“But you didn’t intend to do anything, did you?” Zhang Yun retorted ruthlessly.
Ruan Yuling remained silent.
That's right. Although she hated what those beasts did, she had neither the ability to uphold justice nor the courage to distance herself from them.
More importantly, because she wanted to live.
In the end times, having such thoughts is understandable and there's nothing to criticize.
However, since they chose to go along with others, joined the ranks of exploiters, and shared a small piece of the pie...
Therefore, when the trial comes, she has no right to use the excuse of "I didn't do it and I even dislike them" to excuse her inaction.
“You’re not convinced? You hate their crimes, but you’ve kept quiet because you’re powerless. Now, I’ll give you a chance.”
As Zhang Yun spoke, he turned the gun in his hand around, pointing the handle at Ruan Yuling.
Ruan Yuling paused for a moment, then reached out and took Zhang Yun's gun, aiming it at those who were crouching on the ground with their heads in their hands, no longer daring to shoot Zhang Yun.
"Bang!"
She first fired at four of them without hesitation, but then she stopped shooting, as if she was hesitating.
"Director Ruan! Director Ruan, I was wrong, I had a bad mouth, please just ignore me..."
"Director Ruan, we've all been through life and death together..."
"Ruan Yuling, have you forgotten that I saved you? If I hadn't pulled you into the car, you would have been eaten by zombies long ago!"
"You bitch, you whore, I should have just thrown you out to them to play with back then..."
"Bang!" The last person to speak fell down.
Just as Ruan Yuling was about to put her gun away, a man who hadn't said a word suddenly picked up a gun and pointed it at her.
A gunshot rang out; Ruan Yuling's gun was a step ahead of his.
The man's body fell to the ground.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again, her gaze becoming firm.
She handed the gun to Zhang Yun with both hands, saying neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I believe that others can atone for their crimes with labor. This is all I can do. If you are not satisfied, you may execute me."
Zhang Yun took the gun from her hand and said, "This last one, he didn't have to die either, did he?"
“Yes, but he wanted to kill me,” Ruan Yuling said directly.
She might gamble her future on Zhang Yun's mercy for those with lesser guilt, but she would not show any sympathy for the scoundrel.
"You're in charge of managing the base's supplies. Tell me, how many days will the remaining food in the base last everyone?"
“Ten days,” Ruan Yuling immediately gave the figure, then added, “But if we follow Jiang Zhongyuan’s previous allocation method, it can last at least two months.”
Many things don't need to be explicitly stated. Zhang Yun's questioning of her about official business in a commanding tone meant that he had already accepted her.
Ruan Yuling breathed a sigh of relief.
If Zhang Yunzhen were to act like those "leaders," showering her with a perfunctory welcome and making empty promises, Ruan Yuling, though outwardly unaware of anything, would certainly feel resentful.
Upon hearing that the base's food supply would only last for ten days, Zhang Yun was about to speak when Zhang Qiang returned with Qin Dong and the others who had completed their patrol.
Seeing the dozen or so corpses on the ground, no one uttered a sound, but everyone's eyes were filled with anger.
After asking around the hall, they themselves wished they could kill these scumbags. Now they felt that it was too good for them to die like this, with Zhang Yunrang and the others dying like this.
"Let's distribute today's rations first. Zhang Qiang, you're one of the veterans here, you go with her and get a few more people to keep order."
People who have been starving for too long will inevitably become agitated when they suddenly see a large amount of food. The base is basically under their control, and there is no need to lose any more people due to a riot.
"Yes!" Ruan Yuling and Zhang Qiang responded in unison.
Qin Dong and the others were both excited and ashamed upon hearing this. He couldn't help but say, "Brother Yun, let us go and help too."
“Alright, by the way, when distributing food, have everyone re-register their personal information. I need to know the exact number of people and their information at the base. Also, please help me find a young man named Qi Heng,” Zhang Yun said.
"Yes!" Qin Dong replied immediately.
"You should all go back now," Zhang Yun said finally to the men and women hiding in the corner.
"Sir... we can serve you, please don't send us to the hall..." a boy pleaded, mustering his courage.
After he started, the others immediately knelt down, crying and begging Zhang Yun.
Suddenly overcome with jealousy, Yang Shize grabbed Zhang Yun and kissed him on the cheek, saying, "He's mine."
Zhang Yun: "..."
Somewhat helplessly, Zhang Yun let Yang Shize hold him and said to the young people, "Get up, go back and wait. Qin Dong and the others are maintaining order outside, you'll be fine!"
When Zhang Yun gave the order, he unconsciously exuded an aura of authority. Upon hearing this, the young people had no choice but to obediently stand up and leave reluctantly.
After everyone had left, Zhang Yun patted Yang Shize, who was still clinging to him tightly, on the back and asked with a smile, "If you were afraid, why did you still take action?"
No matter how capable Yang Shize is, he is still just an eighteen-year-old boy. For him, who has received a proper and positive education since childhood, killing people and killing zombies are completely different concepts.
“I can’t let you bear all this alone…” Yang Shize was not surprised at all that Zhang Yun could see through his feigned composure after the murder. He simply relaxed his body, buried his head in Zhang Yun’s shoulder, and took a deep breath.
