Chapter 51: Seizing Power—Police and Laborers

(from *Restarting the Farm at the End of the World*)

Bian Changxi had never ridden in a police car before. Honestly, she’d never had the chance in her whole life. Who would’ve thought that after dying and being reborn into the apocalypse, she’d finally get to tick that off her list? She looked around curiously, as if she were on a sightseeing tour. Before long, the car pulled up at the south square of the train station—the very square she could see from her fourth-floor window.

There were clearly more survivors arriving in the new district today than yesterday. The south square was packed with vehicles and people, noisy and chaotic. People queued up, bags slung over their shoulders, families in tow, all waiting to get in. A few workers in blue uniforms were collecting supplies and registering people. Those who handed over supplies were led to a curtained-off ticket hall nearby—probably for a health check. Every so often, someone would come out grinning, then be taken into the station.

Bian Changxi watched all this with interest. Apart from being a bit lacking in organization and thoroughness, the procedures here weren’t much different from those at the big and small survivor bases she’d seen in her previous life. She couldn’t help but marvel—there are always people who rise to the occasion and show their talents. It was only the sixth day of the apocalypse, and someone was already building up a power base. Wasn’t this the prototype of a survivor base?

Suddenly, chaos erupted in the waiting hall. A disheveled man was dragged out.

“You little bastard! Got bitten by a zombie and still trying to sneak in? Get lost before I lose my temper!”

The man was thrown onto the square, sending the crowd into a panic. People scrambled to get away, shouting, “Drive him out!” “Kill him!” The scene grew even more chaotic.

But the burly policeman who’d thrown him out didn’t seem concerned. He waited until the man started convulsing, letting out a beast-like roar and lunging toward the crowd. Only then did the policeman flick his hand, sending out several golden blades that sliced through the man’s flesh like a thousand knives, piercing his body like a hail of arrows.

The man shuddered violently, riddled with wounds. He’d only just turned into a zombie, with no real defense or attack power, and was quickly finished off as a golden blade pierced his forehead. He collapsed to the ground.

Only then did his tainted blood begin to slowly seep out.

The crowd erupted in screams and cheers.

The policeman flicked his jacket with the back of his hand, chin held high, striding back toward the station with an air of pride. To the ordinary people, his figure seemed larger than life. “With someone this strong protecting the station, we’ve come to the right place,” they whispered excitedly. Only Bian Changxi noticed the slight tremble in his arm and the unsteadiness in his steps.

She narrowed her eyes, glancing back at the dead man. Suddenly, she sensed something and looked toward the entrance.

At the waiting hall’s door, a boy stood trembling, eyes red, biting his lip as he stared at the corpse. His mother clung to him, tears streaming down her face as she whispered hoarsely, “Don’t go! Don’t cry, you can’t cry!”

She pressed the boy’s face into her chest, apologizing humbly to the people around her, who looked at them with disgust. Even so, two rough-looking men shoved her.

“You’re with that guy, aren’t you? You weren’t bitten too, were you?”

“No, no, we weren’t! When the zombie attacked, the boy’s father shielded us.”

“Oh, so you’re a family. You say you weren’t bitten, but who knows? Take your clothes off and let’s check!”

“Yeah, strip and let us check!” the other echoed, and the two started making a scene in front of everyone.

Everyone else was too exhausted and miserable to intervene. A few who felt sorry for the mother and son quietly backed away when they heard they were related to the dead man—afraid they might really have been bitten.

Bian Changxi frowned, slowly clenching her fists, hesitating over whether to step in. Suddenly, a stern voice rang out:

“What are you doing?!”

A well-dressed, middle-aged man strode out of the station with several others, pointing at the two troublemakers and scolding them. The men sneered, “Big talk. Who are you? Do you know who we work for?”

The workers at the station bristled at this, dropping what they were doing and stepping forward.

“We don’t care who you work for, but look where you’re standing! This is Zhonghai Group’s turf. This is our boss, Du Zhonghai. If you keep making trouble, we’ll throw you out!”

So this was Du Zhonghai. Everyone who’d arrived in the new district knew he was the boss here. Instantly, the crowd looked at him with a mix of awe and respect.

Du Zhonghai took a deep breath, about to speak, when the gold-powered policeman suddenly reappeared, grinning.

“Oh, Boss Du, why so angry? You’re the number one here—if you get sick, who will we rely on?” He looked up, feigning surprise. “Hey, why aren’t your people working? I told you, these migrant workers are great at building and running cranes, but registration and security checks? Not really their thing. Don’t worry, my men are all trained. We’ll help you out.”

He waved his hand. “What are you all standing around for? Get to work! From today on, you’re in charge of security here—inside and out. Make things easier for Boss Du, got it?” In no time, a group of uniformed, armed police officers took over the workers’ posts with practiced efficiency. The atmosphere changed instantly—it felt more like entering a police station than a train station now.

Du Zhonghai’s hands shook with anger, his chest heaving. His people rushed to steady him.

The gold-powered man smiled arrogantly.

“Mr. Xiao has further instructions for me, so I’ll be going now, Boss Du.” Then he waved at Bian Changxi’s group. “You brought the suspect, right? Hurry up and bring her in—they’re waiting upstairs!” With that, he strode off, looking even more pleased with himself.

The crowd was stunned, not sure what to make of it. But Du Zhonghai and his people understood perfectly: this was the police showing their power, telling them to hand over control.

So what if they had a few more guns? Acting all high and mighty every day! They’d worked so hard to organize the people in the new district, to set up rules and structure. How much effort had that taken? And now they were just supposed to step aside?

The workers clenched their fists, veins bulging in anger, asking Du Zhonghai what to do. He swallowed his frustration and finally let out a long sigh, waving his hand.

“Find a place to bury the body.” Then he pointed to the mother and son. “Take them inside and settle them somewhere. It’s going to be hard for a widow and her child.”

He muttered the last part to himself, but Bian Changxi, who was heading into the station, heard him and glanced at him thoughtfully.

The train station was nearly finished—modern, enormous, four stories tall. Two basement levels connected directly to the outside tracks and were empty. The survivors were mostly housed on the first basement level. The ground floor was bustling with people coming and going. Bian Changxi was led up to the second floor, which seemed to be where the leadership operated.

She stepped onto the stopped escalator. The floor tiles gleamed. The high ceilings, massive pillars, and wide-open spaces made everyone feel small. Every ten meters or so, a uniformed officer stood guard. Others bustled up and down, busy with their tasks.

The gold-powered policeman was nowhere to be seen. Instead, two men approached—one was Boss Zhang from the internet café she’d met yesterday, the other looked like a white-collar professional.

Boss Zhang smiled.

“You brought her? Thanks for your hard work.”

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