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"Absolutely," Luo Yu said with certainty, adding, "But it seems the Horde doesn't plan to come here. I discussed it with Ziqian and thought we could divert their attention, which would help you deplete the armed forces in the camp. I just didn't expect you to act so quickly. If I had known, we wouldn't have gone through all this."
"Things got a bit complicated along the way, but it's under control now," Song Jiu shouted as he jumped down from the mound, calling over the militia members who were lingering outside the wall. They had survived the fiercest fighting, and the area outside was mostly cleared. A few dozen zombies were being chased around by Jiao Ziqian, while the remaining militia members, without Song Jiu's orders, seemed unsure of what to do next. Their adrenaline still hadn't worn off, so they lingered on the battlefield, occasionally delivering a finishing blow, clearly reluctant to leave.
"Go check on the fallen logs; bring back those that aren't too damaged to block the breach in the main gate's defenses. The rest of you clean up the battlefield and finish before sunset," Song Jiu instructed as he glanced at several blood-soaked militia members and asked, "Is anyone hurt?"
"It's not my blood," a young man grinned excitedly. "I've never killed like this before!"
"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future," Song Jiu replied with a smile, waving off the enthusiastic militia members. "Separate our people from the zombies." With that, he led Luo Yu toward the broken wall and called a halt to Jiao Ziqian's revelry, returning driving duties of the engineering vehicle to Musclehead.
Liu Yan and the others remained at their post by the gap in the wall. Upon seeing Song Jiu and his group return triumphantly, a smile broke out on Liu Yan's delicate face as he raised his hand in greeting.
Song Jiu returned a smile and gave him a hearty high-five before organizing the militia to clean up the aftermath. He then swaggered back to the cafeteria with his trusted team.
The cafeteria door was tightly shut, and inside there was a low atmosphere of tension. The womenfolk were unaware of the situation outside; all they could hear were gunshots, and their imaginations painted grim pictures of disaster as if the building were about to collapse.
After knocking for quite some time, it was Xin Mengfan who finally came to open the door.
"What took so long?" Song Jiu asked with curiosity as he scanned the anxious faces of those inside, his gaze drifting toward the back of the operation room.
Chef Jia set down his book and emerged holding an enamel mug, approaching Song Jiu with an unprecedented smile that felt like a breath of spring: "Did you win?"
Song Jiu took the mug and took a swig of sweet plum wine. The warmth spreading through his stomach dispelled his fatigue. With a grand gesture, he replied proudly in line with Chef Jia's words, "We won!"
The cafeteria fell silent as men and women exchanged glances, seemingly unable to believe that Song Jiu and his team had managed to drive away twice as many hordes.
"Come in, everyone. You've worked hard," Chef Jia's attitude took a complete turn as she welcomed Song Jiu and the people behind him inside.
As Jiao Ziqian stepped through the door, he felt a bit apprehensive. Seeing that Chef Jia had nothing more to say, he relaxed and boldly followed in. Just as he was about to share some lewd jokes with Xin Mengfan, darkness suddenly enveloped him as someone covered his eyes.
"Guess who I am."
"You little brat!" Jiao Ziqian didn't give the person a chance to finish speaking. He reached back and pulled the person closer, bending down for a princess carry while playfully threatening, "If you run around again, do you dare to do it?" With that, he slipped his hand under the girl's armpit.
"Ah! I've admitted my mistake!" The little girl was most afraid of being tickled. Instead of teasing Jiao Ziqian, she found herself captured and quickly begged for mercy. "Qian Ge, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!"
"Stop messing around." Luo Yu stepped in to halt Jiao Ziqian's tickling punishment, affectionately pinching the little girl's rosy cheeks while warning her, "If you run off again, we won't take care of you."
"I don't believe you!" The little girl's laughter rang like silver bells in the quiet cafeteria as she threw her arms around Luo Yu's neck and planted wet kisses all over her face.
Chef Jia suppressed a light laugh and ignored the antics of the group. She directly pulled Song Jiu over and bowed deeply before everyone in the cafeteria.
Song Jiu was taken aback; it wasn't just him—Pockmarked Girl, Xiaofei, Cold Man, and several others were equally stunned.
Without changing her expression, Chef Jia said seriously, "Song Jiu, thanks to you and your friends today, I want to express our gratitude on behalf of everyone. Thank you for helping us keep our home safe."
Song Jiu quickly grasped Chef Jia's meaning and adopted a solemn expression in return. "Sister Jia, you're being too formal. We're all people who have fallen on hard times; it's only right that we support each other."
