Liu Yong led the troops back, deep in thought the entire way.
"Division Commander, are you thinking about how to explain things to Mayor Ma?" a subordinate behind him asked quietly.
"Yeah. Xu Hui's death is going to be a problem." Liu Yong's tone was flat, resigned.
"If you ask me, we should just break off and go independent. Why bother with them?"
"Exactly. I've always felt Mayor Ma's got too much self-interest driving him," another voice chimed in.
"We'll discuss this later. Right now, our mission is rescue operations. His job is restoring production."
"As long as no one crosses a hard line, the military and civilian government need to avoid infighting."
"Fine." The subordinate let out a helpless sigh.
"Uncle Liu, I think you should watch your back around Mayor Ma. Not everyone thinks the way you do." Lin Yifei's voice cut in suddenly.
Liu Yong paused. Then he nodded, slow and deliberate.
"Noted."
When the troops returned to the Survival Base, Liu Yong went to see Ma Zhongguo and gave his report.
He'd expected an explosion. Rage, accusations, demands for blood.
Instead, Ma Zhongguo listened and remained eerily calm.
"Alright. I understand. You can head back."
"...Okay."
Liu Yong left the office with an uneasy knot in his gut.
The moment the door closed behind him, Ma Zhongguo's expression went cold.
"It seems there's no point keeping him around anymore."
Minutes later, a knock came. Wang Zhenhong, head of the Wang family, stepped inside.
"Patriarch Wang. The matter we discussed-it's time to move forward." Ma Zhongguo didn't waste a breath.
"Should've been done ages ago. But the Wang family took heavy losses yesterday, so we might need-"
"Three Tier-5 crystals."
"Done." Wang Zhenhong thumped his chest. "Leave it to me. No problems."
"Remember-leave no trail."
"Relax. Nothing will trace back to you."
"Good."
---
On the other side of Star City...
After several hours of travel, Yang Bin and the others found another residential area nestled between hills and a lake.
Xihu Bay-another top-tier neighborhood in Star City, packed with high-end villas.
But when they reached the main gate, something was different. The perimeter walls had been reinforced, topped with razor wire and welded spikes.
Four people stood guard at the entrance. More figures moved inside.
Yang Bin activated True Vision Eye and swept the compound. Over a thousand people. This place had already been converted into a small-scale Survival Base.
He was weighing whether to find somewhere else when the guards spotted them.
"Hey, brother! Here to take shelter?" one called out.
Yang Bin blinked. Then he set the iron cage down and walked over with his squad.
"You take in survivors here?" he asked.
"Absolutely! Our captain says the apocalypse is hard on everyone. Save who you can, right?" another guard answered.
"You have enough supplies for that?"
"Supplies run out, we go find more. With our team's strength, you think we can't handle a supply run?"
"Brother, you guys are seriously lucky to have made it here. Once you're inside Xihu Base, you're safe. Period."
Yang Bin nodded. So someone had already started building a base and actively expanding their influence.
"What's the entry requirement?" he asked.
"Nothing crazy. If you've got the guts to fight, you join the zombie-clearing squads. Crystals get distributed after each run. If fighting's not your thing, there's plenty of other work inside. Point is, once you're in, you're free. No more worrying about getting eaten. No more starving."
"Come on, I'll take you to the captain. He's a great guy-saved most of the people here himself. And between you and me?" The guard leaned in conspiratorially. "Our captain's a Tier-5 Ability User. He can wipe the floor with any zombie out there. So relax. You're in good hands."
"Ability User?" A glint passed through Yang Bin's eyes.
"Yeah! Lightning-Type. Crazy strong. I watched him fry a Tier-5 Zombie with a single bolt. The whole thing just-" The guard mimed an explosion with his hands, face glowing with worship. "Coolest thing I've ever seen."
Yang Bin and his squad let themselves be led deeper into the compound, toward a villa near the center.
Along the way, they passed plenty of residents-men, women, all ages. Nobody gave the newcomers a second glance. Clearly, this was routine.
Soon they reached the villa. The guard knocked. "Captain, got a few new arrivals. Want to take a look?"
"Door's open. Come in."
"Roger."
The guard pushed the door wide and led them inside.
Five people sat on the living room sofas, mid-discussion. They all looked up as the group entered.
"Captain, this is them," the guard said.
"Good work. You're dismissed." The speaker was a young man, maybe twenty-seven or twenty-eight, seated in the center.
"Yes sir."
The guard stepped out and pulled the door shut behind him.
Silence settled as both sides took each other's measure. The five in the room studied Yang Bin's squad. Yang Bin's squad studied them right back.
What caught Yang Bin's attention: all five were Tier-5 Evolvers. One of them radiated the unmistakable signature of a Lightning-Type Ability User.
Not bad at all, Yang Bin thought.
The leader stood and approached them with an easy smile.
"No need to be tense. You're here now-that makes us brothers. I'm Xiao Han, captain of this base. And you are?"
"Yang Bin. These are my people." Short. Flat.
"Looks like you're all Evolvers too. What order have you reached?"
"Fourth. They're Third." Yang Bin tossed it out like it barely mattered.
"That's solid. Where'd you come from?"
"Another neighborhood. Didn't expect to find a Survival Base here."
"Haha, well, now you know. This place is every bit as good as the official base. You picked the right spot." Pride crept into Xiao Han's voice.
"Sure. But building your own base inside Star City like this-you trying to go head-to-head with the government?"
"..."
"Brother, come on. They build theirs, we build ours. Nobody's interfering with anyone. It's not about opposition." Xiao Han's smile turned stiff.
"Look at you. Got ambition but no spine. How are you gonna accomplish anything like that?"
"..."
"Brother, let's... table that for now. It's getting late. Let me have someone set you up with a place to stay."
"Fine. We'll need a standalone villa. Bigger the better."
"..."
"Brother Yang, you might not realize-we've got over a thousand people here. There are only so many villas in this compound. Almost every single one is packed full. Everyone else lives in temporary shelters."
"This one's just you five, right?"
"...Yes."
"Great. You guys can find somewhere else."
"..."