He has a pleasant scent that makes people feel at ease.
Zhang Yun patted Yang Shize's head. "Silly boy, you have your strengths, and I have my strengths. There's no need to force yourself to do things you don't like for my sake. From now on, leave the internal cleanup to me. You just need to clean up the external mess."
Yang Shize hugged him and shook his head without saying a word.
Zhang Yun didn't try to dissuade them further. This was the end times, and there were many cases of people killing each other for a loaf of bread and a sip of water. Besides, the people they killed were just the bad apples in the crowd.
This kind of thing will happen again in the future, so it's not a bad thing to let him get used to it in advance.
After Yang Shize calmed down, the two of them passed through a series of defensive iron gates and arrived at the hall where the base's survivors gathered.
Ruan Yuling and the others set up a platform in the middle and set up several large pots to cook a lot of porridge, so that each person could have a large bowl of hot porridge of medium consistency.
Moreover, Ruan Yuling specifically instructed people to keep an eye on things so that only those who drank more than half a bowl of porridge could receive bread, ham sausages, biscuits, and other food.
Because these people have been hungry for so long, suddenly eating can easily damage their stomach and intestines.
They are all ordinary people who haven't evolved. Without medicine, even a minor illness could be fatal.
However, Ruan Yuling's actions were somewhat unnecessary.
Only a few people retaliated by finishing all the food; most people only finished the bowl of white porridge they were given, and kept the rest of the food close to their bodies.
If it weren't for the limited number of bowls and plates, and Ruan Yuling's order to collect them, they might not have been able to finish even a single bowl of plain porridge.
Upon seeing Zhang Yun and Yang Shize appear, Ruan Yuling, Qin Dong, and the other busy people stopped what they were doing and saluted them.
Zhang Qiang wasn't from a government-affiliated background, so his reaction was a beat slower than theirs. Only after seeing their actions did he snap to attention and salute.
The actions were exaggerated and funny, but no one laughed.
All eyes were on Zhang Yun and Yang Shize.
Before serving the porridge, Zhang Qiang and Ruan Yuling had already selectively told everyone about what had happened in the central area.
Now everyone knows that "Jiang the Skinflint" and "Chen the Bloodsucker" (Erli's father, who initially showed off in front of Yang Shize, and Jiang Zhongyuan, one in charge of management and the other in charge of force, who died so quickly they didn't even have time to be named) have stepped down and been replaced by new people.
At this moment, everyone knew that the two young and handsome boys in front of them were their new leaders.
The gazes of the crowd were filled with curiosity, surprise, doubt, gratitude, and... fear.
But in any case, most of them were well-intentioned. After all, before today, they couldn't even get a full meal. Now they can eat their fill, all thanks to these two people.
"Brother Yun, Brother Yang, the headcount at the base is complete. There are a total of 7,341 people." After the others saluted, they continued their work, while only Qin Dong appeared in front of Zhang Yun to report.
Zhang Yun frowned slightly.
This base originally had tens of thousands of people, but in just two months, it has lost nearly three thousand.
Based on the current trend, if people in the base cut back on food and live frugally like Jiang Zhongyuan did before, they can only last for two months at most. Moreover, the space is cramped and not conducive to movement. So how did Qi Heng manage to expand the base to accommodate 40,000 people?
"Have you found Qi Heng, whom I asked you to find?" Zhang Yun asked.
"Found it, but not completely..."
Seeing that both of them were glaring at him, Qin Dong quickly resorted to an old trick, saying, "Qi Heng lives in District 4 with his mother and sister. He went out to find food today, but hasn't returned yet. According to the old rules, his mother and sister should be moved from District 4 to the main hall..."
"And it just so happened that you two, Yun-ge and Ze-ge, came to the base to cause trouble... to eliminate evil and promote good, the managers of the five districts were all called back to the central district to help, and then Yun-ge, you... countered them, and the mother and daughter luckily escaped."
Zhang Yun and Yang Shize were both incredulous upon hearing this.
Those who went out to find food and didn't return that day were actually forced to go directly to the hall!
Only someone with a level-ten idiot brain would do something like this.
After Qi Heng's evolution and awakening, the reason for killing all the base leaders was also found.
"So, Qi Heng is still outside?" Yang Shize asked.
"That should be true." Qin Dong nodded.
Yang Shize said, "I'll go find him."
"No, there are so many zombies outside, and it's still nighttime. Even if you're already a fifth-tier all-around evolver, it's still too dangerous. Let me go instead," Zhang Yun suddenly shouted.
Yang Shize looked at Zhang Yun and saw him wink at him knowingly.
Although he understood that Yang Shize was deliberately exposing his strength to intimidate everyone here and take over the base without bloodshed, Yang Shize wanted to hold his lover in his arms and kiss her tenderly at this moment.
Who can blame him for being so cute when he winks at me!
So cute it's unfair!
Good heavens!
This handsome young man, who looks to be under twenty, is actually a fifth-order all-around evolver!
Just as Zhang Yun expected, everyone else in the base looked at Yang Shize with shining eyes!
