Chapter 169

When the vehicle doors opened, the people who stepped out were all young and strong.

Their daily regimen of intense physical labor and climbing stairs had given every one of them a well-proportioned, sturdy build, brimming with strength.

Their standardized silver armor gleamed brightly, while the sharp crescent-shaped shovels at their sides flashed with a cold, dangerous light under the sun.

Regardless of what they had done before or what kind of personalities they had possessed, decapitating people day after day and growing accustomed to the sensation of sharp blades severing flesh, muscle, and bone had naturally instilled a terrifying bloodlust in them.

Several of the women carried an even more frightening aura of violence than the men.

What had happened at the school had enraged the women, whose sense of morality was stronger.

A few of them were even middle-school girls. They glared furiously at these adult parasites.

The crowd shrank back.

Many people instinctively retreated, bunching toward the center.

As though standing in the middle would make them safer.

A black cat leaped from the vehicle. The instant it landed, it had already transformed into a sleek black panther, drawing a chorus of startled cries from the crowd.

A young woman stepped down from the vehicle. Her silver armor fit her perfectly, her eyes were cold, and her stride was strong and agile.

The last person to get out was a tall young man with a handsome face. He was the only one among them who wore neither armor nor weapons. His long legs were wrapped in suit trousers, his white shirt sleeves rolled up, and his black leather shoes gleaming.

With his handsome features and languid bearing, he carried an air of nobility.

He stood behind the young woman, with the black panther on her other side, like a pair of attendants.

Jiang Cheng stepped forward, her cool eyes sweeping over the crowd.

No one dared meet her gaze. Everyone instinctively looked away.

“Auntie Jiang!”

“Auntie Jiang—”

The middle-school students took two steps forward and called out to her.

Their voices were filled with grievance, and for some reason tears began to well up in their eyes.

They regarded her as an idol because they had seen her on television. They always felt that the reason they had been unable to establish a government was simply that they were too young and inexperienced.

But they had still worked hard to do everything properly, braving danger and never caring about the cost. They wanted her approval.

Yet somehow, things had turned out like this. Everyone had clearly worked so hard, risking their lives without complaint.

How had it come to this?

Jiang Cheng held out her hand.

Duan Junqi hurriedly called out, “Shao Yingchuan!”

The name sounded grand, but the person who stepped forward was a small, fair-skinned girl who had not even finished growing. She was only in middle school.

The girl hugged a hardcover notebook and trotted over, handing it to Auntie Jiang with both hands.

She did so with great solemnity.

Jiang Cheng opened to the first page. Three striking words caught her eye:

“Grudge Book.”

Shao Yingchuan was still young and had no special abilities, but she possessed beautiful handwriting, so she had been assigned to record incidents and manage the residents’ accommodations.

Day after day, she had to deal with these adults.

She had suffered plenty of abuse and wiped away her tears countless times.

But even the older students could do nothing about these adults, and the teachers had only told them not to make an issue of it.

How could she not hold a grudge? It was only that she lacked the ability to settle those grudges for the time being.

The little girl loved writing and had always kept a diary. Every day, she recorded all the unpleasant things that happened.

The time, the place, the people involved, the cause, the process, and the outcome.

She had even mockingly named it the “Grudge Book.”

It had merely been a way to vent her grievances. Who could have imagined that it would one day become useful?

Her handwriting was beautiful, and her records were so clear and detailed that everything was immediately apparent.

Jiang Cheng skimmed through the pages. She could not help casting the little girl an appreciative glance.

When she looked up again, her eyes were devoid of warmth and frightening to behold.

At last, she spoke. “There’s no need for me to introduce myself, is there?”

Indeed, there was no need. No one in S City failed to recognize her—Jiang Cheng.

The acting district chief of the temporary government in the Science and Technology New District.

The leader of S City’s anti-zombie forces.

The fighters’ idol. The survivors’ hope.

Jiang Cheng did not waste a single word.

“Those whose names I call will step forward on their own. Don’t wait for my people to make you.”

The first was a man who had wasted food in the cafeteria and insulted one of the aunties.

“Zhang Bohong.”

Zhang Bohong froze. He wanted to hide in the crowd, but then he saw a massive, powerfully built young man bend down to listen. The little girl who had presented the notebook was already pointing in his direction.

There was no way he could hide. That girl in charge of the records had an exceptional memory for faces.

Zhang Bohong had no choice but to brace himself and step forward. Trying to remain polite, he asked, “M-May I ask what this is about?”

Jiang Cheng ignored him and continued calling the next name.

The second was a man who had destroyed the vegetable plots and made one of the aunties cry.

“Hong Zhenzong.”

The third was a man who had shoved the warehouse administrator, causing a young middle-school boy to fall and scrape his knee, then forced his way into the warehouse and taken supplies without permission.

