Chapter 26

The main functions of a keypad phone were making calls and sending texts. Some advanced new models could even play music.

The internet consisted mainly of portal sites and forums, plus some shared resources.

Starting Saturday night, internet forums became an important channel for citizens to get information. Especially those owner community forums that were usually dead quiet with hardly any posts suddenly became a hive of activity.

But these were all things for young people; many middle-aged folks couldn't quite navigate them.

The man named Huang was indeed one of the main organizers of this zombie-clearing operation in Jixiang Jiayuan, but his communication with others on the forum was all done with the help of his middle-school-aged son. He was a traditional middle-aged man who wasn't familiar with the internet.

There was some information he hadn't looked into deeply.

For example, zombies were divided into original zombies and second-generation infected mutants.

For example, up to this point, infection after injury was almost one hundred percent certain.

It was also because the discussion about infection on the Youth Apartment owner forum had already surged during the day on Sunday, and the people from Youth Apartment had basically all witnessed the temporary committee dealing with the injured. There was no longer any need to discuss that information on the forum.

Too many posts had pushed the infection-related posts down; if you didn't dig deep, you'd never find them.

Old Huang's son, Little Huang, missed out on that information because of this.

Missing information can sometimes change fate.

At this moment, Old Huang frowned at the young people from Youth Apartment whose attitudes had suddenly changed, and asked in confusion, "What's going on?"

But neither Jiang Cheng nor Song Jingshuo answered him. Their gazes skipped over him to look behind him.

Jiang Cheng asked, "Does your community have anyone else who can take charge?"

A man who looked to be in his thirties jogged over: "What's wrong?"

Things were fine just a moment ago; why did the atmosphere suddenly turn tense?

Jiang Cheng asked him, "Can you organize the people in your community?"

"Ah, well, I think so," the man answered with that middle-aged slickness of not committing fully, "Do we have a situation?"

Having learned from past mistakes, Song Jingshuo couldn't afford to be careless again. He asked directly, "Are you injured?"

The man said, "No, I'm fine. Who's injured?"

He even turned to look at Old Huang, but before he knew it, Song Jingshuo, Li Jiangbing, and several others had moved in and were roughly pulling at him, checking his neck and arms, and even pulling up his pant legs to inspect his calves.

There were child and even infant zombies in this community; because of their height, they might inflict wounds on a person's legs.

After quickly confirming that this man indeed had no injuries, Jiang Cheng tilted her chin: "Brother, can we step aside for a word?"

The man frowned and followed her and Song Jingshuo a few steps away.

Old Huang tried to follow, but Li Jiangbing, with a bear-sized hand, held him back: "Brother, hold on. Let them finish talking first."

Old Huang already had a vague sense that something was wrong. He demanded, "What is there that I can't hear? Today's matter, I'm the main organizer. I work at the municipal directly affiliated agency; I have rich organizational experience."

No wonder he had a bit of a leadership aura about him.

Li Jiangbing just laughed it off: "Alright, alright, just wait a moment."

Li Jiangbing had tattoos. In normal times, Old Huang wouldn't even talk to a person like that.

But Li Jiangbing was tall and burly, carrying both an axe and a cleaver. Not only that, but he was also surrounded by many young men who formed a human wall, blocking him and cutting him off from the young man and woman who were clearly in charge.

He shouldn't have dismissed that young woman earlier.

Old Huang had already figured it out—that young woman might actually have even more say than the tall young man he'd shaken hands with. Many of these young people were acting on her cues.

Especially this tattooed gym guy who stayed right by her side like a bodyguard or secretary.

Before long, the second man finished talking with Jiang Cheng and Song Jingshuo, and the three of them came back together.

The man had introduced himself to Jiang Cheng and the others; his surname was Zhou, Zhou Wang, thirty-something, also a middle-aged man.

His expression was grim.

Old Huang kept his composure: "Say, Old Zhou, is it? What did they say?"

They weren't familiar with each other either; they'd only connected through the owner forum, at the level of barely matching faces to surnames.

Zhou Wang licked his lips to ease the tension and said, "Youth Apartment's suggestion for us is to first see if there are any injured people..."

Jiang Cheng and Song Jingshuo and the others didn't interfere; they just watched from the side.

Anyone who could step up to organize at a time like this had to have some ability. They had called Zhou Wang aside to communicate, and now Zhou Wang understood the situation and knew Youth Apartment's approach.

He could host and take the lead himself.

Jixiang Jiayuan needed its own leader; it couldn't rely on Youth Apartment for everything.

