TL: Moonlit

This shout, almost everyone in the command center heard it.

Xiao Hen, who had just returned to the command center, “…”

A figure appeared downstairs.

The others glanced at each other and followed downstairs, wanting to see what Wen Qingling, the legendary figure, looked like.

And then, they saw a handsome boy standing between two bloody figures, and everyone fell silent.

Xiao Hen glanced at the two people on the ground, “You… went to the First District?”

Wen Qingling raised his chin, “The situation has been resolved. When are you going back?”

Xiao Hen hesitated.

Wen Qingling raised an eyebrow, “What’s wrong? Don’t want to go back?”

Xiao Hen thought for a moment and shared his thoughts with Wen Qingling.

The Central Mega City is very unsafe. If possible, Xiao Hen hopes that the entire city can migrate south and move away from Yunjing City.

Wen Qingling looked at Xiao Hen for a moment, then looked at the high-ranking officials of the Third District. He beckoned to Kui Bao No. 2, and the little one quickly jumped down and ran towards Wen Qingling, looking at him eagerly.

Wen Qingling extended a finger to it, and Kui Bao No. 2 happily grabbed onto it.

Wen Qingling said, “Which place in the south are you referring to?”

Xiao Hen replied, “Naturally, the closer to the Civilized City, the better.”

Wen Qingling looked at him, “The Civilized City is my territory.”

Xiao Hen said, “I know the Civilized City doesn’t accept outsiders. I just want them to migrate south and get away from the Yunjing City.”

Wen Qingling responded, “You need to understand that the Civilized City, its surroundings, and even the entire Blue Province are under my control. You can let them migrate, and I won’t stop you, but you’re not allowed to set foot in the Blue Province.”

Their conversation was overheard by the high-ranking officials, and some of them wanted to refute immediately.

They were still discussing the migration, but based on their intentions, they had no intention of leaving Central Mega City. They believed the city was safe, and even if there were dangers, it would be difficult to destroy the city. Xiao Hen’s concerns were completely unnecessary.

They hadn’t decided whether to migrate yet, but Wen Qingling had already declared the Blue Province off-limits to them, directly forbidding them from setting foot there. They wanted to tell this young man that all cities within the borders of Huaxia belonged to the country and not to individuals.

However, before they could speak, Xiao Jiang stopped them.

Xiao Hen said, “They can relocate to Lan City.”

Lan City did not belong to the Blue Province but was located on its border. It was close to Ling City and was one of the directly governed cities. It was more prosperous than Ling City and had a population three to four times larger. It only took a few hours to drive from Ling City to Lan City. When Wen Qingling brought back firearms and ammunition, they were often sourced from Lan City. It was indeed a close distance.

“Lan City,” Wen Qingling pondered. “You really know how to choose a place.”

Xiao Hen remained silent.

Lan City was a true first-tier city, close to the Civilized City. There was no city more suitable than Lan City. Xiao Hen, driven by personal motives, wanted to find the best place for the Third District.

Xiao Hen said, “The Central Mega City has a larger population, and Lan City had a population of over 20 million in the past. With a bit of crowding, accommodating tens of millions of people shouldn’t be a problem.”

Wen Qingling sneered, “First, ask how many people are willing to follow you into the unknown.”

Xiao Hen was thinking long-term and even prepared to accommodate tens of millions of people. Unless Wen Qingling said otherwise, if he could rally ten million people, it would be considered a strong appeal.

“Handle it quickly and then return to the Civilized City,” Wen Qingling said and was about to leave but was stopped by the high-ranking officials.

“Wait, what are you talking about? We’re supposed to move to Lan City? Am I not hearing it wrong? Do you know how many zombies are in Lan City now? Are we going there to live with the zombies or to feed the zombies? This is utter nonsense!”

Wen Qingling had no intention of arguing with them. Since Xiao Hen wanted to help them, let him figure it out on his own. In the end, it would be determined whether more people would be grateful to him or resent him.

Wen Qingling tossed the two bloody figures to Xiao Hen and left.

The high-ranking officials couldn’t even get a few words from Wen Qingling and were left fuming.

Time was limited, and this matter needed to be decided quickly.

Wen Qingling didn’t care about Xiao Hen’s struggles. He went back to continue absorbing the beast crystals and also searched for Mi Yan and Luo Fengjue, who had gone missing.

