RIACMET chapter 27

 

The new rules issued by the Supernatural Command Center were effective, but they greatly increased the workload, time, and risk faced by rescue teams.

On October 3, finally, the central government made a satellite broadcast calling for urban zoning control and rescue operations.

The next day, Qingyun City officials announced the implementation of zoning control, dividing the entire city into four sections:

Four control zones were established in the east, west, south, and north. A rescue command center and supply station were located at the intersection of these zones.

The area where Jiang Nian and his companions lived was designated as part of the Western District. At the same time, nearly ten surrounding communities of various sizes were established as resettlement points for Western District survivors.

The Western District’s resettlement command center was set up on the first floor of the property office in their community, and the second and third floors were used to store supplies.

Once the zoning control plan was announced, Qingyun City’s entire rescue team was mobilized. Communities designated as resettlement points were surrounded by iron mesh boundaries and temporary fences.

After receiving this notice, Cheng Jing and the others left and did not return home for several days.

During this period, the well-trained team members gradually awakened their special powers due to high physical and mental stress.

Huang Qian was the first to awaken, gaining the ability to manipulate plants for offense and defense.

Next was Deputy Captain Zhao Lei, who gained the ability to control metal. He was also skilled in attack and defense and had even greater strength and destructive force.

Then came Jian Cheng’s enhanced vision, often called the sniper’s gift of foresight.

Tang Yi’s physical strength enhanced.

Liao Yu gained ice magic abilities from the natural system with excellent control.

Lu Ningzhou also had a nature-type ability, but his earth-type power was mainly defensive.

Zhou Rongbin was a rare and mysterious psychic. According to the current official classification of supernatural powers, psychics are collectively referred to as “dreamers.”

However, dreamers’ abilities varied widely and included direct mental attacks and indirect mental control. Zhou Rongbin’s special ability was creating illusions, or mirages.

Seeing that all his teammates had awakened their powers, Jiang Nian was overjoyed. His face was full of smiles. He believed it was a reward from heaven for his past life.

As a result, the entire team’s combat effectiveness improved dramatically and became well balanced.

Of course, Cheng Jing instructed them not to use their powers in front of others unless absolutely necessary.

Tang Yi’s enhanced strength was still in its early stages, so most people couldn’t notice it. Jian Cheng’s enhanced vision and Zhou Rongbin’s psychic abilities were easy to conceal.

To the outside world, the team appeared to have only four members with supernatural powers: Cheng Jing, Huang Qian, Liao Yu, and Zhao Lei. Too much exposure would cause trouble, so it was better to keep a low profile.

Even so, a team of eight with four known offensive supernaturals was enough to intimidate those around them. Even the officials admired and envied them.

Some suggested dispersing the team into different squads, but Cheng Jing refused. Working with strangers could be scarier than facing zombies.

The person in charge of the Western District’s control was Zhou Li, a 45-year-old military man. He was an ordinary person who was tall and strong. He was straightforward, firm, and decisive, and he acted without delay.

Perhaps due to excessive worry since the apocalypse began, he looked much older than his age.

Zhou Li respected Cheng Jing and cooperated with him, even relying on him somewhat. After all, Cheng Jing had suggested sealing doors to protect survivors and implementing zoning control, and the results were excellent.

So, even when others wanted to break up Cheng Jing’s team to balance out teams lacking supernaturals, Zhou Li consulted Cheng Jing first and didn’t force the issue.

…

As survivors were continuously relocated into the communities, the more people there were, the more zombies appeared. On top of that, rescue procedures were imperfect, and some people hid infections, posing great danger.

Even though he wasn’t home, Cheng Jing reminded Jiang Nian daily: Don’t go out. Don’t be curious. Don’t be overly kindhearted.

After all, the relocated survivors wouldn’t come up to the tenth floor to bother them.

Jiang Nian wasn’t the type to stir up trouble. Having died once already, he understood this principle well. If nothing else, he would never be overly compassionate!

By October 12, after nearly ten days of hard work, the zoning control phase had stabilized, and the relocation of the survivors was proceeding in an orderly manner.

However, statistics showed that, in each district, only just over half of the survivors were willing to move voluntarily.

As Jiang Nian and his team had predicted, those who accepted relocation were mostly short on supplies.

Those who refused relocation gave various reasons: they had enough supplies, didn’t want exposure, and still demanded government rescue and protection.

Some had supplies and family members with awakened powers, so they felt confident in their ability to defend themselves and wanted to wait until a rescue base was built nearby before moving.

When their demands weren’t met, they refused to move and tried to make the rescue teams feel guilty.

Some people were unwilling to leave their homes. They requested that their residences be designated as resettlement sites or that the government send supernatural beings to guard them personally.

The current situation laid bare the selfishness and greed of human nature.

“You’re so toxic. Don’t you realize what kind of situation you’re in now?”

“Wait until you’re fighting for your life, you fool…”

Seeing Cheng Jing’s message, Jiang Nian complained. He really didn’t understand why people could be so picky at a time like this.

Surviving the apocalypse was a blessing, yet they were still picky. What was wrong with them? Did they think the rescue team was Taobao[mfn]Taobao is a Chinese online shopping platform.[/mfn] customer service?

Trying to reason with such troublesome spirits was truly exhausting. Just accept other people’s fate!

That said, the allocation of resettlement sites wasn’t based solely on geography and zombie density; it was also based on suggestions from rescue team members.

While it made sense for their area to be chosen as a resettlement site, it wasn’t necessarily the best option. Their success was largely thanks to Cheng Jing’s team, led by a rare dual-attribute supernatural being.

Now, in outsiders’ eyes, their team had three additional powerful attackers, so Captain Cheng Jing’s words carried much more weight.

There were signs that he had entered the core of Qingyun City’s rescue operations and was participating in deployment planning.

With frequent opportunities for real combat, Cheng Jing’s powers had broken into the intermediate level, and he had started to condense his supernatural core crystal. The range and intensity of his attacks were terrifying—wherever his lightning and fire passed, zombies turned to ash.

In his previous life, it took Jiang Nian more than a year to form his supernatural core crystal while under the influence of drugs.

On October 12, Jiang Nian sent a message to Cheng Jing, reminding him that there would be hail on October 15, followed by snow and extreme cold. Jiang urged Cheng to prepare accordingly and return home early.

The weather had become unpredictable in recent days. The temperature difference between day and night was unusual—scorching hot like summer at noon and freezing like winter in the mornings and evenings.

Thus, when Cheng Jing and Zhou Li proposed guarding against the extreme cold caused by the abnormal weather, the authorities immediately began drafting relevant plans.

After the toxic rain incident, everyone had become extremely sensitive and proactive about abnormal weather.

On October 14, after more than ten days on the mission, they finally returned home with unkempt beards and tired faces. They were thinner than before. The handsome men and beautiful women were now disheveled and smelled unpleasant.

After a thorough wash, a good meal, and a solid sleep, they finally felt refreshed.