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Zeng Yadong currently belongs to the Taiping Island Faction, led by Yao Jinsong. Song Yao had met them years ago when Yao Jinsong was still a subordinate in the military, holding a position higher than Shaoshan's but wielding little real power. In the following years, The Establishment underwent structural adjustments, and Yao Jinsong rose to become one of the core authorities. During several future planning meetings, Yao Jinsong spoke up for the first time, proposing that The Establishment should shift its focus from the sea back to land.
Yao Jinsong's proposal was not made on a whim; in fact, the great migration of those years was intended to preserve strength rather than signify a complete relocation. Both the authorities and Survivors had their roots on land. Although the sea was peaceful, it was ultimately not a sustainable solution. At that time, The Establishment faced resistance not only from Zombies but also from the ever-changing rca. However, as time passed and The Establishment moved to the sea, rca had completely disbanded, including its overseas factions, which had scattered and could no longer stir up any significant trouble.
After a period of adjustment, Yao Jinsong felt that the time was right. From soldiers to civilians, everyone had emerged from the shadows of the disaster's onset. Although Zombies were terrifying, they were not invincible. With strategic resource reserves in the Spratly Islands, The Establishment could begin reclaiming land lost to Zombies from coastal cities bit by bit, allowing humanity's flame to reignite on land. This was a hopeful vision and a natural course of action; their temporary departure was meant for a long-term return. Zeng Yadong believed that Yao Jinsong was correct, which was also a significant reason for Zeng Yadong's decision to leave behind a leisurely life and immerse himself in The Establishment's turmoil.
However, Yao Jinsong's proposal faced strong opposition from other authorities, which caught Zeng Yadong off guard. Even Yao Jinsong himself felt disheartened as his passionate ideas were met with cold water from his peers. This newly appointed leader with military roots could hardly believe his ears when confronted by colleagues who had struggled alongside him through hardship; he felt lost.
The opposition argued that Yao Jinsong was too radical and failed to consider the bigger picture, accusing him of gambling with their future. Some even labeled him as a warmonger who could not accept peace and sought to stain his military achievements with the blood of innocents.
Yao Jinsong was not eloquent; he did not understand where he had gone wrong. Was exile overseas truly the answer? A year or two could be seen as a buffer; three or five years might be considered accumulation. But what about ten or twenty years? The Establishment had fewer than two thousand people from top to bottom, and population growth had been virtually zero over three years. If they relied on resources at sea to survive for ten or twenty years, what would happen afterward? They were not Zombies; they would age and die.
This simple question led to a year-long internal debate within The Establishment's core members, ultimately resulting in a complete split that formed the current Yongshu Reef Conservatives and Tai Ping Island Radicals.
It is always lamentable when families divide; having shared meals and light together makes it difficult to separate personnel and resources easily. While their goals may differ, it is impossible for them to resort to violence over differing attitudes. Moreover, even if one side wished to suppress the other with an iron fist, it would be unfeasible.
In this small community of fewer than two thousand people, as these two factions fought for dominance, time would slip away unnoticed.
It was at this moment that Xiao Zhuang unexpectedly returned.
Jin Bo's island was only two days' journey from the mainland. It was self-sufficient with steadily growing population numbers and fully equipped with water and electricity, even boasting a large stockpile of weapons.
Yao Jinsong wanted to lead everyone back to land; Jin Bo's island would naturally serve as an ideal transit point. As long as logistical resources were not constrained by internal conditions within The Establishment, Yao Jinsong could completely detach himself from it. He himself came from a military background; half of the troops he had taken out to sea were under his command. With resources, weapons, and manpower at his disposal, Zombies were merely numerous and possessed hibernation traits. Given time, returning bit by bit to land was not merely a pipe dream.
Thus, Xiao Zhuang set out to seek cooperation with Jin Bo. Unfortunately for him, he arrived too late; Jin Bo was dead, and upheaval had struck the island. Fortunately amidst misfortune, its foundation remained intact for now.
At the same time, Xiao Zhuang unexpectedly learned another piece of bad news: the individual who had broken away from rca years ago had not faded into obscurity with time but instead had grown increasingly powerful—becoming a primary threat beyond Zombies.
