Saving Unpermitted

Chapter 97: Natural Disaster

“The synthetics team has split into two major groups and currently occupies the residential area in the west of the city. There is also a large Erosion Swamp approaching from the west. The synthetic humans have halted their advance, likely due to the movement of the swamp.”

Zhu Sheng’s assistant pushed up his glasses.

“In addition, the identity of that giant monster has been confirmed. Just as you suspected, it is Captain Shu Jun of the Blackbirds.”

“Has it been leaked?”

“Currently, only Squadron One and Three are aware of it.”

“Keep this information secure. If news of ‘resurrection of the dead’ reaches the public, it will cause chaos. How is Xia Yufeng performing?” Zhu Sheng’s voice was steady.

“The front line is retreating, but they are maintaining a stable and consistent style. It shouldn’t be a problem for now.”

“Well, the election is almost over. After it ends, have Mr. Dong support him—has Mr. Dong been found?”

“Not yet. He was originally chosen by Marshal Zhu as a civilian without official credentials, and his whereabouts have always been uncertain. Since Xia Yufeng became the substitute, he has rarely appeared.”

“This person still has some ability. Find him as soon as possible. Also, divide the people in the square into groups and reorganize the residential areas. How is Zhu Yanchen’s paper interpretation progressing?”

“Well…”

Zhu Sheng tapped his fingers lightly on the table, furrowing his brows.

“It will still take some time,” the assistant replied stiffly. “The researcher has just switched from other projects, and it takes time just to interpret the data. Applying the theory to weapons is not something that can be done in a day or two.”

“Hmm. Keep a close eye on Yi Ning during this time. At least until the election results are announced, stabilize him completely. As for the matter of the rescue team…”

“I will take care of the families.”

The assistant bowed and left the room.

Zhu Sheng sat on the sofa. The years had thinned and worn out his once robust body. The current situation was unprecedented, requiring careful consideration every minute and every second. A wrong step could lead to irreversible disaster. Under such heavy pressure, the old man’s spine finally bent slightly.

For the first time in many years, he sighed aloud.

“The rescue team…”

Several days passed, and Xia Yufeng had already left Y City. He followed the rescue team towards the largest settlement, living a relatively carefree life along the way, although the food and drink weren’t particularly good. The rescue team wore anti-corrosion face masks, so he didn’t have to worry about exposing his troublesome face.

As the flames of war ignited, Xia Yufeng had only one thought—

He had had enough.

If Zhu Yanchen was willing to engage in power struggles with his father, then let the Zhu father and son fight among themselves. Since Zhu Yanchen returned to Y City, Xia Yufeng hadn’t had many opportunities to show himself. Previously, he was pretending to be Marshal Zhu, and after that, he was at best Zhu Yanchen’s temporary substitute—he even got shot because of it!

With Zhu Yanchen around, Zhu Sheng wouldn’t notice his disappearance. And although Zhu Yanchen was ruthless in his methods, he never caused trouble for his family. He took advantage of Zhu Yanchen’s fighting spirit and slipped away. After all, it wasn’t like Zhu Yanchen would bother his elderly parents.

It was easy for a group of people to get involved in a war, but wasn’t it easy for one person to hide? He had internal information and knew that the synthetics could only hold on for about a month. As long as he acquired weapons and water, he could hide in the settlement for a month—by the time the war ended, he could change direction with the wind.

Speaking of which, there was also a problem with this rescue team. They were supposed to escort tens of thousands of people back to the city, but the supplies they brought with them were completely inadequate. Although the large settlement had its own reserves, it was still embarrassingly insufficient. Xia Yufeng had originally planned to sneak away with some aid supplies, but he never found an opportunity.

Moreover, the journey wasn’t easy. The closer they got to the erosion area, the higher the concentration of erosion substance in the air. People trudged forward in heavy protective suits, silently, on the soft and muddy ground.

Ahead was an endless haze, and behind was chaos. Since Y City was sealed off, the signal quality had deteriorated significantly. This team seemed to have stepped out of reality, no longer affected by time, as they mechanically moved forward.

No one spoke; there was only the sound of the sled scraping through the rotten mud.

It was bearable for a day or two, but after four or five days, Xia Yufeng started to lose it. He couldn’t figure out if this team was on a rescue mission or heading straight for hell.

Just when he was about to go crazy, they finally arrived at their destination—the once bustling settlement was now reduced to ruins. There weren’t many signs of war in this settlement, but several surrounding settlements had been massacred by monsters or the people had fled. Communication between settlements had suddenly been cut off, and individual settlements without the means to produce food wouldn’t last long.

The residents trembled and huddled in the ruins, barely surviving. When they saw the Y City troops arrive, tears almost filled their eyes.

Everything went smoothly; he just had to wait for the rescue team to leave, and he could quietly take some supplies and survive for a while longer.

However, the rescue team didn’t leave.

They seemed to have made up their minds to stay here and take a good rest. After completing the preparations, the captain leisurely started to record the names of the residents. This settlement had over fifty thousand people, yet the whole process dragged on for three or four days.

It felt like they were waiting for something.

It was impossible for such a large group of people to simply survive, and it was unrealistic in terms of supplies as well. The captain didn’t mention the crisis in Y City, clearly planning to take these people away. Besides the factor of escaping the war, what else could be the reason…

The election?

Yes, the elections. The election results were about to be announced. Xia Yufeng clenched his fist, quickly realizing the situation. Initially, Zhu Sheng used these people as bargaining chips in negotiations with Yi Ning. Naturally, he wanted to “pay one hand and deliver the goods with the other*”.

