Chapter 61: Zombies x Slap in the Face x Anatomy (5)

Chapter 61: Zombies x Slap in the Face x Anatomy (5)

On the second attempt, many of the preparatory procedures were streamlined and efficiency continuously improved.

In the team of over fifty people, more than ten were professional consultants from mercenary companies, while the rest were elites from various universities and different fields.

Keding originally did not intend to have Doctor Jiang solve too many problems for him; the latter also had to manage support points and transfer stations across the country, saying it would take at least two weeks to return to City S.

Doctor Jiang, with over twenty years of medical experience, now needed to quickly adapt to his new role as the president of a mercenary company, revitalizing the entire organization during special times and minimizing personnel losses.

The two worked separately but with an unspoken understanding.

A large budget for second-hand weapons and helicopters was saved, and they could directly go through the process to purchase supplies from mercenary companies.

He had more time to stockpile fuel, medicine, water purification equipment, and simulate the entire process of occupying new areas.

As for freeing He's parents and the neighbors in the countryside, he needed to repeatedly communicate and assist to avoid unnecessary tragedies.

Just when he was busy until July 26th, the alarm sounded in the early hours of the morning.

"Attention! The system has detected that the target's SAN value is below 45 points. Once it drops below 30 points, there is a risk of mission failure."

Keding was still in a meeting with the team, drawing regional planning maps, and took the opportunity to go to the restroom to talk to the system.

"SAN value? Do I need to care if he learns trigonometric functions?"

"It means mental health value," the system explained. "Think about it, if Jin Mingmao goes crazy, he'll be too busy being insane to have any defense value, right?"

Keding's expression turned blank, feeling the difficulty of the task for the first time.

"He! How! So! Fragile!!"

"Can he really be the attacker with this delicate appearance?! Isn't he just a weak receptor?!"

"I fed him well and tied him up, even played 'Tom and Jerry' to keep him entertained, and I still can't get through to him!!"

The system tried to explain for Jin Mingmao: "That's how it is, dear. That delicate flower... after all, he's been tied up in the bedroom watching 'Tom and Jerry' day and night for five days."

"Besides, there are only 163 episodes of this cartoon, each lasting only 6 minutes, so one cycle a day, watching it five times would drive anyone crazy."

Keding raised his hands and pressed them hard against his head.

He found the big, fat mercenary Tom again and said, "Starting today, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, show him 'Bleach.' On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, show him 'Naruto.' On Sundays, show him 'One Piece.' Report back to me when he's finished, okay?"

"YES-SIR!"

System: "Quite nostalgic."

"Classic works are more enduring," Keding said. "It turns out I not only have to ensure this scumbag's physical safety but also nurture his fragile mental world... Hopefully, after watching 'Bleach,' this guy will toughen up a bit."

After finishing 'Bleach,' 'Naruto,' and 'One Piece,' we'll add some 'Reborn!' and 'Cardcaptor Sakura'! All the tears of the era will be arranged!

On August 4th, dozens of large vehicles stopped in front of a street.

In the past, such actions would have caused many people to question and become wary.

But now, with the city in chaos and smoke everywhere, people were already struggling to take care of themselves.

He Shuangqiu stood at the highest observation point on the hospital rooftop, flanked by two guards holding sniper rifles.

He felt a bit restless in the dead of night, unscrewing a cold soda and taking a couple of gulps.

The big event was about to happen.

Behind him, Jin Mingmao, tethered with a five-meter rope, looked terrified.

The good news was that he no longer had to watch TV day and night, but the bad news was—what were they going to do now? What was happening?!

As the second hand struck midnight, He Shuangqiu picked up the military radio: "Operation begins."

The massive van doors opened silently, and three waves of vehicles poured out.

The first wave of construction vehicles quickly placed containers and barbed wire, setting up hundreds of meters of isolation walls in just a few minutes.

A factory was just a few kilometers away, and with ample preparation, the construction team swiftly built high fortifications, with several cranes working simultaneously.

The second wave consisted of seven or eight armed men who immediately occupied the supermarket, followed by reconnaissance drones.

"The boss said that aerial cameras will record the entire operation, and anyone caught stealing or acting selfishly will be immediately expelled!"

The two old security guards, who were on duty, were stunned, trembling as they raised their hands: "Are you... robbing us?"

"We can't put it that way," the lead deputy said politely. "Consider it claiming territory during a special period. Step aside, please, we need to inventory your stock."

Based on calculations, vegetables and meat should remain stable, but fruits would become scarce luxuries in the future.

Fruits like pomelos could be stored for months at room temperature, while others might only be preserved in frozen form.

All four entrances of the large supermarket were fully opened. Drones patrolled from above, while vehicles continuously delivered goods from the agricultural market for storage.

A few days earlier, due to the prolonged southern front, everyone in City S was in a state of panic, either hoarding goods and hiding in high-rise buildings or fleeing north in a hurry.

The supermarket had already sold out most of its stock, but fortunately, it had just been restocked around eleven o'clock, leaving enough space to refrigerate other supplies.

