Doomsday police, please show your god/demon ID card.

These words caused an uproar in the room.

"What? We're supposed to go kill zombies?"

"One person killing three? How is that possible!"

"That's too dangerous!"

The discussion erupted.

Some people showed fear on their faces and instinctively backed away.

Some people were eager to try, their fists clenched, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

Most of them were boys, relatively muscular, and bolder.

From the crowd, a bespectacled, seemingly frail girl tremblingly raised her hand, her voice barely audible: "Officer Tang... Officer Tang! Not everyone is suited for fighting."

Tang Long turned his gaze to her and nodded: "You're right."

"Not everyone has to go to the front lines."

His gaze swept across the crowd, and his tone softened slightly: "We have combat units, and naturally we also have non-combat positions like logistics."

He looked at Zhang Wennian: "For example, Dr. Zhang's value lies in saving lives."

He then looked at Chen Ming.

"Or like Xiaoming, whose value lies in understanding things that we don't understand and creating useful equipment."

He paused for a moment.

"Xiao Ming! You can pick a few of the smart ones from among them to be your assistants later."

He doesn't understand scientific research!

But he knew the power of numbers.

Even if he can't do anything, just helping out with tasks and processing data will allow Chen Ming to have more energy to focus on his research.

Upon hearing this, many people looked at Chen Ming with their eyes lighting up.

Some female students even flirted with each other.

Compared to fighting, most people would rather stay safely in the rear, even if the treatment is worse.

"In addition," Tang Long continued, "the cafeteria needs chefs to open! Those who have worked in the catering industry before can register with Liu Qiang later; there will be an actual assessment."

"There will always be jobs like cleaning, organizing the warehouse, and basic maintenance. As long as I see your value, the compensation won't be bad."

"Don't worry if you haven't found a specific location yet."

"As the base develops, the more people there are, the more jobs will be needed."

"But the prerequisite is that you have to prove that you are not a burden."

His words clearly drew two paths.

One path involves risking one's life for a better future; the other involves using skills or labor to survive. Both offer challenges and safety nets.

"Dr. Zhang, take them for basic physical examinations and registration."

"Liu Qiang, pick a few strong men to unload the equipment from the pickup truck to the designated location."

"Xiao Lin, Xiao Zhao, go to the second floor of the main building and prepare a few offices to temporarily settle them in."

After Tang Long finished speaking, he added, "There's hot porridge and boiled potatoes in the cafeteria today, all you can eat. After you eat, get some rest. Starting tomorrow, everyone will work according to their assigned tasks."

He said no more and turned to leave.

......

night.

The dormitory building, third floor.

Tang Long finished washing up and stood by the window.

Downstairs, the survivors were returning to the main building from the cafeteria.

People moved about, talking in hushed tones, and the once deserted base seemed to have gained a bit more life.

He nodded slightly, his expression softening somewhat.

dong dong~

A knock came at the door.

"Go in!" Tang Long turned his head.

"Captain Tang! You're still awake?" Zhang Wennian walked in, holding a list in his hand.

"No! What's wrong?" Tang Long shook his head.

"Oh! Well, here's the basic information and physical condition of the new batch of survivors." Zhang Wennian handed over the list.

"Most of them suffer from long-term malnutrition, and a few have mild skin conditions, but it's not a serious problem."

Tang Long took the list and nodded: "How are Su Yan and Wang Hu doing?"

"Wang Hu is recovering well, but he can't stay in bed! But his injuries, a fractured sternum and contusions to his internal organs, mean he won't be able to get out of bed for at least three months." Zhang Wennian paused, his voice lowering.

"Dr. Su, it's the same as always! Vital signs are stable, but cerebral cortical activity is almost at a standstill. Psychotropic agents can only maintain basal metabolism; to awaken..."

"A miracle is still needed."

The atmosphere in the room became somewhat silent.

Tang Long pursed his lips.

Tang Long looked out the window at the building below. Chen Ming was gesturing and talking with several students, while a teacher-looking man was wiping sweat and taking notes.

"Dr. Zhang, do you know anything about genetic engineering or deep nerve stimulation?"

Zhang Wennian smiled wryly: "Team Leader Tang, I'm a clinical surgeon. I've only ever seen those cutting-edge fields in the literature."

Tang Long didn't press the matter further, but instead gazed at Chen Ming's busy figure downstairs and muttered to himself, "Kid, it's up to you this time."

......

The next morning.

The pale sunlight seeped into the room.

The sound of doors opening and closing could be heard intermittently in the second-floor corridor.

Zhao Fan got up, folded the thin blanket that had been temporarily distributed, and went to the public restroom at the end of the corridor to wash up.

