Chapter 150 - 108: Discovery

Chapter 150: Chapter 108: Discovery

"All strongholds, follow standard procedure. Compile your observations on the horde—key information such as movement, scale, primary types, and direction—and report to the command center via the encrypted channel. Over." A steady voice, belonging to the representative from Sector A, came over the walkie-talkie, providing a summary and directive for the collective observation mission.

Affirmations of "copy that" came from all sides, and the channel fell back into an orderly silence. A few calls of "Good work" and "Stay vigilant" were exchanged before the chatter died down. After all, tying up the public channel for too long was unwise.

Xu Mo did as instructed. He compiled his own observations—horde size estimates, direction of movement, and the types and numbers of Tier-1 variants he had spotted—into a clear and concise text report, which he then sent to Jiang City’s command center.

After doing all this, Xu Mo breathed a sigh of relief.

Outside, the faint sounds of the moving zombies had not yet faded completely, but Xu Mo’s mind gradually settled. He had completed his mission for the night. As for what came next, that was a problem for Jiang City to handle.

Feeling a little more relaxed, he soon drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, just as Xu Mo finished his morning training, a notification came over the regional walkie-talkie from the Sector A representative. This time, Xu Mo recognized the voice; it belonged to A-02.

"To all comrades, this is a notice from the command center. Today at 11:00 AM sharp, an important transmission will be broadcast on the dedicated radio channel. Please be sure to tune in on time. I repeat: eleven hundred hours, important transmission. Please tune in on time."

A-02’s tone was as steady as ever, but there seemed to be an underlying, barely perceptible gravity to it. Xu Mo’s interest was piqued. ’It’s probably related to last night’s report on the zombie activity,’ he guessed. But judging from the calm tone, it likely wasn’t sudden bad news.

At 11:00 AM, after a brief waiting tone, a steady, powerful, and authoritative middle-aged man’s voice came over the radio:

"Greetings, fighters and comrades, to all of you holding the line at the forward observation posts in the Red Star Industrial Zone. I am Lu Mingyuan, head of the Forward Command Post, under the authority of the Jiang City Shelter’s Military Committee."

The opening was concise and powerful, directly stating his identity.

"First, on behalf of the Jiang City Shelter’s Military Committee and all our citizens, I want to express my most sincere gratitude and utmost respect. Thank you for your devotion to duty and for maintaining such a high level of vigilance under extremely harsh and dangerous conditions."

Lu Mingyuan’s voice traveled through the airwaves, reaching every isolated stronghold with perfect clarity.

"Last night, you promptly and accurately detected and reported the abnormal, large-scale outward dispersal of the zombie horde. This intelligence was invaluable. Based on the information you provided, we were able to make a swift assessment and immediately activate our emergency response protocols. At this moment, Jiang City’s outer defense forces and rapid response units have begun to assemble. They will establish an interception line along the horde’s dispersal path to carry out targeted clearing and blocking operations."

Lu Mingyuan’s tone was one of indisputable affirmation. "It is precisely because of your early warning that we gained precious time to prepare. This allows us to neutralize this potential zombie tide in its infancy and at a much lower cost, drastically reducing the risk of the horde directly striking Jiang City’s outer defensive perimeter. You are Jiang City’s eyes, and you are the heroes who safeguard its security!"

These words of affirmation and praise sent a surge of warmth and pride through the hearts of every observer listening by their radio. In that single moment, their lonely vigil of over half a month—spent day and night in the company of death and the bizarre—seemed to find its meaning.

Lu Mingyuan offered a few more words of encouragement, urging them to remain vigilant, prioritize their own safety, and press on to make even greater contributions toward uncovering the secrets of the Red Star Industrial Zone and protecting Jiang City. Then, the transmission ended.

The radio channel went quiet, but the regional walkie-talkie’s public channel instantly erupted with chatter.

"Did you hear that? A personal commendation from Commander Lu!"

"I knew staying up all night wasn’t for nothing! We scored a big one."

"Haha, so it turns out us guys stuck in these holes are actually useful for something."

"Duh. We’re the first line of defense."

"..."

The channel buzzed with excited discussion and proud banter, the atmosphere more lively than ever before. Even a few of the usually quietest members couldn’t resist chiming in, their voices laced with an excitement they couldn’t hide.

The corners of Xu Mo’s mouth curled into a slight smile. The feeling of being recognized, of having one’s worth affirmed, was indeed a source of immense comfort and motivation. He added a few brief replies on the channel, sharing in the collective joy.

However, Xu Mo quickly snapped out of it. ’Praise and recognition are important,’ he thought, ’but they don’t change the fact that I’m in a dangerous place. Nor do they directly increase my strength.’ The zombies outside were still a threat, and the secrets of the Red Star Industrial Zone remained buried.

Xu Mo switched off the walkie-talkie, cutting himself off from the boisterous outside world. He returned to the open space in the center of the observation room and slowly settled into the Pile Training stance of the Thirteen Grand Protectors’ Cross Training.

After the massive outward dispersal of the zombies last night, the daytime scene was, as expected, completely different. Xu Mo peered through an observation port. The density of zombies around the stronghold had dropped significantly. The suffocating feeling of being besieged, layer upon layer, was gone. Even the scratching and roaring that constantly echoed from the base of the stronghold had become much sparser, leaving only a dozen or so exceptionally sluggish, common zombies wandering about aimlessly.