58. Utter Despair
Gunfire echoed across the highlands for two whole months, and the human cities that had lost contact finally re-established communication.
Ru Feng stood in the temporary command post, her fingertips tracing the terrain map, the idea of relocating the main city reaching its peak at this moment.
The original three major cities have suffered severe damage. The combination of high temperatures and a zombie horde has left less than 30% of the population as survivors, and scattered management simply cannot keep up. All forces must be consolidated; otherwise, if another crisis arises, it will be difficult to withstand.
After much deliberation, the old site of the Watchers' base was the most suitable. It was high and flat, and there were existing underground bunkers that could be used with minor repairs.
Ru Feng made up her mind, "This is it! We'll start the relocation in three days."
It's not even the hottest time yet; if we drag this out any longer, the difficulty will double.
Once the order was given, the underground bunker was a hive of activity; everyone knew that unity was the only way to survive.
Not to mention the bustling relocation of Cloud Peak City, Fu Yunong's conscientious marketplace had already made a name for itself in the highlands, with countless survivors eagerly awaiting their arrival.
While exchanging supplies, Fu Yunong kept an eye out for any trace of the Level 6 zombies. She deliberately expanded her search area, scouring almost every corner of the highlands, but still couldn't find any.
Could it be that there are no Level 6 zombies in the highlands at all?
A thought crossed her mind: without a level six crystal core, she would never be able to get her return ticket.
During this time, Lu Zhan arrived with his men. He rubbed his hands together, looking uneasy. "Grandma, we still want to go with you. Although we don't go hungry at the base, we still feel uncomfortable. It's more reassuring to stay with you."
Fu Yunong handed him a bottle of chilled mineral water and shook her index finger. "No, there are zombies and mutated plants and animals everywhere now. If we run into them, will you protect us, or will we protect you instead?"
Moreover, now that the major bases have been taken over by Cloud Peak City, no one will focus their attacks on them anymore.
...
It was two months later when they returned to their new stronghold in Cloud Peak City, the former Watchers' Base.
The surface remained unchanged, but the underground came alive at night. As unification progressed, the survivors' living standards visibly improved. Even ordinary survivors could eat meat once a month, and occasionally, they could even enjoy rare condiments like chili peppers and vinegar.
Of course, prisoners are an exception. For example, Huangfuchuan wore tattered prison clothes and did the dirtiest and most tiring work. His only food every day was a hard, coarse cornbread that could break your teeth, which he could only slowly gnaw on with murky, cold water.
Ru Feng was very welcoming to their arrival. She led them to the underground planting area, which was brightly lit. Under the light of the fluorescent lamps, the hydroponic lettuce and romaine lettuce were growing well.
"Thanks to you all," Ru Feng said, stroking the vegetable leaves and smiling. "Otherwise, the city-state wouldn't be where it is today."
Fu Yunong smiled but didn't reply. She remembered the irrigation system; it was a discounted item that day and didn't cost much.
The city-state arranged rooms for them on the third basement level, with a round top and square bottom, smooth tiled floors, and a three-bedroom, one-living room layout, which could be considered luxurious.
The next day, as soon as Fu Yunong left her bedroom, she found a note slipped under the door. It read: "Let's meet by the river. There's something important to discuss."
The group looked at it again and again, but couldn't figure it out.
Shi Dong said confidently, "You will go."
Fu Yunong nodded, "Just thinking about it is a little exciting."
The riverbank was shrouded in mist late at night, which slightly dispelled the intense heat. Fu Yunong came to the bridgehead, the place where they had once fought.
Just then, a man in a coarse cloth jacket approached, "Miss Fu?"
Fu Yunong sized him up; he was of medium height and had an ordinary appearance, so she didn't remember him.
She nodded at him.
The man didn't say his name, only that he should be called Lao Liu, and then led her through a maze of turns into an inconspicuous little house.
Old Liu invited her to sit down, poured her a bowl of water, and then sat down opposite her. "Miss Fu, I've come to seek refuge with you."
Fu Yunong's heart skipped a beat. What the heck?
