Tonight, Qin City is destined to have many sleepless people, like those in the barracks at the east end of Wenhua Road.

Li Zongkai led the regular army in a full-scale attack, and there was no news from dawn to dusk. Deep into the night, they hadn’t returned, and it’s pure bullshit to say those left at the camp weren’t worried.

Inside the empty barracks, two people sat by the window, gazing into the direction of Celestial Horse Island through the night, seeing only endless darkness.

"Da Luo, what if the president and the others don’t come back?"

The man hugged his rifle, as if this could give him some sense of security, and softly asked his companion, his words filled with worry.

"How could they not come back!"

Da Luo’s accent was clearly not from the North, carrying a hint of thick dialect Mandarin.

"I mean, if they don’t, it’s been a whole day!"

"Don’t say one day. It’s so dangerous outside now, they might run into emergencies. It’s possible it could take two or three days or more. Don’t think too much!"

"Then why aren’t you sleeping? Aren’t you thinking about it too?"

"I’m staying up because you can’t sleep, I’m keeping you company..."

At the Little Eagle Association Headquarters, Xinglong Kindergarten, the children’s bedroom was pitch dark. Through the faint moonlight, you could see many people sitting in the darkness, looking somewhat eerie...

People were discussing the fact that the leader personally took command, pulling almost all the combat personnel from the camp, which had never happened before, causing everyone to be deeply worried.

Just when everyone was sighing, a figure walked to the door and knocked on the iron railings.

"Who’s being a downer here? If anyone keeps talking nonsense, I’ll send you to the village to fetch water. We’re running low on reserves!"

Upon hearing the voice, everyone quickly went silent, not daring to talk anymore, but their anxiety grew even deeper.

The situation at Tongrui Auto Park was similar, with several night patrol personnel leaning together smoking, chatting about the positive future one moment, and then pessimistic guesses the next, inevitably sighing.

The packed 4S shop was filled with fine and dense discussions about the current concerns, the terrifying future, and the nostalgic past...

Outside these people, there was someone braving the cold, alone, on the rooftop of the 4S shop, tinkering with electronic equipment in a corner. The small green dots flickered in the darkness, muttering as if talking about something.

The Survivor Alliance was certainly the liveliest.

After Liao Youzhi took away the Fire-breathing Zombie, the temperature inside the Lego Mall began to slowly drop. By night, many were so cold they couldn’t sleep at all.

Due to ventilation issues, only a few rooms were equipped to have stoves. These rooms used to be despised because of drafts; those without power often got assigned to these spaces.

Now, the well-ventilated rooms have become hot commodities, packed with people, several stoves burning with a roar,

Liao Youzhi took the Guard Team, the entire Vanguard Corps, and Search Team Three, more than fifty people, almost emptying the Survivor Alliance’s combat power, leaving the rest gathered around the stove.

The red glow of the fire lit up people’s faces, reflecting a multitude of expressions.

"I heard the leader went out to expand the territory to the north?"

"I heard the same. Once we take the north, we won’t have to huddle in the mall anymore!"

"Do you even have a brain? Do you believe that? You can leave now, pick any apartment or villa outside, do you dare to live there?"

"Exactly, we don’t even have guns. What do we do if we run into Zombies..."

"Zombies? If it weren’t for this stove tonight, we’d all freeze to death, damn it!"

The northern expansion plan didn’t bring any real benefits to the ordinary members, instead leaving them in a predicament, and those women following Liao Youzhi weren’t much better off.

The warmth in the room usually relied on the Fire-breathing Zombie. Fortunately, the room’s walls had some fire-resistant insulation, so the temperature dropped slower than for those downstairs, but after more than ten hours, it already fell to around zero degrees.

They hadn’t suffered since following Liao Youzhi. The sudden drop in temperature left the four women at a loss, wanting help but fearing those wolf-like guys would take advantage with the leader absent. Finally, after some deliberation, they started the generator, then lit two small electric heaters, which eased things a bit.

"Why haven’t they returned so late? Do you think... something might have happened?"

A woman in tight thermals sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, her face showing a hint of worry. The fire’s red glow illuminated half of her, with curves looking healthy.

"Don’t worry. Our Master Liao is wise and powerful, leading so many brothers with assistance from the other three groups, taking down a country yokel will be easy!"

"Little Sister Ru is right, Sister Yu, stop worrying. Instead, guess what kind of good stuff Master Liao will bring us back. Hey, Qiaoqiao, stop reading and chat with us."

The speaking woman noticed Qiaoqiao quietly holding a magazine, pulling her to join the chat.

Qiaoqiao turned the magazine over on her lap, her delicate features endearing, lips slightly parted: "If it were as easy as Sister Ru says, why would Master Liao mobilize so many people? I’m not optimistic. We better think about what to do to make Master Liao happy if he returns unsuccessful."

"Oh no... I don’t want to go back to those days. No way, I need to hurry and pray to Buddha, let Buddha keep Master Liao safe."

The woman who pulled Qiaoqiao to chat immediately stood, clearly lacking firm convictions.

"After what you said, I feel something’s off. If something happens to Master Liao, can we four hold things down?"

Pan Ru’s eyes flashed, she lowered her voice asking the other two.

"Huh?"

In the orange-yellow glow, Yu Nuo looked at Pan Ru with a dumbfounded gaze, as if to say, silly girl, don’t you know how power is won?

"If Master Liao is seriously injured, we’ll help him through difficult times. If... he doesn’t come back, we’ll first control the science department, then reorganize, aiming to reclaim control of the Survivor Alliance!"

Pan Ru’s eyes gleamed with madness, leaving the other two staring at each other.

"Xiaopan, you’re too bold, oh my god..."

One woman raised a hand to her mouth, unable to fathom Pan Ru’s suggestion, thinking it utterly crazy.

Pan Ru didn’t answer, only remembering silently a man’s advice long ago: be ruthless, be completely shameless, to have any hope of survival!

She always kept this in mind, which is how she reached where she is today, or else she’d have long perished in the wilderness.