Chapter 208 - 128: Summer

Chapter 208: Chapter 128: Summer

A little over an hour later, the dense sound of flapping wings once again filled the sky. This time, people were no longer panicking or hiding. Instead, they looked up to watch.

Several sizable flocks of birds, like refugees fleeing a disaster, hurried through the higher airspace above Jiang City. Their formations were loose and their flight paths erratic. They seemed to care only about flapping their wings and flying desperately away from the Red Star Industrial Zone, paying almost no attention to the human city below, let alone launching an attack.

Although the flocks were numerous, they no longer brought fear. Instead, they instilled a strange sense of having survived a catastrophe.

After a few sparse flocks had passed, the sky finally began to return to a relatively normal color, and the clamor in the streets reached its peak.

Finally, the long-awaited words came from the radio: "After a comprehensive assessment, Jiang City Command has decided to lift the city-wide state of emergency. I repeat, the state of emergency is lifted! We thank all residents for their cooperation and perseverance during this crisis. The Jiang City defense force will continue to protect everyone’s safety."

"The alert’s been lifted!"

"WOOHOO—!"

The real celebration began. People poured into the streets, shops reopened, and a mix of laughter, conversation, and even music from some unknown source dispelled the gloom that had lasted for half a day.

Children ran through the streets while adults gathered, excitedly discussing the recent victory. Their voices were filled with pride in Jiang City’s military strength and optimism for the future.

Xu Mo also left his home and blended into the stream of people on the street. He looked at the faces around him, all brimming with relief and joy, and felt the fervent atmosphere—so starkly different from the previous oppressive silence. Yet, a subtle feeling of unreality rose within him.

’The bird swarm threat, which plagued Jiang City for so long and could have even shaken its foundations, was solved just like that? An anticipated brutal anti-air battle ended in such an anticlimactic way? Was it because Jiang City got lucky and took out a key leader? Or is it that this kind of seemingly terrifying swarm of mutated creatures has an inherently fragile hive structure?’

Regardless, the celebration before him was real, the food crisis was temporarily averted, and the threat from the sky seemed to have vanished. It was, without a doubt, a massive victory.

The celebrations in the streets and alleyways lasted for a long time, and it wasn’t until dusk that the still-reveling crowds began to disperse.

Life really seemed to be returning to normal. Another, more pragmatic and urgent feeling began to permeate the air—the summer harvest.

Over the next few days, the focus of Jiang City’s radio broadcasts and public notices shifted entirely to the upcoming summer grain harvest.

Organizing manpower, allocating farm machinery, arranging drying grounds, and formulating defense plans—the entire city, like a giant machine, rapidly switched from a state of combat readiness to production mode.

Talk of birds on the streets was quickly replaced by discussions like, "The wheat’s grown really well this year," "What do you think the yield per mu will be?" and "Are the harvest teams still looking for people?"

Xu Mo wandered around for a while, observing this vibrant scene that was nonetheless quickly shifting back to the bustle of daily routine. After the initial novelty wore off, he felt a trace of... boredom.

With the crisis averted, life seemed to have returned to its previous track: cultivation, wandering, and observation. But Xu Mo knew that in the apocalypse, peace was always temporary.

He strolled over to the Hunter’s Guild. The massive mission hall was still bustling with people and noise. Xu Mo wasn’t here to accept a mission; his substantial amount of Contribution Points meant he didn’t need to worry about his livelihood for the time being.

Xu Mo had come this time to use the guild, a hub of information, to see what Jiang City’s officials were publicly prioritizing and what their potential future moves might be.

On the huge electronic screens and bulletin boards, the mission lists scrolled and refreshed, with tasks related to the summer harvest making up the absolute majority:

[E-Rank] Wheat field perimeter patrol (long-term, bring your own weapon, Contribution Points paid daily)

[E-Rank] Form mobile bird-scaring squads (requires relevant experience or special equipment, high reward)

[E-Rank] Assist with harvester maintenance and fuel transport

[D-Rank] Night watch at the grain drying grounds...

The list was dense, with almost everything revolving around protecting and bringing in the harvest. The rewards, ranging from low to high, attracted Hunters and freelance laborers of all levels.

Among these missions, however, Xu Mo also noticed some that were less conspicuous, but just as numerous:

[C-Rank/B-Rank] Go to the Red Star Industrial Zone (designated area) to clear out remaining zombies (squad recommended, detailed cleanup report required)

[C-Rank] Reconnaissance of the Red Star Industrial Zone outskirts (confirm zombie activity and check for new gatherings of dangerous creatures)

[B-Rank] Explore the XX District of the Red Star Industrial Zone, search for specific models of industrial equipment or data (high risk)

Xu Mo nodded. Although the bird swarm threat had been eliminated, the problem of the Red Star Industrial Zone being a source of zombies still remained. Jiang City clearly intended to use this window of opportunity to, on one hand, completely clear out the peripheral threats, and on the other, perhaps attempt deeper exploration or resource recovery.

The high-risk designation on those exploration missions indicated that Jiang City was still wary of the industrial zone’s deeper areas.

Xu Mo browsed through everything carefully but didn’t find any particularly strange or eye-catching missions, such as a hunt for a new type of mutated creature or a clandestine contract involving conflicts with other shelters. Everything seemed to revolve around the two most urgent practical matters at hand: "food" and "clearing ruins."

At least on the surface, Jiang City’s strategy after its victory over the bird swarm was a stable one: first, secure the fundamentals of survival while consolidating the safety of the surrounding area. It didn’t immediately show any greater ambition for expansion or undertake other high-risk actions.