"Well, since you say so, I won't be overly polite." Chef Jia tidied her hair and smiled. "I'm a woman; I'm fine with handling logistics, but when it comes to fighting and killing, that's not my forte. I'll need your help with the aftermath."
"Don't worry, as long as you provide a warm meal, Sister Jia," Song Jiu said with a carefree smile, shaking the hand that Chef Jia extended.
Aside from Pockmarked Girl and Jiao Ziqian, the others began to grasp the implications of the situation. With Chef Jia, who managed internal affairs, endorsing Song Jiu's leadership of the camp, what else could they say? Most women sought safety, and figures like Chef Jia, Luo Yu, and Xin Mengfan—who were strong and independent—were still in the minority.
The crowd seemed to awaken from a dream, gradually pulling themselves out of confusion. The tension and fear on their faces transformed into joy and relief. A few bolder individuals approached Song Jiu and his companions to shake hands and exchange hugs, as if welcoming a supreme commander from afar. The atmosphere was harmonious and cheerful.
Luo Yu and Xin Mengfan stood with their arms crossed nearby, occasionally exchanging glances. When they caught sight of the flickering expressions in each other's eyes, they couldn't help but smile knowingly.
In the entire cafeteria, only two people appeared unhappy: Xiaofei and Cold Man. However, Xiaofei had been swayed by Xin Mengfan earlier and now felt more fear than anything else towards Song Jiu, while Cold Man's demeanor was purely hostile.
Since entering the room, Song Jiu had been quietly observing Cold Man. He noted their reactions but chose not to show any signs; after all, there would be plenty of time to settle scores later.
As the gloom lifted from the cafeteria, Chef Jia ushered all the women into the kitchen, claiming she wanted to prepare a delicious meal for the men who had fought bravely today. Taking advantage of the bustling atmosphere, Chef Jia called Song Jiu outside.
"I can only do so much," Chef Jia stated directly without beating around the bush. "The women are easy to manage; the real issue lies with the Militia. We have less than half a month before the Zombies return—you need to act quickly."
"I understand. After we eat, I'll get down to business. I will need your support then too," Song Jiu replied seriously, nodding. "I will do my best to eliminate any unstable elements within the camp. However, in half a month, we will inevitably face off against the Zombies directly; you need to be mentally prepared for that."
"Why?" Chef Jia asked.
"I can't guarantee that there won't be Zombies taking advantage of the chaos to escape," Song Jiu pointed towards the busy Militia on the other side of the broken wall. "You saw what happened earlier; we must mobilize our personnel to the maximum extent possible. Moreover, we can't distinguish which ones are Zombies among us. I just hope they haven't caught on to anything and that those who are still alive return safely."
"What do you plan to do tonight?" Chef Jia pondered for a moment, realizing that this situation was indeed uncontrollable. She agreed with Song Jiu's assessment and asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"Just help me calm the women down," Song Jiu licked his lips and said, "I remember that night when I first arrived, the camp had a new addition, right?"
"You mean..."
"That's right. We did take out the zombies today, but the militia suffered significant losses as well. Right now, everyone is still in shock. If they find out that there are men dead at home, it will inevitably lead to more trouble." Song Jiu sighed; he dreaded dealing with these issues. Fortunately, Chef Jia took the initiative. Overnight, twelve widows had been added to the camp, along with three children who lost their fathers.
Counting the newborns added to the camp since Song Jiu's arrival that night, the total population had decreased by a third, leaving only one hundred and two people.
The warehouse rescued six people including Xiaofei, Cold Man, and Pan Sheng'an. With everyone on Song Jiu's side accounted for, there were a total of twenty-nine people. The two groups of newcomers combined still did not fill the gap left by the deaths.
Twelve women did not attend the dinner, and Chef Jia did not show up either. Although the discussions did not end on a pleasant note, Chef Jia had to admit that Song Jiu was right. These people had been in a safe and comfortable environment for too long; they seemed to have become even more fragile and sensitive than before. Without timely guidance and reassurance, he couldn't guarantee that they wouldn't stir up trouble in the camp. What was needed now was stability; no mistakes could be afforded.
Song Jiu sat at the head of the table while Dream Fan rolled him a cigarette, lit it, and then placed it in his mouth.
" Brother Jiu, go ahead," Dream Fan said softly.
Song Jiu took a deep drag from the cigarette and slowly stood up.
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