After a day and night of cleanup, the undead, corpse creatures, and corpse slaves trapped in the various districts were mostly eliminated. To prevent any remaining threats, blood tests were conducted on all personnel in the districts. Everyone had to undergo testing, and anyone who dared to escape or cause trouble would be treated as an undead.

After such a cleanup, the Central Mega City could finally start anew.

Due to the demise of General Yin Jiang and Yin Cheng, their previous order to carry out an armed helicopter bombardment was revoked. The First District was currently leaderless, and every high-ranking official was in danger. The First District would bear the primary responsibility for the undead incident, and they couldn’t escape the blame.

With wooden walls dividing the city, movement within the city became very inconvenient. At the request of the high-ranking officials, Xiao Hen found Wen Qingling and asked him to remove the wooden walls.

Wen Qingling had no objections and removed the wooden walls. This allowed him to regain some wood-based energy. Except for the Fourth District, where no changes were made, the wooden walls in the other districts disappeared.

Upon receiving the notification, all the high-ranking officials from the districts gathered in the Third District for a meeting, except for those from the First District and the Fourth District. The former had perished, and the latter was still sealed and hadn’t emerged.

As for the Nie family from the Sixth District and the Xia family from the Seventh District, the Nie family had long been in close contact with the First District, and they had played a significant role in the undead attack. It was evident that they had reached an agreement with the First District beforehand. Now that General Yin Jiang had fallen, Nie Jiang managed to survive but couldn’t establish himself in the Central Mega City.

Due to the news that had spread from the First District, Xia Jiang had always harbored resentment towards Xiao Hen and Wen Qingling. After this battle, he began to doubt the truthfulness of the news and personally went to the Third District to seek clarification on the true cause of death of the four research assistants.

With a substantial population in the Fourth District, it was not feasible to keep it sealed indefinitely. Xiao Jiang, Lei Jiang, and Mo Jiang took the lead and wanted Wen Qingling to release Hua Jiang first to discuss urgent matters.

Wen Qingling didn’t give face to anyone. If they wanted him to release Hua Jiang, they had to let him do it willingly, otherwise, wouldn’t it be a loss of face for him?

The three generals had no choice but to ask Xiao Hen to help persuade him.

Xiao Hen thought, if he spoke up, it would force Wen Qingling to beat him up. He wasn’t that foolish.

Xiao Hen said, “The people from the Fourth District were at fault initially. Both Hua Fei Yan and Hua Fei Huang offended him. If they want him to lift the seal, they need to show sincerity. We can’t just let this matter slide with mere words.”

Mo Jiang suggested, “Why don’t we release Hua Jiang and ask for his opinion?”

Xiao Hen relayed the generals’ words to Wen Qingling, who agreed to remove the seal from the Fourth District but kept the wooden walls intact.Before Wen Qingling could open the gate for the Fourth District, a helicopter took off and flew directly to the Third District.

Two soldiers carried a person down from the helicopter, and Hua Jiang’s face was filled with anxiety.

Seeing the approaching generals, Hua Jiang didn’t waste time and immediately asked, “Has Xiao Hen returned? Where is he? I want to see him.”

They didn’t recognize Wen Qingling but knew Xiao Hen.

The generals understood the situation as soon as they saw the person lying on the stretcher.

Hua Jiang’s eldest daughter, Hua Fei Huang, had been infected and was currently on the verge of death. Her exposed skin had turned dark, and her wounds caused by the flying corpse insects were oozing black pus.

Hua Jiang wanted to see Wen Qingling through Xiao Hen, hoping that Wen Qingling could help save Hua Fei Huang.

Xiao Hen’s expression became extremely complicated. After all the hardships, they didn’t even know who had offended whom. He wondered how Hua Jiang had educated his children. Thinking about his own parenting, Xiao Hen couldn’t help but feel guilty. Xiao Hen was indeed outstanding, but their father-son relationship had been tense at times and was not a good representation.

When Xiao Hen appeared, he looked at the stretcher with an expressionless face and asked, “Hua Jiang is looking for me?”

Hua Jiang was desperate, sweating profusely. “I heard that you know Doctor Wen from Lingcheng. Can you please help me get his recommendation? Huang Huang has been infected, and if we don’t treat her soon, she might not make it.”

Xiao Hen was very dissatisfied with Hua Jiang’s words. What did he mean by “knowing”? It was obvious that Wen Qingling was his wife. Didn’t he have any insight?

