Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 52 Assembling the Team, Ready to Depart

"Please wait a moment."

The registration staff member suddenly stood up and called out to the group of people who were also taking notes and discussing something in a larger tent behind him: "Director Wang, Director Wang! Could you please come over here for a moment?"

A middle-aged man, around forty years old, wearing a wrinkled Brazilian suit and glasses, jogged over upon hearing the noise. His face showed a mixture of fatigue and anxiety: "What's wrong, Xiao Zhang? Do you need to switch shifts and rest?"

"No, Director Wang, look at this."

Registration staff member Xiao Zhang quickly handed the identification to Officer Wang and whispered, "It's Lin Yi, the one who fought his way out of Hongfulou. He's now a major in the General Staff!"

Director Wang took the document and examined it carefully. His expression changed instantly. He pushed up his glasses and looked Lin Yi up and down again. His eyes showed a hint of shock at first, but it was quickly replaced by joy.

"Major Lin Lin! Hello, I am Wang Wenhai from the District Government Office. I am currently in charge of the initial resettlement and coordination work for the survivors in the surrounding area."

Director Wang first wiped his hands behind his back, then extended his hand to shake Lin Yi's hand. "Major Lin, please come with me. I will take you to the command center."

"Director Wang, thank you for your trouble." Lin Yi took back his credentials. "I need to meet with the higher-ups at the settlement to report on the subsequent relocation of the survivors from Hongfulou."

Under Wang Wenhai's guidance, Lin Yi officially stepped into this noisy, busy, and bustling world of struggle for survival.

The scene before me was extremely impactful.

If the outer side of the defensive line is a tense battlefield, then the inner side is a temporary community full of "human touch".

Large numbers of blue tents and military camouflage tents, printed with the words "earthquake relief" and "emergency rescue," stretched as far as the eye could see.

In the passageway between the tents, survivors dressed in various colors came and went. Some carried buckets of water and walked quickly, while others sat at the tent entrance wiping their makeshift weapons. Several children, under the supervision of adults, drew pictures on the ground with stones.

Several medical staff in white coats were rushing by carrying a stretcher. On the stretcher lay a survivor with an abdominal injury, the wound tightly wrapped in bandages and still bleeding. Beside him was a woman who was crying and sobbing, clutching a blood-stained coat tightly in her hand, and repeatedly saying, "Doctor, save him."

Not far away, several armed police officers were directing the survivors to move supplies.

Cases of bottled water and instant noodles were unloaded from trucks and piled up in a makeshift supply shed. A sign outside the shed read, "Take only what you need, register and sign."

Someone was shouting through a loudspeaker: "Comrades with medical experience, please report to the registration point ahead. We urgently need manpower!"

The air was thick with the smells of sweat and disinfectant, mixed with the sounds of people talking, children crying, and the clanging of goods being moved, creating a chaotic yet resilient scene.

Just like the disaster relief site after a major earthquake, everyone is filled with sorrow, yet they are desperately trying to survive and create hope for each other.

"This way, Major Lin."

Wang Wenhai stepped aside to lead the way, his tone tinged with pride, "This is the outer resettlement area we built overnight. There are about two thousand people living here now. There are two more resettlement areas ahead, so there are about seven thousand survivors in total. Several more resettlement areas are under construction."

Lin Yi nodded, his gaze sweeping over the tents.

He noticed that each tent had a number on it, and a note hanging at the entrance of the tent listed the number of people living there and the contact person.

Occasionally, you can see a few people wearing volunteer vests moving between the tents, holding registration forms, seemingly counting the number of people and their needs.

Wang Wenhai led the way while explaining things in a fast-paced manner.

"However, we are under tremendous pressure right now."

He sighed, his tone revealing obvious exhaustion and anxiety. "Survivors are being rescued continuously, but supplies, medicine, and especially resettlement space are extremely scarce."

"The outer defense line is also under great pressure. Although the main force has cleared it out, there are always groups of three to five abyssal beasts either wandering around or chasing after survivors and rescue teams. Occasionally, a few large ones will also get mixed in, requiring constant clearing. Electricity is supplied by small generators, which is intermittent. Communication mainly relies on military radios, walkie-talkies, and manpower."

The two continued walking forward, passing through the second resettlement area, and the scene before them changed again.

There are far fewer tents here; instead, there are several relatively intact buildings.

