminded herself that people should never rely on luck—they had to know when to stop.

“Let’s go. There’s still plenty of time,” Chen Jiaxi said casually as she grabbed two high-ranking military officials and read their memories. Like the captured government officials, they were utterly horrified, unable to comprehend why their supposed allies had suddenly turned on them. Chen Jiaxi chuckled.

“What’s so special about food? Most of the supplies are probably in the hands of the military’s spatial ability users anyway. Even if we take these grains, we can’t use them to control the military. Instead of that, why not secure better benefits for our own base? Let’s try our luck at the military’s weapons depot—now that’s where the real value lies.”

“This is treason! Treason!” The capital’s special envoys were utterly shocked by the upheaval, scrambling to grab their phones to report back, only for a bullet to pierce one of their skulls.

Political struggles had always been ruthless. Suo Binhai blew the smoke from his gun’s barrel, finalizing the incident with a single statement:

“The Red City Base was attacked by a small wave of zombies. The special envoys and some of the base’s higher-ups panicked and fled, only to be tragically overwhelmed by the zombie horde.”

In the apocalypse, wasn’t death just a common occurrence?

The surviving special envoys, their hands tied behind their backs and their abilities sealed, widened their eyes in sheer terror.

“No, no, we won’t say anything! This is an internal matter of the Red City Base! It has nothing to do with us!”

But who would believe that? The power balance at Red City Base had long been an uneasy equilibrium between the military and the officials. It was only after these special envoys arrived that the situation was thrown into chaos. Letting them go meant risking a report to the capital, which could bring further repercussions. Were they supposed to wait for another crackdown from the capital?

From the moment the military had begun planning this coup, the fate of these envoys had already been sealed.

Yet the next moment, Suo Binhai felt something cold press against his neck.

Behind him, seemingly appearing out of nowhere, was Song Kaiji. In his hand was an exceptionally sharp, paper-thin blade that rested against Suo Binhai’s throat, a slight misstep away from drawing blood. Beside him, Tang Wenjie unleashed his ability in an instant, constructing an impenetrable barrier that sealed off all military personnel, including Shao Nan, from the scene.

Shao Nan’s heart sank. The very fear he had once harbored had now become a reality.

“Song Kaiji! What are you trying to do? Don’t be reckless! If you have conditions, we can negotiate!”

His voice barely carried through the thick metal walls. Suo Binhai felt cold sweat rolling down his forehead.

The defenses were already in place. Song Kaiji snapped a pair of ability-restraining handcuffs onto Suo Binhai, then let go, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.

“Having messages relayed through Shao Nan has always been inconvenient. Since we’re all here, why don’t we sit down and have a proper conversation?”

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