Xiao Hen said, “Before asking for help, first tell me who your daughter offended.”

Hua Jiang was stunned. “What do you mean?”

Hua Jiang looked at Xiao Hen and then at all the generals present. Everyone’s expressions were complex.

Hua Jiang wasn’t a fool and almost immediately thought of an utterly impossible possibility.

Hua Jiang felt dizzy and almost collapsed on the spot.

Trapped in the Fourth District, watching his daughter’s condition worsen by the day, he couldn’t even take her out of the Central Mega City and go to Ling City. The longer he was trapped, the more he hated, and he had cursed the mastermind responsible for all of this countless times.

And now, the person he sought help from was the person he hated the most.

Xiao Hen said, “Do you know what your daughter did? She deliberately attracted the flying corpse insects and directed them toward Doctor Wen. She wanted to use Dr. Wen and his friends and pet to fend off the insects. Fortunately, Doctor Wen is formidable and didn’t let her succeed. However, his friend was infected in the process. And that’s not all. Your daughter went mad and shot Doctor Wen’s pet. Do you know what that means?”

Hua Jiang’s face turned extremely ugly. Others didn’t know the reason, but he did.

Hua Fei Huang recognized that cat and knew that Wen Qingling was the one who disfigured Hua Fei Yan’s face. He was also the person the Fourth District had been pursuing. At that time, she didn’t even hesitate and just wanted to drag them down. She never expected that he was Wen Qingling. If she had known earlier, she would have been more cautious before making any decisions.

But now it was too late. Hua Fei Huang’s condition couldn’t wait any longer.

Hua Jiang said, “On behalf of Huang Huang and Yan Yan, I apologize to Doctor Wen. Doctors have compassion, so I implore you, Doctor Wen, to save Huang Huang. She can’t hold on much longer…”

Wen Qingling replied, “Do I look like a kind-hearted person to you?”

The generals remained silent, unsure if it was really okay to speak for themselves.

Hua Jiang gritted his teeth and said, “What do you want in order to save her?”

Wen Qingling responded, “I won’t save her, no matter what.”

Hua Jiang felt a surge of air stuck in his chest, watching his daughter coughing up black blood again. His eyes turned red, and he said, “Wen Qingling, I beg you, please save her. She really can’t hold on any longer.”

Wen Qingling replied, “Then let her turn into a zombie.”

“Wen Qingling!” Hua Jiang angrily exclaimed, “I am willing to make up for their mistakes. As long as you can save her…”

“With your attitude, you still expect me to save her? Dream on,” sneered Wen Qingling.

Hua Jiang clenched his teeth, his knee bending as he was about to kneel down. Everyone’s hearts tightened, knowing that if he truly kneeled, Hua Jiang would lose all his dignity at that moment.

A vine suddenly appeared, blocking Hua Jiang’s knee. “Hua Jiang, you better stand firm. I won’t lend a hand a second time,” said Wen Qingling.

Hua Jiang’s eyes were bloodshot, and he could barely stand.

He had lost all his loved ones, except for these two daughters. He couldn’t afford to lose another family member.

A silence fell over the scene.

After a long while, Wen Qingling sighed softly, “Considering your misunderstanding of my compassion, I can give her an antidote. However…”

“You can make any request you want,” Hua Jiang immediately responded.

Wen Qingling bluntly stated, “I’ve said before that I want to destroy her reliance. So, my condition for saving her is that you step down and relinquish the Fourth District. You can leave Central City with them or stay inside as an ordinary person. I don’t care about that.”

There was a collective gasp in the room.

Hua Jiang fell into silence and didn’t immediately agree.

Wen Qingling gave him time to consider and added, “Since the generals are present, let me say a few more words. Apart from Hua Jiang stepping down, Nie Jiang of the Sixth District, I hope you can consider retiring on your own for the sake of the unfortunate survivors in the Sixth District. Don’t make me take action. You’re already old, why not enjoy your retirement peacefully? Why fight for power and seize authority? Those are things for young people. Don’t blindly get involved.”

Nie Jiang: “…”

Old Nie almost spat out a mouthful of blood out of anger.

Wen Qingling continued, “Nie Jiang, haven’t you forgotten what Yu Jinhui did to my friend? I always stand up for my friends and hold grudges. Just because Yu Jinhui is dead doesn’t mean this matter is over. I remember very well how you pursued and hunted me and Xiao Hen. For the sake of the Sixth District, retire on your own. Don’t make me take action.”

