Invasion of America

Chapter 132 Basic Labor Force

The sun has just risen, and a new day begins.

The buzzing sound grew louder as a hideous electric "warthog" came hurtling in from the direction of the shelter like a messenger at dawn, hovering steadily beside the house where the exploration team was staying.

The whirlwind whipped up by the propellers swirled through the surrounding debris, leaving the dozen or so newly arrived survivors of the town quite shocked. They had almost forgotten that industrial civilization still existed in the world.

Thanks to the short flight distance, the "warthog" arrived fully loaded.

Inside the open cargo hold, a dozen heavy barrels of water were neatly stacked, interspersed with several baskets of fresh fruits, vegetables and bread.

After potatoes, bright red tomatoes are the second largest crop grown in the shelter. They are easy to grow, easy to process, and can be preserved for a long time when made into jam.

The fruit basket was mostly filled with tomatoes, weighing about 20 to 30 kilograms. Grab one at random, take a bite, and your mouth will be filled with sweet and sour juice—absolutely all-natural organically grown, because no pesticides or chemical fertilizers are used at all.

In addition to fruits and vegetables, each person in the team was given a basin of clean water to wash their face and hands—ample clean water meant that the most basic cleanliness was guaranteed.

In the apocalypse, this is no small matter; it can effectively reduce the incidence of skin and gastrointestinal diseases, which are often fatal in harsh environments.

When Jennifer handed her the small bottle of hand sanitizer, Leila felt even happier and more joyful. She almost forgot the feeling of being refreshed and clean, and was so moved that she shed tears.

The fact that Zhou Qingfeng and his group had a constant supply of logistical support and could be transported by electric aircraft meant that they were not a small force, but rather that there must be a much larger force behind them.

The dozen or so survivors who sought refuge with the team felt reassured and were sure to actively join them in the short term, willing to live peacefully with the exploration team.

After unloading, the "warthog" started up again, emitting a dull roar.

Several frail young children were moved into the spacious cargo hold. They would be sent back to a safe haven to receive proper care, relieving the exploration team of any worries.

A makeshift school has been set up at the shelter to house children under twelve. Helen, a former history teacher, will serve as both principal and caretaker.

As for boys over twelve years old, they cannot enjoy this preferential treatment; they must earn their living with their own hands.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Lyra's child is thirteen years old and can still walk into the 'Warthog' cargo hold.

Revealing her "weakness" is a win-win situation for both her and the exploration team, which is why Zhou Qingfeng chose her to take the lead.

"Alright, everyone, let's get to know each other. My name is Layla, and I'm your captain. I hope we can get along well from now on."

After enjoying a breakfast of bread and jam, the dozen or so newly joined survivors introduced themselves and got to know each other briefly.

Lyra, as the temporary leader, led this newly formed scavenging team, working by picking through the ruins. But they encountered gunfire and were driven away shortly after they set out.
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"Get out of my way, stay away from my territory. I have the right to freedom!"

At noon, Nedved hid in his "doomsday fortress" and used a megaphone to shout threateningly, accompanied by the occasional gunshot.

This guy turned the area within a hundred meters of his 'fortress' into his own territory, and anyone who dared to approach would be met with merciless gunfire.

Leila's scavenging team searched several houses, found a few handcarts to use as transport, and easily obtained a lot of plastic bottles and cans, gradually getting closer to Nedved's 'territory'.

The latter deployed numerous surveillance devices around the 'fortress,' equipped with dynamic alarm functions. Nedved could detect and react immediately to any outside presence.

This guy doesn't care who comes; as long as someone appears, he'll fire a warning shot, and if they don't leave, he'll aim and fire directly at them.

Bullets whistled as they landed on the rubble around the scavenging team, kicking up clouds of dust and ruthlessly driving them away.

The piercing blare of the horn echoed like a ghost through the empty town, shouting, "I don't need your charity, and don't even think about cooperating with me! I know you guys have ulterior motives, so get the hell out of here!"

Lyra and the others fled back in a panic, leaving behind all the recyclable materials they had collected, meaning they had wasted half a day's work.

In the safe zone behind, Zhou Qing stared grimly at the live feed transmitted by the robotic dog and the drone. On the screen, the lone "fortress" looked like a sharp, unyielding bone.

Nedved used abandoned vehicles to set up numerous roadblocks around the "fortress," and among those haphazard obstacles, some simple yet dangerous traps could be vaguely seen.

Lyra, pale and disheveled from her escape, said, "Mr. Victor, let's avoid that madman's territory."

He suffers from paranoia and is completely irrational. Despite hoarding a large amount of supplies, he acts like a miser and never shares or trades them with anyone.