Qin Dong and his group, in particular, excitedly clasped their hands together in front of their chests, their faces beaming with pride, as if they had known all along.
Ruan Yuling paused as she sorted through the registration forms, a slight smile playing on her lips, and a glint of light appearing in her beautiful eyes.
At this moment, Zhang Qiang only had three words in his mind: omG!
“I know you’re better than me, a dual-ability user who has evolved and awakened at the same time, but you haven’t received any criminal investigation training. It’s better to leave things like finding people to me, my… Governor.” Yang Shize took his hand and bent down to gently kiss the back of his hand.
Zhang Yun's face flushed red instantly.
Although they didn't deliberately hide their relationship, publicly coming out in front of so many people still made him extremely embarrassed.
However, no one cared about that except him; everyone's attention was focused on Yang Shize's first sentence.
Simultaneous evolution and awakening? A dual-ability user?
Holy crap!!!
If their view of Yang Shize was one of admiration for a strong person, then their view of Zhang Yun was simply that of a bug in the system.
There's a difference between using cheats and actually being cheated!
In particular, Zhang Yun doesn't look manly at all. Standing next to Yang Shize, she looks like a pretty but useless wife who got ahead because of her looks.
"Alright then, be careful, your safety comes first." It's okay if we can't find him, he's not that easy to kill.
Zhang Yun spoke the last two sentences to him with his eyes, and Yang Shize scratched his palm, meaning "I understand".
After Yang Shize left, Zhang Yun looked at the curious crowd and walked to the high platform used for cooking porridge.
Zhang Yun put the empty pots, pans, and table into his spatial storage, and to everyone's astonishment, took out a portable speaker.
Before I introduce myself, I'd like to play you a recording.
After Zhang Yun finished speaking, he pressed the play button.
This recording was a broadcast sent by the East Continent Alliance government to the entire East Continent a month ago using its only still-functioning communications satellite.
Any device capable of receiving signals will receive this notification.
Jiang Yuanzhong and his group must have had equipment capable of receiving ground signals and listening to this broadcast; otherwise, they wouldn't have dared to do such a thing to the ordinary people in this base so recklessly.
But they must have kept this news from the ordinary people and Qin Dong and his group, otherwise the people at the base would have rebelled long ago.
The broadcast stated that the Dongzhou Alliance government was no longer able to eradicate the zombies that were rampant throughout Dongzhou and would completely abandon its rescue and assistance efforts for areas outside the five provinces of the capital, Donghai, Zhenchuan, Jiuchuan, and Jiangjin, starting from July 25.
Areas outside the five provinces will no longer belong to the Eastern Continent Alliance government. All survivors can establish their own bases and governments in areas outside the five provinces to resist zombie attacks, or they can go to the five provinces to seek refuge.
Although they had already guessed this possibility, hearing the only thing that could protect them, the Eastern Continent government, announce that it had abandoned them, gave everyone a feeling of being abandoned by their mother.
Despite knowing the odds were slim, they still held onto a sliver of hope that someone from above would come to rescue them.
Because without doing this, there's simply no way to survive.
But now, that hope has been shattered.
Everyone wore a bewildered expression, and some of the more emotional people even began to sob quietly.
The cries infected some people, and for a time, the entire underground base was filled with a somber sadness.
“My name is Zhang Yun. The young man who just left is Yang Shize. We are from Yunze Base in Yuhu District, Mingzhu City.”
Zhang Yun's gentle yet powerful voice clearly reached everyone's ears.
People gradually stopped crying and looked up at the man above.
Zhang Yun briefly introduced the development history and current scale of the Yunze Base, and then said:
"Zombies are not as scary as you might think, and humanity is not on the verge of extinction yet."
“You have lost your loved ones, your dignity, and everything you thought was important. But please step out of your own world and look around. None of us are lucky. We all share the same name—survivors.”
"Death is a relief, but since you are still alive and standing here, you must all want to die."
Even if you're barely clinging to life, you still want to live. Why not choose a path that allows you to live a better life?
“I know you had no choice before. Now that we’re here, I can’t promise you a high quality of life, but I can promise that in our base, there will be no bullying of the weak by the strong, no abuse of women and children. Anyone who makes a mistake will be punished accordingly. Whenever a crisis comes, the leader will be at the forefront, not hiding in the back and exploiting the people.”
"As long as you are willing to work, we will not let you go hungry."
"Whether you join us, stay here, or leave to seek refuge, the choice is yours."
Zhang Qiang shouted from Zhang Yun's right, "Comrades who want to join the Yunze Base, line up over here!"
At first, no one dared to move. Ruan Yuling was the first to walk up to Zhang Qiang, followed by Qin Dong and his group.
Gradually, more and more people in the crowd moved to the right side.
Among these people were those with families or those who appeared rather thin.
Most of the strong, single men remained on the left side without moving.
Clearly, after listening to Zhang Yunfang's radio recording, they developed the idea that it's better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of an ox.
Since the Eastern Continent government has relinquished power, and everyone outside the five provinces can claim to be a king, why should I join you and follow your orders?
What if you send me to my death?
Of course, one should only feel at ease when their destiny is in their own hands!
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