Nie Jiang: “…”

This time, a mouthful of blood really did spray out, and he fainted on the spot.

Wen Qingling said, “Xia Jiang of the Seventh District.”

Xia Jiang replied, “I have something to ask you too. Did you have anything to do with the deaths of the four research assistants?”

Wen Qingling replied, “Although I’m not a good person, I won’t take the blame for something I didn’t do.”

Xiao Hen: “…”

No, you’re actually a very good person… No, a very good little zombie.

Xia Jiang coldly chuckled, “Now that Yin Jiang and Yin Cheng are dead, are you going to blame it all on Yin Cheng?”

Wen Qingling: “…”Damn it, you’ve said it all, what else can I say?

Wen Qingling thought for a moment and said, “If I did it, I would admit it. If I didn’t, no one can accuse me.”

Xia Jiang snorted.

Wen Qingling added, “They didn’t die; they’re still alive and helping me with research.”

Xia Jiang didn’t believe it, “Just empty words. How can I trust you?”

Wen Qingling replied, “Whether you believe me or not is none of my concern. If you want revenge, come and get it. I can beat up Xia Yunhan and feed him to the zombies.”

…If the zombies are willing to eat.

Xia Jiang was speechless, unable to retort to Wen Qingling’s words. He didn’t know if what Wen Qingling said was true or false.

Xiao Hen said, “Qingling doesn’t lie. Everything he said is true. Yin Cheng ordered people to throw them to the zombies, and it was Qingling who saved them. They are currently in Ling City… no, it’s now called Civilization City, conducting research there.”

Xia Jiang remained skeptical.

Xiao Hen said, “If Xia Jiang doesn’t believe it, you can go to Civilization City and see for yourself. However, outsiders are not allowed to enter Civilization City. If Xia Yunhan acknowledges your familial relationship, he can come out and meet you.”

Xia Jiang was puzzled. What did that mean? He couldn’t even enter Civilization City?

Xia Jiang asked, somewhat bewildered, “If outsiders are not allowed in Civilization City, who lives there?”

Xiao Hen chuckled, “That’s a secret of Civilization City…”

Wen Qingling timely interjected, “It might not be a secret anymore. These foreign people who came searching for ‘humanity’s hope,’ I strongly suspect they’re looking for me.”

Everyone: “…”

No, when you’re bragging about yourself, could you be a bit more subtle? Too much boasting might cause cracks.

Only Xiao Hen knew that Wen Qingling was telling the truth.

After much contemplation, Hua Jiang agreed to Wen Qingling’s conditions.

He stepped down and handed over the Fourth District.

He had no choice but to comply. Wen Qingling would continue to trap the Fourth District. Instead of letting the people of the Fourth District know the true reason for their predicament and forcing him to step down amidst criticism, it was better to maintain a good reputation and voluntarily step down.

Xiao Hen had someone feed Hua Jiang’s daughter, Hua Feihuang, an antidote. In front of everyone, she was brought back from the brink of turning into a zombie and woke up completely unharmed.

The appearance of the antidote for the zombie virus caused a significant sensation. The other generals who had just learned about this news were excited, their eyes bloodshot, wanting to grab Xiao Hen and extract every piece of information about the antidote.

The news of the antidote for the zombie virus quickly spread throughout Central City, bringing hope to the terrified and anxious survivors who had endured great hardships. Everyone was thrilled, and those with connections sought information about the antidote through various channels. Where could they buy it? Would having the antidote mean they were no longer afraid of the zombie virus?

To avoid misunderstandings, Xiao Hen explained in detail the treatment direction of the antidote, clearly stating that it could only deal with the ordinary zombie virus. It was not a vaccine, only an antidote without antibodies.

Even so, the people in Central City remained excited. They eagerly awaited the day when the antidote would be publicly available for sale.

Wen Qingling’s strength was evident. He alone could challenge the entire Central City. The arrangements he made for the Fourth and Sixth Districts were apparent. Hua Jiang voluntarily stepped down, while Nie Jiang had no choice but to step down.

Xiao Jiang, Lei Jiang, and Mo Jiang had doubts about the Fourth and Sixth Districts, so they dispatched people to thoroughly clean them to ensure that no one slipped through. Only then did they gather together to discuss the issue of relocation.

