Chapter 144 - 106: Document

Chapter 144: Chapter 106: Document

After discovering this problem, Jiang City had organized numerous clearing operations, but they could never fully eradicate the threat. The zombies seemed endless. This ultimately led to the long-term plan of establishing forward observation fortresses for ongoing surveillance and research.

The end of the document re-emphasized that all future reports must use the new frequency band. It also clearly listed several "irresistible circumstances" under which personnel could unconditionally evacuate on their own initiative and without being held liable. These primarily included: the fortress sustaining severe, irreparable structural damage; a confirmed, indefensible, direct attack by a Level 2 or higher zombie; and a complete communications blackout with supplies overdue by more than one month.

Xu Mo leaned back slowly in his chair, digesting the massive influx of information.

’Level 2 zombies... Zombie Leaders... Mind Control...’

’A source that appeared overnight...’

’Unconditional evacuation...’

All of this indicated that Jiang City’s understanding of the situation was far deeper than he had imagined. Their environment was also far more complex and dangerous than it appeared on the surface. This computer was the key—his ticket to truly integrating into the "observer" system and accessing its core intelligence.

After reading everything, Xu Mo picked up the two-way radio he’d retrieved from the hidden compartment under his bed. It felt heavy in his hand; its military camouflage-patterned casing looked incredibly sturdy. Following the simple instructions from the computer document, he twisted the power knob and tuned the device to the designated common channel.

After a faint crackle of static, a jumble of voices spilled from the radio, shattering the long-held silence within the fortress.

"Seriously, how the hell do you beat the boss on level three of *Post-apocalyptic Wasteland*? I’ve been stuck for three days. My bullets can’t even get through its armor," a young-sounding man’s voice complained, filled with frustration.

"Pfft, what’s so great about that stupid game? I saw a mutated one yesterday. It was wicked fast, scared the crap out of me!" another, gruffer voice replied, his tone a mix of lingering fear and bravado.

"For real? Old Liu, you’ve got an Agility Type over there, too? I spotted one a couple of days ago, but it seemed scrawnier than the others I’ve run into, and a lot more nimble." A third voice chimed in.

"Scrawny? I heard those things can evolve. You don’t think it’s a new variant, do you? The files from Command didn’t mention this classification."

"Who knows? This whole place is cursed. The zombie count on my end is rising again. Looks like we’re in for another ’respawn’ tonight. It’s a pain in the ass."

"Same here. It’s like the tides, regular as clockwork. By the way, how are things over in Zone C? That fortress, C-07... seems like it’s been radio silent. It is C-07, right? I’ve never heard him say a word on this channel."

Xu Mo had just been listening idly, treating it all as background noise, but his attention snapped into focus the moment he heard the designation "C-07."

"Yeah, C-07. I remember they assigned a survivor to that one. Name’s Xu Mo, right? It’s been half a month without a peep. Hope nothing’s happened to him," Old Liu said in his gruff voice, a hint of concern and speculation in his tone.

"Hard to say. The gig looks safe, but you never know when something unexpected might happen. Maybe his radio’s busted."

Hearing this, Xu Mo realized that he, the "silent neighbor," had already drawn the attention and concern of the others. He cleared his throat, pressed the transmit button, and spoke in a steady voice.

"This is C-07, Xu Mo. I read you."

A brief, almost frozen silence fell over the radio, as if the sudden voice had hit a pause button on everyone listening.

A moment later, the channel erupted.

"Holy shit! C-07! It’s Xu Mo, man! You’re okay?!" That was the gruff voice of Old Liu, filled with pleasant surprise.

"Xu Mo? What’s your situation? Did you run into some kind of trouble that kept you from contacting us?" This came from a calmer voice, one that sounded like it belonged to a soldier.

"Dude, you finally spoke up! We thought you were..." That was the young voice that had been complaining about the game.

"Xu Mo, are you alright? Do you require backup? Report your status!" another urgent voice cut in.

A torrent of questions instantly flooded the channel. Despite the cacophony, Xu Mo felt a long-absent warmth—the kind that comes from being part of a group, even if that warmth had to travel through a cold radio and thick concrete walls.

Xu Mo waited a few seconds for the voices to die down before pressing the transmit button again. "I’m fine," he explained. "Everything’s normal. I haven’t encountered any threats I couldn’t handle. I just didn’t know this radio existed, and I hadn’t checked the mission documents on the computer. A communications officer from Command reminded me during my routine report today. That’s when I finally turned on the computer and found it."

His words were met with another moment of silence on the channel, which was then broken by an even louder uproar. This time, however, it seemed to be a mix of shock and... admiration?

"What?! You didn’t check the computer?! For half a month?!" Old Liu’s voice was filled with utter disbelief.

"My god... dude, you’ve got some serious nerve. You holed up here for half a month with just the basic instructions?" the young voice exclaimed in awe.

"Impressive. Xu Mo, that’s some serious mental fortitude. You have my respect." The calm, soldierly voice also held a note of admiration.

"A total badass! An absolute badass! We’re all over here shooting the shit and playing offline games to pass the time, and you just went straight into hermit mode, didn’t you?"

Faced with the barrage of good-natured teasing and admiration over the channel, Xu Mo wasn’t sure how to respond. He had never been one for crowds or idle chatter. For him, the preceding solitude hadn’t been unbearable at all; on the contrary, he had felt a sense of peace, like a fish in water.