Chapter 185

Chapter 185: New Year

During the day, everyone was busy with their own tasks, and even when they met, it was just a quick greeting. But every night, they would gather around the fire to discuss. They raised questions and proposed solutions, constantly improving. Though busy, they felt fulfilled; though tired, they were filled with strength.

Every day, new people arrived. Time passed day by day, and amidst the sweat of winter, three months slipped by unnoticed.

Excluding the elderly and children under fourteen, the settlement had already reached over two thousand people. A month ago, the settlement stopped accepting newcomers. There were already over two hundred children in the settlement. What was once an empty place had become bustling and even a bit crowded. Adults’ physical training had moved from inside the school to outside.

The original one-meter-high wall was raised to three meters, topped with sharp wooden spikes. The back door’s safety passage was also completed. The ten-person patrol teams were expanded to twenty, each equipped with powerful walkie-talkies effective within five kilometers. Ten drones with high-definition night vision cameras patrolled the skies within five hundred meters of the settlement 24/7, transmitting footage back to the monitoring room, which was manned by five people in four-hour shifts.

The rooftops of the four buildings were equipped with solar generators, fully supplying daily electricity. They dug a well in the school’s back playground. Although water was limited, daily drinking water was not a problem. Every three days, the winning team in a competition could enjoy a hot shower as a reward; otherwise, they had to buy hot water from the boiler room using supplies earned through training or work at the settlement.

Everyone in the settlement had an ID card.

There were thirty people just for cooking in the cafeteria.

Breakfast was porridge and buns, served with pickles made by the kitchen aunties.

Lunch was solid rice with side dishes from Gao Yue’s experimental farm. Zhang Xiaobai once suggested naming the farm after Gao Yue, but she firmly rejected it. Gao Yue was much more relaxed now, with two more doctors in the clinic: a male surgeon in his forties with extensive surgical experience and a twenty-eight-year-old intern. Along with Huang Mengyao, who had been learning from her for three months, the clinic no longer needed her constant supervision. The experimental farm was also running smoothly, supplying the settlement’s needs, with someone else in charge. She focused entirely on developing antidotes. After stockpiling five hundred doses of the first antidote, she began researching more advanced versions.

Those who passed the entrance exams and endured the intense training numbered one thousand five hundred, divided into teams of twenty, with one hundred forming a larger unit. Each team had a captain.

Every week, there was a competition. The strongest unit received twenty pounds of supplies per person, which was crucial for those with families.

“Captain Zhao! Your team won again! This is the third time! That’s just too much! Give the rest of us a chance!” After the competition, the captain of the fifth unit caught up with the third unit’s captain, jokingly complaining but in a light tone.

Zhao Quan smiled and said, “No choice, our team members have families to feed. If we don’t work hard, our families will go hungry!”

Another captain chimed in, “Who doesn’t have a family? My kid even told his classmates our team would win this time. I can’t face him now! I was planning to get him some candy from the supply store to show off. Zhao Quan, when you go to get your supplies, grab me a pack of candy! I’ll pick it up from your dorm later!”

Zhao Quan laughed heartily, “No problem!”

Third Brother knew that unity was the most important thing for a team, so he paid special attention to it. Every week, he called meetings with the captains, repeatedly emphasizing the importance of unity—friendship first, competition second. Judging by the current situation, those meetings weren’t in vain.

After the competition, they dragged their tired bodies back to the settlement under the evening glow. Planning to head straight to the cafeteria, they found the playground filled with tables and chairs, set with bowls and chopsticks.

In the front two rows, children who had finished their lessons for the day sat quietly.

People exclaimed in surprise, “Are we eating on the playground tonight?!”

Each table at the front had a sign indicating which team it was for.

After some initial chaos, the well-trained people quickly found their seats. It was their first time eating outdoors on the playground, and with the competition just over, everyone was excitedly chatting, making the playground lively. Such a scene was rare in the apocalypse, but those who had lived in the settlement for months were already used to it.

Soon, the food arrived.

Quickly, exclamations of surprise and the sound of swallowing saliva filled the air.

“Wow! We’re having meat today!”

“Real meat!”

“Where did they get the meat? I feel like I haven’t eaten meat in decades!”

“What’s the occasion?”

A plate of green pepper stir-fried meat, a plate of fried eggs, two plates of greens, and a seaweed soup.

Before the apocalypse, this would have been a simple meal.

But in the apocalypse, where most people didn’t get enough to eat, this was an incredibly luxurious feast! This was the kind of meal only leaders of the three major bases could enjoy!

Though they usually had dinner, it was mostly just a couple of greens with pickles. When was the last time they had meat?

Amidst the noisy chatter, someone hesitantly asked, “Is today New Year’s Eve?”

