Chapter 11
"Sorry, you are not allowed to leave the city!"
The Flying Tigers and their families were stopped at the gate of Shanhai City by a team of armored and sword-carrying guards.
The teammates looked at each other, puzzled.
At this time, Zhou Xiaohua stepped forward and took out the certificate and handed it to the guard: "Are you mistaken? We have a pass."
However, the guards didn't even look at them. They stood in front of the Flying Tigers with high-voltage electric batons used to deal with psychics. "Even with the pass, it won't work. The higher-ups just issued a new regulation. Any psychic with intermediate or higher abilities who leaves the city must leave their family members behind."
This regulation was very targeted. Not only did the faces of several younger teammates change suddenly, but even Xiao Yihong, who was usually emotionally stable, frowned.
Only one of the Flying Tigers and their families is allowed to leave the city. Isn't this equivalent to holding hostages in disguise?
Since the outbreak of radiation, the struggle among people with special abilities has always been an indispensable dispute between shelters. The more people with special abilities there are, the more stable the city's development will be and the more confident it will be in facing danger. The loss of people with special abilities symbolizes the loss of talent and is the key to a shelter's decline.
Shanhai City had indeed been on a downward spiral for many years under the leadership of its lord, Sun Dazhuang, but that didn't mean he wasn't sensitive. Seeing everyone abandoning their Shanhai City quota for a small, unknown refuge, he inevitably resorted to some tactics to retain them.
"What do you mean? Are you threatening us?"
Li Meng looked at the family members of her teammates who were suddenly depressed and couldn't help but step forward to question them. Although she had no relatives or friends in Shanhai City, her teammates never forgot her during the holidays. Without their support, there would be no Li Meng today.
The guards looked at the aggressive Li Meng, raised their high-voltage electric batons and formed a formation.
There were many residents coming in and out of the city gate. When they saw a dispute happening here, they all gathered here, and those who knew each other gathered together and whispered.
"Isn't this the Flying Tigers? Their captain is always known for his good temper. What happened?"
"He's bringing his family with him. Are you planning to leave Shanhai City?"
"Shh, keep your voice down. We're definitely going to get into conflict with the authorities."
Zhou Xiaohua quickly glanced at the guards in front of him. They were fully equipped and had the entire Shanhai City as their backing. On the other hand, he had so many family members who were powerless. He saw at a glance which was more important and knew that it was not appropriate to have a conflict at this time.
So he pulled Li Meng and said coldly, "Go back first."
After seeing all the delicious food and the iron-clad protective shield in Taoyuan Shelter, they couldn't wait to leave and join Taoyuan. After making so much effort, they were stopped at the last minute, and everyone felt bad.
The captain had given the order and everyone had no choice but to obey. They retreated back into the city angrily.
In a courtyard on the second underground floor, Xiao Yihong gathered with his teammates and their families.
"Auntie Xiao, when will Dad come back?" Xiaoya walked to Xiao Yihong with staggering steps and tugged at the corner of Xiao Yihong's clothes.
Xiao Yihong squatted down and picked up the soft little girl with one hand, pinched her little face with the other hand, and said softly: "Dad has gone to do something good for everyone. Xiaoya, can you go and rest with grandma first? Dad will be back when you wake up."
Xiaoya was born without a mother, and she likes this aunt who often takes care of her very much. When she saw her aunt asking her to go to bed, she nodded sensibly.
Xiao Yihong handed her over to her mother and sent her to the next room to sleep.
When they came back, they found a room full of worried-looking people. Li Meng was a talkative person. As soon as Xiaoya left, she immediately went up to the deputy captain, Xiao Yihong, and said anxiously, "Sister Yihong, why hasn't the captain come back yet after being gone for hours? Did something happen?"
Xiao Yihong was also extremely worried, but she had to appear relaxed in front of her teammates. "Don't worry, everyone. The captain is a high-level psychic. He will be able to protect himself even if he encounters danger. The families can go back and rest first. I will notify everyone as soon as I have any news."
Even if one didn't understand politics, no matter how dull one was, one would still have some understanding of the situation. Wang Xing's father stood up with the help of a cane and said, "Deputy Captain Xiao, if we really can't go, don't force it. We've been here our whole lives, so it doesn't matter if we stay a little longer. Safety is the most important thing."
The other teammates' families also echoed: "Yes, Vice Captain Xiao, you have helped us a lot, we are very grateful, why don't we just let it go this time."
Xiao Yihong knew that everyone was considerate, and wanted to say that since the captain had agreed, she would definitely do it, but when she thought of the pressure from above, she nodded silently.
The elderly, children and women all went home to rest, leaving the Flying Tigers members and several male family members drowsy in their chairs. After another two hours, there was finally a sound at the door.
Several psychics reacted first and were about to pick up their weapons to defend themselves when a familiar figure appeared through the crack in the door, and everyone rushed forward excitedly.
"Captain, you're back!"
"Are you hurt?"
"How's it going?"
When one person spoke, the others woke up and came forward to surround Zhou Xiaohua.
Zhou Xiaohua was in a hurry and was breathing slightly, but seeing his teammates' eager eyes, he didn't take a break and briefly told everyone the good news.
"I'm fine. We'll gather and set off in half an hour. Everyone, go pack up." Zhou Xiaohua changed his tone and apologized, "But we can't borrow a radiation vehicle, so you'll have to walk there."
The family members were not disappointed at all, but were very excited: "Captain, it's okay. It's a great thing to be able to get out!"
Zhou Xiaohua looked at the considerate and enthusiastic family members of his teammates with gratitude: "I, Zhou, am extremely grateful. I will take you away from here tonight."
