Chapter 23: Restoration

Chapter 23: Restoration

"Bang!"

A loud noise caught everyone's attention.

When the crowd focused their eyes, they saw Xiao Hua emanating a murderous aura, holding a tattered zombie head in her hand as she slowly entered through the door.

She stood still, with a headless zombie corpse lying at her feet.

Xiao Hua looked around the crowd and began a fierce verbal assault: "Not this again, seriously? In times like these, you're still trying to morally guilt-trip us?

We've been in C City for a few days, and large numbers of military forces have already been deployed for rescue in other cities. Yet here we only have a few dozen soldiers and no weapon support—don't you know what's going on?"

Xiao Hua didn't bother to hide the sarcasm in her eyes, her voice growing colder: "Without bullets and guns, soldiers can only fight bare-handed with their lives on the line. Right now, we can barely protect ourselves.

If you want protection, you need to contribute something in return. Who do you think you are to expect something for nothing? Why should they sacrifice their lives because of your cowardice and incompetence?!"

Even now, some people still didn't understand the gravity of the situation. There were plenty who were incompetent themselves and yet dragged others down with them.

In the original storyline, this army was dragged down to the point of total annihilation. Even Tang Hong, a member of the protagonist's team, later sacrificed himself to save others.

Xiao Hua truly didn't want the soldiers who were ready to lay down their lives for their country to die for people who weren't worth it.

There was a moment of silence in the crowd, and then it erupted again in chaos.

The survivors were buzzing with discussion. Most of them were blushing in embarrassment, and even the few with no moral compass, seeing the zombie head still in Xiao Hua's hand, didn't dare to say anything more.

After all, Xiao Hua looked like someone not to be trifled with. They were afraid she might snap their heads off too.

The soldiers inside the room and on guard outside were all moved to tears, including Captain Li.

These soldiers were mostly new recruits, having only trained for a few months before the apocalypse hit.

In terms of mental toughness and combat skills, they weren't even comparable to Xiao Hua. Watching their comrades sacrifice themselves and turn into monsters, they were even more terrified.

But they couldn't show it. They couldn't shake the morale or cause panic.

Now that Xiao Hua had exposed their fears, they were all a bit overwhelmed.

As the discussions gradually died down, Xiao Hua used some of her powers to immobilize the troublemakers, then spoke calmly:

"I'm giving you half an hour. Those who wish to leave may do so. Those who stay must undergo training, and I will personally supervise."

After her announcement, Xiao Hua nodded to Xiao Zui and headed straight up to the second floor.

As soon as she entered the room, Xiao Hua let her guard down, revealing her true colors, "How was it, Brother Bai? Did I do a good job pretending?"

Bai Mu smiled warmly, "Very good, you did an excellent job."

Earlier, Xiao Zui and Captain Li were handling things downstairs while Xiao Hua prepared to make her entrance. Bai Mu had instructed her to be forceful and quickly subdue the survivors to prevent any unrest.

After some thought, Xiao Hua decided to grab a zombie and throw it into the hall, creating a powerful visual impact.

She was sending a clear message: Don't piss me off, or else.

Now, it seemed she had done well.

Xiao Hua was very satisfied. Being valuable was the key to lasting and equal cooperation.

As he gazed at Xiao Hua's breathtaking beauty, Zhao Ye couldn't help but remark with a lingering sense of dread, "For a second there, I thought I saw our old boss."

Her presence was nothing short of awe-inspiring.

A moment later, Xiao Zui pushed the door open and joined them. Walking over to Bai Mu, he said, "There are already survivors packing their belongings, preparing to leave."

Xiao Hua lounged on the couch, watching the two of them, and asked lazily, "What's next on the agenda?"

"We’ll stay here for a few days to gather supplies and train the survivors. We can’t leave until everything’s in order," Bai Mu replied.

Bai Mu paused for a moment and looked at Xiao Hua. "Xiao Hua, we'll go gather supplies, and you will train the remaining survivors, alright?"

"Wait, what?!" Xiao Hua looked at Bai Mu with a strange expression. "Have you got a fever again, Brother Bai?"

Why would you put me, a regular college student, in charge of training thousands of survivors?!

Bai Mu: "..."

Xiao Zui frowned, clearly not on board. "What are you thinking, Old Bai?"

Bai Mu calmly explained, "We can only stay in C City for a maximum of three days. During that time, we need to gather supplies, and the training for the survivors must be focused. Xiao Hua has a better understanding of how regular people should handle zombies."

Xiao Zui understood. "We’re soldiers. Our physical abilities and weapons are different from ordinary people, so there’s a bit of a disconnect."

"So I’m stuck here for the next few days?" Xiao Hua stared at Bai Mu.

Bai Mu coughed lightly. "Of course not. It's just that when it comes to facing zombies, other parts can be handled by someone else. You just need to set the foundation, Xiao Hua."

"That’s more like it." Xiao Hua added a condition, "Oh, and take Su Mo with you. Her healing powers could come in handy if anything goes wrong."

This way, they can spend some quality time together, and I won’t have to worry about Su Mo. Perfect.

Xiao Hua silently calculated in her mind, her expression flawless, and casually reminded Xiao Zui, "Brother, help me look after things, will you?"

"Sure."

While there was still time, they first had a simple breakfast. Bread and milk were quite healthy, but it was a pity there was no hot food.

Xiao Hua felt a little wistful. When it came to food, she really didn’t want to compromise.

While they were discussing, Captain Li entered and joined the conversation with Bai Mu and Xiao Zui. Upon learning that Xiao Hua would be training the survivors, he was surprised but didn’t object. Instead, he asked Xiao Hua what he could do to help.

Xiao Hua put on a serious expression and said, "I need your full cooperation, Captain."

Captain Li responded with an even more serious expression. "No problem, just give me your orders."

Bai Mu watched Xiao Hua’s quick shift in demeanor, a faint smile tugging at his lips, his eyes gleaming with amusement.