Volume Two: To Battle! Chapter 84: Questions

Zhang Chu kept everyone in suspense. Although Liu Cong had no idea what Zhang Chu’s confidence was based on, he wasn’t in a hurry to find the answer. It would only be a matter of days before Zhang Chu’s secret was revealed.

When thirty thousand people lined up and vanished entirely into the stairwell entrance that had opened, Liu Cong couldn’t help clicking his tongue. “Is this place really so big? Could the walls actually be hollow?”

Zhang Chu smiled triumphantly. “Brother, this is just the beginning. Wait till you bring all six hundred thousand people over, and it’ll still be able to hold them.”

“Are you serious, Zhang Chu? You’re not just boasting, are you?”

“You’ll see for yourself when you bring them over.”

Seeing Zhang Chu so resolute, Liu Cong didn’t press further. After a brief farewell, he strode toward the temporary airfield.

“Everyone, we’re departing now to bring the next group over.”

The pilots had not left their planes; they knew there would be frequent shuttle flights ahead. Even as Liu Cong took off, their eyes lingered on the G15 below—a defensive line like a sleeping dragon that shook them to their core.

Especially the Korean pilots; many began to envy the Japanese residents who would live here, and China became the land they longed for in their hearts.

Thirty steel beasts came and went in a rush, once again heading for the carnage ahead. Yes, carnage—compared to the peaceful G15, the danger in Japan had risen far beyond a single level.

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Bang, bang, bang!

A series of urgent knocks echoed.

Nakamura Masao, seated in his office chair, rubbed his brow in frustration. How many bad news reports had there been in the past few days?

“Come in!”

His secretary hurried through the door. “Sir, urgent news just came from Safe Zone Four… They’ve fallen… as well.”

“How could it happen so fast?” Nakamura Masao stared at her in shock. The collapse of Safe Zone Four struck him like a hammer blow to the heart.

“We don’t know. When the communications team sent the urgent message, contact with Safe Zone Four was already completely lost.”

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“Don’t they have a fully operational underground missile base there? With such powerful weaponry, how could they fall?”

Nakamura Masao’s composure broke; his rugged face twisted with distress. The young secretary lowered her head, unable to meet his gaze. “I don’t know, sir. They didn’t explain. They just said Safe Zone Four lost contact without even firing a single missile.”

No wonder Nakamura Masao was so stunned. Safe Zone Four was the last remaining missile base in Japan, centrally located to support all surrounding safe zones. As long as monsters didn’t get too close, a barrage of missiles could resolve any crisis.

Now, without missile support, all safe zones faced severe threats. Lacking enough firepower for area attacks, mere firearms couldn’t stop a large-scale assault by mutated creatures.

With Safe Zones Three and Four falling one after another, Nakamura Masao sensed something unusual. “Immediately investigate the main causes of these collapses!”

To render a missile base unable to fire even a single missile—it couldn’t be the work of ordinary mutated creatures. It must be some powerful new mutation, and that was exactly what Nakamura Masao feared.

While Japan scrambled like headless chickens over the collapse of its safe zones, things were lively in China as well.

The first group of Japanese had just landed in G15 when calls from safe zones began flooding Li Yu and Zhang Quanyou’s phones.

Every caller used the same script: first complaining, then requesting aid in materials. Li Yu and Zhang Quanyou knew they didn’t truly need those supplies. When they refused, the callers fell back to requesting help with population, targeting the incoming Japanese soldiers.

After hanging up on the nineteenth call of the day, Li Yu switched his phone off and massaged his aching brow before placing a stone on the Go board before him.

Zhang Quanyou, seated opposite, kept his eyes on the board and teased without looking up, “Told you to turn off your phone, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you finally did, huh?”

“Oh, these people—like wolves drawn to the scent of meat, all wanting a bite. The people haven’t even arrived yet, but their schemes are ready. If they put half as much effort into running their safe zones as they do into this, I’d actually be happy for them.”

Li Yu looked helpless. The barrage of calls and endless routines spoiled his mood for Go. Distracted, he lost a crucial stone to Zhang Quanyou.

Seeing Zhang Quanyou’s smug smile, Li Yu waved his hand in irritation. “Forget it, forget it. You always take advantage, preying on weakness!”

“Hey, I warned you—you're the one who didn’t turn off your phone. How is that my fault?”

“Hmph, I don’t care. This game doesn’t count. If I hadn’t been distracted, I’d have beaten you, you old rascal.”

Zhang Quanyou laughed and stopped provoking him. He reset the board. “Alright, this game doesn’t count. No more phones, and no more regrets this time.”

The two played another round in the pavilion, with the air system circulating fresh breezes, making their rare game time even more pleasant.

“Old Li, what’s your plan for these six hundred thousand Japanese? Are you really putting them all in G15?”

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Li Yu paused, then placed another stone. “Hmph! Almost fell for your trick. You always ask when you’re losing.”

“I’m serious. Putting all six hundred thousand in G15 isn’t realistic. Resources there are limited, and it’s by the sea. Plenty of problems ahead.”

“All in G15? Impossible. Once they’re all here, we’ll decide as needed. According to Zhang Chu, most of the Japanese arrivals are women. When everyone’s here, we’ll conduct a census and distribute the surplus women evenly.”

Zhang Quanyou was surprised; he hadn’t considered that aspect. “Won’t the Japanese protest?”

“Hmph, anyone who protests can go back. This is a global human crisis—our population is less than twenty percent of what it was. If we don’t balance the gender ratio, do you expect those surplus men and women to stay single forever?” Li Yu scoffed.

“You’re right. We’re saving them, giving them shelter; we can’t support so many for nothing. The surplus women can contribute to childbirth. But you haven’t said how the Japanese soldiers will be assigned. That’s what everyone cares about most.”

“That’s for Liu Cong and Zhang Chu to handle. We won’t interfere. If anyone wants people, they’ll have to trade or request them. Did they think I’d deliver them just for a few words?”

“……”

Above, thirty transport planes silently sliced through the sky, racing toward Nakamura’s safe zone.

On the return journey, the formation was attacked again by mutated birds. Drawn, it seemed, by the dense clouds over the strait, vast numbers of birds gathered, creating a scene reminiscent of migration.

Liu Cong multitasked, piloting while scanning the ground below. The mutated creatures appeared more numerous than ever. Once, zombies were the most common, but now, it seemed the largest group were those oceanic beasts, reminiscent of movie aliens.

They moved in packs, their agile limbs bristling with black bone spikes, two-meter tails swaying as they crawled, apparently mutated from some fish species, their habits unchanged.

At the island’s edge, new mutants constantly came ashore, landing from all sides and then gathering together to advance toward the center.

Liu Cong glanced at the sky. It was afternoon, with not a cloud in sight.

What, exactly, was drawing them here?

He frowned, unable to figure it out, curiosity burning inside. Yet, his mission demanded focus: he had to evacuate everyone before more mutants reached the safe zone. Only after this task was done could he return to seek the answer.

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