I once tried to trade him food for some urgently needed medicine, but he not only refused outright, but also viciously accused me of trying to poison him!

Zhou Qingfeng, however, had no intention of backing down; after showing kindness, he needed to establish his authority. He didn't even know who Nedved was, yet he had already decided to use him as a scapegoat.

After confirming that Nedved was the only one inside the oddly shaped, makeshift "fortress," he decisively gave the order to blow it up:

"The small bombs dropped by drones last time weren't very effective. This time, we used robotic dogs to secretly approach from multiple directions and deliver the explosives to the vicinity of the target building."

The shelter stored over ten tons of ammonium nitrate, which was negligible as fertilizer, but more than enough to make explosives.

Ammonium nitrate, after being simply roasted and mixed with melted sugar, becomes a relatively safe, simple explosive. With a bullet primer or electronic detonator, detonation is also simple and feasible.

Three mechanical dogs carrying explosive packs set off, one of them approaching the "fortress" head-on to attract Nedved's attention.

The other two mechanical dogs, like cunning hunters, each carried a half-kilogram explosive charge and silently flanked from the side and rear.

Not much explosive was used because Leila had mentioned that Nedved's "fortress" must have stockpiled a lot of valuable resources, and it would be too wasteful to blow it up completely.
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Long-term mental repression and anxiety, like invisible shackles, had long since twisted Nedved, who was trapped in his "fortress," to the point of near madness.

As the three mechanical dogs approached from different directions, his tense nerves relaxed as if a string had snapped, and a feeling of ruthless relief welled up in his heart.

Everything is finally coming to an end; for Nedved, the suffering of the end times is about to come to an end.

The mechanical dog has no concern for personnel casualties. Its assault speed far exceeds that of ordinary infantry, and it can easily shuttle through the haphazardly abandoned vehicles to reach the corner of that strangely shaped "fortress".

Half a kilogram of ammonium nitrate explosives erupted with a dull thud, instantly tearing open the outer wall of the "fortress," creating a huge gap. Bricks, stones, and wooden planks flew everywhere, revealing the messy living room inside.

As the smoke cleared slightly, a palm-sized micro-drone flew into the room like a nimble hummingbird and began assessing the damage caused by the explosion.

The footage transmitted back by the drone made the exploration team members behind the screen stare in astonishment—there was more than one person in this crude fortress!

Nedved collapsed onto the living room floor, seemingly stunned by the violent explosion.

Three women suddenly appeared out of nowhere, their clothes tattered, their faces streaked with terror and tears, surrounding Nedved and wailing in hoarse, desperate voices. As the miniature drone buzzed closer, the three women became even more terrified, waving their hands repeatedly at the camera with tearful eyes, a gesture clearly pleading for surrender.

The scene before them clearly showed that a family was hiding inside this so-called "fortress".

Nedved was undoubtedly the head of the family. For safety reasons, he was usually the only one who appeared in public, while the women hid deep inside the 'fortress' like frightened quails.

After carefully observing the three women's appearances, Chen Rui turned to Zhou Qingfeng and complained, "President Zhou, look what you've done to my father-in-law! He was just trying to protect his family, how pitiful!"

Roger glanced at the monitor, then without a word, turned around and started rummaging through his medical kit, yelling, "The battle's over! It's my turn. Now it's time for humanitarian aid!"

Even Marcos came over, his expression serious, and said, "We must take the initiative and act quickly to persuade them to surrender in order to prevent the tragedy from escalating further. I am willing to provide psychological counseling to the prisoners to reduce their resistance."

"Old Ma, wait a minute." Zhou Qingfeng turned his head and looked at Ma Keshi in surprise. "It's one thing for Chen Rui and Luo Ge to be excited, but you're fifty years old, why do you want to get involved too?"

Marco, with his neck stiffened, said in a serious tone, "Didn't you see? That's a family of four! Husband, wife, and two children!"

"Her husband is dying, so it's reasonable for me to comfort the widow, offer some warmth in this apocalyptic world, and prevent her from taking extreme measures in a moment of despair, right?"

That's reasonable, very reasonable.

Zhou Qingfeng's lips twitched. He sent Pailera's scavenging team to persuade Nedved and his family of four to surrender, and to search them to ensure their safety.

The situation then took a complete 180-degree turn.

Nedved wasn't dead; he was just knocked unconscious by the blast wave. As he was being carried out of the 'Doomsday Fortress,' he yelled 'Surrender!' at Rogge, who was giving him first aid, from the stretcher.

"Don't kill me, all the supplies I've stockpiled are yours now."

"I'm a pretty good electrician, and I can also do mechanical repairs. I built my own fortress, so I'm quite capable."

