Chapter 111: A City
Just then, the distant roar of vehicle engines echoed outside the villa, followed immediately by the sharp screech of brakes and the chaotic crunch of hurried footsteps.
Jiang Jue frowned slightly, raising a hand to signal everyone to stay on alert.
The light spilling into the doorway was suddenly blocked. Seven or eight soldiers dressed in camouflage combat gear and carrying standard-issue firearms filed quickly into the villa with crisp, efficient movements. They were clearly a well-trained unit.
Leading them was a dark-skinned man in his thirties with sharp, resolute features.
Jiang Jue raised an eyebrow. It was the military.
Chen Feng stepped into the living room. His gaze swept over the shattered debris and scattered corpses, his brow furrowing deeply at the sight. After taking in the trembling survivors, his sharp eyes locked firmly onto Jiang Jue.
Even standing completely still, the young man possessed an unmistakable, commanding aura. He was undeniably the core of the group.
Stepping forward, Chen Feng stopped a respectful distance in front of Jiang Jue. His tone was firm and serious, yet polite. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Chen Feng, leader of the Third Rescue Team from the A City Military Region.”
He paused, glancing at the bodies littering the floor. “We’ve been combing this sector for survivors to escort back to our base. These men…” He pointed toward the dead thugs. “Did your group deal with them?”
“Yes,” Jiang Jue replied simply, offering no further explanation.
Chen Feng studied Jiang Jue for another second but didn’t pry. Instead, he turned to face the shaken survivors huddled in the living room, as well as the dozen or so people being led up from the basement and down from the second floor.
Clearing his throat, he raised his voice so everyone could hear. “Listen up, everyone. You don’t need to be afraid. We are an official rescue team from the A City Military Region. Our orders are to locate survivors in this region and escort you to the safety of the A City Base for resettlement. If you choose to come with us, we will provide armed protection and basic provisions. Of course, no one is being forced. Whether you stay or go is entirely up to you.”
The moment he finished, the room erupted into an uproar.
“It’s the military! The government hasn’t abandoned us! We’re saved!” an older man shouted through tears of relief.
Almost immediately, an elderly woman pushed forward, her shrill voice trembling with bitter resentment. “Why are you only showing up now?! If you had come earlier… my son wouldn’t have died! He was just trying to find some food when those animals…” She broke down in loud sobs, tears streaming down her deeply wrinkled face.
“Exactly! Where have you all been this whole time?”
“Thank God, we can finally get out of this nightmare…”
“Is the base actually safe? Are they going to feed us?”
Gratitude, complaints, frantic questions, and desperate hopes collided all at once, throwing the living room into immediate chaos. A few agitated survivors even tried to push past the soldiers to confront Chen Feng directly.
Chen Feng’s expression darkened. His gaze turned razor-sharp, sweeping over the loudest troublemakers with the sheer, oppressive weight of a seasoned soldier.
Caught under that intimidating stare, the complainers froze as if an invisible hand had gripped their throats. Their voices cut off instantly, their heads sinking between their shoulders as they went dead silent.
“Like I said, you are free to stay or go,” Chen Feng stated in a low, uncompromising voice. “Anyone coming with us, take the next ten minutes to pack what you can carry. We roll out immediately after. Anyone who chooses to stay won’t be forced, but from here on out, your survival is your own responsibility.”
On the other side of the room, Lin Xiao and Chu Yang leaned against the wall, watching the commotion with cold detachment.
“Unbelievable,” Lin Xiao muttered under his breath, crossing his arms with a mocking sneer. “A second ago I felt sorry for these people, but they show their true colors fast, don’t they? What era do they think this is? They still act like the entire world owes them a living. We risked our lives to take this place down, and they treat it like it’s just their due.”
Chu Yang gave a faint, indifferent nod, his eyes trailing over the various expressions in the crowd. “Some people will always treat kindness as something they’re entitled to.”
Still, these people were complete strangers; whatever happened to them next was none of their business.
Having quieted the crowd, Chen Feng turned back to Jiang Jue’s group. His eyes evaluated Jiang Jue, Lin Xiao, Chu Yang, and Su Mubai one by one, lingering briefly on Chu Yang and Su Mubai before landing on young Little Yu. A flicker of surprise crossed his face, quickly replaced by quiet understanding.
“You’re an Ability User team, aren’t you?” Though phrased as a question, his tone was entirely certain. The calm discipline of the group and the brutal efficiency of the aftermath made it obvious.
Jiang Jue offered a noncommittal nod, neither confirming nor denying it.
A flash of genuine respect appeared in Chen Feng’s eyes, and his posture became noticeably more formal. “What are your long-term plans? Our A City Base is currently one of the largest and most secure survivor settlements in the region, and we are actively recruiting capable Ability teams. If you’re willing to join, the base can guarantee a secure living area, strong defense, and regular supply rations. Would you consider it?”
A City Base?
Chu Yang’s brow furrowed slightly at the name.
He remembered this base well. In the original novel, A City Base started out large and well-fortified during the early stages of the apocalypse, but it was plagued by toxic internal power struggles, fierce factional infighting, and chaotic leadership. Eventually, when a massive zombie horde besieged the city, those very same command failures and internal conflicts led directly to the base being completely overrun and destroyed.
In contrast, the N City Base they were currently heading toward was smaller and more remote at this point in the timeline, but it was the very stronghold where the novel’s protagonist eventually built his empire. Nestled in prime strategic terrain that was easy to defend and nearly impossible to breach, it grew under strong leadership to successfully repel multiple massive zombie hordes, eventually becoming one of the most critical bastions of survival in the entire south.
Jiang Jue caught the subtle shift in Chu Yang’s expression. Without a moment’s hesitation, he shook his head. “No, thank you. We already have a set route and plans of our own.”
Chen Feng raised an eyebrow, surprised by the prompt and absolute refusal. In a world like this, securing the backing and resources of a major base was something almost every survivor and ability user desperately sought after.
He held Jiang Jue’s gaze for a long moment, then looked at the rest of the team behind him. Though their expressions differed, their resolve was identical.
Chen Feng nodded slowly, a trace of regret in his voice. “Everyone has their own path. In that case, I won’t press the matter. Safe travels, and I hope you reach your destination without incident.”
“Thank you,” Jiang Jue acknowledged with a nod.
By this time, the soldiers had gathered the survivors and ushered them out toward the military transports.
The little girl named Jiaojiao was being held tightly in her mother’s arms. As they crossed the threshold of the villa, she suddenly paused and looked back. Her large, swollen eyes lingered on Jiang Jue’s stoic profile for a few quiet seconds, looking as though she wanted to say something. In the end, her mother gently guided her forward, and they disappeared into the dim evening light.
Before long, the heavy engines roared to life, and the military convoy pulled away, carrying the survivors off into the deepening dusk.
Daily Life of Being Turned Gay by the Male Lead After Transmigrating into an Apocalypse
