Chapter 59: The Military District—Another Group Arrives

Three days later, on the ninth day of the apocalypse, the army finally arrived.

That morning, the barrier between Zone A and Zone B broke down. In broad daylight, zombies crossed over from the other side. The guards at the checkpoint were the first to scatter in panic. Fortunately, Qu Nan received the news in time and quickly organized people to fight back, barely managing to drive the zombies away.

Gu Xu, along with Qiu Yun, Shadow, and Gu Pei, took part in that skirmish. They fought at the front lines with great enthusiasm and even volunteered to guard the new checkpoint, earning Qu Nan’s deep gratitude. Two hours later, the first batch of troops from Jiangcheng Military District arrived—thirty thousand strong, an imposing force. They took over the defense of the new checkpoint, reinforced the surrounding area, and smoothly assumed control of the new district’s administration.

Because Qu Nan had led the people through another crisis, her courage and organizational skills were obvious to all. The timely arrival and overwhelming presence of the military gave the survivors immense confidence. As a result, military rule was welcomed by everyone, much to the frustration of people like Xiao Jing and Director Xiao, who had arrived two days earlier, as well as various government officials.

Another round of heated arguments broke out.

Bian Changxi watched the drama unfold from the sidelines, unconcerned. What puzzled her was that the Bian family still hadn’t arrived. With her uncle Bian Guangyuan’s shrewd, profit-driven nature, he should have rushed to the new district at the first opportunity. She searched the entire area but couldn’t find the Bian family group—only a few relatives from branch families.

She was a little worried about Bian Kuang.

Aside from the Bian family, several other family conglomerates and companies had arrived, including the Chen family. Bian Changxi managed to meet Chen Yisha. Chen Yisha looked healthy and cheerful, not at all like someone who had suffered. She was both surprised and delighted to see Bian Changxi and immediately began chattering about everything that had happened since they parted.

She had faced some hardships and grown from them. Her water-based ability awakened on the fifth day, and now she held a high status in her family—more valued than before the apocalypse.

“…But I did listen to your advice and have been working on my self-defense. Although Dad still won’t let me fight zombies and I’m a bit scared myself, I’ve started learning grappling techniques from the bodyguards… The second young master of the Lei Group keeps trying to impress me, and some distant young relatives are always sucking up too. I know they have their own motives. And my cousin—the one I told you about who’s talented and top of her class—now flatters me with new compliments every day, but secretly she’s always up to something. How can people change so much?”

Bian Changxi listened absentmindedly, then couldn’t help but interrupt, “Shasha, has anyone ever asked you about my bracelet?”

“Bracelet?” Chen Yisha shook her head. “What about your bracelet?”

“Nothing. If no one’s asked, that’s good.”

Chen Yisha’s eyes sparkled as she leaned in and whispered, “Guess who I ran into?”

“Who?”

“Zhang Yuwen. Looks like his team abandoned him. He was all gloomy and even told me Wang Yan was dead—and that you killed her.” Chen Yisha made a face. “I was going to offer him a ride since he knew you, but after he said that, I got mad and just tossed him two pieces of bread and left him to fend for himself.”

Zhang Yuwen and Wang Yan?

Bian Changxi hadn’t forgotten how those two once coveted her jade bracelet. She’d even suspected they might be connected to Boss Zhang, but after thinking it over, she found no leads. She’d tried searching for them in the new district for days with no luck. Now that Chen Yisha brought it up, it gave her a clue.

“Zhang Yuwen said I killed Wang Yan? The last time I saw them, Wang Yan was perfectly fine. Did he say why?”

Chen Yisha thought for a moment. “No.”

“So where did you see him?”

“Two days ago, just after leaving the old district, on the way here.”

It wasn’t easy to reach the new district alone without a team—most people would die on the road. But lately, more and more people were making their way here. Zhang Yuwen, a healthy young man, could easily have joined a group. If he hadn’t died, he should have arrived by now.

Bian Changxi made a mental note to check the registration records for new arrivals. She had a gut feeling that Wang Yan’s death wasn’t simple. As useless as Zhang Yuwen was, he wouldn’t accuse someone without a reason or benefit.

But for now, she had to set this aside, because the military’s commander, Colonel Yue, had ordered a sweep of Zone B in the new district.

The first reason was that the area used to be a small town. While much of it had been demolished and rebuilt, some places remained as they were. Unlike their side, which was completely reconstructed, Zone B still had a grain depot, several food processing plants, a few old-style supermarkets, an auto repair shop, a chain hardware store, and a gas station—all just renovated. Rumor had it that, in preparation for reopening, these places had been restocked.

Most people had fled here with barely any supplies. Now, the number of survivors had reached 400,000, with tents stretching to the outskirts of the new district and more people arriving every day.

With such a huge population, daily consumption was staggering. Even though the army had brought massive stockpiles, it couldn’t last forever. So, the more supplies they could scavenge, the better.

The second reason was to give survivors a chance to train. The military would teach everyone how to kill zombies, and those who performed well could be recruited into a “Warrior Squad.” For many, this was a golden opportunity—joining the army meant guaranteed food, shelter, and safety for their families. People were eager to sign up.

The military acted swiftly. The decision was made that day, and by afternoon, they had finished publicity and mobilization, registration, and team assignments. By the next morning, everything was ready.

“Your mission is to clear out zombies. As for valuable supplies, leave them for us—no private hoarding! Your performance will be judged by your actions and the number of crystal cores you collect. Outstanding participants will qualify for Warrior Squad selection. After the mission, you can exchange your crystal cores for supplies.”

At the front of Bian Changxi’s team, a young captain stood tall and spoke loudly. Beside him was a woman in civilian clothes, about twenty-one or twenty-two, with striking features but an overly stern expression that ruined her beauty. Everyone knew the captain was Yue Li, the team’s temporary leader. The woman was Su Chensi, a spatial ability user assigned by the military to collect supplies after the sweep.

There were also two armed elite soldiers to ensure Yue Li’s authority and maintain order.

Each team had fifty members. The first batch in the morning consisted of twenty teams—a thousand people in total. Another batch would go in the afternoon, and if needed, a third batch would go the next morning.

Lin Rongrong whispered, “Changxi, how big do you think Su Chensi’s space is?”

Bian Changxi glanced at her, then looked down at the map. “We’re just supposed to clear zombies, but according to Gu Xu, our team is headed for the auto repair shop and the 4S dealership next door. Her space probably isn’t big enough for that.”

Lin Rongrong looked disappointed. Right, if they were going to store cars, anything less than two or three hundred square meters wouldn’t cut it. She thought about how hard she’d worked lately to absorb white crystal energy, only managing to expand her own space from just over fifty square meters to a little over sixty. It was discouraging.

Bian Changxi smiled. “You’re doing great. Su Chensi’s space is for the big stuff. If you see anything you like, just stash it away for yourself—think of it as a little bonus.”

“Is that okay? Didn’t Captain Yue say…”

Before Bian Changxi could answer, Yue Li finished his speech and came over. Out of earshot of the others, he said quietly, “Miss Bian, Miss Lin, I’ve received instructions from above—Miss Lin is allowed to collect supplies. Later, you can follow me and Miss Su, or collect things on your own, but please try not to let the others notice.”"