Chapter 399: Getting Through Winter
Xu Yi remembered when he saw the mottled old scars on Li Zhuang’s body and the words he said: people living on the edge of the blade, it’s rare not to be injured.
“Big brother, is my body too charming?” Qin Yu’s teasing voice sounded.
Li Zhuang suddenly stood up, took a big bite of the half-peeled sweet potato in Xu Yi’s hand, and hurried off while fanning his mouth from the heat. “Back to duty.”
“Li Zhuang, you’re gonna burn yourself!” Xu Yi looked at the half of the sweet potato left in his hand and angrily scolded him.
Li Zhuang waved his hand with his back to him. “The person picking you up is off duty; I’ll come get you later.”
“You’re abusing your power again—I’m reporting you—” Xu Yi’s voice echoed down the hallway. The on-duty doctors calmly didn’t even look up.
Zhuang Mingxu looked on curiously. “Do they do this often?”
“Not really,” the doctor said. “Maybe three or four times a week.”
Two days of work a week, and three or four times a week they act like this…
Zhuang Mingxu smiled and listened carefully as the doctor explained the elderly woman’s condition.
Eric and Qin Jin’s parents’ arrival meant fewer people at dinner in the villa, but many belongings were packed and taken away.
That night, Zhuang Mingxu explained Qin Jin’s parents’ situation: their city was attacked by zombies shortly after the apocalypse began. They followed the main force to the Pingjin Base. Uncle Qin is an earth-element ability user, and he and the old lady managed to survive outside the base.
Recently, conflicts with their base escalated, which is when their names came up. They found out the base was established by a few people, and thinking Qin Jin was with them, they came looking.
“Is the old lady okay?” Lu Weiyi asked.
“She’s fine, but her body has caught cold and needs rest,” Zhuang Mingxu replied. “I asked Uncle Qin to work as security at the children’s home. I arranged a suite for them there, but I don’t know where Qin Jin is.”
“Maybe he’s far away. Once communications improve, we’ll search a wider area,” Lu Weiyi knew he was worried and comforted him briefly before mentioning Gu Qingji.
“He asked if, in case of a fight with the Pingjin base, they’d need someone on the outskirts.”
“He wants you to arrange for him to go?” Zhuang Mingxu didn’t seem surprised. “Probably because he disagrees with Gu Qingyue.”
“Yeah, didn’t say why.” Lu Weiyi, accustomed to such hidden motives, habitually asked Zhuang Mingxu’s opinion. Since this concerned teammates, he was extra careful.
“Ask him straight what he wants. If he won’t say, just assign him somewhere completely opposite,” Zhuang Mingxu suggested deliberately.
Lu Weiyi’s eyes brightened. “Isn’t that a bit harsh?”
“You can say it’s because you’re responsible for everyone on the team, and his ability isn’t combat-type. The ones we’re sending out have strong offensive powers.”
Lu Weiyi nodded seriously, lay back on the bed, exhaled, and thought over the base’s affairs. Then he asked, “Have we arranged everything we needed to?”
“All in place. Just waiting for news before preparing to fight,” Zhuang Mingxu smoothed his brow, feeling a rare sense of protection since Lu Weiyi returned from Pingjin Base.
It was a strange feeling. Before, they were protector and protected. After a year of the apocalypse, their roles shifted, but that relationship never changed. Now, they stood side by side.
In the past, he never imagined such a day would come. But, honestly…
It felt pretty good.
“Sleep well. I’ve arranged everything. Think of it as a proper rest,” Zhuang Mingxu said softly. Comforted, Lu Weiyi soon drifted into deep sleep.
Before the attack on Pingjin Base, zombies arrived first.
When the first wave of zombies started coming intermittently toward Moon Bay, Zhuang Mingxu sensed something was wrong.
Lu Weiyi had always been alert to zombie sieges and the huge mutated sea creatures. Moreover, people kept fleeing toward the base.
Just lining up at the shore for checks took a long time. Base squads cleared the surrounding area weekly to maintain safety.
Now the zombies were coming with intent. That was clearly off.
Zhuang Mingxu asked a few informants at Pingjin Base, but no one could explain. Even Tang Bai said nothing was wrong. Finally, Cheng Chuan went out and returned with news.
Someone deliberately scattered the dismembered bodies across the city, using flesh and blood to build a path leading to Moon Bay.
“I only ventured about forty miles inward. The enemy has set ambushes all along the coast, spreading out from Moon Bay in a radiating pattern toward the mainland. If this trend continues, anyone attracted by the flesh and blood will eventually be guided straight here, including… the city center.”
