Chapter 60, Chapter 16: Female Supporting Character in an Apocalyptic Novel

The dean's hands trembled even more violently.

This time, however, it wasn't out of fright, but rather out of surprise.

"Are you serious?!"

Yu Wanwan nodded.

"The main body is here, so even if they get the data, they can't use it."

This is just a world without spirits. Even if there are mutated creatures, it is still a world without spirits.

It's already a miracle that even one creature like Xiaoteng, capable of becoming a spirit, could exist.

It's not that easy to find another one.

The dean was truly relieved. He laughed heartily a few times, chatted with Yu Wanwan for a while, and then left the courtyard.

With these professionals from Area A, Area E is developing even more rapidly.

Unlike the thriving E district, the AD district, under Commander Zhao's guidance, is becoming increasingly decadent.

That's not quite right.

Area A and Area B haven't changed much; they're still living the same lives as before, without any significant development, but they haven't declined either.

Areas C and D, however, suffered greatly.

Since Commander Zhao took office, the oxygen tax has increased by one percentage point, and the price of oxygen has also been rising steadily.

Previously in Zone D, one cubic meter of oxygen cost ten gold coins, but now it has increased to twenty, more than doubling in price.

The exorbitant cost of oxygen has drawn widespread public discontent and lamentation.

But Commander Zhao had soldiers, pistols, and all sorts of heavy weapons at his disposal. Anyone who refused was subjected to coercion by force.

They are no different from robbers.

His subordinates had, of course, told him that this was not a long-term solution, but unfortunately, he didn't listen at all.

Gradually, the people in Zones C and D could no longer bear such heavy pressure and high costs. Some even secretly slipped out to the outskirts of Zone E, pleading with Zone E to accept them through the protective shield.

More and more people gathered outside Zone E, and gunshots were heard outside Zone E every day.

Even so, it didn't stop people from Zones C and D from fleeing to this side.

Xu Qingzhou convened a meeting with officials from District E to discuss the matter.

It has been almost half a year since these officials arrived in District E. They have long since become accustomed to life in District E and have also adapted to Xu Qingzhou's style.

During the meeting, everyone expressed their opinions and engaged in heated discussions.

"People in Zones C and D are people too! The reason we fell out with Zhao Kun was because he didn't treat people outside Zones A and B as human beings at all. If we don't care about the people who fled from Zones C and D this time, how are we any different from Zhao Kun back then?!"

"I never said I wouldn't help them. Why are you so agitated? We definitely need to save them, but the key is how to save them, and what to do with them afterward?"

The official in charge of managing land for people's livelihood looked extremely unwell, with worry in his eyes.

“There are indeed many vacant houses in E City, but with so many people in C and D districts, these houses simply cannot accommodate them. Are we going to allocate farmland for them to build shacks?”

The person who was initially the most excited was speechless.

They all knew very well that the land was the foundation of their survival, and no matter what else was moved, the land used for planting must never be touched.

Xu Qingzhou sat at the head of the table, tapping the table with his index finger, remaining silent and listening quietly to the arguments below.

Lord Su was also invited over. He sat to Xu Qingzhou's right, leaning on a cane, and didn't say a word.

As their argument gradually subsided, they looked up at the head of the table with somewhat strange expressions.

Xu Qingzhou seemed to sense something and suddenly turned his head to look at the person on his left.

Yu Wanwan was dozing off, her head nodding slightly.

"..."

Xu Qingzhou's lips twitched slightly.

How can she sleep when this group of people are making such a racket!

He coughed, gently nudged her, and lowered his voice.

"Xiaoman, what do you think?"

Although he already knew her original name was Su Man, Xu Qingzhou had gotten used to calling her Xiao Man.

Yu Wanwan didn't care and let him be.

In any case, neither Xiaoman nor Suman is her.

She jolted awake, glanced at the people below, and slightly pursed her lips.

Seeing her expression, Xu Qingzhou guessed what she was going to say. His eyelids twitched, and he gently squeezed her hand under the conference table first.

"..."

Looking into the subtle pleading in his eyes, Yu Wanwan hesitated, but ultimately decided not to offend him and swallowed her original words.

"Since City E isn't big enough, let's go somewhere bigger."

Xu Qingzhou was taken aback, somewhat not understanding what she meant.

The people below were also stunned.

After a long while, someone finally spoke hesitantly.

"Does Miss mean to go to war with Zhao Kun? To seize territory?"

Everyone lowered their eyes and began to consider the feasibility of this matter.

"We left in a hurry and didn't bring anything from Area A. The weapons and ammunition are all in Zhao Kun's hands. Although the research institute has been working hard to develop new weapons, they are still not enough compared to the weapons and ammunition in Zhao Kun's hands."

It's not just a little bit, it's incomparable.

"Besides, most of the people in E City are farmers who haven't received professional training. The only ones who can be considered to have fighting skills are the group of people under Hei San. They can do guerrilla warfare and surprise attacks, but if it comes to a head-on battle, we are no match for Zhao Kun."

"This can only be addressed in the long term; there's no way to do it in the short term, but what we lack most right now is time!"

Yu Wanwan's eyes and brows showed a hint of sleepiness, and even her usually gentle tone of voice carried a lazy quality.

"Who said we were going to fight them for territory?"

The officials were taken aback again, their faces filled with confusion and bewilderment.

Yu Wanwan didn't keep them in suspense and pointed upwards.

