Chapter 78

Rice and flour didn’t need to be collected very often. A single bag was enough to last for many days.

Most people came for the nonstaple foods. These took up far more space than the staple grains and consumed much faster, too.

The nonstaple foods available at the moment were mostly canned goods, and it was obvious at a glance that they were all from old stock.

The only newly added items were potatoes and eggplants—vegetables that had been chosen because they could be stored for a longer time.

But the vegetables shown on the news were green. Everyone had gone far too long without seeing green vegetables.

They said that some elderly women and housewives in Auspicious Garden had started growing vegetables on their balconies. Some even sold them for money or traded them for other goods. The prices were nearly as high as gold, yet people still bought them.

After all, they were expensive, but no one ate them every day. When the craving became unbearable, people would buy some just to satisfy it.

Once Vice Mayor Zheng’s notice about “recruiting militia members” was released, the entire Youth Apartment was abuzz with discussion.

It probably wasn’t just the Youth Apartment. The entire Technology New District—even the whole of S City—was talking about it.

The priority distribution of fresh vegetables and meat to militia members was merely an additional benefit. Militia members weren’t volunteers; they were paid on a daily basis.

If they died, they would be treated as martyrs. They themselves would never get to enjoy the benefits, of course, but their families and children would receive support in the future. Vice Mayor Zheng had promised that the children of martyrs would have priority admission through special channels for kindergarten, primary school, and junior high.

They would also receive extra points for the high school and college entrance examinations.

For those who weren’t registered residents of S City, their children could even obtain S City household registration.

In reality, for ordinary people, it was difficult to keep their blood burning for very long.

When the nation called upon them, ordinary citizens had gone out without hesitation, armed with kitchen knives and iron rods, carving out a place to survive for themselves so they wouldn’t have to sit at home and wait to starve to death.

But once that space was large enough, once national supplies began arriving, once even garbage trucks started appearing and hospitals began operating again—once the basic systems needed to sustain daily life had started functioning again—their hot blood returned to a normal temperature.

They wanted to retreat into their homes and live a stable, peaceful, and safe life.

But the militia might have to go to places very far away, perhaps the city center or the other side of the city. Leaving their own residential districts meant making sacrifices for the sake of others. Without tangible benefits, slogans and emotional appeals alone wouldn’t be enough to motivate them.

Ordinary people couldn’t be held to the standards of saints.

They had to be offered benefits that could truly move them.

The militia’s daily wage amounted to the average monthly salary in S City after just six days of work.

That was the average salary, meaning it included both the lowest- and highest-paid workers.

For many low-income earners, in fact, two days of daily wages would equal what they used to earn in an entire month.

That couldn’t possibly move a high-income group like Song Jingshuo, but Master Luo was immediately tempted.

Everything was urgent, leaving people no time to deliberate. The news aired in the morning, and registration began that afternoon.

The registration point was at the supply station. Anyone interested could simply register with the person in charge.

That afternoon, Jiang Cheng watched through Maiduo Duo as people arrived one after another to sign up. Li Feng and his companions were so busy they could barely keep up, and they had to drag Zhao Yi over to help with the registration.

Jiang Cheng couldn’t sign up because of the gender requirement. The notice explicitly stated that only men were eligible.

And no one objected to the gender restriction—not the men, and not the women.

Jiang Cheng herself had no intention of joining, either.

In the Technology New District, she had to be the first to put herself on the front line because they needed victory, control, and leadership.

But joining the militia and putting herself on the front line would mean nothing more than being the first into battle. She wouldn’t be the one in control or the one giving orders.

Combat wasn’t a hobby, much less a goal.

It was merely a means—a process.

Zhou Wang came over to take a look, then said to Jiang Cheng, “There are quite a lot of people.”

Jiang Cheng had already been observing for some time. She told him, “Most of them are from Deqingli and our residential complex.”

Zhou Wang was silent for a moment before asking, “What’s going on with the people from your complex?”

He didn’t ask about Deqingli.

The people of Deqingli generally had lower incomes, so the militia’s benefits were highly attractive to them.

