Chapter 63

The house suddenly fell silent, and everyone turned to look.

Jiang Cheng took the phone and switched on the speaker. “Hello?”

A middle-aged man’s voice came through the phone. “Young person, what’s your name?”

“My name is Jiang Cheng, Vice Mayor Zheng.”

“You knew it was me?”

“Yes,” Jiang Cheng said. “I hear your voice every day.”

His voice and face appeared every day in the news broadcasts.

With manpower in such short supply, they no longer bothered with a dedicated spokesperson. Vice Mayor Zheng himself appeared on the news every day.

Vice Mayor Zheng seemed to give a soft chuckle.

He said, “The problem you reported has been resolved.”

“Thank you.”

Vice Mayor Zheng praised her. “You reported the problem in a very timely manner. It was indeed something we had overlooked. I’ve also seen the situation in your residential compound. What you young people have done is very impressive.”

Jiang Cheng did not accept the compliment. “We’re only doing everything we can to help everyone survive. You know how difficult things are now.”

Vice Mayor Zheng fell silent for a moment.

Of course, he would not call an ordinary citizen for no reason. That was precisely why Jiang Cheng did not take his praise at face value. She remained wary of anything out of the ordinary.

“Little Jiang,” Vice Mayor Zheng said, stating what he wanted. “I hope you and your residential compound can take the lead in helping other communities. I hope you young people can set an example by sharing the supplies distributed by the government with the surrounding communities.”

“Of course, this isn’t a demand or an order. It’s a plea.”

“Little Jiang, can you do that?”

Song Jingshuo’s house was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone’s eyes immediately turned to Jiang Cheng.

In private, the men did sometimes discuss Jiang Cheng. Although they all trusted and admired her, they would say things like, “Don’t you think Jiang Cheng is a little too calm?”

Jiang Cheng’s emotions were unusually steady, and that was a point of complaint among the men.

When a woman displayed an exceptional ability or possessed an especially conspicuous virtue, it often made certain men feel uneasy and uncomfortable.

But when Jiang Cheng’s expression actually turned grim, everyone forgot about those complaints. They really, really did not want to see her like that.

In truth, there was no obvious change in Jiang Cheng’s expression, but her complexion had clearly darkened. A person’s presence was intangible, yet somehow visible.

“Sorry, but we can’t do that,” Jiang Cheng replied decisively. “When you make a request like this, it becomes even more impossible for us to comply.”

Vice Mayor Zheng was silent for a moment before letting out a sigh.

Jiang Cheng could hear the exhaustion in his voice. This middle-aged man, who appeared on the news every day, had visibly aged at an astonishing speed over the course of just a few days.

Although she could not accept his request, Jiang Cheng respected a man like him, and she was willing to offer a little more explanation.

“Vice Mayor Zheng, if you’re not in a position, you can’t fully understand the problems of that position. You’re responsible for the entire city, but we’re only responsible for the people in our compound. If we can’t do it, the people here won’t tolerate it either.”

“We only have any influence because the people in the compound support us.”

“We don’t have the power to force anyone to obey.”

Everything she said was perfectly understandable to Vice Mayor Zheng.

He had merely been holding on to a faint hope and had been unwilling to stop trying.

Now that hope had been extinguished, everyone had to prioritize staying alive. These people were ordinary citizens. They were neither police officers nor soldiers, let alone government officials.

For the latter, sacrificing themselves for the interests of the people was considered part of their duty.

But when it came to ordinary citizens, no one could demand that they be selfless or heroic.

Jiang Cheng had no way to force the homeowners in the compound to obey. Likewise, Vice Mayor Zheng had no way to force the citizens to become saints.

Vice Mayor Zheng gave a bitter laugh. He had not held out much hope to begin with, so he was not too disappointed.

In a gentle voice, he said, “I know. I understand.”

“Then let’s each do our best at our respective posts.”

The call ended, leaving everyone with different thoughts.

Some were relieved that Jiang Cheng had withstood the pressure from the vice mayor.

Others felt a little regretful, thinking they had missed an opportunity to establish a connection with him.

That was the vice mayor, after all. They saw him on the news every day, but in reality, ordinary people like them might never meet him in person even once in their entire lives.

Jiang Cheng looked grim, and Song Jingshuo’s expression darkened along with hers.

Li Jiangbing asked cautiously, “What’s wrong?”

He was thinking that perhaps they were afraid of being retaliated against for refusing the vice mayor’s request.

Jiang Cheng’s voice was a little hard. “The situation outside may be even worse than we thought.”

Song Jingshuo nodded. “It’s already extremely serious.”

Everyone looked at the two of them.

Jiang Cheng said, “Order must be deteriorating. We’re shut inside the compound, so we can’t feel it.”

She asked, “How can the government monitor us? Through the cameras on the streets?”

“Most likely,” Song Jingshuo replied.

“What about the ones inside the compound?”

“They’re independent systems. They use videotapes.”

Jiang Cheng sighed. “Then it’s even worse.”

She voiced her deduction. “There must have been large-scale... well, clashes of some kind. If the authorities can only see the street footage, that means it’s no longer limited to conflicts within individual compounds. It may have already developed into conflicts between different compounds.”

“Most likely, people were driven to desperation by hunger. Then supplies were suddenly distributed, but only along the city’s main ring road. Some people had supplies, some didn’t. Some compounds managed to seize a lot, while others got nothing.”

