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

The people standing behind Ma Wentao also joined in the commotion.

The expressions on the faces of several core members darkened.

Even Dr. Zhang, an elderly man who preferred to stay in the emergency room, couldn't help but frown slightly.

You should know that he has to go there for this mission.

It goes without saying how important it is.

And Ma Wentao, at this very moment, actually said such a thing.

This is no longer a simple disagreement; it is a challenge to the entire order established by Tang Long.

It also challenges the interests of the core member group.

Chen Ming watched from the side, shaking his head and muttering under his breath, "Idiot."

Tang Long smiled.

He looked at Ma Wentao as if he were looking at a clown jumping around.

"Democracy? Voting?"

He put away the megaphone; the sound wasn't loud, but it traveled clearly to everyone's ears.

"I'm asking you, when the Wild Wolf Gang held a knife to your throat, why didn't you talk to them about democracy?"

"When you were locked up in a basement like dogs, drinking only stale water every day, why didn't you demand the right to vote?"

Ma Wentao's face instantly turned a deep liver color.

"That...that's different!"

"What's the difference?" Tang Long's gaze sharpened. "Is it because their knives are more ruthless than mine? Or is it because I treated you all the same, giving you the illusion that you can take advantage of me?"

He stepped forward and looked down at the crowd.

"I have something else to tell you."

"This base, these walls, every bite of food you eat, every sip of water you drink, even the clothes you wear—all of this was bought with the lives of me and my comrades!"

"You have no right to negotiate here until you prove your worth!"

His words were like slaps to the faces of Ma Wentao and those behind him.

The square was deathly silent.

Ma Wentao's face turned pale and then red, and he still tried to argue.

"But...but that was your own choice! We don't want to go and die!"

"Okay." Tang Long nodded. "I never force anyone."

He jumped off the armored vehicle and walked up to Ma Wentao.

"Now, I'm giving you two choices."

"First, follow us, execute orders, and obey arrangements."

"After completing the mission, you will become official residents of the base and enjoy the same treatment as us."

"Second, leave the safe zone!"

"What?!" Ma Wentao's expression changed drastically. "You're kicking us out!"

"It's not about being forced," Tang Long corrected him. "It's that you yourselves chose to give up your right to be protected."

"I don't keep useless people here, much less parasites who try to incite internal strife."

The scene was completely silent.

suddenly.

"I...I was wrong, Captain Tang..." A young man was the first to break down. "I'm willing to go! I'll do whatever you say!"

"I'd like to too!"

"Captain Tang, don't send us away!"

The remaining people also knelt down and begged for mercy.

Only Ma Wentao remained standing, his body trembling like a leaf, his lips quivering, unable to utter a single word.

Tang Long didn't look at them again.

He turned around and got back onto the armored vehicle.

"Wang Hu, Zhao Fan!"

"Here!" The two immediately stepped forward.

"Those willing to carry out the mission, take them aside to register, and distribute equipment and supplies."

"As for those who don't want to go..." Tang Long paused.

"Get them out of the safe zone!"

"Yes."

"..."

Two hours later.

The convoy slowly drove away from the police station base.

The roar of engines echoed through the deathly silent city.

Hundreds of survivors crammed into the cargo compartments of trucks and minibuses, watching through the windows as the base gates slowly closed behind them, many with trepidation written all over their faces.

Inside the command armored vehicle, however, the atmosphere was completely different.

Tang Long leaned back in his chair, holding a tablet that displayed real-time footage transmitted from the drone at high altitude.

"Wang Hu, there's a small group of about fifteen corpses at the street intersection, about 500 meters ahead."

"Roger that." Wang Hu's calm voice came through the walkie-talkie. "No need to stop, just ram them."

"clear."

A moment later, the heavy pickup truck at the front of the convoy did not slow down at all, and like an angry bull, it roared into the midst of the roaming zombies.

A series of dull thuds echoed.

The zombies blocking the way were torn apart by the massive ram, black flesh and bone fragments flying everywhere.

The convoy headed south, and the journey was smoother than expected.

Everyone's hearts were in their throats when the convoy arrived at the cross-river bridge connecting the eastern and southern districts of the city.

The two-kilometer-long bridge has been turned into a steel graveyard.

The wrecked cars, overturned buses, and burned debris were piled up haphazardly like building blocks, completely blocking the bridge.

Countless zombies wandered and roared among the scrap metal.

Some of them were trapped in the deformed carriages, futilely stretching out their rotting arms, while others wandered on the roof, occasionally letting out unconscious roars.

"parking!"

Tang Long's voice was transmitted to every vehicle via walkie-talkie.

The convoy slowly came to a stop at the bridgehead.

"This is troublesome." Wang Hu jumped off the truck, his brow furrowed. "I should have taken a different route."

Last time they went to the South District, they didn't take this route.

Although both the Golden Splendor KTV and the new municipal government building are located in the southern part of the city, one is on the far left and the other on the far right.

I never expected the road to the new city government building to be so congested.

He turned to Tang Long: "Captain Tang, what do we do? We can't force our way through."

Tang Long also got out of the car, raised his binoculars, and observed the situation on the bridge.

"We can't force our way through; if the car gets stuck, we'll become sitting ducks."

He put down his binoculars, his eyes calm.

"Get ready to work."

"Wang Hu!"

"arrive!"

"You take the assault team, get out of the vehicle, use the convoy as cover, establish a circular defensive line, clear out all approaching zombies, and ensure the safety of the engineering team."

"yes!"

With a wave of his hand, Wang Hu dispatched twenty well-equipped assault team members who quickly disembarked from the vehicle with swift and decisive movements.

Centered around three vehicles, they quickly established three firing positions, with the dark muzzles of guns pointing towards the bridge, forming a deadly cross-shaped network.

"Liu Qiang! Luo Yongchao!"

"Here!" The two men ran over from the middle truck.

"Old Liu, the bridge clearing work is yours." Tang Long looked at Liu Qiang. "You used to be an engineer, you know better than me how to organize manpower and use tools. I only have one request: clear a one-way road for the convoy within half an hour."

Liu Qiang's expression turned serious. He glanced at the congested bridge and then at the shivering survivors in the truck bed.

"Team Leader Tang, manpower..."

"Everyone on the bus who can move is under your command," Tang Long interrupted him. "They're not here for sightseeing. Tell them that if they want to live, they have to prove their worth."

Liu Qiang took a deep breath and nodded emphatically: "Understood!"

"Old Luo," Tang Long turned to another person, "take a few men, find a high vantage point, and be ready to provide precise fire support at any time."

"I don't want to see anything 'special' that might disrupt our construction."

Luo Yongchao patted the Type 88 sniper rifle on his back, a cold smile spreading across his face.

"clear!"