Invasion of America

Chapter 153 Containment
The James River flows through Richmond, dividing the city into north and south.

In the middle of the river is a spindle-shaped Mayo Island, no more than 100 meters from north to south and 600 meters from east to west. A highway bridge spans the river, connecting the island to the outside world.

The island had parking lots, gas stations, and nearby supermarkets, fast food restaurants, furniture stores, and so on. After the apocalypse, the place was looted, and even the houses were burned down.

Now, a company of Mexican auxiliary troops has arrived by boat and, under the command of "Dongda" and "Flathead," has built a "relief station" on the island.

The once brightly lit supermarket is now just a huge empty shell.

After the auxiliary troops arrived, they removed the crooked supermarket sign and the broken doors and windows, and temporarily sealed them off with simple wooden boards.

Inside the supermarket, the once-bustling shelves were overturned, and the floor was littered with fragments of packaging bags left behind after the looting. Dried bloodstains and unidentified stains were scattered on the filthy floor.

About a hundred "basic laborers" were reassigned to cleaning, mopping, and disinfecting to tidy up the messy environment.

The shelves weren't moved; instead, they were used as partitions to divide the supermarket space into different functional areas such as 'medical,' 'accommodation,' and 'isolation.'

After the 'relief station' was built, the Mexican auxiliary troops drove around Richmond with loudspeakers blaring to collect survivors.

The containment process was not strict, as the relief station was very basic, providing only simple food and rest areas. Survivors were required to undergo a body search upon arrival and were not allowed to bring weapons into the station, but they were free to come and go as they pleased.

The people initially taken in were practically refugees, as if they had lost their dignity as human beings and were left with only their last breath.

Some were so hungry and sick that they couldn't walk and lay in the corners of the city waiting to die. They had to be carried on stretchers by Mexican military aides to save their lives.

They receive some simple treatments, such as being given anti-inflammatory drugs, painkillers, and antidiarrheal medication, and a few sweet potatoes, potatoes, or dry bread every day.

The rest slept on the ground. A few weak people had some bedding, but the rest didn't even have a bed and just made do.

Apart from that, the treatment station does not provide any other public services.

Simply put, this is a 'peaceful place' that provides security, giving those who have nowhere else to go a place to stay and temporarily prevent them from dying of hunger and cold.

This humble place, on its very first day of operation, took in over a hundred ragged, haggard survivors from the city, whose eyes held little light.

After they arrived, they were fed and made to sleep as instructed, given designated toilet areas, and obeyed the orders of the auxiliary soldiers. A few physically strong individuals were selected to do odd jobs and received slightly better food and drink.

"The 'Holy Light's' methods of winning people's hearts are so simple; they even provide relief to survivors, which I never expected."

In the parking lot outside the relief station, dozens of detainees in relatively good health were sunbathing and walking around.

Two unremarkable men stood facing each other, seemingly casually observing the sentry post of the relief station, and talking in hushed tones.

One of the men had disheveled hair, a stubble beard, and sunken cheeks, looking like a homeless person. Yet, he had a cold expression and seemed to have memorized everything around him.

Another man, taller but thinner, muttered angrily, "I just asked, and the survivors who are taken in can earn a better life by working."

Our attempts to spread fear had no effect; the Mexican soldiers didn't stop anyone from leaving, but they strictly forbade anyone coming in from bringing weapons.

The relief station offers many jobs, especially for those with some skills, who can easily find employment. As for those without any skills, farming is always useful.

"Damn 'Holy Light,' because of their unconditional acceptance, the city's security has been much calmer lately, giving me the illusion that order has been restored," the 'vagrant' said angrily.
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The relief and shelter policy was proposed by Zhou Qingfeng's father-in-law, Jeff Connery, with the aim of collecting people. After several discussions within 'Holy Light', the decision-makers decided it was worth a try.

Xiao Jinlang and Lin Anquan actually preferred to bring in personnel from within China, as if they were carrying out a large-scale colonization.

Although China's population has also plummeted, it's still possible to immigrate a few hundred thousand people, which would be enough to build a city in North America. Transportation capacity is a challenge, but it's not insurmountable.

But if so many people come, how will we solve their food, drink, and toilet needs? We can't expect them to eat potatoes and live a life even more miserable than they do back home, can we?

On the other hand, the survivors scattered throughout North American cities and countryside constitute a huge human resource; if 'Holy Light' doesn't take them in, they will be taken in by other organizations.

