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

late at night.

The hustle and bustle of the police station base gradually subsided as the new survivors were settled in.

The lights were on in the director's office on the fourth floor of the main building.

The smell of smoke and the bitterness of strong tea mingled in the air.

Tang Long, Wang Hu, Luo Yongchao, Liu Qiang, Su Yan, and Chen Ming, who had just been dragged out of the laboratory, sat around the conference table.

Except for Chen Ming, who was still yawning, everyone else had a grim expression on their faces.

Tang Long pushed the notebook wrapped in kraft paper to the center of the table.

"Gao Tianlang's Diary".

His voice wasn't loud, but it drew everyone's attention.

"I'll just get to the point." Tang Long's gaze swept over everyone: "The Wild Wolf Gang didn't go south because they were scared off by our 'meat cocoon' in the East District. They fled long before that, out of fear of something in the city center."

"The diary mentions that Gao Tianlang's men have gone mad, saying that there are eyes in the sky watching him."

"Gao Tianlang himself also experienced auditory hallucinations, similar to some kind of infection symptoms."

Chen Ming came over and snatched the notebook. He read very quickly, his eyes scanning the page rapidly.

"Interesting." He said thoughtfully, "'There are eyes in the sky,' 'voices in the head.'"

He looked up at Tang Long: "This doesn't seem like a simple physical mutation."

"What Gao Tianlang described was a severe distortion of perception and mental pollution."

"The source may be a bio-electromagnetic field that we cannot understand, or... some kind of virus that can be directly implanted into the mind."

"Speak like a human being." Wang Hu glared at him.

"In short, the monster in the city center is much more powerful than that fleshy ball in the supermarket," Chen Ming explained succinctly.

Su Yan gripped the water glass tightly and pursed her lips.

"I...I sensed it too when I first woke up." Her voice was a little hoarse: "A very large consciousness, cold and full of malice. It was in the direction of the city center, and it watched over us."

These words, like a piece of ice, were thrown into everyone's heart.

An unknown entity that occupies the city center and can exert mental influence over extremely long distances.

"So, we're out of time! We must recruit more survivors as soon as possible to increase our strength!" Tang Long said, breaking the silence.

He stood up, walked to the wall, picked up a red marker, and drew a circle on the map on the wall, circling the Dongcheng District Police Station.

Then, his pen tip glided smoothly to the location of the southern district on the map.

Another circle was drawn on top of it.

The words "New City Hall" were written next to it.

Tang Long turned around, his gaze sharp as he stared at everyone.

"My idea is to let the survivors come to it on their own."

The group exchanged glances, somewhat puzzled.

"You mean..." Chen Ming frowned slightly, as if he had guessed something.

"That's right." Tang Long confirmed his guess: "Recapture the municipal government."

He tapped the dot on the map with his pen.

"First, the threat in the city center is spreading, as evidenced by Gao Tianlang's diary and Su Yan's perception. If we cower here, we'll be caught sooner or later. We must gather enough strength before it makes a move."

"Second, searching for survivors piecemeal is like finding a needle in a haystack. The city government, on the other hand, is a symbol of power from the old era. Reclaiming it is itself a banner that can bring hope to all desperate survivors."

"Third, and most importantly," Tang Long lowered his voice, "the rooftop of the city government building is equipped with a citywide emergency broadcasting system."

"We can use the radio to give a citywide speech."

"Let the survivors of the entire city come to us."

After he finished speaking, the conference room fell into a deathly silence.

A few seconds later, Wang Hu slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

"Damn it!" His eyes lit up as he paced back and forth excitedly. "It's been a long time since we did this! Clearing out a few zombies and rescuing a few people every day is so frustrating! Let's pull off a big one!"

"I object."

A calm voice interrupted Wang Hu's excitement.

Luo Yongchao stood up, his expression serious, and pointed at the map.

"Captain Tang, this is too risky."

"Your idea is good! But once we turn on the broadcast, it's like lighting a torch in the dark, telling all the monsters in the city that we're here."

"Especially the 'Queen,' which is likely a more powerful and intelligent monster than the Cocoon and the Butcher! This is tantamount to actively revealing her coordinates."

Liu Qiang also spoke up.

"Even if everyone comes, managing the food and other aspects will be a significant challenge!"

Su Yan, unusually, spoke up at this moment.

"I only have one question: Is the city government's public address system still working?"

"Even if it works, after so long, will the signal still cover the whole city? What if we worked so hard to capture it, only to find it's just a decoration?"

Immediately, questions arose in the conference room.

Tang Long listened quietly to everyone's words without rushing to defend himself.

He waited until all the sounds stopped before slowly speaking.

"You're all right."

His gaze swept over the three of them.

"But you only see the risks, you don't see that we have no way out."

"It is precisely because danger is approaching that we must grow faster. Staying in place, no matter how high the walls are built, will only make us a bigger cage, waiting to be slowly trapped and suffocated. Defense is always a passive approach."

"We didn't have enough supplies, so we had to plunder. We didn't have enough manpower, so we had to call in more people. If management couldn't keep up, then we'd establish a more comprehensive system. Problems are meant to be solved, not avoided."

"As for whether the broadcasting equipment can be used..." Tang Long said, his gaze falling on Chen Ming.

Chen Ming, who had been staring intently at the map with his head down, suddenly clicked his tongue.

He looked up: "I have a way."

"What method?" Tang Long's eyes lit up.

"Broadcasting... doesn't necessarily need to have sound." He spoke rapidly: "In absolute darkness, does sound travel farther, or does light travel farther?"

Without waiting for a reply, he rushed to the map and slammed his finger on the city hall building.

"This is the highest point in the city. If we can restore some of its power, no, even if it's just temporarily setting up a super-powerful power supply array."

He became more and more excited as he spoke, gesturing with his hands in the air, "We can move all the city's searchlights, construction lights, and even the LED units of the giant GG screen up there! We can form a huge, specific illuminated sign on the rooftop—like an arrow or a sword!"

He turned around, his face flushed with excitement.

"Imagine! Every night, a totem of light pierces the darkness in the heart of this city's ruins! It can be seen from dozens of kilometers away! It's more than just a signal; it's a monument, a lighthouse!"

"So even if the broadcasting equipment in the city hall is broken, as long as there is light, survivors will come towards the light, while monsters... most of them don't have this intelligence to pursue the light."

"Broadcasting might attract evil spirits."

"But the silent light will only guide the lost home."

Chen Ming's words extinguished the last vestige of consideration in Tang Long's eyes.

He patted Chen Ming on the shoulder heavily.

"Okay! Let's do it this way!"

"Using both broadcasting and light screens in one approach."

"Order!"

He gave a low shout, and everyone instantly straightened their backs.

"I hereby announce the establishment of the 'Operation Lighthouse' command center."

"Luo Yongchao, reconnaissance team. I need all the risk maps along the route within 24 hours."

"Wang Hu, assault team. Develop a plan for both the assault and the cleanup."

"Chen Ming, technical team. Compile a list of equipment; base resources are at your disposal."

"Liu Qiang, Logistics Team. Oversee all material and personnel resettlement plans."

"Su Yan, you are our eyes and ears. If you detect any unusual activity coming from the city center, notify me immediately."

"Meeting adjourned!"