Su Yu’s blood ran hot, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She realized that, in fact, she had been waiting for this day since the very first day of the zombie virus outbreak. As an individual, her strength was too weak, but her faith was not.
She had been waiting for this day.
Every weak person uniting to become a powerful whole.
But Su Yu could never have imagined that Jiang Cheng, who in her eyes was bathed in glory, actually did not share her empathy at all.
Jiang Cheng simply had to try.
If this was the only way out of the predicament, then whether she believed in it or not, she had to break through.
She refused to be trapped.
Everyone held their breath, but there was no sound from the building broadcast.
In fact, there was no sound from the phone call either.
Jiang Cheng was at the property management office, the phone in her hand. She could hear some white noise in the background from the line.
Mayor Zheng was silent.
Jiang Cheng looked down at the phone, in no hurry.
Finally, Mayor Zheng’s deep voice sounded again: “Jiang Cheng… right?”
“I’ve heard you. Your proposal has been received.”
“But this is not a decision I can make alone. I will report it to the central government and put forward the initiative.”
“Xiao Jiang,” Mayor Zheng said gravely, “thank you.”
The call ended.
Su Yu stood at her doorway, listening as Jiang Cheng said over the broadcast: [I’ve done what I should do… and what I wanted to do.]
[Next, we’ll see.]
Someone started clapping—it was unclear who. Su Yu wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and joined in the applause.
No matter what the nation decided, as long as Jiang Cheng took the lead, she would follow!
Su Yu made her decision silently.
S City Emergency Command Center.
“She’s right,” Mayor Zheng murmured.
The secretary dared not speak, simply waiting for his instructions.
Mayor Zheng said: “We can’t keep looking at this situation with old ways of thinking. This is different from everything before.”
It was completely different from floods, earthquakes, snowstorms, and typhoons—completely different.
“She’s right.” Mayor Zheng looked up. “We cannot let the masses fall into the darkness of human nature through their own desperate struggles.”
“That—is a more serious matter than the dead.”
“Xiao Sun, help me dial the central government.”
Lively discussions broke out in Youth Apartments’ various chat groups.
Unsurprisingly, someone did say, “I’m not going. I only have one life.”
Immediately, someone retorted with sarcasm: “I bet you never joined any of our community zombie-clearing operations either, and when we went to Duoduo Supermarket, you were right in the middle of the pack, huh?”
That sparked a wave of mockery.
Because a considerable number of people in Youth Apartments had contributed to the community. Over these days, they had developed a collective consciousness and cohesion. Some had unleashed courage unimaginable in peacetime, broken through their own limits, and gained a new understanding of themselves.
They looked down on those sneaky, selfish types who never came downstairs to help.
That person struggled: [This isn’t something ordinary people should be doing anyway. We should just stay put and not cause trouble for the country.]
Someone replied: [When the water floods the entire building, it doesn’t matter which room you hide in. You listened to Jiang Cheng’s words for nothing—you didn’t understand a thing.]
Jiang Cheng was in very few chat groups—probably the fewest of anyone in the community.
She was only in two: the temporary committee management group and the Building 2 management group.
But people kept forwarding her screenshots of conversations from all sorts of groups, big and small.
Song Jingshuo: [Overall, everyone’s hearts are fairly united right now—that’s good.]
[The only question is: will the government actually do it?]
Jiang Cheng typed back: [Those who hold the big picture will make the right decision. There may be factors temporarily delaying it, but sooner or later they’ll have to act. Otherwise, they don’t deserve to sit in that position.]
Song Jingshuo sat at home, looking at the words on his computer screen, and smiled. He typed: [You sound like some great figure shaking the world.]
Jiang Cheng smiled too and replied casually: [Maybe I am.]
Just kidding.
That day, everyone sat in front of their televisions on time waiting for the new announcement, but the TV was still playing yesterday’s announcement, looping over and over.
“What’s going on today?” everyone wondered.
People in Youth Apartments speculated in the group chats: [No way…]
[Could it be?]
[It’s not impossible—she did speak directly with the mayor after all.]
[Is this what they mean by ‘reaching the highest ears’?]
After all, watching this daily government announcement was a spiritual anchor for many people.
When more than twenty minutes passed and no new announcement appeared, some people were already getting anxious: “What’s going on!”
“They’re not abandoning us, are they!”
“Call the government hotline!”
Anxiety and panic intertwined, making everyone restless.
The common people had no idea that at that very moment, in the capital, at the Central Emergency Command Center, the leadership was listening to the final report from the head of the National Health Commission’s top expert panel.
“Based on the observation and dissection of four hundred samples, the mutants have undergone irreversible genetic mutations.”
“The control center is the brain. Destroying the brain or severing the connection between the brain and the body can completely eliminate the mutants.”
“Transmission occurs through high-intensity blood exposure—infection is complete upon reaching Level 2 exposure.”
“This genetic mutation exceeds the scope of our current understanding. In this field, we are essentially at ground zero.”
The leader seated at the central main seat asked: “Is it reversible?”
The expert shook his head: “Impossible. With our current capabilities, we can’t even understand the underlying principles.”
“Can their movement be terminated on a large scale?”
