Chapter Forty-Four: Treated with Indifference

Chen Liu shook his head vigorously and said, “That’s right, kid Xie. Most people agree—you’re half a hero already.” He shot Xie Han a sidelong glance and joked, “Why only half? If you’d managed to take out R3, the title would’ve been complete.”

Xie Han let out a strange shout, “Brother Chen, are you messing with me? If R3 were that easy to kill, it wouldn’t be called R3. So, has word gotten out?” Chen Liu nodded, “I reported it to the base management long ago. Whether they care or not is no longer up to me.” Remembering the expression on the official’s face when he reported it, Chen Liu cursed, “Damn it, I doubt any of them even know about zombie evolution. With that attitude, this base is doomed.”

Thinking of the three tons of premium flour, Xie Han felt the risk he’d taken was worthwhile. He asked Taishan, “Do we have anywhere to put all this flour?” Taishan waved it off, “Three tons? Even three hundred tons wouldn’t be a problem. The first floors in the neighborhood are all empty. We can set aside a couple of rooms, stack it however you like.”

“And what about the house I asked you to arrange?” Xie Han wasn’t keen on spending another night packed into a room with so many people; it was never particularly comfortable. Taishan grinned, “That’s already taken care of. It’s still in our neighborhood, but on the top floor—we knocked through three apartments to make a big suite. Everyone gets their own room.”

Chen Liu laughed, “Kid Xie, if you wanted a house, you should’ve told me sooner. All that trouble for nothing! There’s still plenty of vacant places in town—why not come to our complex? Everything’s automated, nothing like your rundown neighborhood.” Xie Han politely declined. Fully automated complexes always felt a bit too unreal to him; he preferred the old neighborhood, where things weren’t so different from the world he remembered.

Chen Liu and his group stayed until dinner, bustling with noise and laughter before finally leaving. They were leaders of various teams, and when they left, each had exchanged contact info with Xie Han, getting acquainted. Xu Qiang and Taishan’s group lingered only a little longer, just enough to discuss arrangements for the old and young, then left as well.

Once Chen Liu and his lot were gone, the management still sent a staffer to verify Chen Liu’s report with Xie Han. But from this so-called Specialist Wang, Xie Han could tell the higher-ups weren’t truly interested; he was just going through the motions. Thinking of the tens of thousands living in the base, Xie Han couldn’t help but say, “Specialist Wang, this R3 isn’t like an ordinary zombie. Please make sure the authorities understand—this isn’t a joke. The survival of the base is at stake. And the zombies in Wangtian City are starting to move purposefully toward the base. Shouldn’t someone be sent to investigate?”

Hearing this, Specialist Wang’s face turned cold. He replied in a frosty tone, “Don’t think that just because you held off some R2s and R3s, you’re some kind of hero who can criticize the authorities. The base has a dedicated zombie virus research unit—aren’t their reports more authoritative? And as for your claim that zombies from Wangtian City are moving toward us purposefully, that’s utter nonsense. Even a three-year-old knows zombies have no consciousness, no awareness, no thought, no feelings. They’re just corpses. Yet you say they’re moving intentionally? What a joke!”

Xie Han was left speechless and felt a surge of anger. This man was the very image of callous indifference, no wonder Chen Liu had looked so bitter. Suppressing his fury, Xie Han replied coolly, “Specialist Wang, you can’t be so arbitrary. Have you ever been out hunting? Fought zombies yourself? Do you even know how many zombies have poured out of Wangtian City? If you don’t, how can you say what I’ve said is a joke?”

Specialist Wang’s face grew even more sullen. “When did the government’s business become yours to manage? Let me say this again: the base has a dedicated research team monitoring all zombie movements with up-to-date data.” He sneered, “Even if the zombies really do come, so what? With the base’s defenses, even a million zombies would just cost us some ammunition. As for your R3, no matter how much you hype it up, could it withstand rocket launchers, artillery, heavy sniper rifles, or tank guns? I suspect you’re exaggerating the R3’s abilities just to glorify yourselves.”

Xie Han raised his hand. “Alright, maybe we’ve overstepped. If you have a research team, why bother verifying with us? Don’t you already know everything?”

“Impudence! Is that any way to speak?” Specialist Wang slammed his hand on the desk. The two soldiers behind him immediately leveled their rifles at Xie Han. Wang, losing his composure, barked, “If it weren’t for the base and our efforts to keep it safe, you’d all be zombie food by now. You’re lucky to still enjoy life here. What the government requires is a cooperative attitude. I’ve never seen anyone like you.”

Xie Han wasn’t intimidated. He sneered, “Cooperative attitude? It’s your attitude that’s the problem. I’ve said all I need to say. Believe me or not, that’s up to you. But for the sake of the base’s survivors, let me remind you: according to my estimates, zombies will reach the base in at most two months. If you have any conscience or care about your own survival, you’d better report this honestly.”

Specialist Wang’s face flushed red, then white, then turned ashen. At last, he left with his men. Xie Han couldn’t be sure if he’d report the warning up the chain, but with such a serious matter, the fate of the base at stake, it was unlikely a mere minor official would dare conceal it.

With two hours left before he could go out, Xie Han lay back down on his bed. Now, with three tons of premium flour, he was living at a comfortable level by apocalypse standards, with no immediate worries about food. More importantly, with food secured, many of his plans could be put into action—like recruiting all sorts of talented people, who, in these times, were as cheap as cabbages.

But what truly thrilled Xie Han was the thirty bags of gold sand in his spatial vault. This was his capital for the modern world. The only headache was how to cash in such a large, mysterious stockpile of gold. Mishandle it, and there’d be endless trouble—he didn’t want to draw the attention of the police. If his greatest secret were exposed, the consequences would be disastrous; they wouldn’t hesitate to send him off to some research institute as a lab rat.

Now, Xie Han’s spatial vault had expanded to two cubic meters, allowing him to transport much more. If he kept ferrying food to the apocalypse world daily, the haul would be substantial. Thinking about all that food, his mind drifted to the terrifying power of a heavy-duty roadbreaker. Perhaps with such a behemoth, he could finally reveal his true strength.

And so, Xie Han’s long-simmering desire grew all the more intense.