Chapter 162

Seven large trucks went out in the morning. By evening, ten large trucks and six smaller vehicles had returned.

They had brought back more than nine hundred survivors and refugees.

Splitting up the teams had indeed boosted their efficiency dramatically.

Several more burners had been added to the earthen stoves in the small square of the Youth Apartment complex. Otherwise, there would not have been enough.

Among the refugees who had already been settled in, many of those without superpowers had signed up to work in the cafeteria. Just peeling potatoes and mashing them required a great many people.

Aside from potatoes, the vegetables they had selected were mainly eggplants, Chinese cabbage, bok choy, cucumbers, radishes, garlic sprouts, and chives. Soybeans and peanuts were reserved for special purposes.

The central greenbelt and all the surrounding greenbelts in the Youth Apartment complex had been reclaimed as vegetable plots.

In the process, quite a few people had gotten red in the face arguing over whether the garlic shoots should be called “garlic sprouts” or “garlic scapes.” Each side insisted that the term from their own hometown was the correct one.

Although they had rescued a large number of people today, with Song Jingshuo in charge at the Youth Apartment complex, everything proceeded in an orderly fashion despite the chaos.

Looking down from one of the higher floors, one would have seen the courtyards—especially the small square—swarming with dark heads. Teams moved back and forth, now heading east, now west.

They looked like diligent little bees.

The refugees were given a meal to keep them alive, and after they had been fed, they were transferred to Xiao Dan at Jixiang Jiayuan.

Today, Xiao Dan had recruited two very capable assistants: an older woman named Wu Yan and a young girl named Tao Xiaoxiao. By the end of the day, Xiao Dan knew she had made the right choice.

The two women were exceptionally good at organizing and keeping things in order. They left her miles behind.

Xiao Dan was quite capable when it came to working alone and handling things independently, but she was not very good at organizing, coordinating, assigning tasks, or making plans within a group.

Those, however, were Wu Yan and Tao Xiaoxiao’s strengths.

Xiao Dan immediately felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

Her voice had gone hoarse from exhaustion over the past two days.

After dinner, Jiang Cheng would usually organize a brief work meeting to review the day’s successes and failures.

Today, Jiang Cheng and Zhou Wang had not yet returned, so Song Jingshuo chaired the meeting.

Everyone summarized the day’s situation.

Every team said the same thing: “It’s still much easier when we go out with Jiang Cheng.”

Jiang Cheng had a storage space, so all kinds of miscellaneous items and supplies—including food and cooking equipment for lunch—could be stored with her. It was incredibly convenient.

After the teams split up, each team could only carry its own supplies.

Although there were earth-, fire-, and metal-powered ability users who could work together to prepare meals, all those items took up space in the vehicles and had to be loaded and unloaded repeatedly. And along the way, people could not always resist sneaking a bite here and there.

Besides, this meant they could only bring essential supplies. Anything extra was inconvenient to transport. Jiang Cheng, on the other hand, could keep a little of everything on hand.

Back when everyone had formed one large group, almost all of them had been people from the Youth Apartment complex. Even Aunt Pan counted as one of them. The outsiders were people like Zhou Wang and Little Huang, neighbors from nearby whom they had already worked with and gotten to know during the previous disaster.

The few children who had joined later had also been rescued from schools by the group. They were obedient and did whatever they were told.

Whenever something needed to be done, the people who were good at it would take charge, while everyone else simply followed instructions.

Now that the group had split up, every team included refugees who had only just been recruited. They were unfamiliar with one another, and unlike obedient children, they were all adults.

Although each team leader was a powerful superhuman, having strong abilities did not mean being good at everything else. Once they had to stand on their own, everyone’s strengths and weaknesses became obvious.

Aunt Pan took the initiative to say, “I’m not very good at this.”

Aunt Pan and Master Luo were both honest, down-to-earth people who were not good with words. They had no children, and back in their hometown, people looked down on them because of it. They could not even win an argument. That was why they had given up their few mu of farmland and gone to the city to work.