"Okay, follow Captain Zhou!"
"My life was given by the captain, so I will go wherever the captain goes!"
Time was precious, so everyone quickly dispersed to organize their families. Xiao Yihong then pulled Zhou Xiaohua to a corner and whispered, "What's going on?"
She was not one of those young teammates who would be easily fooled. According to her understanding, since Sun Dazhuang could do such a despicable thing as detaining family members, it would be impossible for him to let them go so easily.
Zhou Xiaohua glanced at her and said without hiding anything: "Do you still remember Captain Su?"
Xiao Yihong thought for a moment and replied, "Su Zhenghai? Captain of the guards?"
Zhou Xiaohua: "Yes, I saved him before, and I specifically asked him for help."
What he didn't say was that Su Zhenghai only agreed to help him and his daughter, but did not agree to help his teammates and family members behind him. After all, too many people would be too conspicuous, and their places were exchanged for his two remaining Fort Cannings.
When he took out the two Fort Canning pills, the look in Captain Su's eyes was unforgettable. He took the pills with trembling hands and swallowed them impatiently. After eating, he stared at the decreasing value in the radiation bracelet, and tears of excitement flowed down his face.
He tucked away the tears of excitement from the corner of his eyes awkwardly and asked, "Old Zhou, where did you get this pill?"
Zhou Xiaohua told the truth: "It's the shelter I told you about. They have everything there: food, shelter, and even a small clinic for treating illnesses. I bought these pills at the clinic."
Su Zhenghai was a little hesitant: "Is it really as good as you say?"
Zhou Xiaohua continued to persuade him, "Yes, why don't you come with us? That way, your radiation levels can be improved."
Suzhou Hai hesitated again: "That's great, but I've been here for so long. I finally got the position of captain of the guards and I don't want to give it up so easily. I... I'd better think about it again!"
Su Zhenghai is a person without special abilities and because he has no rights, his parents were robbed of their supplies and beaten half to death by a hunting team when they were out looking for food. They were completely in the right, but the officials of Shanhai City, who turned right and wrong, judged that it was their fault, simply because the captain of the hunting team was a mid-level special ability user.
From then on, Su Zhenghai vowed to make a name for himself. His superpowers were given to him at birth, but it didn't matter if he didn't have them. He wanted to have absolute power. As long as he had power, no one would dare to bully him anymore.
He paid a high price to get a position as a gatekeeper, toiling away every day, eager to do all the dirty work, yet he remained unpromoted for over a decade. Finally, he accepted a job offer from Sun Dazhuang and captured a mutant fox for his beloved, earning him a promotion. It was during that encounter that he nearly lost his life, but Zhou Xiaohua happened to pass by and saved him.
Zhou Xiaohua knew his persistence and finally sighed: "Okay, if you have time, you can go to the shelter and take a look. The things there are cheap and you can buy whatever you want."
Half an hour later, the Flying Tigers took advantage of the night and took their families to a secret place. It seemed to be close to the ground, but it was a remote place that few people had ever heard of.
Some teammates began to become alert.
"Where is this? I've never seen it before."
"Captain, we're not being fooled, are we?"
Zhou Xiaohua believed in Su Zhenghai's character, but the place was indeed suspicious. He asked everyone to hide in the dark while he went out to test the waters and called out, "Captain Su?"
Captain Su Zhenghai, who had been waiting here for a long time, stepped out from the shadows upon seeing the newcomer. He waved to Zhou Xiaohua and whispered, "Here, come quickly."
Zhou Xiaohua looked around vigilantly, and only made a gesture after confirming that it was safe. Xiao Yihong received the order and led the team over.
Xiaoya lay quietly in Xiao Yihong's arms, not crying or making a fuss. Wu Xing's father had a limp and could not walk fast, so Wu Xing and Li Meng supported him. Although the others were a little older and walked slowly, they were able to move forward smoothly.
After walking along an abandoned path for a while, Su Zhenghai stopped and dug up the red bricks piled on the side, revealing a half-person-high hole inside.
"This place leads directly to the ground. It will only take a few minutes to walk out. Have a good trip, Captain Zhou."
Zhou Xiaohua shook hands solemnly with Su Zhenghai and took the lead in clearing the way. This was a cave, probably an escape route left before construction. It was accidentally discovered by Su Zhenghai during his patrol and now it has become their only way out of the city.
The cave had not been used for a long time and some soil had fallen. Zhou Xiaohua used his supernatural powers to clear the obstacles in front. Following behind him was Li Meng, who was followed by several family members. In this way, the combination of the supernatural person and his family members drilled into the cave.
Xiao Yihong was the last one to clean up. Before she turned into the cave, Su Zhenghai hesitated to speak, but finally couldn't help but say, "Deputy Captain Xiao!"
Xiao Yihong turned his head in confusion.
Su Zhenghai took a deep breath and asked again, "Is Taoyuan Shelter really that good?"
Xiao Yihong saw his awkward expression and instantly understood his inner struggle. She nodded solemnly, "Yes, very good!"
Su Zhenghai: "Can you survive there without super powers?"
Xiao Yihong didn't know about his past or his persistence, but she guessed a little: "The boss doesn't care about these things. She said that there is no distinction between people of different social classes. Everyone is treated equally. As long as you have hands, you won't starve to death. As long as you have ability, you will be valued. Besides, she is short of staff right now. The sooner you get in, the more opportunities you will have. If you want to go, seize the opportunity."
The cave was once again blocked by piles of garbage, and Su Zhenghai was still thinking about Xiao Yihong's words.
Everyone is treated equally? This is the first time I've heard this term!
An expression of longing appeared involuntarily on his face.
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