The expert shook his head again: “All biochemical weapons are ineffective. Apart from large-scale explosions, there is currently no means of large-scale termination. Tear gas, poison gas, anesthetics—none have any effect. If the voltage of a stun gun doesn’t reach the intensity needed to damage the central nervous system, it’s also useless.”
The expert said: “You can think of them as walking dead. Only crushing the brain or decapitation can stop them.”
“The dead…” the leader sighed. “So many dead…”
In life, they had all been ordinary citizens.
The leader felt that visceral pain.
For someone in this position, even personal interest isn’t the top priority.
What matters more is what kind of legacy they leave in the history books.
Who wouldn’t want to go down in history with ease? Who would willingly make those painful decisions?
But someone has to make them.
The leader opened his eyes and calmly gave the order: “Prepare a televised address.”
Finally, more than thirty minutes late, the screen suddenly switched.
A face that everyone recognized appeared on TV—the supreme leader.
A familiar voice came through the television as well. The supreme leader was delivering his first national address since the zombie virus outbreak.
[Fellow compatriots, comrades:
Today, with a heavy yet unwaveringly resolute heart, I deliver this address.
Our nation is facing an unprecedented and extremely grave challenge…]
[Our family members, friends, and neighbors have been turned by this virus into mindless, bloodthirsty, flesh-eating monsters.]
[Adopting a suggestion from the public, we officially designate them as “zombies.”]
For the first time, the official term “zombie” appeared from the government.
Jiang Cheng rested her chin on her hand, watching the man on the screen.
This shift in terminology signified that the government had finally accepted that the mutated beings were no longer human.
[Our military, brave and fearless, stands on the front lines, fighting with their flesh and blood against the zombies that have lost their humanity, risking life and limb.]
[But this crisis has already exceeded the scope of what the government and military can solve alone.]
[Unprecedented. Unheard of.]
[Our soldiers have pushed the limits of human courage.]
[Yet to completely eliminate these threats and reclaim our living space, relying on them alone is not enough.]
[Now, the moment of life and death has arrived.]
[This war is a war between humanity and monsters for the right to survive.]
[It is everyone’s war.]
Accompanying this speech were footage of soldiers fighting on the front lines.
Soldiers being tackled by second-generation zombies.
Soldiers who used their own bodies to protect civilians.
Soldiers who, after being bitten and infected, took their own lives by gunshot.
While everyone was complaining, “Why hasn’t rescue reached us yet,” soldiers were pushing the boundaries of the safe zones with their lives.
Many people shed tears in front of their televisions, unable to hold back sobs. Mothers held their children close, husbands clasped their wives’ hands, fathers pressed their sons’ shoulders.
[Now, we call upon all citizens: tomorrow, Wednesday, June 26th, at 9:00 AM, pick up your weapons and step outside your doors.]
[Heaven helps those who help themselves.]
[Our nation, our people—united as one, with a will as strong as steel.]
[We will prevail!]
At Youth Apartments in the New Tech District, the supreme leader’s voice echoed through the hallways.
To accommodate the few residents who didn’t have televisions, ever since the building broadcast system went online, they had always patched in the government announcements so everyone could hear them.
[We will prevail!]
[We will prevail!]
[We will pre—vail—]
The final echoes lingered.
In Room 0306, Building 2, resident Jiang Cheng’s lips curled upward.
As you wished, the nation has issued the call.
Now what about you? All of you who kept saying that as long as the nation called, you’d be willing to charge out the door—what about you now?
Jiang Cheng opened the chat group. The group was ablaze with excitement—many people were calling out to her.
[Jiang Cheng!]
[Jiang Cheng!]
[Jiang Cheng!]
[Jiang Cheng, give the word!]
Jiang Cheng smiled faintly and called out to Yang Xinyan in the group. Sure enough, Yang Xinyan was online. Who wouldn’t be online at a time like this? After watching the TV address, everyone was eagerly waiting for Jiang Cheng.
Jiang Cheng: [Xinyan, send out a mass notice. Tell everyone to prepare protective gear and bring food. Assemble at 8:30 tomorrow.]
Yang Xinyan: [OK!]
Immediately, the screen was flooded with a wave of [Received!]
When Su Yu heard the broadcast sound again, she hurriedly opened her door.
This time, the atmosphere in the hallway felt entirely different.
A neighbor called out loudly: “So tomorrow at 8:30!”
Several people answered at once: “You got it!”
“Okay!”
“Deal!”
“See you tomorrow!”
Su Yu’s heart surged with emotion. She called out loudly to remind her neighbors: “Don’t forget to prepare food!”
Everyone had learned from the last trip to the Fifth Ring Road to grab supplies—long outings required bringing your own food to keep up your strength.
Everyone responded in succession: “On it.”
“I’m going to prepare now.”
In Room 0308, Building 2, Master Luo finished a cigarette, then said: “I’m going tomorrow too.” Auntie Pan thought for a moment and said: “I’ll make some rice balls, with some canned meat wrapped inside.”
She added: “And bring two bottles of water.”
They had always been thrifty. Each had their own water bottle, so they wouldn’t need to buy water when going out—it saved money.
Master Luo said: “Why bring two bottles? One is enough.”
Auntie Pan said: “Then what will I drink?”
“…You’re going too?”
“I swung a hoe back in my hometown, and I swing a ladle here. I’m no weaker than you.”
“Alright. Together then.”
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