181: Survivors' lives

One hundred and twenty thousand survivors, filled with trepidation, curiosity, and hope, passed through strict security checks one after another and stepped into this magnificent base that had risen from the ground overnight—the Qianzhou Survivor Base.

As soon as they entered the base, the sight before them took everyone's breath away, followed immediately by a massive outburst of exclamation!

Straight and wide asphalt roads, uniform and modern minimalist residential buildings, large factories with a high-tech feel emitting a faint mechanical hum in the distance, and that refreshing, lush green park area... all of this formed an extremely stark contrast with the broken, dangerous, and hopeless post-apocalyptic world outside!

"My God! Am I... am I seeing things? A park?! There's even a slide and a lawn over there?! The government's infrastructure capabilities... this is like a miracle from the gods!" A man in his forties, his face marked by the weathering of hard times, gaped and rubbed his eyes vigorously, muttering to himself in disbelief.

"You're telling me! It's wicked! I remember clearly, this place used to be a wasteland, not a soul in sight! How many days has it been? Huh? Just a few days?! And such a massive city just... 'popped' out?" His companion beside him also had a look as if he'd seen a ghost, his voice cracking slightly from excessive shock.

"Never mind how it was built! What kind of work do you think they'll assign us to do?" a middle-aged woman carrying a tattered cloth bag interjected, her face showing a mix of worry for the future and a hint of anticipation.

"What else? It'll definitely be production and farming! The most important thing right now is filling our bellies! Who has the spare time for anything else?" a man who seemed quite realistic sighed and said.

At that moment, a man in his early thirties wearing thick glasses pushed them up, his tone carrying a hint of intellectual reserve and uncertainty: "I... I hope the authorities have some technical positions. I studied biological sciences; I have a PhD." His voice wasn't loud, but it stood out in the surrounding crowd.

A young man next to him, looking about twenty and like a college student, subconsciously shook his head and muttered, "A PhD in biology? Whoa! Biology, Chemistry, Environment, and Materials—the four big pits, brother! Before the apocalypse, it was so competitive you couldn't find a good job, and now that it's the apocalypse... I think it'll be even harder." His tone carried a bit of the teasing of someone who'd been through it.

The male biology PhD felt a bit embarrassed and asked back, "Little brother, what was your Major?"

The young man puffed out his chest, with a mix of strange 'pride' and self-deprecation: "I, sir, am in Civil Engineering!"

As soon as he finished speaking, before the biology PhD could say anything, someone nearby burst out laughing and chimed in, "A concrete pourer! Haha! But brother, you've finally found your match! For city reconstruction, we can't do without you guys digging dirt and laying foundations!"

Under the guidance of the soldiers, the crowd was quickly led to the massive open-air stadium within the base's residential area. This modern venue was grand in scale, with the stands and the central field easily accommodating one hundred and twenty thousand people.

All the survivors poured into the stadium, sitting or standing according to instructions, looking at the empty field and the clearly prepared rostrum at the front, unable to help whispering and discussing amongst themselves.

"What's the situation? Why did they bring us all here? Are we having a big meeting?" a young male student stood on tiptoe to look, his tone a bit impatient.

"Nonsense! Looking at this setup, it's obvious a leader is going to give a speech! Didn't you see the microphones set up on the rostrum? It's an old tradition," a middle-aged man wearing a baseball cap said with an air of knowing exactly what was going on.

"Damn... it's the end of the world, and the authorities are still the same authorities. They really can't bear to let go of this old tradition of leadership speeches," the male student curled his lip and complained in a low voice.

The middle-aged man was more open-minded and shook his head: "It's not all just formalism. In the apocalypse, people's hearts scatter even faster; they need to be twisted into a single rope. A leader speaking, announcing policies, and laying down the law is the most direct way to unite people's hearts. Just listen, there's bound to be something important."

Just then, the door at the side of the rostrum opened, and a group of powerful-looking officers in crisp military uniforms walked onto the stage with synchronized steps and took their seats one by one. Leading them was the young and handsome Jiang Xin, who bore the rank of Colonel; to his left and right were the pure and lovely Jiang Feifei and the mature beauty Tanya. Following them were Li Yi, Liu Jiang, Zhu Yan, Lei Xin, and a group of high-ranking officers at the Deputy Regimental Level and above.

The appearance of this officer corps instantly ignited the atmosphere of the scene!

"God! Look! Those two female officers on stage! They're way too beautiful!" a male student's eyes went straight, and he couldn't help screaming.

"Tch, no backbone! But... they really are excessively beautiful, like movie stars!" The person next to him looked down on him while also being unable to resist taking a few more looks himself.

"The officer in the lead is so young! He looks even younger than my older brother!" a girl covered her mouth, her eyes full of surprise.

"And he's so handsome! Young, handsome, and so powerful!" Once the girls started talking, it immediately resonated with many women around them.

At this point, a guy with glasses who looked like a total 'STEM bro' pushed up his glasses and, with an 'I knew it all along' expression, spoke with a sense of superiority: "You guys really are ill-informed! I learned about this long ago through the radio's shortwave channel! This is the Commander of the Red Alert Legion, Colonel Jiang Xin—a legendary figure famous across the country! A ruthless man who controls a secret base of ultra-modern technology! The iron-blooded officer who recovered the entire Lujiang City with the strength of a single army! He is a true hero of our Huaguo in the apocalypse!"

