27: Establish authority

"Everyone!" Zhang Long's voice was loud and clear, drowning out the noise. "The military has successfully established a safe base at the Yongjiang Ancient City scenic area! Shortly, transport helicopters will transfer everyone there in batches! Please maintain order and follow instructions!"

Before the words even died down, County Magistrate Luo immediately squeezed out of the crowd, his face covered in a fawning smile as he loudly echoed, "Officer Zhang! The government absolutely supports all of the military's arrangements! We resolutely uphold them!" Over the past few days, he had been observing the situation, piecing together the hellish scenes of the outside world from sporadic radio messages—the five major military regions were struggling to save themselves, and there were no shelters in Xijiang Province besides the Hongdu Base. To encounter such a fully organized and well-equipped unit in this small County was like a blessing from heaven. He was determined to cling to this powerful ally. Relying on his years of political experience and the remaining prestige among the survivors, he had managed to keep these hundreds of people somewhat organized. Now was the perfect time to show his loyalty.

Zhang Long nodded slightly, his sharp gaze sweeping over County Magistrate Luo. He understood the magistrate's calculations; the base indeed needed administrators familiar with local affairs, but core power—especially resources, armaments, and personnel—would never be handed over to others. "Fine, County Magistrate Luo, I'll leave the organization to you. Each batch will transfer eighty people, with the hind and chinook coordinating the transport."

"Rest assured, Officer Zhang! I guarantee the mission will be completed!" County Magistrate Luo hurried forward, gripping Zhang Long's hand tightly with a very low posture. He was shrewd; when arranging the first list, he intentionally included the parents of Jiang Xin and Zhang Lei—Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Jun and Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Yun. He keenly sensed the special weight these two elderly couples held in the eyes of the military's top brass, especially that Zhang Lei, who was the military's only publicly known "Evolver" with terrifying Superpowers. Although he had tried to contact Zhang Lei several times without success (the man was either "cultivating" or out on clearing missions), currying favor with his parents was never a mistake.

However, this deliberate "thoughtfulness" sparked a discordant note. When the list was announced, a bloated middle-aged woman in ill-fitting clothes suddenly stepped out from the crowd and pointed at the names of Jiang Jun and the Zhang Yun couple on the list, shrieking, "On what grounds? Why does a common cadre like Jiang Jun get to leave first? And that old couple from the countryside! We township-level leaders haven't even been listed yet! What right do they have to leave first?!"

The hall instantly fell silent, so quiet a pin drop could be heard. Zhang Long's face suddenly darkened, his cold gaze like a physical blade, first giving County Magistrate Luo a fierce glare. County Magistrate Luo shivered under the gaze, cold sweat instantly soaking his back. Just as he was about to explain, Zhang Long had already stepped in front of the Female Cadre like a gust of wind.

"Right?" Zhang Long's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness.

County Magistrate Luo recognized her as a Township-level Cadre from the County's personnel department. Before the apocalypse, she had always been arrogant, relying on her personnel power within the County.

Before she could make any more noise, Zhang Long's right foot, like a cannonball leaving the barrel with the sound of whistling wind, kicked her hard in her bloated stomach!

"Bang!"

With a dull thud, the Female Cadre flew back five or six meters like a tattered sack, screaming as she crashed heavily onto the cold floor tiles. She rolled several times before stopping, clutching her stomach and curling into a ball, coughing up blood. This was even with Zhang Long deliberately holding back; the strength of a three-star Soldier, 2.5 times the human limit, would have been enough to send her to see her ancestors immediately if he had exerted full force!!

"Ah—! Murder... murder! The soldier has gone crazy!" the Female Cadre let out a pig-like howl. Intense pain and humiliation made her lose her mind. She struggled to get up, her hair disheveled, her face covered in blood mixed with snot and tears. Like a madwoman, she lunged at Zhang Long, raising her fat palm to slap his face, "I'm going to sue you! I'll take you to a military court! I'll have you shot!"

"Presumptuous!" Beside Zhang Long, Chen Hao—an elite platoon leader who had also been promoted to three-star and was wearing Exoskeleton Armor—could no longer contain himself. A fierce light flashed in his eyes, and his right fist, encased in a metal gauntlet, struck like a sledgehammer, slamming without any flourish into the Female Cadre's face, which was twisted with rage!

"Crack!"

The sound of bone-cracking was sickening. The Female Cadre's cheek visibly collapsed, and a mouthful of teeth sprayed out along with blood. She flew back once more, collapsing like a pile of mud on the ground, letting out indistinct, wind-leaking whimpers, unable to even scream anymore.

Zhang Long didn't even look at the pile of trash on the ground. His cold gaze swept over the deathly silent survivors like a searchlight, his voice sounding like clashing cold iron: "I will restate this one last time! We are in a state of war! Military orders are absolute! Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Jun and Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Yun are military dependents! They receive preferential treatment! This is the military's rule!" He paused, his voice suddenly rising, carrying a blood-soaked aura from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. "If anyone is dissatisfied, step forward now! I'll give him a gun and send him to the front lines to kill Zombies! If he kills a hundred, I, Zhang Long, will treat him as an honored guest! But for those who cause trouble in the rear, disrupt order, or challenge military law..." He pointed to the dying Female Cadre on the ground and said word by word, "This is the consequence! If there is a next time, you will be kicked out of the base directly to fend for yourselves!"

The cold declaration struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. Those who had been restless or had clever ideas earlier now turned pale, their legs weak. Those survivors who had naively thought the military should support them unconditionally and that they could take whatever they wanted were now jolted awake as if doused with a bucket of ice water. Outside were hundreds of thousands of man-eating Zombies! To be alive and have something to eat was already a great blessing!

County Magistrate Luo was even more terrified, his hands and feet cold. He finally realized that the rules from before the apocalypse had long since collapsed. The will of this army was the new iron law—unquestionable, and touching it meant death! He quickly ordered his subordinates to drag the Female Cadre, whose face was smashed and mouth was leaking air, to the very back of the line like a dead dog. The woman was now filled only with fear, looking at the huge roar coming from the sky outside, not daring to make another sound.

The massive frame of the chinook armed transport helicopter slowly landed on the open ground in front of the Government Building, the wind from the rotors kicking up clouds of dust. The survivors, who had never seen such a behemoth, let out another suppressed gasp.

Under County Magistrate Luo's terrified but forced-calm command, the first batch of eighty people (including Mr. and Mrs. Jiang Jun and Mr. and Mrs. Zhang Yun) began to board in an orderly fashion. As the chinook's massive hatch slowly closed and the rotors accelerated again, carrying the first batch of hope into the sky, the second batch gathered at the door to wait for the hind's pickup.

Just then!

Zhang Long's ears suddenly twitched! His hearing, which far exceeded that of a normal person, captured an unusually dense, scalp-numbing "squeaking" sound, like billions of claws frantically scratching at metal and concrete! The sound wasn't coming from the ground, but... from underground!