Wow~

Turn on the tap.

Zhao Fan splashed some cold water on his face and stared blankly at the mirror!

He thought about it all night.

The final conclusion was that we should stick close to Tang Long.

This may be his greatest opportunity since the apocalypse.

suddenly.

Liu Qiang's strong voice rang out from the first floor.

"Get up, everyone! Line up for food!"

"You only have fifteen minutes!"

"..."

Zhao Fan was slightly taken aback. The male classmate next to him had already turned off the tap and gotten up to leave.

"Let's go, Old Zhao!"

"If you go too late, there won't be time to eat."

Zhao Fan nodded and followed them out to the lobby on the first floor.

His gaze swept across the entrance to the hall, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Liu Qiang was standing at the entrance of the hall, yawning and smoking.

That alone wouldn't have surprised him.

The key is...

Behind Liu Qiang were two tall boys.

At this moment, he was also smoking a cigarette, seemingly having a very good relationship with Liu Qiang.

"Hurry up! Line up! Don't waste Officer Liu's time."

"Hey, stop standing there! Do you still want to eat?"

"..." they shouted as they helped maintain order.

Further away, Chen Ming and three or four other students squatted together, sharing bread and canned food in plastic bags, discussing something as they ate, clearly not planning to go to the cafeteria to queue.

Zhao Fan lowered his head, stepped forward and silently joined the queue, his mind in turmoil.

What's going on?

He could understand Chen Ming's side! Researchers sometimes think differently from ordinary people.

He himself doesn't pay much attention to scientific research.

But he had been keeping an eye on Liu Qiang.

When did those two boys become so close to Officer Liu?

He clearly offered to help unload the goods last night.

Could it be...?

Those two probably not only did their hard work, but also found an opportunity to strike up a conversation with Liu Qiang.

Damn it, how could he not have thought of that!

Zhao Fan gave a wry smile. After spending so much time in the apocalypse, he, as the student council president, had even forgotten his best skill: organizing exchanges.

Many people in the crowd also realized what was happening, their eyes darkening.

compete!

Actually, it started last night.

……

After breakfast, there was no warm and sentimental mobilization meeting.

Tang Long appeared before the crowd, his gaze calmly sweeping over the tense or bewildered faces.

"Luo Yongchao, take your men to the training ground."

"Chen Ming, take your assistant to the lab."

"Those who want to apply for a chef position, follow Liu Qiang and try out the dishes on the spot."

"The rest of you will be assigned tasks by Liu Qiang: clean up the base and organize the warehouse. If you don't finish the work, you'll get half the dinner allowance."

A brief command, devoid of any emotion.

The crowd was quickly dispersed.

More than twenty boys who considered themselves to be in good physical condition followed Luo Yongchao toward the small square inside the base.

He slammed the steel pipe into the ground, making a dull thud.

"From today onwards, you will do whatever I say! Everything you have done before is worthless here."

"First task: run twenty laps around the base! If you don't finish, no food for today!"

The base is 800 meters in circumference.

Twenty laps is 16,000 meters!

"No way? Instructor, this..." A boy who looked very strong was stunned on the spot.

Luo Yongchao ignored him completely, and just looked up at the sky.

"I'll count to three. Those who haven't started running yet will have to run five more laps."

"one."

"two..."

The crowd erupted in uproar, but no one dared to question it anymore.

Zhao Fan was the first to rush out. He gritted his teeth, remained silent, but his eyes were incredibly determined.

Some followed, some cursed, but in the end, everyone took the first step.

After just five laps, the line began to stretch out.

Some people started to stagger and vomit, while others turned pale but still stubbornly persevered.

Gasps and pleas for mercy rose and fell.

Luo Yongchao just watched coldly, as if he were looking at a group of weak chicks.

"Useless! In the apocalypse, those who are slow are just deliverymen for the zombies!"

"If your leg is broken, then crawl on your hands! Keep going!"

......

the other side.

At the end of the corridor on the third floor of the main building.

This area has been opened up and converted into Chen Ming's laboratory.

All the equipment that was moved here is already here.

Chen Ming spoke as he inspected the equipment.

"You, sort these wires by color and connect them!"

"You, rinse all glassware three times with alcohol, and wear gloves!"

"Go and dismantle the casings of those old, worn-out instruments. Be careful, I need the sensors inside!"

He speaks very quickly, like a rapidly spinning top, constantly issuing commands.

The two boys he called out were so busy they were sweating profusely, but they still couldn't figure out what Chen Ming was trying to do.

Only one girl, Li Sisi, wearing black-rimmed glasses, whispered a reminder after Chen Ming quickly recited a string of component model numbers.