Old Liu's eyes were earnest. "Cloud Peak City owes its current success entirely to you. My brothers and I all want to follow you. You are more trustworthy than Ru Feng!"
Fu Yunong thought to himself, "You've got the wrong person, brother. If I were a native, I might be thinking of messing around with a system like this. But all I want is to go home."
Her face showed indignation, and she slammed her fist on the table. "Finally, someone understands me! Do you know how much I've sacrificed? A constant stream of supplies, and I even helped clear out the hordes of zombies. And what did I get in return? Ru Feng is always on guard against me. Otherwise, why would I be out here? I've had a problem with her for a long time, and I'm telling you!"
The man's eyes lit up, and he nodded quickly, "Miss Fu, we've all seen it! Tomorrow I'll introduce you to the brothers, and from now on we'll follow your lead!"
Fu Yunong readily agreed, "Alright! I'd like to see how long Ru Feng can be so smug!"
The next day, in the abandoned warehouse, twenty or thirty men and women gathered together. When they saw Fu Yunong arrive, they all stood up to greet her.
Fu Yunong wore an excited expression, as if she had finally met her organization. After getting acquainted with them, they sat down together to discuss important matters. She learned that two of them were also superhumans, which explained their confidence.
Moreover, according to Lao Liu's words, they had many more people behind them who hadn't yet shown themselves, and they had even devised several plans to cause trouble in the city. Fu Yunong gave some inspiring words, and then everyone dispersed.
Old Liu left happily, completely unaware of the figure following him.
As soon as Fu Yunong returned to her room, Ru Feng was already waiting on the sofa.
"It must be so hot."
Fu Yunong took the cold brew tea that she handed over, "Lord Ru, you owe me a favor."
Ru Feng smiled and said, "It's more than one. Thank you for your hard work. Leave the rest to us."
After Ru Feng left, Shi Dong spoke up, "Aren't you afraid she sent someone to test you? You have the system in your hands; if you really want to seize power, it's not difficult." She paused, "I will help you too."
Fu Yunong waved her hand and leaned back on the sofa. "It doesn't matter. As long as she doesn't scheme against us, who cares?"
The group didn't worry about the aftermath, only to hear a few days later that Cloud Peak City had destroyed several hideouts, all of which were remnants of the former major bases.
From then on, Cloud Peak City truly settled down.
That day, the sweltering air became oppressive. Just as Fu Yunong and the others were hiding in their room eating iced watermelon, a loud clap of thunder rang out from the sky, and large raindrops instantly began to fall.
Rain fell on the scorching ground, causing a white mist to rise.
Gradually, the raindrops formed a waterfall, pouring down onto the ground with a clatter. The dull sound seeped in through the ventilation openings of the underground bunker, filling the passageway with damp moisture.
Suddenly, Fu Yunong and the others heard a rapid whistle outside, followed by chaotic footsteps and shouts.
"What's going on?" Xiao Linfang was about to open the door when there was a knock. A guard's panicked voice came in, "Gentlemen, Assistant Su wants you to come to the command room immediately! The river has risen, and this place is about to be flooded!"
The group exchanged glances and followed the guards toward the command room. The passageways along the way were crowded with people, and all sorts of noises mingled together in a chaotic mess.
In the command center, Ru Feng was giving orders to several subordinates: "Team One, go and reinforce the sandbags at the north entrance. Team Two, move all the supplies up from the third floor!"
"How fast is the water level rising?" Fu Yunong asked.
"The water was just above our ankles half an hour ago, and now it's up to our calves!" a team leader exclaimed urgently. "The water is still pouring in from outside!"
"I'll take the earth-type and metal-type ability users to the north entrance!" The captain in charge of the defense line immediately responded, turning to the two behind him. "Old Zhou, you use your earth-type ability to solidify the foundation, and I'll control the metal plates to build the dam!"
Old Zhou was a dark-skinned man. "No problem, sister! I'll seal the gap with mud!"
Just as the two rushed out, a muffled "boom" suddenly came from the passage, followed by screams from the crowd.