*Idiom referring to a situation where someone is giving with one hand while taking away with the other, or when there is a balance between giving and receiving (AKA give and take).

But upon careful consideration, the situation seemed a bit delicate—the elections weren’t completed in a day, and even if Yi Ning turned against them, it would be impossible to reverse the situation. They didn’t need to wait in the settlement for so long unless… unless Zhu Sheng needed to firmly secure Zhu Yanchen’s position to prevent Yi Ning from causing any trouble. Yi Ning wasn’t impulsive, so it would be difficult to force him into a desperate situation…

Xia Yufeng’s heart gradually grew cold.

The supplies brought by this team were completely insufficient, and now there was an obvious time delay… Could it be that Zhu Sheng never intended for these people to enter the city alive?

If the rescue team and the rescued people all died outside the city, Y City wouldn’t have to bear the burden of providing water and medical care for fifty thousand people, nor would they need to deal with the chaos these people might cause. If they were killed by the synthetics, Yi Ning would have to swallow this bitter pill. As a last resort, even if Zhu Sheng’s intentions were exposed, it would be too late, and Yi Ning would ultimately not be able to overcome the leader.

Losing a relatively small-scale rescue team in exchange for Yi Ning’s allegiance was a worthwhile deal. And for the ordinary residents of Y City, it would be convenient to attribute the sacrifice of the team to the synthetic humans.

…The captain was probably just following orders and unaware of what was about to happen. Having followed the Zhu family for so long, Xia Yufeng understood their modus operandi in private matters.

There was still time to tell the truth to this team.

As long as they took the supplies from the settlement, deliberately disobeyed Zhu Sheng’s instructions, and ensured their survival, there would be no problem. Zhu Sheng wouldn’t be foolish enough to massacre his own people right at his doorstep; he would definitely use the synthetics to intercept them. When the team reached the city gates and successfully made contact with the larger force, these people would still be able to return to Y City alive.

It wasn’t his concern, Xia Yufeng immediately warned himself seriously. For the sake of his own life, he had never challenged Zhu Sheng’s authority. He wouldn’t ruin everything over such a trivial matter.

Such a trivial matter…

He watched as a mother hugged her child and wept with gratitude towards the rescue team. Men busily made temporary stretchers for the elderly in their homes, happily preparing to enter the city. A few children with deformed heads ran past him and handed him a processed mutant bird’s egg.

Xia Yufeng gritted his teeth.

He had to gather supplies and find a place to hide them. He and the Zhu family weren’t from the same world. As a small fry, these people weren’t his responsibility.

With his identity as a rescue worker, it wasn’t difficult to gather supplies from the residents. In just half a day, he managed to collect enough food and purification equipment to sustain himself for two months. Xia Yufeng found a sturdy house that he liked and planned to transport the supplies inside while the team rested.

During the gap while waiting for the team to regroup, he leaned against the door of the house, expressionless, watching people bustling around, coming and going.

He suddenly remembered the muffin he had eaten in Zhu Yanchen’s office before being shot on the show.

…Just like ants. These people were the same. They only knew how to enjoy the sweetness in their mouths and had no idea what awaited them ahead.

Xia Yufeng squatted in front of his secret base all night, lost in thought for an entire day.

The next day, with his eyes bloodshot, he sought out the captain of the rescue team.

“…I have something very important to report,” Xia Yufeng said slowly.

In the city center of Y City, a different scene unfolded—

The election results were announced, and Zhu Yanchen won by an extremely narrow margin, becoming the new leader. Instead of cheering, people let out disappointed sighs—accumulated dissatisfaction was ignited and nearly erupted on the spot. Fortunately, Zhu Sheng had increased the number of patrol teams in advance, suppressing the chaos.

“Zhu Yanchen can’t even suppress the rebellion of the synthetics! How long has it been? We have nowhere to go back to!”

“If Marshal Yi were the leader, things would definitely not be like this—”

“It’s behind-the-scenes manipulation, definitely behind-the-scenes manipulation!”

The commotion didn’t last long before a sweet female voice sounded in the square. “There is a strong erosion source approaching near the city center. I repeat, a strong erosion source is approaching near the city center. Please take shelter immediately in buildings, tents, or other enclosed environments, and activate the purifiers around you. The strong erosion source may cause erosion rain…”

The resistance movement died before it even formed.

No one was arguing this time—the images were only visible to the command center. However, on the other side of the protective wall, many civilian institutions had installed image transmission devices. Someone broke through the light screen blockade in the city center square and transmitted the footage.

Just a wall away was a living hell.

A strange monster roared at the camera, its feet treading on a massive Erosion Swamp. This swamp was completely different from what people had seen before—every time human soldiers approached, the swamp would expand with countless spiky structures, resembling the skeletal remains of a pufferfish. The thick protective suits were pierced, and those who attempted to get close were quickly swallowed by the Erosion Swamp.

Meanwhile, the monster ignored the Erosion Swamp beneath its feet and clawed at the walls with sharp claws, emitting a mournful and desperate cry.

The synths stayed far away from the swamp, choosing other directions to attack. Abilities clashed with purification grenades from the human camp, causing frequent explosions and making the earth tremble noticeably.

War had never been so close.

People finally realized that this chaos was not merely a “weapons rebellion”. However, at this point, they had nowhere to escape. After more than a hundred years, the impression of “X City’s natural disaster” finally returned to people’s minds.

No one shouted about going home anymore or expressed dissatisfaction with the election results. Everyone fell silent in front of the screens, as if attending a strange funeral.

Yi Ning’s assistant stood in the center of the square, spitting on the image of the light screen.