Chapter 78: A New Crisis Approaches

As she spoke, her hand was already reaching into the back pocket of her jeans. Those two men were well aware of how close Jiang Huan was with Captain Guan and his people—even able to swap bullets with them. They themselves barely had a few rounds a month, so how could they dare to challenge Jiang Huan? Besides, to risk a bloody conflict over a quarrel about a woman—if word got out, who knew how it would end? They quickly shook their heads. "Sis, this lady, we just responded to a report about a disturbance here. If it's a misunderstanding, let's clear it up—no need to escalate, really, there's no need for trouble."

The woman had originally wanted them to hold down Jiang Huan and teach her a lesson; she hadn't expected such a response. She turned, incredulous, to face them. "What are you talking about? It's just one woman!"

"Sis, she has a gun," one of the men blurted out, unable to withstand Jiang Huan's deathly glare any longer.

"Even so, you can't make trouble in the base—what!" The last word burst from the woman's throat in an almost hysterical shout. After shouting, she shivered, glancing back at Jiang Huan, whose hand remained in her pocket. The bulge in her pocket... looked exactly like the shape of a handgun.

She swallowed hard.

Looking at Jiang Huan again, she was no longer just an ordinary survivor in simple clothes—she was a menace.

A woman who carried a gun at all times—if she had made a move earlier...

The realization made the woman's earlier arrogance and confidence dissipate instantly. "But you can't give me so little food! Fine, next time I'll bring you more."

Jiang Huan snorted coldly. "As long as you don't act disgracefully, everything can be discussed."

The woman slipped away, dragging the two men with her, while the survivors from the logistics team who had been watching lost their interest in the spectacle.

Jiang Huan was not fond of conflict. Seeing the woman back off, the next few days passed peacefully.

The street-scouring work was gradually falling into place. Now it was almost impossible for individuals or small teams to go out searching for supplies, because the city had been combed over by the street teams, who had already cleared out many buildings suitable for habitation. Every day, Jiang Huan saw vehicles loaded with supplies and people heading out.

It seemed they were preparing to disperse part of the base’s population pressure.

Several factories had also started operating smoothly and were producing some output. Soon, these changes began to affect the residential community, and more people chose to accept help from the base.

In the group chat, discussion was lively, mostly about how even if you found supplies now, you couldn’t bring them back.

[The street teams have set up barricades and cordoned off areas—some places are completely off-limits. You know the most luxurious neighborhood? The damage there was minimal, and people have already moved in.]

[Oh, I know that place—a CEO kept insisting it was his territory, tried to negotiate with the soldiers, and ended up getting knocked out with a rifle butt and hauled off.]

[Is this really the time for that...]

[Are you going? I think it’s not bad. Going to a factory for food beats waiting at home for death. Besides, these are my own properties—when things return to normal, I can just move back.]

[I’m moving. Trees die if they don’t move; people thrive when they do.]

Several families agreed to pool their supplies and rent vehicles from the property management to move out, but they needed to apply to the base first, so they hadn’t contacted Wu Gang yet.

Wu Gang himself was hesitating. He had wanted to temporarily take over management of the neighborhood because things had been so chaotic. Now that the base was so organized, there was no need to cling to this little bit of authority. Besides, order looked ready to be restored soon; once it did, his past actions might be scrutinized.

Unable to decide, he went upstairs to visit Jiang Huan, hoping to hear her opinion.

Jiang Huan calculated the time—there was still about a month before she would have to plunge into the icy lake with those two, and meanwhile the temperature showed no sign of returning to normal.

Her answer was, "I won’t move out for now, but if the base has plans for the neighborhood, follow their lead. When the time comes, I’ll withdraw my arrangement for those few floors and return to the one I rented. However, since those floors don’t have owners, if it’s possible, I hope I’ll have priority whether it’s for renting or buying."

"Alright, I understand. It’s certain—you have my support even if you didn’t say it. I’ll hold off for now and see how things develop."

That was sensible.

Life in the neighborhood seemed unchanged, but it was not so easy elsewhere, especially in coastal and far northern regions.

Both places saw the emergence of aggressive new species. By the sea, mutated fish appeared—some with armored scales, resembling ancient oceanic creatures, their gaping mouths devouring seals in a single bite. Some were brilliantly colored; once they ensnared prey, fine hairs grew all over their bodies, penetrating blood vessels and paralyzing human nerves. Anyone who fell into the water became their food.

On land, animals not native to Asia appeared. They resembled polar bears but were smaller, amphibious, with fur almost indistinguishable from snow and a cunning nature. They ate meat and fish, and specialized in attacking lone survivors. Even if you escaped being eaten, their claws were like poisoned needles—after being scratched, infection rates were over seventy percent, and without proper treatment, infection was inevitable.

In the north, where temperatures of minus sixty or seventy degrees were normal, the appearance of these new species made things even worse.

Some teams captured live specimens to bring inland for research, but their claws and teeth could crush stone, and escapees were frequent.

Inland, inside buried mountain caves and mines, multicolored insects crawled from corners. Animals hiding in their territory, once surrounded, met only one end: reduced to bones.

City X, Hot Springs Resort Temporary Base

Xie Congzhou watched as everyone brought back insects and reptiles—species none of them had seen before.

"This bug—spraying insecticide doesn’t work. Maybe the cold has rendered it ineffective," someone said.

"Look, it’s like a lizard, but with a thicker tail, a bigger head, and terrifying teeth. Luckily it doesn’t bite unless provoked, or it’d be really nasty," another chimed in.

Everyone spoke at once, their main point being: let Xie Congzhou figure it out.

This boy had grown up with Old Xie, later registered under his household, and hadn’t attended school much—seemed unsuited to it. By seventeen or eighteen, he was farming with the elders in the village. Over the years, he had produced crops, fruits, and vegetables that outperformed everyone else’s.

Even the veterans of decades couldn’t match him.

A couple of years ago, he shared innovative farming methods freely, raising the incomes of villagers several times over. Though he kept a low profile, he was highly respected in the village.

After the apocalypse, his immense strength helped the villagers avoid danger, resist invasions, secure their territory, dig tunnels, and stockpile fuel. Under his leadership, few had been lost.

Now, faced with unknown animals, they hurried to catch a few and brought them to him for advice.

Xie Congzhou tied them up and placed them on the worktable for careful examination.