“When people are starving, they’ll dare to do anything.”

Jiang Cheng’s guess was completely correct.

Everyone had been starving together, and then the government suddenly distributed supplies—but only along the city’s main ring road.

To break through the hordes of zombies blocking the roads and reach the ring road, one needed a vehicle.

At that point, the disparity in wealth between the different compounds became apparent.

Urban layouts in China were different from those in other countries.

In some foreign countries, the rich and poor were physically separated. The poor lived in slums—filthy, disorderly places with dilapidated public facilities—while the wealthy lived in neighborhoods with beautiful surroundings, good security, and every kind of amenity.

More importantly, the poor could not reach the areas where the wealthy lived.

China’s guiding principle was that such a situation must never be allowed.

All areas were broken up and mixed together.

For example, a wetland park might be located beside an upscale residential compound, perhaps even a villa development. The residents were wealthy and enjoyed the beautiful environment provided by the wetland park. They might even want to keep it for themselves.

Dream on!

A resettlement-housing compound would be built right next door, housing working-class families.

The middle class and the wealthy could simply walk downstairs to stroll through and enjoy the wetland park.

Ordinary people could do the same.

If you had money, you could go to commercial establishments for high-end consumption. You could indulge in extravagant banquets, wine, and sensual pleasures.

But all public spaces and facilities provided by the state were to be enjoyed equally by everyone, regardless of wealth.

Such arrangements made society more harmonious and fair.

But everything went wrong after the zombie virus broke out. With manpower in short supply, the government could only drop supplies along the ring roads. Residents of wealthy communities drove their cars, plowing through the zombies in the streets and forcing their way past one road after another to seize the supplies.

But most families in the resettlement communities didn’t own private cars. They had no way to get there.

When one hungry person sees a group of people with food, they usually don’t dare to act.

But when a hungry group sees another group with food, they become furious—especially when they are in the majority.

A human being’s most basic need is the need to stay alive. Hungry people gathering together can become a terrifying force.

On Sunday and Monday, the communities erupted into bloody clashes, as if two villages in ancient times had launched a massive battle to fight over a water source.

Some people had fought stubbornly to survive for an entire week. They hadn’t died in the mouths of zombies, yet they died beneath the clubs and cleavers of residents from the neighboring communities.

And this happened more than once or twice over those two days.

The relief supplies distributed by the government were like cold water dropped into a pan of boiling oil. The whole city exploded.

Vice Mayor Zheng watched from the surveillance room as law-abiding citizens, their eyes bloodshot, hacked at one another with cleavers. He felt every cell in his body ache.

The pain spread through him.

He truly wished that at least one community—just one—could take the lead in helping people from other communities and set an example for the entire city.

Sometimes, an example like that really was useful. Humans lived in groups, and they would always need spiritual guidance.

But it went against human nature.

People could only help others when they had strength to spare. If someone was already on the verge of death and was still expected to act like a saint, that simply wouldn’t work.

Jiang Cheng’s refusal was perfectly understandable and came as no surprise.

For a young woman and her companions to keep a community of more than two thousand people stable and orderly was already an extraordinary achievement. And they were all still so young.

No one could ask more of them.

Vice Mayor Zheng looked at the chaos on the screen and helplessly closed his eyes.

“Has it really gotten this bad?”

After hearing Jiang Cheng’s analysis, everyone sighed. Someone asked, “Why hasn’t anyone come to raid our community?”

“Fuck,” Li Jiangbing exclaimed, waving his bowl-sized fists. “Do they think I’m dead?”

If Jiang Cheng was the lord, then Li Jiangbing was unquestionably her great general.

Compared with all the chores inside the community, leaving the safe zone for field missions was clearly far more dangerous. By now, it had practically become an unwritten rule that Li Jiangbing would lead whenever they went out.

After going on so many missions, even the team members had gradually become a fixed group, all familiar faces.

Whenever Li Jiangbing called out, he could quickly assemble a team.

Of course, the residents didn’t go on these missions for nothing.

Although each mission was carried out on official business, with specific items to obtain, everyone would more or less keep a few things for themselves.

That, too, had become an accepted practice.

People lived together in groups, and they quickly adapted to their environment, adjusting and establishing new rules according to changing circumstances.

The Young People’s Apartments were packed with able-bodied fighters. They were especially united, organized, disciplined, and always advanced and retreated together, forming an unbreakable block.

Who would be foolish enough to raid the Young People’s Apartments?

As they were speaking, everyone’s phones suddenly chimed with a text message.

It was from the telecommunications provider in S City:

“Emergency Communications Assurance Notice:

“Dear residents,

“To ensure smooth emergency communications during the current major disaster, our company is activating its emergency communications plan effective immediately. All mobile phones, including those with overdue unpaid bills and suspended service, have automatically had calling and text messaging restored. No payment is required, and usage is unlimited.

“May we keep watch over one another in safety and get through this difficult time together.

“—S City Telecommunications Emergency Command Center”

Throughout the community, everyone picked up their phones and read the message that had just arrived.

Many people looked at one another in confusion.

“Is this a coincidence?”

The community’s temporary committee had only asked everyone to register this matter last night. Yet this morning, communications service had suddenly been restored across the entire city?

Did their temporary committee really have that kind of influence?