These people are certainly unreliable, but 'Holy Light' has no intention of making good use of them. Being taken in at least provides them with basic labor. If they are taken in by other organizations when they have nowhere else to go, they will become part of the enemy.

Therefore, Xiao Jinlang decided to take a two-pronged approach: first, to leverage his current resource advantages to ensure that his spare manpower would not be used by potential rivals.

The first relief station was opened in downtown Richmond, on a small island in the James River. The location was neither too big nor too small, and the relatively secluded environment made it easy to manage and monitor.

Initial estimates suggest there are still 100,000 survivors in the Greater Richmond area. Within just one week of the unconditional containment operation, over 2,000 people had arrived at the relief stations.

This provided the 'Holy Light' with a large pool of cheap labor—most survivors were willing to work for a better life after their health improved.

But for the Richmond Guard, who had just suffered a major defeat and retreated back into the city, this was taunting them right to the face.

"Where did they get the audacity to set up a relief station on our doorstep?" The 'homeless man' and the tall, thin man were both from the 'Richmond Guard' and had deliberately infiltrated Mayo Island today to conduct on-site reconnaissance.

Once on the island, the two discovered that the place was hardly defended, and the number of Mexican auxiliary troops was small, only maintaining order at the relief station.

Two yachts would come every day, delivering basic necessities like food, drink, and toilet supplies, while also taking away some survivors who were willing to work.

The makeshift oil refining equipment dismantled from Awoni town was reinstalled on the island, making full use of the abundant waste plastics in the city, increasing fuel production from two or three tons per day to more than ten tons.

but
"We only need to send out one platoon to wipe them out."

"Forget it, these are just lackeys and lackeys of yellow-skinned monkeys. What's the point of killing them?"

“You’re right. We can’t underestimate the ‘Holy Light’ faction. Destroying its relief stations will only cause it to lose some cannon fodder, but it will make the people in the city hate us even more.”

The 'vagrant' felt a tightness in his chest; the presence of the 'Holy Light' prevented the 'Richmond Guard' from acting freely, as the opponent could indeed inflict heavy losses on them. At noon, the relief station began to ring its bells, and all those taken in lined up to receive food. Each person carried a tray and walked up to the soldiers of the auxiliary army.

Today's lunch was seafood porridge, boiled broccoli, large pieces of bread, and small pieces of grilled fish—it was surprising to be able to eat seafood and fish, even though the portions were small.

"These yellow-skinned monkeys have started going out to sea to fish." This was not a good omen for the 'vagrant'. He deliberately tasted the fish; it was fresh.

Richmond is on the east coast of North America, and 'Holy Light' must have organized a fishing fleet with a daily catch so large that it could be used to provide relief at the relief station.

During the meal, the tall, thin man saw some survivors approaching the auxiliary soldiers to register their names and skills. He went over to inquire and confirmed that there were indeed people willing to risk their lives for the 'Holy Light'.

"What can you do?" the tall, thin man asked casually, targeting one of the survivors looking for work.

“I used to work for a food company, and I can still do the same job now. ‘Holy Light’ is willing to give me the highest level of work points, and I can support myself with this income and even start a new family.”

The survivor was somewhat proud, but mostly filled with sorrow. After surviving the ordeal, his demands were clearly not high; he just wanted to be well-fed and watered.

"Aren't you afraid of being enslaved by the 'Holy Light'?" the tall, thin man threatened in a low voice. "Those yellow-skinned monkeys might be lying to you, trying to enslave you with just a few meals."

The survivor responded to the threat with a bitter smile, saying, "If I want to survive, I have no choice but to believe in the 'Holy Light' organization, even if the treatment is poor, it doesn't matter."

The tall, thin man wanted to say something more intimidating, but the 'homeless man' tugged at him from behind and whispered, "Be careful, those Mexican lackeys are watching you."

An armed auxiliary soldier walked over and stared at the two men suspiciously for a few moments, making the tall, thin man and the 'vagrant' quite nervous—they were unarmed at the moment, and if they were caught, they would die unjustly.

The auxiliary soldiers did not use violence; they simply pointed at the 'homeless man' and said, "Hey, you need to shave your hair and beard and take care of your hygiene, or you'll spread diseases."

The soldier looked at the tall, thin man again and said sternly, "Your tattered clothes should be thrown into the fire. We provide free cleaning and change of clothes. Don't make yourself look like a refugee."