The big city was far more accepting. No one mocked or looked down on them for not having children.

But Aunt Pan truly was not good at managing a team or assigning tasks. She would simply keep her head down and do her work honestly.

When she was asked to lead a team on her own—especially when someone asked what should be done about one thing or another—she had no idea how to respond.

What Aunt Pan meant was that she did not want to be a team leader anymore. She only wanted to follow the others and kill zombies. Someone else could be the leader; she would obey orders.

But Song Jingshuo did not go along with her request.

Instead, he assigned her a reliable deputy while still allowing Aunt Pan to remain the nominal team leader.

People who were too honest were easily bullied.

When Master Luo had still been around, he had not been good with words either, but he understood people and social situations. Aunt Pan had never suffered because she had always had her husband to shield her.

Now that Master Luo was gone, there was no one to protect Aunt Pan from petty, malicious people.

Of course, Aunt Pan’s superpower was extremely formidable, so no one dared bully her openly. But Song Jingshuo understood all too well the little tricks and hidden schemes people could use.

Jiang Cheng and Zhou Wang only returned after the meeting had ended.

The cafeteria had saved them some food and reheated it for them.

Song Jingshuo sat with them while they ate and gave Jiang Cheng a brief report on the day’s work meeting.

By the time they finished eating, it was already completely dark, and everyone went their separate ways. Zhou Wang, Little Huang, and the people from the television station returned to Jixiang Jiayuan.

Song Jingshuo asked Jiang Cheng, “Why are you in such a good mood today? Is it because of the Shilong District government?”

Jiang Cheng asked, “Was it that obvious?”

“Not exactly obvious. It was just... natural,” Song Jingshuo said. “You really look happy.”

Song Jingshuo admitted that the establishment of a provisional government in Shilong District was indeed something uplifting.

Everyone had visibly perked up after seeing the new live broadcast on television today.

But the happiness showing in Jiang Cheng’s eyes and brows seemed somehow different from everyone else’s. If he had to describe it, she looked a little like a child who had just been given candy.

It was not an emotion one would expect from someone as rational as Jiang Cheng.

“Jingshuo, after you became an adult, did you ever try changing yourself?” Jiang Cheng asked in return.

Song Jingshuo raised an eyebrow. “For example?”

“For example...” Jiang Cheng thought for a moment. “Trying to become a saint?”

Song Jingshuo: “...Are you calling me a social Darwinist?”

Jiang Cheng denied it. “No. I mean trying to become someone completely different from who you used to be.”

Song Jingshuo pondered for a moment, then said with certainty, “Isn’t that still calling me a social Darwinist?”

Jiang Cheng pressed a hand to her forehead.

Song Jingshuo’s phone rang. He answered it. “I know. I’ve finished eating. I’m coming right over. I’ll go back and get it first. You guys have fun.”

Jiang Cheng asked, “Who was that?”

“Gao Yuxuan asked me to go play games.”

Jiang Cheng said, “See? Isn’t that a very good attempt at changing yourself?”

It was true.

Song Jingshuo had never played video games before.

In his mind, a man who was addicted to games was someone who lacked ambition.

Song Jingshuo said, “...They’ve led me astray.”

Jiang Cheng and Mo Li went home and enjoyed a satisfying hot shower.

Then Jiang Cheng curled up on the sofa with Mo Li in her arms and continued reading.

It really was difficult to change one’s way of thinking after reaching adulthood—unless one finally encountered a powerful ideology that saw through the true nature of the world, pointed directly to the truth of society, and clearly showed the way forward.

Why was Jiang Cheng so happy?

Because she had found happiness.

It was no longer merely a matter of killing zombies. One could even say that the zombies had become tools.

She had learned an entirely different way of thinking. She had put it into practice with an experimental attitude, only to become increasingly convinced of its validity as she continued.

The joy of it was indescribable.

The local natives probably couldn’t understand it. After all, it was something they had been exposed to since childhood.