“I am healthy, really very healthy. Let me up, I can show you.”

Due to the concussion caused by the shockwave, Mr. Nedved was unable to stand up from the stretcher. Instead, due to excessive tension, he bit Roger and gagged.

Finally, several men went up and forcibly restrained him, giving him an injection to calm him down. As for his family, his wife, in her forties, and his two teenage daughters, they were crying their eyes out.

"Alright, it's just a sedative. Let this gentleman sleep for half a day, and he'll be fine." Zhou Qingfeng said coldly to his wife and daughters, "You've been taken into custody, and you can live normal lives from now on."
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The most stubborn "holdout" in the town was completely eliminated by the exploration team with swift and decisive measures.

Not far away, Omar carefully lay on the edge of his roof, witnessing the sudden burst of smoke and dust, and then the scene of Nedved's family leaving the "fortress".

"These outsiders are really efficient and decisive."

Omar still feels lingering fear when he recalls his furtive "spying" operation last night. If he had been even a little slower or hesitated, he would already be dead.

To any malicious spying or stubborn defense, the exploration team chose the most direct and forceful method—forceful intervention.

After resolving the issue, they did not resort to extreme retaliation, but instead continued to accept survivors. This revealed a cold and mechanical indifference, as if it were a business transaction.

Thinking about the "Warthog" that landed that morning, Omar was even more convinced that the exploration team was no ordinary team; they must have deep roots and a tight organization behind them.

"This force is bound to grow stronger in the future. With my current strength, I simply cannot confront it head-on. The best option is to integrate into it."

Omar decisively climbed down from the roof, looked at the mountain of junk piled up inside the house, and abandoned it without hesitation, determined to go to the exploration team to get a "long-term meal ticket".

By the afternoon, the number of survivors coming to seek refuge had increased significantly.

Those who yesterday swore that "it's better to plunder than beg for food" now appear humbly outside the exploration team's lodging like lapdogs wagging their tails in groveling fawn.

"Basic labor force?" Omar received a QR code identification card with a white border and asked in confusion, "What does this mean?"

"The literal meaning." Zhou Qingfeng personally issued the ID cards, and the whole process was efficient and rigorous: taking photos, archiving information, facial recognition, and quickly printing and issuing the cards.

"You can work with this card and receive food with this card. From now on, you are a member of the 'Holy Light'. No matter what you think, as long as you follow the rules, you will have a livelihood."

Omar was assigned to Kangus's team, where his job was also scavenging. His task was to clear out all usable supplies from each house and conduct a detailed inventory and registration.

Any important supplies would naturally be sent to the shelter for unified storage.

Kangers' primary target for elimination was the "fortress" built by Nedved.

Nedved's wife had calmed down considerably and was now following the group, acting as a guide and explaining what they had stored away.

Omar secretly observed that the background of the identity tag worn by Kangus was a striking purple, while that of Nedved's wife was a soft yellow, and that of everyone else, including himself, it was a plain white.

Clearly, the background color of the identity card represents the holder's status within the team.

Having only eaten a few hearty meals, Omar was unwilling to work hard. He deliberately slowed his pace, lingering until he reached Kangus, and said with a fawning smile:
"You must be Sheriff Kanger, who rescued his wife and daughter in Miami two years ago, fought against the criminal underworld, and eliminated human traffickers?"

Upon hearing this, Kang Ge's face showed obvious surprise. Two years had passed, and almost no one mentioned the "major case" he had once handled. He never expected that in this apocalyptic world, someone would still recognize him.

"you know me?"

Omar chuckled and said ingratiatingly, "Sir, I have a good memory. Two years ago, you were a hero who ignited a storm of online discussion, and Hollywood even wanted to write a script for you."

I was so envious! I recognized you immediately when I saw you.

Upon hearing this, Kang Ge laughed heartily, but in his heart he thought, "What you outsiders know is completely different from the truth."

I was no hero at all; in fact, I looked quite pathetic. Victor, on the other hand, acted ruthlessly and decisively, doing things cleanly and efficiently, yet this went largely unnoticed.

However, since someone was flattering him, Congus couldn't be stern. He could tell at a glance that the young black man in front of him was quick-witted and wanted to slack off, so he didn't point it out and just assigned him some easy tasks.

Encouraged by this, Omar continued to try and ingratiate himself: "Mr. Congus, with your abilities and reputation, why should you be subordinate to a group of Asians? In my opinion, you could easily be the leader yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Kang Ge's face darkened abruptly, and he shouted sternly, "Shut up! Go move that washing machine! You'll be part of the basic labor force when we're digging the well tomorrow!"

(End of this chapter)