But many of the young people in the Youth Apartment had decent incomes. They were white-collar workers who sat in offices and enjoyed air-conditioning.

Jiang Cheng smiled. “They’re young.”

The young could keep their blood hot for longer.

The young were also more willing to take risks.

Auspicious Garden and Imperial View Garden were both home to people with elderly parents above them and young children below them. Once they had carved out a sufficient space to survive, they weren’t willing to risk their lives for short-term benefits anymore.

Of course, there were some exceptions.

Some people had simply become addicted to killing.

Jiang Cheng had noticed long ago that some people had fallen into a kind of excitement, as though they were playing a live-action game. They seemed to be becoming fascinated with it.

Jiang Cheng suddenly raised an eyebrow.

Zhou Wang followed her gaze. “Well, look at that.”

A large, heavily built man had squeezed his way toward Li Feng to register. He was impossible to miss.

Li Feng was now extremely familiar with Li Jiangbing, and was delighted to see him come to sign up. “You’re exactly the kind of person we need!”

The higher-ups had given instructions to screen applicants not only by gender, but also by age and physical strength.

Master Luo had come to register as well, but Li Feng rejected him when he saw his age and slightly stooped back.

They only wanted the strong and fit.

There was no room for dead weight in combat. A weak person would not only put himself in danger, but might also endanger his comrades.

Some of the young men from Deqingli had a fierceness in their eyes, and Li Feng accepted them on the spot.

As for the applicants from the Youth Apartment, he was much more selective. Anyone too thin, too short, or wearing thick glasses was rejected.

People like Li Jiangbing—strong and rich in combat experience—were exactly what he wanted.

Li Jiangbing successfully registered. When he pushed his way out of the crowd, he saw Jiang Cheng and Zhou Wang both watching him.

Li Jiangbing paused, looking a little guilty, then went over to greet Jiang Cheng.

The first thing Jiang Cheng asked was, “Do they have armor that fits you?”

The official notice stated that armor and weapons would be provided. People were also allowed to bring their own weapons. After all, everyone had spent the past few days using weapons they were comfortable with, and they might not adapt well to unfamiliar ones.

But when it came to armor, the equipment provided by the authorities was certainly better than anything people could prepare themselves.

Li Jiangbing let out a sigh of relief and told her, “I asked specifically before signing up. The militia’s armor is all newly made, and they have extra-large sizes. I can wear one.”

Li Jiangbing and Nie Kuizhang were both exceptionally capable fighters, yet neither of them could fit into the standard-sized armor from before. Li Jiangbing had been particularly resentful about it at the time, repeatedly grumbling that Li Feng needed to report the issue to his superiors.

Li Feng really had reported it.

And it wasn’t a problem unique to his registration point. After all, a man’s physique was often directly proportional to his strength—and therefore to his combat ability.

The Emergency Command Center was responsible for responding rapidly to every possible situation, so the feedback was immediately passed on to the factories, which made the necessary adjustments.

The new batch of armor included larger sizes.

Jiang Cheng said, “That’s good. Be careful and stay safe. Don’t charge too far ahead.”

Only then did Li Jiangbing fully relax.

Joining the militia meant leaving the Youth Apartment and the interim committee. It meant leaving Jiang Cheng.

Jiang Cheng’s gaze passed over him and settled on the people signing up. She said, “Things will keep getting better. Once all the zombies have been wiped out, everyone’s lives will return to normal. When that day comes, we’ll look back on this time and remember how neighbors who didn’t even know one another formed the interim committee and led everyone in solving one problem after another, all pulling together through the crisis. We’ll definitely miss it, won’t we?”

The way she put it made Li Jiangbing start reminiscing on the spot.

Because it was plain to see that humanity had reclaimed its living space. Everything was gradually returning to normal, and there was less and less for the Interim Committee to do.

In a few more days, once all the zombies had been wiped out, the Interim Committee would be disbanded too.

Li Jiangbing, meanwhile, would be leaving ahead of schedule.