"Mr. Chen, if you need to measure high-frequency signals, this type of capacitor may have a relatively high internal resistance. The silver-cased one next to it would be more suitable."

Chen Ming suddenly turned his head and stared at her for two seconds: "Electrical Engineering?"

"I'm a computer science major, and I've played around with circuits before." Li Sisi pushed up her glasses nervously.

Chen Ming didn't say anything, but threw a more complicated circuit board and a stack of documents at her: "Check this interface schematic against the basic parameters of the crystal under test, and mark all possible data acquisition points."

Li Sisi took it and nodded, her fingers moving quickly across the drawing.

The others looked at Li Sisi with envy in their eyes.

Now I've got my footing in the lab!

......

A week has passed in the blink of an eye.

In addition to training new recruits and allocating supplies day after day, Tang Long and Liu Qiang drive back and forth between Dongyun University Town and the base every day.

The purpose is simple: to recruit people.

They were lucky; in addition to the vocational and technical colleges and independent colleges adjacent to Dongyun University, small groups of survivors were also discovered in the university town.

The number of people was small, but when they were put together in twos and threes, the total number of people in the base exceeded 100 for the first time, climbing to more than 150.

this day.

The director's office is on the fourth floor of the main building.

The first meeting of the core group of the base was officially held.

Apart from Chen Ming, who was still researching crystals, Su Yan, who was unconscious, and Wang Hu, who was seriously injured and recuperating, all the other core members were present.

The atmosphere wasn't exactly relaxed.

Luo Yongchao leaned on his cane, his voice a little hoarse than usual.

"There are now 31 reserve police officers. Their nutrition has improved, their physical fitness has mostly recovered, and their drills and basic tactical movements are starting to look decent."

He paused, his brows furrowing.

"But as for marksmanship, apart from four or five promising talents, most people are terrible at it."

Tang Long nodded.

He understood that sharpshooters are made by being fed bullets and honed through real combat.

"You will be fully responsible for the training; I will not interfere."

"But to become a full-fledged employee, you must independently kill three zombies and bring back evidence; that's a hard requirement."

"Understood," Luo Yongchao replied.

Tang Long turned his gaze to Zhang Wennian.

Dr. Zhang adjusted his glasses: "The base currently has 158 people, all of whom have completed preliminary physical examinations and virus screenings."

No infected individuals have been found so far.

Liu Qiang chimed in, "I don't have any problems either."

"Those who really don't have any special skills can be assigned to cleaning, organizing the warehouse, sweeping, or flushing toilets."

"Anyway, it'll be done your way! We won't let anyone be idle."

Tang Long gave a soft "hmm," his expression remaining unchanged.

It's not that he intentionally wanted to cause trouble, but people are more likely to get into trouble when they have free time.

"However..." Liu Qiang's face showed a hint of difficulty.

"explain."

"Many people downstairs are complaining that there's nowhere to sleep!"

"After all, more than a hundred people are crammed in here, and Chen Ming's laboratory also takes up a lot of space."

"The smell and hygiene are problems; if this continues, something bad might happen."

Tang Long tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his brows furrowed slightly.

He forgot about that.

Food, weapons, and even medical care were basically guaranteed, but "housing" became the only shortcoming.

There are only a few solutions. First, opening up the dormitory buildings is definitely not an option.

This is a marker that distinguishes the core from the periphery and serves as an incentive for progress; it cannot be blurred.

Pitching tents in an open space within the base?

That won't work either, the only open space has already been given to Luo Yongchao as a training ground.

So, only...

His gaze fell on the window, on the faint outlines of residential buildings visible through the thick fog.

"Move some of the people into the nearby buildings." Tang Long stood up and drew a circle around the base on the map: "Within this one-block radius."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

Luo Yongchao frowned: "What about safety? It's too dangerous to live separately."

"It's not about abandoning the problem." Tang Long tapped on several key intersections on the map. "First, completely seal off these entrances and exits, and turn this entire area into a safe zone."

"In the next couple of days, Liu Qiang and I will lead a team to clear out all the zombies in the area."

He looked at everyone and said, "For those who are willing to move out, we can offer more benefits, and even the opportunity to be promoted to a permanent position ahead of schedule."

"Then we arranged for reserve police officers to patrol during the day and take turns guarding those buildings at night."

"It is both a practical test and a rehearsal for future patrols."

After a moment's thought, the group nodded in agreement.

This is indeed the most feasible solution at present, as it can alleviate the pressure on accommodation, substantially expand the scope of control, and train the team.

"That's settled then..."

dong dong dong.

The knocking interrupted Tang Long's words.