"The world is so vast waiting for you to conquer, and you're only thinking about that tiny patch of land that Zhao Kun has?"

Tsk, what a loser.

"..."

Everyone looked at each other, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"ground?"

"But the poison on the ground..."

Before they could finish speaking, they suddenly realized something.

"Miss, what do you mean...?"

Yu Wanwan smiled slightly, very softly.

"The research institute has already stockpiled a lot of the Pure Breath Moss that hasn't been released yet; it's time."

Upon receiving a positive reply, everyone was so excited that they could hardly speak.

No one doubted what she said.

Although she hasn't returned to the research institute in the past six months, everyone knows that she has actually been helping the people there.

And then there's Yaya, whom she sent to the research institute. She's so young, yet she's already incredibly outstanding.

Especially in the areas of plant and toxic gas research, their work has far surpassed that of researchers from Area A.

This prompted those people to lament every now and then that sometimes hard work and sweat are truly worthless in the face of talent.

The next meeting shifted its focus from rescuing and resettling the people of Zone CD to discussing how to reclaim the land and begin mining and construction.

After that, Yu Wanwan and Xu Qingzhou stopped listening.

Xu Qingzhou handed over the leadership of the meeting to City Lord Su, who would oversee it, while he and Yu Wanwan joined Hei San's group and headed towards the edge of Zone E.

E City is now overcrowded, and there are enemies eyeing them covetously from the outside. It's unsettling for everyone in the city to focus on agricultural planting.

They must have their own troops.

So, after Hei San and his group were completely integrated into District E and accepted by the people of District E, Xu Qingzhou separated them and formed a guard force for City E.

Speaking of this, Xu Qingzhou felt a pang of emotion.

He was very good at business, but he was a complete novice when it came to training troops.

Although Hei San was once the boss of the black market, the black market was a completely unorthodox place where people relied entirely on their own courage and fighting spirit, and there were no proper training methods.

Needless to say, those people from Area A are either researchers or academics; they're not even as good as Xu Qingzhou and Hei San.

Just as Xu Qingzhou was desperately trying to recall how the army was trained and managed in his previous world, Yu Wanwan took over Hei San and his group and took them to the ground.

I don't know what they did on the ground, or how Yu Wanwan trained this group of people.

In short, when they returned to Zone E, their admiration and loyalty to Yu Wanwan far surpassed their loyalty to Xu Qingzhou.

Even among these self-taught individuals, former secretaries, one could vaguely discern the discipline, rigor, and competence of soldiers.

A fierce battle between the military and civilians is unfolding on the outskirts of Zone E.

Those patrol soldiers were well-equipped and had higher combat capabilities, but they couldn't compete with the sheer number of people in the CD area.

Now, almost everyone still alive in the CD area is gathered here, creating a noisy mess.

The piercing questions, angry curses, desperate cries, and the child's sharp sobs were all mixed together, creating a sound that was both jarring and desolate.

Even Hei San and his group of profit-driven people felt a pang of pity in this environment.

Yu Wanwan slowly raised the silver pistol.

A soldier in camouflage uniform, holding a bayonet, was about to stab a child when a hole appeared in his forehead, and he slowly fell backward.

As the gunshot rang out, the chaotic scene outside seemed to be paused, and people slowly turned their heads to look.

A ripple spread across the transparent protective shield, then slowly disappeared.

Yu Wanwan twirled the still-smoking pistol, smiling charmingly.

"Residents of Zone CD are allowed to enter; anyone else who crosses the line will be killed."

Her words, spoken with a smile, were not loud, but they reached the crowd precisely, causing them to pause in surprise once again.

Xu Qingzhou stood beside her, looking down at her, his eyes filled with a light he himself did not realize.

This was the first time he had seen her fire a gun.

When the black market people caused trouble last time, things had calmed down by the time he returned.

He only knew how she did it from the people in Zone E.

But now, he has seen it with his own eyes.

It was somewhat different from what he had imagined, yet even more captivating. Despite being a murderer, she radiated light, making it impossible for him to look away.

Hei San and his men followed closely behind, raising their guns and aiming them at the soldiers outside, their eyes gleaming.

"Residents of Zone CD are allowed to enter. Anyone else who crosses the line will be killed!"

"Residents of Zone CD are allowed to enter. Anyone else who crosses the line will be killed!"

"Residents of Zone CD are allowed to enter. Anyone else who crosses the line will be killed!"

The men, dressed in silver military uniforms and holding their guns aloft, shouted Yu Wanwan's words at the top of their lungs.

Neat and uniform, with an imposing momentum.

They only had a few hundred men, fewer in number than the camouflaged soldiers, yet they still outnumbered them.

The people in Zone CD finally came to their senses and wept with joy. But they didn't have time to wipe their tears and ran towards Zone E like madmen, crying and shouting.

"Great! City E has come to our rescue!"

"We're saved!"

"The people in City E are all incredibly kind! Unlike those beasts in District A!"

"Don't run! Stop right there!"

One of the generals in Area A reacted immediately, frowning and shouting to stop the people who were frantically rushing towards Area E.

Unfortunately, the effect was minimal; his stern shouts were drowned out by the cries and weeping of the people.

He didn't believe it and cursed under his breath.

"Stop them! Live or die!"

At the same time, he quickly loaded and raised his gun.

"If anyone dares to run again, I'll shoot him!"