The noisy exclamations and discussions suddenly stopped, as if someone had hit the mute button.

In their daily struggle for survival, who remembered holidays? But the significance of the Spring Festival was entirely different. Soon, more voices chimed in, “What’s the date today?”

“When is New Year’s Eve this year?”

“February 8th!”

“Today seems to be New Year’s Eve—”

The playground fell silent again.

It really was New Year’s Eve.

The first Spring Festival after the apocalypse had arrived unexpectedly.

People’s hearts were filled with mixed emotions, unsure of what to say. Over two thousand people sat on the playground in complete silence.

Until a loud noise came from the previously unused loudspeaker, breaking the silence.

People quickly saw someone standing on the podium next to the flagpole.

Everyone recognized him—most of the people here had passed his exams to enter the settlement.

Third Brother stood on the podium with a microphone, seemingly uncomfortable speaking in such a setting, his face tense. He glanced down at the front row, where Gu Ning, Method, Zhang Xiaobai, Cheng Ming, Zhong Xu, Luo Long, Gao Yue, Huang Mengyao, Gu Dad, Gu Mama, Hong Jie, Jia Daozhang, and the soldiers of the Three-Linked Team, along with Xiang Xu, He He, and the other kids, all sat, smiling at him. Third Brother nodded slightly at them, then looked up, scanning the playground, and said, “Good evening, everyone!” His voice, though not very loud, was clear enough for everyone to hear.

The playground erupted in enthusiastic applause.

Third Brother quickly gestured for them to quiet down, saying, “Please keep the applause down. It’s a great day; let’s not attract zombies and ruin the mood.”

His words caused a wave of laughter, though everyone kept their voices low.

Third Brother continued, “I believe everyone knows what day it is today. Yes, it’s New Year’s Eve. Last year at this time, we were at home with our families, enjoying good food and drinks, watching the Spring Festival Gala by the fire.”

The playground was silent, everyone listening intently. At this point, many faces showed sadness.

“First, I want to thank those still on patrol and those on duty at their posts,” he said. “I know everyone is eager to eat, but please bear with me for a few more minutes. I need to say a few important words.” He scanned the crowd. “This has been the toughest year of our lives, and mine too. We’ve lost so many loved ones and friends, struggled hard, and finally gathered here. This is our first Spring Festival together, and the first since the apocalypse. I hope we can celebrate every Spring Festival together from now on. We may not have TV or the Spring Festival Gala, but we have food, drinks, warmth, and security. Outside, there are many more people who, even today, might be starving and freezing.”

“Tell me, do you want to be like them?”

“No!”

The people in the audience were deeply moved. If they hadn’t chosen to come here and take the exams, they might still be in those other settlements, starving and freezing on New Year’s Eve, constantly fearing zombie attacks. Now, they sat here with food and drink, able to sleep peacefully in warm beds at night, free from fear. A few months ago, they could never have imagined such a life. Three months ago, they worried daily about their next meal, minimizing activity to conserve energy, their bodies withering. Now, looking around, everyone was almost unrecognizable from three months ago—full of energy, with muscles under their clothes, strength in their bodies. After nearly three months of intense training, everyone had mastered combat skills and learned to shoot. They were confident in facing zombies, even eager to encounter a few during patrols for practice. Who could have imagined that these same people would have trembled at the sight of zombies three months ago?

“Yet, they are just like us, yearning for peace. You are just luckier than them. How can we achieve peace? Outside, there are millions, even billions of zombies. As long as zombies exist, true peace and safety are impossible. To be safe, we must grow stronger. How? One person’s strength is not enough; one settlement’s strength is not enough. To be safer, we must grow stronger, and to grow stronger, we must unite more people!”

“There are thousands of settlements in the capital, with hundreds of thousands, even millions of people. Many are too weak from hunger to wield weapons against zombies. Their fate is likely to be devoured by zombies, becoming new zombies themselves. Why don’t we bring them into our fold, strengthen our ranks? We can’t wait for zombies to attack us before we think of our weapons. We must strike first, protect our home! Starting tomorrow, a new chapter in our lives begins! We will build a base! A base that stands alongside the capital’s three major bases! A base for the people! It will be our future home, where our children can grow up safe and healthy. And we will defend our home to the death, not allowing a single zombie to step foot in it! If you are willing to join us in building this base, raise your glasses!”

Third Brother finished, raising his glass high.

The Three-Linked Team in the front row raised their glasses almost instantly.

The people on the playground, stunned by the huge announcement, after a brief silence, began raising their glasses one by one, like a rising tide.

Third Brother, tears in his eyes, his voice trembling but still strong, said, “To our base!!!”

“Cheers!”