Chapter Fifty: The Fantasy of the Base

Rebuilding civilization without any obstacles—Xie Han knew that no one truly believed him. After all, the very notion sounded incredibly bizarre. At this point, all of humanity was convinced that zombies had lost every trace of what once made them human. It was for this reason that his conjecture, that the horde was moving toward the base, seemed utterly laughable in most people’s eyes. Yet Xie Han’s understanding of zombies far surpassed that of anyone else. The XR virus, though it had utterly destroyed its hosts, possessed the peculiar ability, if only in rare cases, to reassemble human DNA and spawn monstrous new forms of life.

This deep familiarity with the undead gave Xie Han certainty: the zombies were advancing toward the base, perhaps guided by some unknown force or compelled by some mysterious reason, moving slowly enough that humans would scarcely notice. At times, Xie Han harbored the unsettling suspicion that this was all part of a long-laid conspiracy, one aimed at encircling and annihilating the entire base. Such an outlandish suspicion was, of course, not something he could voice aloud—no one would accept such a terrifying theory.

Xie Han affirmed Xu Qiang’s words. “Qiangzi is right. Things may be even worse than we think. That’s why we must begin preparations to evacuate the base immediately.”

Evacuate the base? Xie Han’s words exploded through the hall like a bombshell. The entire team had endured untold hardships to secure a safe haven at last—a place where they’d dared to dream of a peaceful life, free from the ever-present terror of zombies. Yet this fragile peace, maintained for barely over a week, was now to be shattered. Once more, they faced endless peril. The thought was almost unbearable.

Qi Feiwu was the first to rise. “Why should we evacuate? As the largest base in Wangtian Province, it’s guarded by professional soldiers—their combat prowess far exceeds ours, who learned to fight only out of necessity. With them here, I doubt the zombies could ever breach our defenses. Even if, by some chance, the horde arrives, every person in the base can become a fighter in an instant. With the zombies’ limited abilities, it’s impossible for them to break through our fortifications.”

Xie Han smiled. He understood all too well that no one wished to return to a life of fear and uncertainty. Yet if they did not evacuate, the endless tide of zombies outside would inevitably overwhelm the base. “Feiwu, you don’t truly understand what zombies are capable of. Perhaps a few thousand, even tens of thousands, pose little threat. But what if that number multiplied tenfold or a hundredfold? Once they break through the electrified barrier, the high walls will fall before their terrifying strength in half a day. And that isn’t even the deadliest threat—should the R2s and R3s appear, it would spell utter disaster for humanity… Once we’re surrounded on all sides, do you think escape would still be possible?”

“Of course, it’s possible I’m wrong. But to survive in the apocalypse, we must be cautious above all else. Preparing for evacuation harms nothing—even if my predictions prove false, we can still go on living here as before.”

Xie Han’s words left everyone silent. Upon careful reflection, most found themselves agreeing with him. “But where will we go this time?” Chu Tianhe voiced the question that weighed most heavily on everyone’s mind. If even the largest base in Wangtian Province could not be held, where could they possibly hope to survive?

Xie Han had pondered this very issue many times. He had even traded precious grain on the black market for a provincial map of Wangtian. After countless hours of study, a bold idea had taken root in his mind: to build a new base himself. It was no impulsive fantasy—only with a base of their own, a true foundation for survival, could they attract survivors from across the land. Only with enough talent could his plans come to fruition.

He drew the map from his pocket and spread it out in the meeting room, announcing with dramatic flair, “Here is where we’ll go…” On the map, more than two hundred kilometers from Wangtian City, he had circled a vast area in red. Around this, he’d drawn an even larger black circle, which, to scale, encompassed over a hundred square kilometers.

Xu Qiang exhaled, eyeing the two circles carefully. “Isn’t this… the military restricted zone of the Wangtian Military Research Base?”

“Precisely,” Xie Han replied with a smile. “That’s exactly why I chose it—because it’s a military restricted zone. As you all know, no civilians are permitted to enter or remain within such an area. In this era of zombies, that means the only undead inside are the former staff and stationed soldiers. If we can eliminate them, the entire expanse—a hundred square kilometers—will be free of zombies.”

Taishan let out a hearty laugh, clapping his hands. “Boss, that’s brilliant! Think about it—a military restricted zone, and a research base at that. What’s the one thing it’ll have in abundance? Weapons and ammunition, of course! If we seize the base, we’ll never have to worry about running out of bullets. And if the place is still intact… who knows, maybe we’ll find fighter jets or tanks. I won’t hope for strategic weapons, but there’s bound to be some mysterious arms hidden inside, right?”

Xie Han had considered the same possibilities. The abundance of weaponry was a major factor in his choice. In this post-apocalyptic world, survival depended on strength—only by arming themselves could they keep the zombies at bay.

Qi Feiwu, watching the men’s feverish enthusiasm, voiced her hesitation. “But with just our group, how could we possibly control such a vast base?” Xie Han nodded. “We’ve already thought of that. Before the zombies converge on the base, we must recruit as many people as we can to bolster our ranks. Once we have enough manpower, we’ll establish our own base within the military compound.”

“And what about food?” Nearly everyone tacitly accepted Xie Han’s evacuation plan, even the veteran Yang Huaiyuan and the other elders joining in, raising the most fundamental question in any apocalypse.

Xie Han smiled, surveying his audience before replying. “Do you all truly believe that raiding towns and cities for supplies can sustain us long-term? In three and a half years, most of the food will have spoiled or become useless. In the future, this method will yield less and less, until we can no longer find a single grain. Therefore, once we have our own base, we must adopt a new way of life—a return to the self-sufficiency of peaceful times. We will clear the land around our base, plant crops until we have more food than we can eat, and ensure our survival by our own hands. We will make our base a living, breathing haven for humanity in this apocalypse—a vision of golden fields swaying in the wind.”

In this world ravaged by desolation and bloodshed, Xie Han’s vision of the future left everyone momentarily dazed, then burning with fervor. The image of wind-blown rice fields etched itself deep in their minds—a promise that even in the apocalypse, life could still be filled with hope and happiness.