Just like in “Jiang Cheng’s” memories: the ideas were clearly there, yet they had no sense of presence. Being exposed to something for too long made it formalized and hollow, making it difficult to feel the brilliance within.

But to Jiang Cheng, an outsider from another world, this was without a doubt a way of thinking she had never encountered before.

There was always something fresh and fun about a first experience.

It really was like a child getting candy.

Gao Yuxuan’s family had more than a dozen game consoles. He owned all six of the latest models released that year. Every penny he earned went into buying them.

Gao Yuxuan, Li Jiangbing, and Song Jingshuo had their feet propped up on the coffee table, each holding a controller as they battled furiously.

They were so engrossed that their sheet masks nearly fell off.

Naturally, the sheet mask belonged to Song Jingshuo.

It had started when Gao Yuxuan had gone up to Song Jingshuo and asked him to his face, “You really use sheet masks?”

Song Jingshuo had fallen silent for a moment before slowly replying, “Do you think they’re cheap?”

Later, Song Jingshuo had pressed him to reveal who had told him about the sheet masks, but Gao Yuxuan had been loyal to the end and refused to give him up.

Now, all three of them were wearing Song Jingshuo’s supposedly expensive sheet masks. Gao Yuxuan said, “Actually, this feels pretty good. Hey, how much does one cost?”

Song Jingshuo calmly named the price.

“...” Gao Yuxuan stared at him. “Holy crap?”

Gao Yuxuan declared, “I’m wearing this for another hour! I’m even going to sleep with it on!”

Li Jiangbing hurriedly patted the mask flatter. “Damn, that’s expensive! Just like you. Even the ones girls use aren’t this pricey, are they?”

Song Jingshuo said, “They’re specially supplied to luxury clubs. Not the kind you can buy at a shopping mall. You have no idea how expensive it is to spend money at that club. Even I can’t afford it. The few times I went, I was either tagging along with my boss or entertaining clients on the company’s dime. I only bought a few sheet masks to use myself.”

Song Jingshuo began promoting them. “There’s a reason they cost so much. This stuff really is excellent. If I have an important meeting that day, I’ll put one on first thing in the morning before heading out. My complexion looks great afterward—I look completely refreshed.”

Gao Yuxuan said, “That’s fine. We don’t have meetings that important. I just sneak off to sleep in the back row.”

Li Jiangbing burst out laughing. “Hahahahahaha!”

Song Jingshuo asked curiously, “Where’s Zhao Yi? Why isn’t Zhao Yi here?”

Gao Yuxuan had specifically brought four sheet masks so Zhao Yi could try one too, but Zhao Yi hadn’t shown up. Weren’t he and Gao Yuxuan practically joined at the hip?

Li Jiangbing said, “You really know how to bring up the sore spot. He’s been cursing about this all night.”

“...?”

Gao Yuxuan flew into a rage. “You tell me—doesn’t he deserve to be cursed?”

“This morning, he came rushing to me in a panic, saying Zhang Lesi wanted to date him. He was scared out of his mind and asked me what he should do.”

“As his true friend, of course I told him the honest truth!”

“...” Song Jingshuo asked, “What did you say?”

Gao Yuxuan said, “I strongly advised him that when looking for a girlfriend, you absolutely mustn’t choose a tigress like that! Otherwise, she’ll control everything you do. What fun would life be?”

“He even nodded and said I had a point!”

“And then?”

“After dinner, I went looking for him everywhere. And what do I see? He was walking around the courtyard hand in hand with Zhang Lesi!”

Who could understand the pain of being torn apart from one’s inseparable best friend?

And this kind of betrayal was even more infuriating!

Gao Yuxuan was practically turning into an angry little bird!

Li Jiangbing said, “Your sheet mask’s wrinkled! It’s all crumpled up!”

Gao Yuxuan hurriedly patted the ridiculously expensive mask flat again.

It was far too expensive. Wasting even a single drop of essence was heartbreaking.