Choosing a Base

Of the three bases under consideration, K Base was the largest, L Base was second, and South City Base was the smallest.

Moreover, as everyone knew, places traditionally run by the military had strict rules, and bases in the apocalypse were no different.

According to what Jiang Nian had learned in his previous life, the military-run bases in the four cities of East, West, South, and North were the most strictly managed in the country, but they were also the safest.

Everything had its pros and cons. As a result, the four city bases naturally offered less freedom than other bases.

Most survivors were ordinary people, so many chose bases that offered greater freedom.

That was especially true of ability users. Compared with the four city bases, they could more easily reap greater benefits at other bases.

The satellite broadcasts had been cycling through basic information about the various bases for several days, so everyone had a general idea of what to expect.

Jiang Nian took the opportunity to offer a considered explanation based on what he knew from his previous life, then asked what they thought.

He already had a base he wanted to go to, and he was prepared to explain his choice carefully if anyone disagreed.

To his surprise, after Cheng Jing said to let him decide, the others gave up thinking about it and said they would follow his lead.

Having teammates who spared him the trouble was a pleasant surprise. Jiang Nian didn't decline. He tapped the marker for South City Base with his finger.

"Let's go to South City Base in the neighboring province."

Everyone, including Xiao Ya, nodded at the same time and said in unison:

"Okay."

"Ahem... There are two reasons I chose South City Base."

Since none of them offered a single word of opinion, Jiang Nian had no choice but to explain his reasons himself:

"First, South City Base is well regulated and safe, which is what we need most in the apocalypse. Our squad is also reasonably well trained, so it'll be easier for us to adapt to a militarily managed base than it would be for ordinary people."

"Second, the more freedom a place offers, the more conflicts there'll be. As ability users grow stronger, the idea that the capable should rise to the top and the strong should be revered will take hold. Even within the management, opposing factions will emerge. But the military is different; its management will be more rational."

That was the conclusion he had drawn from what he had seen, heard, and learned in his previous life. The military had factions too, but they followed certain common principles and had a stronger sense of conviction and mission.

In his previous life, he had died when a zombie tide surrounded the city, but before he died, he had heard that many people wanted to seek refuge at bases managed under military leadership.

There it was-the military really did provide a greater sense of security.

"That's right..."

"True..."

"Brother Nian has a point..."

"..."

The teammates all nodded in agreement. Zhao Lei said in his gruff voice:

"Military management weeds out a lot of people who want to stir up trouble and fish in troubled waters from the outset. There'll be more people who follow the rules than at bases with greater freedom."

All they wanted was stability; they had no desire to stand out and become great heroes in a chaotic world. A base where the military had the final say would therefore suit them better.

Besides, Brother Cheng's younger brother and the company headquarters both had connections to the authorities and the military, so this was the wisest choice.

Jiang Nian gave a hum of agreement and picked up the conversation again.

"Exactly. So if no one has any objections, we'll go to South City Base. It'll take a little longer, but we're all ability users, so I'm sure we'll be fine."

They would set off around early March. The temperature would slowly rise, but the snow wouldn't have melted and there would be few zombies, so they could use a snowplow to clear the road ahead.

By around early April, the snow would have melted completely and they would have reached the base. The timing was just right.

With the choice of base settled, everyone moved on to the details. Neither the time nor the distance involved was insignificant, so they needed to plan carefully.

After they had talked for a while, Liao Yu's eyes suddenly lit up, and he asked:

"Adoptive Father, you just said we're all ability users. Have you awakened an ability too?"

Once someone started using the title "Adoptive Father," there was no stopping. At first, everyone had found it funny, and Jiang Nian had felt awkward about it, but over time they had all gotten used to it.

If Liao Yu suddenly called Jiang Nian by name, everyone would think, This kid is up to something!

At Liao Yu's words, the others also looked at Jiang Nian curiously. He had indeed just said, "We're all ability users," something he had never said before.

Only Huang Qian remained calm. When they were dealing with Xiao Ya's parents, she and Cheng Jing had been attacked by Xiao Ya's mother's mental ability, and Jiang Nian had patted them. She had realized then that he had an ability, but she had never asked about it.

Cheng Jing and Jiang Nian must have had a reason for keeping it hidden.

"Uh..."

Jiang Nian realized he had let it slip. He smiled and decided to admit it.

"I have an ability. It's Purification, but I hope you can all help me keep it secret. Xiao Ya's ability and mine can't be revealed unless absolutely necessary."

"Got it."

Liao Yu understood, and the others nodded and gave him their assurances too.

"Understood."

"Copy that."

"Got it..."

"..."

Only then did it dawn on everyone: if Jiang Nian didn't have an ability, how could he have gone out with them in such cold weather?

Even with Brother Cheng protecting him, it would have been tough for someone so delicate. As expected, the image of him as a "Hamster" had been so deeply ingrained that they had overlooked it.

Jiang Nian also told them that his ability could purify mental attacks, but he didn't mention its other properties, such as alleviating zombie poison.

He would find a chance to let them know when the time was right.

It wasn't that he didn't trust his teammates; keeping this secret did no harm, and it was always good to hold something in reserve.

Everyone was delighted to learn that Jiang Nian's ability could dispel mental control. It was a safeguard for the whole team.

They could dodge attacks that came at them openly, but mental control was truly impossible to guard against.

Zhou Rongbin immediately used his mental ability on everyone.

They all felt their consciousness pause for a moment before entering an illusion, where everything they saw was filled with horrifying-looking zombies.

Everyone except Zhou Rongbin stared blankly, expressions of terror appearing on their faces. Jiang Nian placed his hand on the table in front of him and activated his ability with a thought.

Rings of blue-white energy radiated from his palm, spreading outward like ripples in water. They touched or enveloped the people trapped in the illusion, and everyone soon broke free of it.

At the same time, Zhou Rongbin felt a rebound against his mind and experienced a moment of discomfort. It was a side effect of Purification.

Jiang Nian's ability sounded underwhelming, but in practice, it really could catch people off guard.

After discussing their plans, everything went on as usual.

After becoming a rescue team under the official union, Cheng Jing and the others began taking turns on night patrol like the other squads.

After the incident in room 1805 at Jiahe Court, the number of people on night patrol squads had increased considerably, and each squad now operated as a group.

There were at least five people together, and each squad patrolled two or three buildings every night.

Huang Qian had to look after Xiao Ya, so staying up at night was naturally left to the men.

Although Huang Qian was the one registered as a member of Squad 017, Zhou Li, who was in overall charge, knew they were caring for a child and turned a blind eye to the substitution.