The tall wooden walls of the Fourth District were finally removed.

Hua Jiang stepped down but did not leave Central City. He didn’t know where to go if he left. He could only stay in the city and busied himself with comforting his two daughters. Hua Feiyan, upon learning that her father had stepped down for her sake, caused trouble at home every day, arguing with Hua Jiang and her sister…

After Nie Jiang vomited blood, his health deteriorated even further. The Nie family was in constant turmoil. Their son complained, their daughter-in-law wore a cold expression, and their grandson continued to be a handful, clamoring to marry Hua Feiyan…

Wen Qingling’s intervention undoubtedly reduced many conflicts. At least they didn’t have to resort to violence to easily resolve numerous issues within the districts.

Currently, only the Second, Third, Fifth, and Seventh Districts remained intact in Central City. The other three districts were preparing to merge with the existing four districts. However, Xiao Jiang raised the question of relocation, rendering the proposal for a district merger meaningless.

Relocation involved numerous complications. Aside from the fact that they were accustomed to living in Central City and might not be willing to leave, there were also concerns about the long and dangerous journey ahead. How would they deal with the countless zombies in Lan City and other issues to consider? There were too many problems to contemplate.

The leaders of the four districts argued every day, with the majority believing that relocation was not a wise move. It was impossible to find another safe place like Central City within the borders of Hua Country. Xiao Hen had been listening for a few days, suffering from a splitting headache, and had no choice but to go back and discuss with Wen Qingling.

Xiao Hen couldn’t make decisions on Wen Qingling’s behalf; he could only inquire about his intentions.

After another argument broke out, Xiao Hen finally spoke up.

Xiao Hen said, “I suppose everyone has heard about Dr. Wen’s ability to control zombies.”

Everyone looked at Xiao Hen with confusion, not understanding why he would bring up this topic at this time.

“I’ve heard the rumors, but I don’t believe them,” someone immediately expressed their opinion.

Someone chimed in, “I don’t believe it either because I’ve never seen it.”

Xiao Hen responded, “It’s not a rumor, it’s true.”

Someone in the room burst into laughter, saying, “They say that if one’s mental power reaches a certain level, they can control zombies. But so far, we haven’t seen it. Even if it’s true, what good is it to control a few zombies?”

Xiao Hen sneered, “Have you ever thought about how Wen Qingling managed to establish a civilized city in Ling City, also known as the ‘City of Zombies’?”

Everyone was stunned and looked at Xiao Hen with doubt.

Xiao Hen continued, “Right now, the entire Ling City, even the outskirts, is enclosed by Wen Qingling within the civilized city…”

“That’s impossible! If they could really build a new city in Ling City, then what happened to all the zombies there?!” someone interjected impatiently.

Xiao Hen replied, “That’s exactly what I’m saying. Wen Qingling relocated all the zombies in Ling City to a specific area. He divided the living areas for humans and zombies, and neither side dares to cross the boundary. We don’t care about the casualties caused by crossing the boundary…”

Wen Qingling’s voice suddenly appeared in the meeting room, “Talking won’t change anything. Seeing is believing. Aren’t there many helicopters in Central City?”

Xiao Hen chuckled. Every aspect of the civilized city was unbelievable, and even if Wen Qingling was willing to tell them some things, they wouldn’t believe it unless they saw it with their own eyes.

Xiao Hen looked at everyone present and asked, “What do you think? Do you want to take the helicopter and see it for yourselves?”

Was there even a need to ask? Of course, they wanted to see!

However, they couldn’t all leave Central City. Xiao Jiang, Lei Jiang, Mo Jiang, and Xia Jiang would lead a few people to go and see.

Knowing Wen Qingling’s nature well, Xiao Hen didn’t believe that he would be so generous as to invite people to his own home. He was probably just too lazy to drive back and wanted to hitch a ride on the helicopter.

A row of helicopters departed from Central City and headed towards Ling City.

Mi Yan and Luo Fengjue followed suit, but Da Bai was too big to fit in the helicopter. He could only be placed in a cage and hung on the helicopter. The row of helicopters flew overhead, creating a spectacular sight.

Wen Qingling patted the helicopter and said, “Having helicopters is great. We can fly wherever we want.”

Xiao Hen remained silent, understanding that this was Wen Qingling’s way of getting a helicopter ride.