His words immediately attracted a large area of curious gazes around him. "Really? Tell us more, buddy!" "Yeah, yeah, tell us more!"

Just as the glasses guy cleared his throat, prepared to start his 'storytelling' eloquently—

"Everyone, please be quiet." On the rostrum, Jiang Feifei picked up the microphone. Her clear and pleasant yet unquestionably majestic voice spread through the high-quality sound system to every corner of the stadium, instantly suppressing all the noise.

Everyone subconsciously closed their mouths and turned their gazes in unison toward this beautiful and capable female officer.

"I am the adjutant of the Red Alert Legion, Jiang Feifei." She had a smile on her face as her gaze swept across the dense crowd below. "Gathering everyone here today is primarily for a few things. First, to officially introduce several of our base's main leaders to you. Second, the base's Supreme Commander, Colonel Jiang Xin, will announce the base's future management decrees and important policies."

She first turned her gaze to the person beside her: "First, please allow me to introduce the Supreme Commander of the Red Alert Legion—Colonel Jiang Xin! It is under the leadership of Officer Jiang that the Red Alert Legion was able to fully liberate Lujiang City and now bring order and hope to Qianzhou! Not long ago, Officer Jiang even received high praise and a special decoration from the National Government!"

Jiang Xin slowly stood up, his posture as straight as a pine tree. He bowed slightly to the crowd below, a steady and friendly smile on his face.

Seeing this legendary hero standing right before their eyes, a massive commotion and wave of discussion instantly erupted below, especially among those who had already heard of his deeds, who were even more excited.

"This is the legion's Deputy Chief of Staff, Lieutenant Colonel Tanya." Jiang Feifei continued the introduction. Tanya rose in response; she only gave a simple, slight bow. Her cold, elegant, and exquisite face, along with those eyes as sharp as an eagle's, instantly caused many male compatriots below to let out uncontrollable cheers and whistles.

(Note: The Legion's Chief of Staff is Zhang Long)

"This is the Air Wing Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Li Yi. The Vice-Captain, Major Liu Jiang."

"The heads of the Mecha Unit's Second Flight, Major Zhu Yan and Major Lei Xin."

(The heads of the First Flight are Blaze Ash and Yang Yi)

Jiang Feifei introduced the high-ranking officers on stage one by one, and each officer's rising drew different reactions from the crowd.

After the introductions, Jiang Xin stood up again and walked to the podium. He scanned the entire venue with a calm gaze, and the stadium instantly became silent. Everyone held their breath, waiting for his speech.

"Fellow compatriots, fellow townsfolk," his voice came through the microphone, steady and powerful, carrying a convincing strength, "I am the Commander of the Red Alert Legion, Jiang Xin."

He paused, his tone becoming pained: "This sudden disaster came too fast, too fiercely... It has caused countless of our compatriots to perish and has made everyone sitting here suffer the pain of displacement and the loss of family and home. My legion... failed to come to the rescue of Qianzhou sooner. Here, on behalf of the Red Alert Legion, I offer you my most sincere apologies!" After speaking, he took a step back and bowed deeply to the one hundred and twenty thousand people below.

The crowd below was instantly in an uproar, followed by various voices: "Commander! Please don't be like this!"

"Officer Jiang! You're being too hard on yourself! Your coming here has saved our lives!"

"Yes! You are our great benefactor! We couldn't be more grateful!"

Many people's eyes instantly turned red; this feeling of being valued as an ordinary person felt even warmer in the apocalypse.

Jiang Xin straightened up and pressed his hands down. Once the scene was quiet again, he continued, his voice full of strength and hope: "Fellow compatriots! Survival in the apocalypse is incredibly difficult! Our legion has done everything in its power to build this base, hoping to give everyone a place where they can live in peace and rebuild their homes! We hope that here, the elderly will be cared for, the able-bodied will be utilized, and the young will be nurtured!"

"Therefore, when you leave later, the legion will arrange for dedicated personnel to assign work positions based on everyone's actual situation! If you have special work experience—for example, if you were a government worker or a talent in various technical positions—you can apply and take an assessment! Those who pass the assessment will be assigned to more important positions! Of course, if any compatriots are willing to join the army to defend our home, the doors of the Red Alert Legion will always be open to you!"

He shifted his tone and dropped news that made the entire venue completely boil over: "In this operation to recover the three Major urban areas of Qianzhou, we obtained hundreds of thousands of zombie crystal cores! After deliberation, we have designated this month as the 'Base Construction Assessment Period'! As long as you work actively, are kind to others, and have no bad records during this month, you can use 300 points to exchange for one crystal core, limited to 30,000 cores, to be used for awakening Superpowers!"

He looked at the crowd below with burning eyes: "Once a powerful or useful Superpower is awakened, the legion will never be stingy with resources for cultivation! And we will provide high salaries and important positions!"

"Boom—!!!"

These words were like a heavy bomb dropped into a calm lake, and the entire stadium instantly exploded! Gasps, shouts of wild joy, and cries of unbelievable doubt intertwined, the sound wave almost lifting the roof! Everyone understood what a Superpower meant! It was the only shortcut to changing one's destiny and becoming a superior person in the apocalypse! Although the probability of awakening was low, this was hope after all! It was a real chance for a turnaround given to them by the Red Alert Legion!

After Jiang Xin's speech ended, at the four main entrances of the stadium, Engineers in Red Alert uniforms were already seated with registration equipment and computers. With excited hearts, the survivors began to line up in an orderly fashion to register.