Chapter 61 - 54: Radio Waves

Chapter 61: Chapter 54: Radio Waves

It was just past two in the afternoon, yet the world outside was pitch-black, no different from the dead of night. Only inside the shelter did the dancing, orange-red flames in the heater manage to dispel the darkness and chill in a small area, casting Xu Mo’s flickering shadow upon the wall.

Xu Mo didn’t let the abnormal darkness alter his routine. He sat cross-legged on a mat by the fire, using the steady light to focus on tuning a multi-band radio in his hands.

He had picked up the radio on a whim during his last supply run for lighting and energy sources, finding it in what looked like an electronics corner. At the time, it was just a flash of inspiration. Xu Mo figured that in this information-starved apocalypse, a radio might be a window to the outside world. After all, with satellite networks and the internet gone, this ancient method of transmitting information via ground-based radio waves might just be the last resort for major survivor factions to broadcast news and maintain contact.

Xu Mo inspected the radio carefully. It was a model capable of receiving FM, AM (medium wave), and SW (shortwave) frequencies. It even had a hand-crank for power generation, a thoughtful feature for extreme situations.

Now, with no satellite signals and all base stations paralyzed, the only dependable options were medium wave signals, which traveled a good distance and were relatively stable despite terrain interference, and shortwave signals. Under the right conditions, shortwave could travel incredible distances, but the signal was unstable and susceptible to interference.

As for FM, its line-of-sight propagation and small coverage area meant it was likely only receivable inside the shelter or at very close range. In the current environment, it was of little use.

Xu Mo inserted the scavenged batteries and flipped the power switch. The long-absent hum of electricity and the white noise of static filled the air. He started with the AM band, slowly and patiently rotating the tuning knob. The speaker mostly emitted the SHHH of static, occasionally interspersed with faint, ghostly signal fragments that were too garbled to make out, and none of them held steady.

Undeterred, Xu Mo continued his patient search as time ticked by amid the constant static.

Just as Xu Mo was about to finish scanning the AM band and switch to shortwave, a rhythmic voice signal with clear signs of human modulation suddenly broke through the static, becoming sharp and clear.

"KZZT... This is... Jiang City Shelter radio... KZZT... I repeat, this is Jiang City Shelter radio... Now beginning the daily information broadcast..."

’Success! I’m really picking something up!’

Xu Mo’s spirits soared. He immediately stopped turning the knob, carefully adjusting the antenna’s angle and the radio’s position until the signal became even more stable and clear. A man’s articulate voice began to echo from the speaker, reverberating through the silent shelter.

"First, an important weather and survival advisory: According to data from our meteorological observation station and analysis by our team of scientists, the current extreme low temperatures and reduced sunlight will persist and may intensify. The coldest phase has not yet arrived. We urge all survivors still holding out in the wild or in small outposts to use all possible means to stockpile warm clothing, high-calorie food, and fuel, and to prepare for an even harsher environment."

Hearing this, Xu Mo’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Just as I thought. Even an official shelter confirms this damned weather isn’t over yet.’

"Second, a report on the status and policies of the Jiang City Shelter. Our shelter is currently operating smoothly, with relatively complete defensive fortifications, basic medical facilities, and a food production system. We welcome all orderly survivors to join us in resisting the apocalyptic winter. Please note, the shelter operates on a ’work for reward’ system. All members are required to take on jobs according to their abilities in exchange for survival supplies and residency rights. At the same time, we respect individual choice. You are free to come and go, but those who leave will no longer be entitled to the shelter’s protection and resources."

Hearing this, Xu Mo nodded to himself. ’The policy sounds reasonable enough. It has collective rules but also preserves some individual freedom. That’s better than the pure law of the jungle or extreme militarized control.’

"Finally, a security announcement. Thanks to the significant decrease in zombie activity during the winter, our shelter’s armed forces have recently launched several proactive operations, effectively clearing out zombie gathering points in the surrounding areas. This has greatly improved the security level around the shelter’s perimeter. However, everyone must remain vigilant for the possible activity of mutated variants. All survivors, please stay alert."

This message confirmed two things for Xu Mo. First, regular zombies do indeed become "sluggish" in the winter due to the low temperatures, providing a window of opportunity for clearing them out and for general operations. Second, the Jiang City Shelter possessed a degree of offensive and area-control capability. They were in better shape than he had expected, and they were also aware of the existence of mutated variants.

After the Jiang City Shelter’s broadcast repeated a few times, the signal began to fade. Xu Mo memorized the general location of the shelter mentioned in the broadcast, then began to scan the shortwave band.

The static on the shortwave band was more complex and eerie, the signals erratic. Xu Mo spent much more time carefully fine-tuning the dial, trying to catch any possible man-made signal.

His persistence paid off. On a certain frequency, he managed to catch another, different voice, one that was cutting in and out amidst the fading and interference caused by ionospheric reflection.

"KRRSH... This is... Rock Fortress... KRRSH... Calling all survivors who can hear this... We are located at... coordinates... KRRSH... We also welcome survivors to join... share resources, survive the winter together... You must... stockpile supplies... beware the extreme cold and... mutated monsters..."

The broadcast from this self-proclaimed "Rock Fortress" was largely the same as the one from the Jiang City Shelter. The core message was a call for survivors to come join them, with an emphasis on stockpiling supplies and being wary of dangers. Although the signal quality was poor and a lot of key information was lost or garbled due to interference, Xu Mo still managed to make out the method they provided for finding one’s bearings during the day using the North Star and simple tools.

The broadcasts from these two shelters, though brief and limited in information, were like a faint beam of light piercing through the thick fog that surrounded Xu Mo.

From these radio waves, Xu Mo gleaned some crucial information and drew several conclusions. For one, larger organizations like the Jiang City Shelter and Rock Fortress had already begun to restore order. They were capable of making regular external broadcasts, attempting to consolidate and guide scattered survivor forces. This was a far cry from the loosely organized, desperate-to-survive state of the teams he’d encountered before, like Wang Meng’s or Zhang Hao’s.

Furthermore, both shelters were deliberately transmitting key information, such as weather warnings and security announcements, which served as a precious lifeline for isolated groups and individuals. Both had explicitly mentioned the threat of mutated variants, indicating this was no longer an isolated phenomenon but a common enemy that all survivors had to face.

Finally, everything from both shelters, whether it was their call to join them or their reminder to stockpile supplies, all pointed to the same core principle: huddle together for warmth and stock up on resources to survive the seemingly endless, harsh winter.

’It seems the outside world, though still cruel, is not entirely hopeless. At least the embers of order are still burning stubbornly in some places.’ Xu Mo turned off the radio to save power. The glow from the fire illuminated his pensive face.

This information had undoubtedly broadened his horizons, giving him a more macro-level understanding of his situation. The Jiang City Shelter seemed to be in good shape and was relatively close. This presented a potential path for his future.

Of course, Xu Mo wasn’t about to rush off just because of a few broadcasts. He knew full well that what the broadcasts showed was inevitably a sugarcoated version. The true internal situation—the factional struggles, the details of resource distribution—was far more complex than a few simple words could convey.

But regardless, these voices from the airwaves made Xu Mo feel that he was no longer facing this frozen, perilous world completely alone. In the distance, other humans were struggling, organizing, and trying to rekindle the faint light of civilization.

Xu Mo carefully put the radio away. In the days to come, listening to these broadcasts to keep up with the outside world would become another one of his important daily tasks, alongside his cultivation practice and keeping watch.

The sky outside was already like the dead of night. But in Xu Mo’s heart, this small trickle of information had seemingly lit a faint lamp, one that pointed toward the distance.