When Keding initially chose the Luojia Village area, he particularly valued the large supermarket's extensive underground warehouse, which had a well-designed layout for water and electricity, making it suitable as a refugee gathering point.

The two old security guards, too old to run north with the young people, were unsure what to do, half-believing the social news. Seeing these people efficiently moving and unloading goods, they mustered the courage to ask.

"Where... should we go now? Can we stay and continue working?"

"Sure," the deputy gestured for a specialist to come over and record the situation while arranging a medical examination: "Food and accommodation provided, with subsequent rewards in cash or supplies to be planned uniformly."

The elderly man with graying hair hurriedly bowed his thanks and immediately cooperated, moving to the side.

At this moment, a row of students held devices, quickly entering cargo information. Their parents had already undergone ample pre-training; those skilled in accounting managed spreadsheets to confirm numbers, while those adept at control panels helped operate the cargo robots, just enough people to get the job done.

The large supermarket was brightly lit, becoming the core of supplies for the first base just hours before the zombies arrived.

The Third Squadron swiftly occupied the slaughterhouse and took control of the adjacent farm as well.

Modern industrial farms are all in high-precision, high-environmental control conditions, but most of the workers responsible for maintenance had fled north. The few remaining did not put up much resistance, instead heaving a sigh of relief when they saw someone to rely on.

—It’s not their place, the boss has run away, the world is ending, might as well live day by day, working for anyone!

Drones automatically connected to the factory's intelligent control system backend, cracked the encryption keys, and took the highest control authority, quickly activating the monitoring system to scan the number of existing animals.

Occupying and maintaining this vast farm and slaughterhouse meant that all living waste could be used to feed pigs, significantly reducing the speed of pollution and disease spread.

Good news came frequently over the walkie-talkies, and the steel walls had already surpassed three meters in height. Beneath the tall hospital building, streetlights wove a fragmented canopy over the city.

Keding, who had grown up dreaming of winning five million from a scratch card or being taught heart transplant surgery in a dream overnight, never imagined he would one day become a bandit leader.

And not just any bandit leader, but a cyberpunk bandit leader in a near-future sci-fi era.

Before deploying operations, experts had already scouted several key areas days earlier, setting up covert surveillance.

The supermarket was in a semi-maintained state, almost emptied out, while the slaughterhouse retained a few skilled hands who could serve as trainers later.

Even better, the hospital was almost deserted.

By mid-July, the hospital had been nearly full. However, with the rapid spread of the zombie plague, all sorts of alarming rumors began to circulate.

"Quickly buy gas masks! A single spit from a zombie will turn you into a mad dog!"

"Eat salt! Table salt cures evil spirits! Sprinkle it behind you when you go out!"

"Latest report! Experts claim a rare herb may have miraculous effects in reversing zombie madness!"

Many heard that zombies were almost powerless in extreme heat or cold, so some groups had already traveled to the Antarctic or Arctic under the guise of tourism, while others went to warm, small islands for half-vacation, half-shelter.

With just a couple of days left until August, patients were quickly taken away by their families, and a few doctors and nurses, eager to save themselves, took leave and did not come in.

No one wanted to see the hospital corridors crowded with drooling zombies, preferring to die of illness rather than become a monstrous human.

Thus, when Keding landed on the hospital rooftop by helicopter, there was no security guard or cleaner to check what was happening.

The First Squadron continued with the strategy of building walls from southeast to northwest, starting work at midnight without stopping.

After confirming complete control over the designated buildings, the Second and Third Squadrons quickly gathered at the hospital entrance, posting posters and flyers from the first to the fifteenth floor, kindly guiding any obstructive personnel.

The deputy, worried that someone might hide in the bathrooms or storage rooms, thoughtfully arranged for drones to patrol with loudspeakers.

"The First Base of Hydaelyn, Kupo, is now established!"

"Please join us to continue the flame of human civilization and embrace the power of light!"

The system was momentarily stunned, then switched to the god's-eye view, noticing a laser-printed plaque added to the outer iron wall of the base.

"Hydaelyn · First Base · Kupo"

"Hydaelyn is a beautiful name," the system said, "but... what does Kupo mean?"

"It’s the whisper of an ancient deity," Keding said. "Let us listen, feel, and think—"

"Wait, I remember now," he turned to look at the ex-boyfriend accessory standing five meters behind him. "This guy must have accumulated some defense-breaking points seeing how awesome I am, right?"

For the once obedient young man to become a cyberpunk bandit leader controlling a drone squadron was a spectacular sight, a shocking event, and a severe blow to the ex-boyfriend’s ego!

The system: "Let me check..."

"Defense-breaking points: 1 point. Still the same value as when you slapped him."

Keding: "Is the cash register broken?"

"No, it was just maintained, everything is normal." The system said. "Additionally, I detected data fluctuations, which I’ll send to you."

"Jealousy: 19 → 81"

"Ambition: 84 → 152"

"Mental Health: 62 → 68"

Keding: "..."

He Shuangqiu descended the stairs with a stern expression, his bodyguards following closely.

As he passed the trembling Jin Mingmao, he glanced at him lightly.

"Play the entire series of 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' and 'Tiny Times' for him tonight."

"YES-SIR!"