“Lü Hao.”

The fourth was a woman who had led the seizure of the students’ south-facing classroom on the first floor and thrown the children’s bedding into the hallway.

“Yan Yiwen.”

Several hundred fully armed young men and women glared menacingly at the crowd.

The students pointed out more offenders.

No one dared remain where they were. Those whose names were called stepped forward one after another, steeling themselves and huddling together anxiously.

There had been far too many petty incidents that had angered the students, so Jiang Cheng selected only a few people to name.

She chose those responsible for the more serious incidents, and those who had led the others.

Even so, she called out more than thirty people.

When Jiang Cheng finally closed the hardcover notebook with a sharp snap, the hundreds of remaining refugees felt as though they had been pardoned.

Many of them had broken out in a cold sweat across their foreheads and backs.

Because none of them were fools. In truth, every one of them knew perfectly well what they had done and what they had taken part in.

They had merely bullied the children because the youngsters were naïve, innocent, kindhearted, and easy to manipulate.

But once genuinely decisive adults arrived with armed forces, everyone immediately became an obedient citizen who followed the rules.

If they had joined the Science and Technology New District from the very beginning, under strict and systematic management, perhaps every one of them would now be working diligently, contributing their labor, obeying discipline, and living harmoniously with the others.

“I hereby announce this.” Jiang Cheng’s gaze swept over them. “Since Guangxiu District does not meet the requirements for establishing a temporary government, it will now be incorporated into the Science and Technology New District and placed under unified management.”

“The thirty-seven people named above have refused to obey the rules. They will now be repatriated.”

“On humanitarian grounds, you will be provided with armor and weapons and sent back to your places of origin.”

“Going home” was something that could happen only in a dream.

In reality, there was no way they could return home.

Once they went back, who would continue providing them with food?

Who would guarantee their safety?

How were they supposed to survive?

Were they really going to go out every day on their own, kill zombies, rummage for supplies, and search for food?

The thirty-seven people panicked.

Some immediately began begging for mercy. “We know we were wrong! We’ll change! We won’t do it again!”

See? Jiang Cheng had not even announced what their “crimes” were, yet they already knew exactly what they had done wrong.

Every one of them understood it perfectly.

Others raised their voices and shouted angrily, “You have no right to do this!”

Or they simply started acting shamelessly. “I’m not leaving! I’m not going anywhere!”

Some began throwing tantrums and playing the victim, wailing, “You’re sending us to our deaths!”

It was precisely because they were so shameless and thick-skinned that the student children had been helpless against them.

Listening to them was irritating enough.

Su Yu frowned.

Suddenly, a force erupted from behind those people, spreading like a shock wave.

The various wails and screams cut off abruptly.

The sudden burst of force sent everyone sprawling forward, face-first into the dirt.

Protective Barrier: Ejection.

The protective barrier was one-way. People could leave from the inside, but nothing could enter from the outside.

“Inside” and “outside” were defined by Jiang Cheng.

The barrier could appear all at once, enclosing the people it was meant to protect. Or it could start small, expanding from a single “point” into a field in an extremely short span of time.

The shorter the time, the greater the impact of the expansion on the outside world.

An instantaneous expansion was essentially an explosion.

The crowd cried out and shuffled backward again, beginning to pack tightly together.

But no one complained. If anything, they wanted to press even closer. That was the only way to feel safe.

Duan Junqi’s breathing grew heavy. He clenched his fists and struggled to control his emotions, trying to keep his face as impassive as the adults’.

He glanced at Xiao Yunshu, and happened to catch her looking at him too.

Xiao Yunshu was also doing her best to keep her expression under control.

But the delight shining in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Some of the younger kids couldn’t restrain themselves at all. They clenched their fists and waved them excitedly in the air!

Jiang Cheng merely lifted her chin slightly, and the people in silver armor carrying weapons sprang into action.

They walked over, hauled up those lying dazed on the ground, and asked, “Which district are you from? Where do you live?”

Then they dragged them toward the vehicles and stuffed them inside.

Cry, scream, beg—it didn’t matter. Those tricks might work on children, but what use were they against people who decapitated others every day?

Zombies had human forms too.

After killing enough of them, a person’s heart really did grow hard.

Most people’s resistance was completely ineffective in the hands of the fighters.

But there was one case where the resistance was genuinely effective. Just as a man was about to be hauled away, two columns of flame shot up from the ground, forcing the two fighters to retreat in haste!

Jiang Cheng remembered this man. His companions had shoved aside the little boy guarding the warehouse and forcibly taken supplies.

When the older kids had rushed over to stop them, this man had conjured a fireball and burned Xiao Yunshu’s braid.

She had looked terrible the moment they got out of the vehicle.

Her high ponytail had been burned off. Once it came loose, the hair at the back of her head formed a slanted plane.