At this moment, before Xiao Zhuang could inform Yao Jinsong of this news, Zeng Yadong preemptively revealed another significant piece of information.
The Yongshu Reef Conservatives had established contact with overseas factions of The Establishment and expressed intentions to collaborate on Ocean Development to build a new civilization together.
Zeng Yadong translated this official statement: "The Conservatives not only intend to abandon land but also plan to join forces with overseas factions of The Establishment to place all future focus on countless islands scattered across the vast sea."
"So this ongoing meeting is discussing this matter," Song Yao said in confusion. They were outsiders who could not comprehend why such a simple issue had become so complicated.
"Pretty much. Old Yao has become quite skilled now. Although he can't persuade the Conservatives, he wants to try communicating with the overseas Establishment. The Zombie threat isn't just affecting us; he wants to understand the situation abroad." Zeng Yadong, who was nominally Yao Jinsong's assistant, wasn't formally trained and had a more unconventional background. Privately, she had a good relationship with Yao Jinsong and spoke more freely than Xiao Zhuang and the others.
Song Yao and Luci exchanged silent glances. They had always been focused on their own survival in their small corner of the world, and they found it hard to grasp or want to get involved in issues that escalated to national or international levels.
After a long silence, Song Jiu suddenly chuckled lightly and exchanged a knowing look with Wu Wentao, both sharing an inexplicable understanding.
"What are you laughing at?" Zeng Yadong asked, puzzled.
Song Jiu winked mysteriously and replied, "Let them go fish at sea; we'll just stick with Boss Yao."
"What do you mean?" Zeng Yadong was not used to their cryptic way of speaking and looked at Song Yao, only to find her equally confused.
Wu Wentao cleared his throat twice and said seriously, "I want to ask if the Establishment has made any breakthroughs in resource development, infrastructure, or virus research over the past few years."
Zeng Yadong paused at his words and turned her gaze toward Xiao Zhuang and Sun Houqi, who both shook their heads sadly.
"You didn't tell him?" Zeng Yadong frowned slightly.
Xiao Zhuang's expression was awkward as he replied, "We ran into a storm before reaching the island. If their fishing boat hadn't found us, we might not have made contact at all. Later on, when we arrived on the island and heard about some incidents, we completely forgot about this."
"And it's not that important anyway," Sun Houqi added in agreement.
Zeng Yadong sighed. "True."
"What's going on?" Wu Wentao sensed something was off and asked curiously. "No breakthroughs?"
"Breakthroughs?" Zeng Yadong's face showed extreme helplessness as she forced a smile. "The research was halted two years ago. The Infected Virus, Antibody, and Vaccine projects have all come to a standstill. The labs and research teams were disbanded, and one of the senior professors passed away last year."
Everyone fell silent.
Zeng Yadong shook her head with a bitter smile as she looked at Song Yao. "Do you remember? Back then, it was said that you and Ginger River would go to the Establishment's RCA headquarters lab. We went ahead to the island with full confidence, waiting for the latest data and information. But then we waited and heard nothing. Xinxia Yang, who stayed at Sea Surface, lost contact with us; you and Ginger River were completely unreachable until Xiao Zhuang returned six months ago. Only then did we learn that Xinxia Yang had been attacked on the day of evacuation."
Song Jiu and the others' gazes drifted toward those responsible for that airstrike. Wu Wentao remained unfazed, rolling his eyes at Song Jiu as he skipped over that part of the conversation and asked, "So the Establishment has given up on researching the virus vaccine?"
"Mm." Zeng Yadong nodded and sighed, "If we don't even have Land, what's the use of a Vaccine?"
"Hmph, they'll have their moments of crying," Song Jiu sneered repeatedly. All of them were infected with the Powdered Zombie Virus. If anyone here wanted to cause trouble by spreading a large-scale infection on the island through blood, it was easy to imagine that soon, the Conservatives of Ocean Development would become the first Zombie Horde to cross the ocean.
