Chapter 131: Invasion

The driver and the co-driver got out of the car first.

An Nan looked closely—it was the two guards she’d run into while walking her dog.

The two bodyguards walked to the back seat, opening the doors on either side.

Two men got out—one tall, one short.

The tall man was all muscle, his right arm covered in colorful tattoos. The short one was thin and wiry, with a shrewd look on his face, idly rolling a walnut in his hand.

An Nan watched as the two men, flanked by the bodyguards, made their way to the center of the crowd and stepped onto the raised platform in the middle of the square.

These must be Hou Jianming and Zhu Dazhuang.

She studied their positions carefully and noticed that the short, skinny man stood slightly ahead, looking more at ease. The tall, burly one stood half a step behind him, hands clasped in front of his stomach, mimicking the posture of the bodyguards behind him.

Clearly, the short one was the leader.

An Nan narrowed her eyes.

So the tall, tattooed muscleman in the back must be Zhu Dazhuang, the second-in-command.

She kept her expression neutral, silently memorizing his appearance.

On stage, Hou Jianming put the walnut in his pocket, took a loudspeaker from an underling, and cleared his throat.

He started off by apologizing, sounding very approachable.

“Sorry, everyone. I know it’s late and you should all be getting ready for bed, but I had to wake you up. There’s an emergency.”

“Just now, a bunch of shameless bandits broke into our home, tried to steal our supplies, and killed quite a few of our people.”

“Brothers, if it weren’t for the brave residents on the outer perimeter holding them off, it would be us lying dead right now!”

An Nan sneered inwardly.

Brave outer residents? Please. He’d always treated those people as cannon fodder, using them as shields for the core members inside.

Hou Jianming was a master at stirring up emotions—after just a few words, the crowd was already getting riled up.

“What? They dared to steal our supplies?”

“Where are they now? They didn’t get away with our stuff, did they?”

“Those bastards! They’ll pay for this! We have to avenge our fallen brothers!”

No one actually cared about the lives of the outer residents. What they cared about was someone trying to take their supplies, threatening their comfortable lives.

What they really feared was for their own lives—if these bandits could break in and kill the outer residents today, who’s to say they wouldn’t be next?

Seeing the crowd getting worked up, Hou Jianming smiled in satisfaction and continued:

“We’ve already identified these bandits—they’re from the Longhu Base!”

He signaled to an underling, who quickly left and soon returned with a group of people.

A bunch of middle-aged men, battered and bruised, were being dragged over, tightly bound.

Their captors glanced around curiously as they walked.

Hou Jianming pointed at the bound men:

“These are the scum from Longhu Base who broke in. Some we caught alive, the rest were killed on the spot.”

Then he pointed at the men doing the escorting:

“These are our brothers from the outer perimeter. They fought bravely and captured the enemy, so I’m promoting them to core residents—they’ll be our neighbors from now on!”

The group immediately perked up, gripping their prisoners even tighter.

They’d heard the rumors—core residents got hot meals delivered, plenty of meat and water, and extra rewards for good work.

Now, after risking their lives, they’d finally made it!

An Nan watched their eager, loyal faces and thought, Hou Jianming really was a born leader.

He’d smoothly absorbed the strongest fighters into his own ranks, won over their loyalty, and encouraged them to work even harder for him.

She glanced at the expressionless Zhu Dazhuang.

For Hou Jianming to make him his right-hand man, he must have some real skills—definitely not someone to underestimate.

On the platform, Hou Jianming was still going strong:

“Brothers, the troublemakers have been caught. I’ll leave them to you—do as you see fit!”

The captured invaders were forced to kneel in a row, tightly bound.

As soon as the order was given, the base residents surged forward, venting their anger.

Those with knives drew them, those with hammers swung them—everyone took turns unleashing their fury on the prisoners.

The bloody scene sent everyone’s nerves into overdrive. The one-sided violence only made them more excited.

In the apocalypse, the pressure to survive was immense. Anxiety and mood disorders were common.

This kind of violence was a way for them to vent their pent-up frustration and emotions.

Hou Jianming watched the chaos below, thoroughly pleased.

Then, while everyone was still high on bloodlust, he issued a new order:

“Punishing these people isn’t enough. We need to repay them in kind! While they’re still asleep, let’s strike back and destroy that damned Longhu Base once and for all!”

Someone in the crowd immediately picked up the chant:

“Destroy it! Destroy it!”

Soon, the whole crowd was shouting:

“Destroy it! Destroy it!”

Led by Zhu Dazhuang and one of the bodyguards, the mob surged out.

Hou Jianming stayed behind with the other bodyguard, watching their departure with satisfaction.

But soon, he noticed a man and a woman standing in the corner, not moving.

The woman was holding a dog on a leash.

An Nan sensed someone watching her and turned, locking eyes with Hou Jianming.

A flicker of surprise flashed across Hou Jianming’s face, and he walked over.

He ignored Gu Zhiyu beside her, reaching out to greet An Nan.

“You must be the new arrival, Miss An Meili?”

An Nan nodded, about to shake his hand politely, but Gu Zhiyu reached out first, intercepting Hou Jianming’s hand.

“Hello, Gu Youcai.”

An Nan looked up at Gu Zhiyu in surprise.

Since when was President Gu so outgoing?

Hou Jianming met Gu Zhiyu’s gaze and, for a moment, felt as if all his thoughts had been laid bare. He forced a smile.

“Oh, Brother Youcai, hello.”

Their handshake lasted only a brief moment before Hou Jianming withdrew his hand.

Gu Zhiyu’s hand was pale and slender, making Hou’s look like a dark chicken claw by comparison.

And with Gu’s imposing height, Hou, who was barely 1.7 meters, felt even shorter.

He subtly took a step back and turned to An Nan again.

“How are you finding the base, Miss An? Settling in alright?”

An Nan nodded. “It’s great. Thank you for your concern.”

Hou Jianming smiled. “Glad to hear it.”

After a pause, he asked, “Why didn’t you and Brother Youcai go with the others to Longhu Base?”"