A supermarket, a bank branch, and a residential building.

Several armed police officers stood guard at the entrance of the building, with prominent signs on the exterior walls: "Medical Area," "Military Warehouse," and "Command and Logistics Area." "The core area is just ahead, the old department store is right there," Wang Wenhai said, pointing to a ten-story building not far away. His tone became serious. "From here on, you'll need a pass to enter. I can only take you to the entrance."

Lin Yi looked in the direction he pointed and saw that the entrance of the old department store had been fortified with sandbags piled up to half a person's height. Several armed police officers were standing guard behind the fortifications. In the windows of several floors of the building, one could see figures moving around, seemingly carrying things.

Upon approaching, Lin Yi discovered that several large temporary tents had been erected in the open space in front of the department store. Inside the tents were neatly stacked ammunition boxes and medical supplies, and several people in officer uniforms were discussing a map with serious expressions.

"stop!"

Just as Lin Yi was about to reach the door, two armed police officers stopped him. "Comrade, this is a military control zone."

Wang Wenhai quickly stepped forward and explained to the two soldiers, "Comrade, this is Major Lin Yi, from the General Staff Headquarters. He wants to see Captain Zhang!"

The two soldiers clearly did not recognize Lin Yi. Upon hearing this, they both frowned and looked him up and down, seemingly doubting whether this boy who looked only eighteen or nineteen years old was a major.
"Wait a moment, I'll go ask for instructions."

Just as the soldier on the left was about to go into the building to report, a middle-aged man in armed police camouflage with slightly disheveled hair strode out.

When he saw Lin Yi, he was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and extended his hand: "You must be Major Lin Yi? I am Zhang Weidong, the deputy captain of the Armed Police Detachment in Helu City. I received a notice from the General Staff saying that you might come."

Lin Yi grasped his hand. "Captain Zhang, I'm here to report on the relocation of the survivors from Hongfulou."

Zhang Weidong nodded, a tired but sincere smile on his face. "Thank you for your hard work, Major Lin. Please come in; we have reserved a meeting room."

As he spoke, he gestured to the armed police officers at the door.

Two armed police officers stepped aside to make way for Lin Yi and saluted him.

Lin Yi returned the greeting and followed Zhang Weidong into the department store.

The department store I remembered has long since disappeared. The lobby on the first floor has now been divided into several functional areas.

On the left is the supplies storage area, piled high with food and medicine, where several soldiers are counting and registering them.

In the middle was the command area, with several tables pushed together, covered with a map of Crane Deer City. The map was marked in red with the location of the Abyss Beast's lair and the distribution of the known survivors.

To the right is the medical area, where several temporary beds are placed side by side, and several medical staff are treating the wounded, with occasional painful groans heard.

"The first to fifth floors of the building are for material storage, medical care, and office areas, while the sixth floor and above are rest areas for the wounded, soldiers, and staff."

As Zhang Weidong walked, he explained, "We are reinforcing the structure of the building and plan to build this into a permanent core stronghold. After all, in the entire Helu City, this is the only place that is located in the gap between the four miniature nests and is safe for the time being."

Lin Yi's gaze swept over the busy crowd in the hall. Most of them looked tired, but none of them stopped working.

Some people were discussing tactics in hushed tones, while others were feeding and watering the wounded. Everyone was doing their utmost to stay alive.

He suddenly recalled the chaos and despair of the early days of the apocalypse in his previous life, and those who gave up resistance because they had no organization and no hope.

Now, thanks to the timely response from the authorities, the people of this land are fighting against this catastrophic disaster with greater resilience and unity.

"Captain Zhang," Lin Yi stopped and looked at Zhang Weidong. "Regarding the more than four hundred survivors of Hongfulou, I have figured out a relatively safe transfer route, and the Abyss Wolves along the way have been mostly cleared out."

"However, the roaming Abyssal Wolves will soon appear along the way again. We should act quickly. I think we don't need to hold the meeting. I hope the settlement will send a small team with heavy firepower to come back with me for support."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Weidong's expression instantly turned serious.

"makes sense"

He frowned and pondered for a moment, then shouted to an officer beside him, "Captain Li! Assemble the troops immediately and prepare to depart!"

　Tomorrow is the start of a new month! I'm reserving my September monthly votes from you all, and I'll sneak in an extra chapter tomorrow.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)