The survivors, who had already shaved their heads, beards, and changed their clothes, looked at the two filthy people with disgust and deliberately kept their distance.

The tall, thin man and the 'homeless man' nodded hurriedly, indicating that they had just arrived and would clean up as soon as possible. They only breathed a sigh of relief after the soldiers had gone far away.

"This reminds me of the Cuban immigrants in Miami, who all say they hate the United States, but try every means to cross the sea to live in the United States. I didn't expect this shelter to be the same."

“Let’s go, there’s nothing to see here anymore. If we stay any longer, I’m worried those Mexican lackeys will forcibly take us away to be cleaned up.”
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The two wandered around the relief station for a while before leaving via the island's highway. The Mexican auxiliary troops guarding the entrance did not stop them or ask any questions.

They could ride in the rescue vehicle when they arrived, but when they left, they had to walk about two or three kilometers before meeting their companions who were responsible for picking them up.

"Captain Jody," his partner greeted the 'vagrant,' "How's the reconnaissance going?"

The 'vagrant' took off his disheveled clothes and changed into a military uniform. He sighed, "There really is a small 'Holy Light' base on Mayo Island."

But it was just a relief station controlled by Mexican lackeys; there were no particularly important personnel or facilities. How's your reconnaissance of Awoni going?

The teammate who was supposed to meet them shook his head: "It's bad. We couldn't get close to Avoni Town, or even Famvi Town."

'Holy Light' has deployed anti-aircraft missiles in that godforsaken place, preventing outsiders from entering freely. We haven't figured out the specifics of those yellow-skinned monkeys' deployment, and we don't know where their core members are.

The only thing that's certain is that they have a large fleet of planes, making the transportation of personnel and supplies very convenient. In this respect, they are definitely no worse than us.

Furthermore, our undercover agents discovered that 'Holy Light' seems to be relocating; they are using the James River as a convenient route to attempt to move their main body to Richmond.

The team exchanged information briefly, and two low-altitude aircraft landed from the air to pick up the entire team from the ground.

After boarding, Captain Jody, disguised as a homeless man conducting reconnaissance, looked down at the ground through the porthole, his brow furrowed. He was now on a special mission.
Identify the core and leaders of rebel forces across North America to prepare intelligence for a one-time elimination of them—for some difficult targets, request a nuclear strike.

The task was assigned to the post-apocalyptic government of the United States, particularly to the 'backup' civil servants in some of the nuclear bunkers prepared for world war.

The Richmond Guard is essentially a subordinate force of the post-apocalyptic government.

Unexpectedly, Major General Borg of the 'Guard Team' was too incompetent. Not only did he fail to eliminate 'Holy Light,' he also lost himself in the process.

The post-apocalyptic government of the United States had no choice but to send people to take over this mess. 'Holy Light' had developed to the point where it was possible to request nuclear weapons to eliminate it. Captain Jody's squad was sent to confirm the target.

"As far as we know, 'Holy Light' has members active in Los Angeles, Houston, New York, and even Chicago. They are growing extremely fast, expanding their influence like rats."

Captain Jody recalled the briefing he received from his superiors—no one knew exactly where the core members of 'Holy Light' were, simply because it seemed too ferocious.

Earlier, the higher-ups judged that 'Holy Light' was in Los Angeles, since there was a port and airport there, making communication with 'Dongda' more convenient.

But the recent demise of Major General Borg overturned this judgment; the leader of 'Holy Light' seems to be hiding in a remote town in Virginia.

The captain recalled the intelligence he had recently gathered, which included various direct and indirect evidence, all of which indicated that the town of Avoni had the largest number of 'Holy Light' members, and that the 'Holy Light' president named Victor was located in the town.

If this is true, a single nuclear warhead with a yield of kilotons would be enough to eliminate this major threat to the United States.

Unfortunately, nuclear weapons are not a panacea. Even a 100-ton nuclear bomb only has a kill radius of a few kilometers. If the location of the core members of 'Holy Light' cannot be confirmed, there is no way to ensure a fatal blow.

Just as Jody was lost in thought, an order suddenly came through the radio: "Omega Squad, proceed immediately to Newport News, 100 kilometers away."

Alpha Team discovered traces of core members of 'Holy Light' in Newport News. They believed they had caught a big fish and needed assistance.

(End of this chapter)