Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Jiang Nian spoke casually, but his words made Cheng Jing pause mid-bite, his eyes lighting up:

"That's a solid idea. I'll bring it up with the official organization’s leader—it could work elsewhere too. Mark sealed rooms, and we won’t have to double-check everything when distributing supplies."

He added:

"If you’ve got any apocalypse survival strategies, let me know. I’ll pass them on to the authorities so we don’t waste effort later."

The apocalypse hit without warning, throwing the entire world into chaos. Countries and cities were left to fend for themselves.

The national military was racing to build rescue bases, but that took time. The more people who survived until rescue arrived, the better for humanity’s future—once someone died, there was nothing left.

"Alright."

Jiang Nian had planned this anyway. Now that Cheng Jing was leading a rescue team himself, things meant for later could be moved forward. With that thought, he pulled out a sheet of paper and began sketching:

"It took countless deaths to distill these lessons. Before rescue bases were fully set up, many cities divided into sectors. A medium-sized city like Qingyun could split into four zones—east, west, south, north."

"The command center’s municipal building happens to sit near the center of those four zones. No changes needed—it’s perfectly positioned. Recruit everyone qualified for rescue teams, then assign each squad to one zone. Headcounts and supply distributions would depend on survivor numbers in each area..."

"Mhm."

Cheng Jing rubbed his chin thoughtfully:

"This way, rescue teams wouldn’t scramble across the city, cutting down casualties… Easier to manage once the cold hits too."

Jiang Nian nodded and continued:

"Right, though this won’t work everywhere. If civilians resist, it fails. After zoning, the next step is setting up shelters in each zone—rounding up survivors to streamline management. But that means private stockpiles would be out in the open. Those without supplies will support it, but those with them might not..."

Cheng Jing picked up where he left off:

"As time passes, government rations will shrink—but still get handed out equally. People with nothing will argue those with supplies shouldn’t get a fair share... But no one gives up what’s theirs."

That’s just human nature.

"Exactly. No method’s perfect, but if some order holds during the chaos, survival rates jump. Even if it’s unfair to a few, sometimes you cut losses for the majority."

Jiang Nian sighed after speaking. Mass coordination’s never perfect.

"So, do you agree? We’ve got enough supplies here."

Cheng Jing asked with a smile. Anyone who saw their stash would kill for it.

Jiang Nian didn’t hesitate:

"If you propose this and they go through with it, I’ll comply. But..."

He paused, then grinned slyly:

"You can use your clout—zone Taihe Mingcheng and nearby blocks as a shelter. We stay put, relocate others here. This area has fewer people, isn’t a disaster zone, and sits close to main roads—so rescue access is faster."

Most importantly, Cheng Jing’s background in security meant people wouldn’t suspect a thing about their safe house—he’d just need to bar entry.

Cheng Jing nodded in approval. He’d give it a shot. Whether it happened was up to the authorities—he only needed to suggest it. The "original residents" stayed, the relocated followed rules. Everything would fall into place.

……

The night passed peacefully. The next morning after eating, Cheng Jing and Jiang Nian first went to the 8th floor. As expected, the couple who had knocked on their door the previous night had turned into zombies and were now wandering the hallway. Upon spotting them, the zombies let out raspy growls and attacked.

Cheng Jing swiftly shot them both in the head, then torched them right there, reducing them to ashes before vaporizing the remains. The temperature of his flames was insanely hot, burning away even the smell.

After dealing with the zombies on the 8th floor, Cheng Jing sent a message to Huang Qian, and soon the three of them began locking down the floors.

Some residents came out to investigate the noise, and upon learning their purpose, they all supported the effort. Quickly, others pitched in to help.

The outbreak had already been underway for over half a month, and the number of Supers was steadily increasing.

Even in this predominantly elderly community, a few people had awakened—though they had basic strength boosts. Still, their active participation helped everyone sleep easier.

Of course, they were grown folks who knew the risks. Even when following Supers, they understood that safety was ultimately their own responsibility.

As more and more people joined in, they kept their guard up while also looking out for each other. Eventually, at the neighbors' request, Cheng Jing agreed that when he wasn’t out scavenging, he would work with everyone to clear and seal off each building.

With many hands helping, they managed to secure and clear three buildings in a single day, wasting a bunch of zombies in the process. The rest would have to wait until Cheng Jing’s next day off to continue.

After the power outage, the community’s keycard readers became useless, and the main gate was destroyed. Cheng Jing had to work with several strength-type Supers to block off the basement stairwells and elevator entrances on the first floor with heavy objects.

This effectively prevented zombies that had slipped into the basement from outside the community from climbing up.

Though the basement would become a zombie hotspot, as long as they kept sweeping it, the threat would remain manageable for the time being.

For the three buildings already cleared, Jiang Nian recorded the number of surviving households on each floor in a notebook. If any household was later lost, it would simply be crossed off—efficient and accurate.

……

The next day when Cheng Jing went back to "work," he submitted the proposal for sector lockdowns. With the death toll rising, it was only a matter of time before survivors would need to bunker down together during the crisis.

After submitting the suggestion, Cheng Jing reinforced and modified the doors and windows of the two unoccupied units on their 10th floor, planning to gather the squad members there in advance. No matter what happened next, they could watch each other’s six.

Huang Qian would stay where she was, so the two safe rooms would go to the other six members—all men, making it easy to assign three to each room.

Once the safe rooms were prepared, they began gradually moving supplies during their outings. The other team members finally had the chance to visit their community, though Cheng Jing refused to let them enter to meet Jiang Nian in the middle of the night.

After several days of sneaking stuff over, the relocation was finally complete, and all six members officially moved in.

During the move, Cheng Jing took the opportunity to briefly explain Jiang Nian’s doomsday dreams and stockpiling habits to the others. They had no trouble believing it—if Supers existed, nightmare premonitions weren’t so strange.

On the first day after the successful move, they held a gathering in Jiang Nian’s apartment.

Upon meeting him in person, everyone unanimously agreed that Jiang Nian’s nickname, "hamster," was spot-on.