He strolled back to the residential compound with Jiang Cheng and said, “I really want to get my hands on one of those suits of armor. Just wait and see—I’m definitely bringing one back.”

Jiang Cheng laughed.

That evening, the buses arrived and the militia assembled.

Li Jiangbing tucked his fire axe behind his waist and followed Li Feng onto the bus.

Quite a few people from the Youth Apartments had signed up to join, and many familiar faces came out to see them off.

“Be careful!”

“Good luck!”

Everyone watched as they departed.

Li Jiangbing was gone for four days.

He returned on the fifth day, knocked on Jiang Cheng’s door, and handed her a plastic bag filled with fresh vegetables and meat. “Put the meat in the fridge right away. It was pretty hot on the way back, and I’m worried it’ll spoil.”

Then he patted another bag in his hand. “I’ve got more here. I’m taking it to Jingshuo.”

“Wait,” Jiang Cheng said. “I’ll go with you.”

She put the food in the refrigerator and went out with Li Jiangbing.

“Where’s your cat?” Li Jiangbing asked.

“He’s out all day. He hardly ever stays home.”

She called Song Jingshuo on the way.

When they arrived at Song Jingshuo’s place, he didn’t thank them either. The relationship between Jiang Cheng, Song Jingshuo, and Li Jiangbing had long since reached the point where none of them needed to say thank you.

He only said, “You’re back. That’s good. I was worried you wouldn’t make it back.”

Li Jiangbing laughed and lightly punched him on the shoulder.

Food was no longer scarce.

“Have you had lunch?” Song Jingshuo asked. “Stay and eat with me.”

This was Song Jingshuo’s home, and Song Jingshuo was the chef, with Jiang Cheng helping him prepare the meal. Li Jiangbing couldn’t cook, so he simply waited to eat.

Song Jingshuo’s apartment was one of the largest units in the Youth Apartments. It even had a proper kitchen, complete with walls and a door.

Li Jiangbing dragged over a chair, straddled it backward at the kitchen entrance, and rested his arms on the backrest as he told them about the militia team.

That was precisely why Jiang Cheng had come along—to hear about it too.

“The main target was the university town.”

“We went to the University of Science and Technology first. Oh man, it was a disaster. There were so many zombies—so, so many.”

“The soldiers led the operation and issued us protective armor. Our main weapons were machetes and spiked clubs.”

“We also had remote-controlled cars. I don’t know who came up with that idea, but it worked great.”

They strapped explosives to the remote-controlled cars, played music through them, and sent them squealing and blaring down the road while a huge horde of zombies chased after them.

“At first, the captain said we should run the cars in spirals, circling the zombies into one big cluster before blowing them up. It sounded like a good plan to us too. But once we tried it in a real operation, we found out it didn’t work.”

“Zombies don’t circle around with you. They just walk in a straight line, heading straight for the sound.”

“Anyway, after a lot of trial and error, we slowly figured out how to do it. Get the zombies to gather in one place, then blow them up. One blast could take out a whole group.”

“And there was that thing you carry on your shoulder. I thought it was called a rocket launcher, but it turns out it’s called a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.”

“Whoosh—one shot, and another whole group was gone.”

“Once we finished off the ones that had gathered together, the scattered ones were dealt with using gunfire. Biubiubiu~”

He even imitated the sound effects.

“But the moment we opened fire, wow, they came charging straight at us.”

“Once they got close, that was when we went in.”

“Of course, the soldiers joined us too. First, they had to put their guns away. After that, they used knives just like we did.”

“Do you know why? Because once it turns into close-quarters combat, you can’t use guns anymore. It’s too easy to hit your own people.”

Li Jiangbing recounted the events of the past few days with animated enthusiasm.

Song Jingshuo’s cooking was unexpectedly good. He was a man with very high standards when it came to the quality of his life—including his food.

Of course, it might also have been because they had gone far too long without eating a single plate of stir-fried vegetables and meat.

Li Jiangbing took one bite, and tears nearly sprang to his eyes.

“Oh my god. This is what it means to be alive.”

He would never restrict his diet again!