After some thought, Cheng Chuan agreed to cooperate with Zhuang Mobai’s research. Zhuang Mobai used a device to suppress the zombie energy rampage within Cheng Chuan’s body. The effect was mediocre but sufficient to prevent further deterioration.
“If this keeps up, eventually all the zombies in the city will gather here, while over ten thousand people along the coast wait daily, hoping to enter the base.”
These tens of thousands will ultimately become a beacon attracting the zombies.
“Damn, the no-man’s zone in the city center of Pingjin is where tens of millions of zombies have gathered. The squads usually avoid it when they go out. They’re basically leaving no way out for people.”
“If we’re wiped out, can they reclaim this place?”
“That’s a crazy idea—no normal person could understand this.”
“We should send someone to warn the people gathered outside. Tell them the zombie siege is coming. If they don’t find a way to leave…”
Zhuang Mingxu’s words trailed off. Most of the people there were ordinary civilians. With this weather, many were already freezing to death. Where else could they go?
“They’ll definitely try to get inside the base. Otherwise, they’ll either become part of the zombie horde or serve as an early attacking force,” Li Qing, having lost faith in humanity after the entire legion was driven out by residents, sometimes showed slight hostility.
“Our base’s East Island has been uninhabited all along. Why not let them stay there temporarily?” Despite the thousands dying by zombies’ jaws, it was still hard not to feel sympathy.
“Letting them stay there comfortably, while other squads help resist the invasion—won’t that cause discontent among the frontline squads?”
“I think so too. Also, who can guarantee there aren’t any spies among them, colluding with the outside?”
“There’s a power gap between us. We can’t withstand such a risk. We have to nip all possible incidents in the bud.”
Several squad leaders argued, then all looked to Lu Weiyi for a decision.
“Leaving them outside is basically sending them to their deaths. At worst, it might force them to cooperate with the Pingjin base out of desperation. People pushed to the edge will do anything to drag others down with them. I don’t want any surprises now.”
“Let them choose whether to spend the winter on East Island. Make it clear in advance that no one may leave.”
The group was noncommittal, so Lu Weiyi personally led a few people to go there.
The entire Moon Bay looked like an artificial ice volcano, with several small islands sitting right at the crater, making entry and exit extremely difficult.
Since the base sealed off, refugees gathered miles away from the entrance.
This area used to be a dock with some containers, but Lu Weiyi moved them all to the South Island warehouse. The surroundings became desolate, not a single intact building in sight.
“They’ve dug temporary underground shelters in small groups. No problem with warmth,” Wu Yue, who dealt with this group often, led the way and pointed to irregular trenches on the ground. “These indicate occupied underground areas; others stay away.”
“Be careful,” Wu Yue tugged him and pointed to a one-meter-square grass-covered grid by their feet. “That’s a ventilation shaft—step on it, and you might fall through.”
Lu Weiyi felt embarrassed, stepped aside a bit, and gazed at the empty grids in the distance. He recalled how they had survived last year; at least they had a station overhead for shelter.
“What do you guys do?” someone wearing a vest made of unknown animal fur called out.
“We’re from the Moon Bay base. This is our base commander, Mr. Lu. Who’s in charge here?” Wu Yue greeted him.
“Base commander, hello! I’m the gatekeeper here. I’ll call them over to meet you.” The man hurried off, banging a rusty metal object. Soon, makeshift “doors” of various materials popped up on the ground.
Without waiting for questions, he shouted, “Everyone, come out quick! The Moon Bay base commander is here!”
After a few calls, dozens gathered, many shivering in the cold, hands in pockets, cautiously asking if the base was opening.
“Not yet.” The residents used to get base subsidies in winter. Many lacked supplies to last the season. Moon Bay couldn’t support so many; the gap was too large, likely causing conflicts. So they kept the two groups separate.
“I’m here to tell you that within a week, a large zombie horde will head this way. The number is unknown. Gathering here makes you an easy target,” Lu Weiyi’s words sparked an immediate uproar.
“How can zombies be coming here?”
“What should we do then?”
“Can’t we enter the base? You have room! Why won’t you let us in?”
“We’ve lived here so long without any new zombies, proving none of us carry the virus. Why still not let us in?”
“We heard your base shelters ordinary people who travel miles, many orphans, widows, elderly, children—so dangerous. Now you say no entry, and zombies are here. You’re pushing us to death!”