Zeng Yadong glanced at Song Jiu. For some reason, she suddenly felt a strange discomfort towards Song Yao's younger brother, though she couldn't pinpoint why. However, Zeng Yadong didn't dwell on it; after all, it was their first meeting, and they didn't know each other well. Since Song Yao and the others acknowledged him as the leader, he must have some skills. Zeng Yadong reassured herself like this, unaware that Luo Yu and Song Yao were sweating nervously. They were closely watching Song Jiu's every move, fearing he might suddenly change his temperament.
Wu Wentao remained calm, furrowing his brows in thought before asking, "Do you still have the capability to set up a laboratory? Including research resources?"
Song Jiu frowned slightly, unsure of what Wu Wentao was plotting. They had agreed to temporarily shelve Huihui; did he want to bring out the trump card before they even got comfortable?
Zeng Yadong assumed he was concerned about the Vaccine issue. The Establishment had stopped research for a long time; hearing about laboratories felt somewhat unfamiliar. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "We should be able to set up a laboratory. The old equipment is still around; personnel might be a stretch though; we'd need to reassign them. But hope is slim. Three years ago, there was at least some research progress; now starting from scratch seems pointless."
Wu Wentao let out a cold laugh and sighed, "Indeed, The Establishment has been free from Zombie disturbances for three years but has not made any breakthroughs; instead, they chose to give up. No wonder The Establishment has fallen to this state; it's entirely self-inflicted."
Zeng Yadong's expression changed slightly; anyone could hear the sarcasm in Wu Wentao's words. Out of respect for Song Yao, Zeng Yadong chose not to respond, and besides, Wu Wentao's words were indeed factual.
Xiao Zhuang and Sun Houqi were somewhat displeased and huffed, "At least we’ve ensured that over a thousand people don’t have to worry about food; what have you done while looking down on The Establishment?"
Wu Wentao chuckled at this remark, his face showing mockery as he shook his head in disdain and refused to argue.
Song Yao looked mildly annoyed and glared at the two of them before turning to Zeng Yadong and saying, "They're like this; don't take it to heart."
Zeng Yadong smiled slightly and said, "I understand; he's not wrong. Unfortunately, our individual strength is too weak; we are powerless."
"Hey, can I interject?" Pockmarked Girl suddenly snapped out of her daze and blinked her eyes as she asked, "Do you guys know that there are new types of Zombies in Land now?"
Song Yao, Luci, and Chef Jiaqi rolled their eyes. If their gazes were blades, Pockmarked Girl would have turned into a puddle of sweet and sour pork by now.
Pockmarked Girl felt embarrassed and chuckled awkwardly before quickly changing her wording: "Zombies! Zombies!"
Zeng Yadong and Xiao Zhuang exchanged puzzled glances and asked, "Zombies?"
"Ahem, your information is incredibly outdated," Song Jiu couldn't hold back any longer. In just two short hours, The Establishment had shown everyone nothing but chaos and backwardness. Being behind meant getting beaten up; under such circumstances, it wasn't entirely unreasonable for the Conservatives to choose to abandon Land as an act of self-awareness.
Song Jiu waved her hand, signaling Pockmarked Girl to be quiet, and said to Zeng Yadong, "You should know that now the Land is not only filled with Zombies; the number of Zombies she mentioned is already considerable, and they are mostly under the command of our old rival, The Establishment. Moreover, the organization far away in the Gobi Desert has not given up on their research just because The Establishment fled. On the contrary, they have even created a new type of virus."
Zeng Yadong was stunned, glancing at Song Yao and Luci, who both nodded solemnly, confirming Song Jiu's words.
Xiao Zhuang and Sun Houqi exchanged glances, filled with doubt. "How do you know this?"
Song Jiu sneered lightly and replied, "We have always lived next to Zombies."
The conference room fell into an awkward silence, as if the air had been sucked out, and a heavy atmosphere began to envelop them once more.
Zeng Yadong tried several times to speak but didn't know what to say. If what Song Jiu said was true, then Yao Jinsong's grand ambitions would face new challenges.
After a long pause, Zeng Yadong raised his head and murmured, "Have you heard any news about Aso in these years?"
Wu Wentao's expression changed slightly as he recalled the envelope signed by Su Lan.
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