Zhou Wang did have some ability and decisiveness, but when the injured found out they were going to be locked up in isolation, conflict inevitably broke out.

The community became noisy and chaotic, and Zhou Wang struggled to keep things under control.

Although they had briefly fought together, they were still just unfamiliar neighbors. Many of them were sturdy men in their thirties or forties with rich life experience; they weren't about to obey just because someone said so.

Another reason was that the proportion of injured people in Jixiang Jiayuan was actually higher than those uninjured.

Many people had initially ignored the child and infant zombies. Since they were few in number, while fighting the adult zombies, people would suddenly get scratched or bitten on the legs.

Now everyone knew how serious things were. Those who were uninjured naturally wanted to control the injured, but they were outnumbered and couldn't manage the situation.

Luckily, people from Youth Apartment had already quietly surrounded them.

Those who refused to be locked up in isolation found they couldn't get away no matter what.

Zhou Wang cast a pleading look at Jiang Cheng and Song Jingshuo.

Jiang Cheng raised her hand and made a gesture—both palms pressing inward.

The people from Youth Apartment had already developed a tacit understanding through a whole day of fighting and cooperation. Jiang Cheng didn't say a word; everyone saw the gesture and understood.

The encirclement began to tighten.

They were all young people holding sharp weapons. These young people might carry some sympathy, but no one would go soft. Because what Jixiang Jiayuan was about to go through, they had already gone through.

People's minds and character can be forged through experience.

Before Saturday, they were vibrant, optimistic, promising young people.

Now, they could swiftly split open a zombie's skull.

Some of them could even grit their teeth and swing their weapons at people who were infected but hadn't yet turned.

Youth's growth and maturity can sometimes take years, and sometimes it can happen in a single weekend.

The shouting injured from Jixiang Jiayuan quieted down and began to back away.

The pressure of the shrinking encirclement was too great.

But there were those who refused to accept it. One person suddenly made a dash outward. And he aimed his escape at a girl, charging straight at her.

He had assumed, based on first impressions, that the girl would be the weak point in the encirclement.

But luck was not on his side—the girl was none other than Su Yu, who lived in the same building as Jiang Cheng.

Before the young men nearby even had to lift a finger, a loud clang rang out as Su Yu slammed a frying pan straight into the face of the man who was trying to break through!

The blow landed hard, catching him dead center on the bridge of his nose. Even the young men watching couldn't help but wince, then they gave Su Yu enthusiastic thumbs-ups.

The man spit out two teeth, his face covered in blood, and collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.

The residents of the youth apartment complex had come well-prepared. Someone pulled out rolls of duct tape from their backpack and immediately bound the man's hands.

They also planned to tape his mouth shut—mainly out of fear that he might bite someone out of desperation and cause further infection.

Zhou Wang ran over in a sweat, holding up his hand to stop them: "Go easy! Go easy!"

Two people dragged the man back to the open space in the middle.

The injured residents of Ji Xiang Jia Yuan looked grim.

"Brother Zhou," Jiang Cheng called out to him, "why don't we handle this? We're a bit more experienced over here."

"Little Jiang, hold on!" Beads of sweat kept forming on Zhou Wang's forehead, one layer after another. "Our situation is different from yours—you need to think about that."

"Your complex, I know, is all single young people."

"Over here, we've got families with kids and elderly parents to look after."

If so many people were to be locked up, Zhou Wang knew, there would immediately be four to five times as many family members showing up to make a scene.

At that moment, the people from the youth apartment complex once again understood just how special and fortunate their own situation was.

They also felt the hesitation and overthinking of the middle-aged residents, which was frankly irritating.

Jiang Cheng didn't hesitate for a second. Every decision she made was quick and decisive.

Suddenly, a hoarse voice rang out from among the injured: "Self-quarantine at home."

Everyone turned to look.

The one who made this suggestion was none other than Old Huang. Clenching his teeth, he offered his idea: "Everyone goes home, locks themselves in a separate room, and is watched over by their own family members. We also need to set up a temporary management team—someone in charge of communications, someone to patrol, keeping records, and maintaining open lines of contact. If anyone turns, the patrol team will stop by and handle it."

His mind was sharp and his thinking quick, clearly someone with organizational and managerial experience. He must have been a leader at some level—you could tell he had ability.

If he hadn't been injured himself, a man with his competence would have been the one in charge of Ji Xiang Jia Yuan, not Zhou Wang.

He stared straight at Jiang Cheng.

By now, he had fully grasped the situation—all these big strong young men... they were all taking orders from this young woman.

Turns out she was the real boss of the youth apartment complex all along.