"The pillar has collapsed! Water is flooding in!" someone shouted.
The underground passage was already covered with a shallow layer of water, which made a "splat" sound when stepped on.
At the south entrance, a water-elemental ability user pushed the surging water forward, causing the floodwaters that were originally rushing straight into the entrance to suddenly turn around and flow away along the drainage ditch on the side of the passage; another water-elemental ability user raised his hand, and a water wall half a meter high instantly rose in front of him, temporarily blocking the subsequent flow of water.
"Add another layer of metal plates!" someone shouted. Immediately, metal-type ability users manipulated more steel plates to be stacked on the outside of the barrier, while Lao Zhou continued to generate soil to firmly bond the newly added steel plates to the original dam.
The rain continued until late into the night before finally turning from a downpour into a drizzle. As the first faint rays of dawn appeared, the defenses at both the north and south entrances were secured, and the water in the passageways gradually dried, leaving behind mud and debris. Many people's clothes were soaked, but seeing the intact embankments and the dry depths of the passageways, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Fu Yunong silently looked at the scene before her, her heart heavy. Why was there never a moment of peace?
Just two days after the rain stopped, strange things began to happen in the underground bunker. First, some soldiers who participated in the rainy rescue said they felt itchy all over. Then, some people noticed that their eyes were slowly becoming bloodshot, with red veins covering the whites of their eyes, and even their skin had an abnormal bluish-gray tint.
What's even more frightening is that when you look closely, you can see something wriggling under their skin, like countless tiny worms hiding there.
The first soldier to fall ill survived for three days before passing away. At the moment of his death, his body suddenly exploded with a "bang," and his turbid semen splattered onto several medical personnel nearby.
Even though they took precautions, their eyes still started turning red that night, with the exact same symptoms as before.
Panic spread like wildfire.
After observation, the city-state doctors concluded that those who fell ill would not live more than a week. Anyone who came into contact with the deceased's genitals or was too close to the bodies from the explosion would be infected.
In just a few days, more than 20% of the survivors were infected. Rooms originally used to store supplies were temporarily converted into isolation areas, with heavily armed guards standing at the entrance, and no one dared to approach.
The shadow of death weighed heavily on everyone, making it hard to breathe. Fu Yunong and the others rarely left the space, fearing they might be infected.
Many survivors, after experiencing a series of blows, had their psychological defenses completely collapsed and secretly made a suicide pact. When they were discovered, they had already turned into zombies, trapped in the cages they had built themselves, swaying back and forth, and letting out screams when they saw people.
This news was like adding insult to injury, making the already panicked atmosphere even more desperate.
Ru Feng was in a terrible predicament. Was Heaven really going to destroy them?
These past few days, Fu Yunong has been appearing and disappearing mysteriously. Ru Feng finally managed to catch up with her and immediately presented her with the collected crystal cores, calmly saying that she would exchange them all for vegetables, meat, candy, cigarettes, alcohol, and drinks, the more the better.
Fu Yunong was surprised. When exchanging supplies before, Ru Feng always prioritized food, medicine and tools, and never mentioned these consumables.
Ru Feng turned her face away, her voice revealing a rare weariness, "Since the disaster, no one has had a proper meal. This is the last thing I can do for them."
Fu Yunong pondered for a moment, then looked at her. "I will only accept a portion and exchange it for you as you said, but you can keep the rest for now and think it over before we talk about it."
Seeing that Ru Feng was about to speak, she added, "It's too early to give up now. Things aren't entirely hopeless. I came to you to discuss this matter."
"Hmm?" Ru Feng looked up, puzzled.
“A level six zombie.” Fu Yunong said solemnly, “I need you to send people to find it, whether it’s in the highlands or the wasteland. Once you find any trace of a level six zombie, notify me immediately. If we can find it, this disaster might be over.”
Ru Feng stared into Fu Yunong's eyes and saw that she didn't seem to be saying it casually. Her spirit, which was about to dissipate, slowly gathered again.
"Okay, I'll arrange it right away!"
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