Now she had barely managed to tie it up, leaving her with this ridiculous-looking head of hair.

No wonder she was furious enough to cry.

The corners of Jiang Cheng’s lips curled upward.

Things would be boring if no one put up a fight.

She asked, “Are you trying to force us to take action?”

The fire wielder cursed, “Force your mother! What gives you the right to do this? Who gave you that authority? What law says you can drive us out?”

Flames roared in both his hands, radiating waves of heat that kept anyone from approaching.

Out in the world, he would have been considered a fairly powerful fire-type ability user. He had come to seek refuge on his own, but had never mentioned that he possessed an ability, which was why Xiao Yunshu had been caught off guard.

He was also one of the people who had plotted to seize the school’s supplies, refusing to let the children take charge.

They relied on his powerful fire ability.

He had observed the situation carefully. His ability was stronger than those of every student with an ability. If a real fight broke out, he had excellent odds of winning.

Jiang Cheng said, “Power is something you seize for yourself.”

Not again. Not again!

Song Jingshuo folded his arms and stared straight up at the sky.

Several people who were close to Jiang Cheng began to avert their eyes.

After spending enough time with her, people gradually came to understand what Jiang Cheng was really like.

She was... extraordinarily intolerant.

If she ignored you, it was probably because whatever you had done was too insignificant to even earn her dislike. You weren’t worth the effort of a glance.

You should be grateful she couldn’t be bothered to look at you.

Because if she was willing to face you directly and speak to you in an even, reasonable tone, you were in serious danger.

Jiang Cheng might be intolerant, but she respected basic legal principles, moral standards, and due process.

Those were the framework that held an orderly society together. Jiang Cheng did not lead by acting on her personal likes and dislikes; everyone was required to abide by that framework.

That was how order was formed and maintained.

But Jiang Cheng... found minor evils and minor punishments far too boring.

She liked it when people committed major evils.

Once someone did something truly wicked—something that, by common moral standards, warranted severe punishment—she had every justification she needed to act.

Listen to her voice. It was practically seductive.

Sure enough, those words stirred the fire wielder’s ambitions.

He had originally wanted to seize control of the school. It was just that he had been able to lie around eating and drinking without lifting a finger, watching the student brats scurry about like diligent little worker bees. As for the supplies in the warehouse, he could simply take whatever he wanted, since the students were powerless to stop him. So he had never actually made his move.

But now, facing the adults, it was time to seize true power!

Capture the ringleader first!

Decapitation was the greatest blow one could deal to a group’s morale. If he could kill the leader in a single strike, intimidate the rest, and frighten them into standing down, he would win immediately!

It could only be said that he was far too naïve.

The television broadcasts Jiang Cheng and the others produced had always focused on politics, administration, and practical experience.

They had never once shown any footage of combat.

No one had any idea how powerful the armed force under Jiang Cheng’s command truly was.

But one thing should not be forgotten: supernatural abilities grew stronger the more they were used.

Day after day, the teams in the technology district never stopped training.

When the fireball erupted and shot toward Jiang Cheng, most people merely raised their eyebrows.

There was no need for a combat-type ability user—or Su Yu—to intervene.

Even Mo Li seemed too lazy to move.

A water shield formed in the open space between Jiang Cheng and the fire wielder, blocking the fireball’s path.

It was not a single, cookie-shaped shield. Experiments had already shown that such a water shield could not withstand a powerful fireball. A sufficiently strong fireball would merely be weakened once before breaking through the shield and continuing toward its target.

So the water shield that appeared out of thin air was shaped more like an ice-cream cone.

The fireball was like a scoop of ice cream. It burrowed into the “cone,” rapidly shrinking until it vanished—in the blink of an eye.

In the blink of an eye, an attempted sneak attack and assassination had failed.

Li Jiangbing had noticed that one of the people they needed to deal with was a fire wielder, so he had taken up a favorable position as soon as he got out of the vehicle—right beside the fountain pool in the school plaza.

At last, he had a chance to participate in combat with his ability instead of relying on his muscles to shovel heads around.

He was delighted.

Jiang Cheng turned her head and asked Wu Jiancheng, “How powerful was that fireball?”

Wu Jiancheng was spectacularly oblivious. “Pretty average, I guess.”

Jiang Cheng had no choice but to give him another hint. “Could it have killed me?”

“Oh!” Wu Jiancheng finally caught on. “Absolutely.”

Jiang Cheng said, “So that makes it attempted murder?”

Wu Jiancheng nodded emphatically. “You bet!”

“Good.” Jiang Cheng was delighted too. “Go, Mo Li.”

The black panther leaped into the air and pounced!

Gasps rose from the crowd.

One of the team members had been recording everything with a digital camera.

Jiang Cheng had told him to film it before they came.

She had said, “We happen to need a sample.”