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The convoy arrived at the entrance of a simple city wall. Soldiers from the military jeep jumped down one after another, immediately forming a defensive stance at the rear of the convoy. Captain Lei leaped from the first military jeep and shouted to the people on Gao Gang, "Open the gate!" The two men nodded and gestured inside, and then Wang Chao saw the heavy iron gate slowly opening.
Looking through the gate, he noticed that about a hundred meters inside was another iron door. To the left and right were makeshift military camps. Wang Chao could see groups of soldiers approaching as soon as the first heavy iron gate opened; two squads of twenty individuals were already walking over. The convoy slowly entered and came to a stop in front of the military personnel.
One man walked up to the front of the convoy, looked at Captain Lei, nodded, and said, "Old Lei, what good stuff did you bring back this time?" As he spoke, he waved his hand, and two squads of soldiers moved closer. Everyone had already gotten off the vehicles by this point, and he continued, "This time we weren't looking for anything good; we were ordered to bring back one person."
The officer wore a puzzled expression but did not ask further. Instead, he said, "Routine inspection; let's grab a drink tonight."
Captain Lei replied, "Not tonight; my team..."
Wang Chao and the driver soldiers were surrounded by these two squads. While Captain Lei spoke with the officer, they all walked toward a large building. Wang Chao noticed that this building appeared much more formal in scale and decoration compared to the makeshift military camps. The officer pointed at the building and said, "Once you go in, men go left, women go right. Besides you three, everyone else knows the procedure."
Captain Lei said, "Captain Li, leave the rest to me."
Captain Li nodded.
Everyone followed Captain Lei into the building. Captain Lei instructed, "Women go to the right; there's only one door there. Just walk in once you get there. The rest follow me."
Wang Chao nodded and walked left with Captain Lei. After turning a corner, Wang Chao saw an iron door. Captain Lei said, "Newcomer goes first!" Wang Chao shrugged and opened the iron door before stepping inside. Upon entering, he discovered that this was a room with glass on three sides. There was an iron valve door opposite him that seemed to lead to a passageway.
"Please remove your clothing; we will conduct an infection check," a voice echoed in Wang Chao's ears.
Wang Chao thought to himself that it was no surprise this place was under military control given how strict their inspections were. He complied willingly; after all, such meticulousness was necessary to ensure that so many people here would not be threatened by zombies.
After checking that Wang had no wounds, a sudden burst of hot air enveloped the entire house in smoke. Then, Wang Chao opened the valve in front of him. A voice from above said, "Inspection complete, no signs of infection. Please put on your clothes and walk outside." Wang Chao complied and entered a corridor, passing through two iron gates guarded by personnel. When he emerged, he found himself behind the second layer of iron gates.
Ahead were some simple military barracks, while looking back revealed rows of temporary two-story flat-roofed Small Buildings made of red bricks and yellow earth, exuding an air of profound antiquity.
Wang Chao even heard distant cries and calls, reminding him of the market outside his neighborhood. Those days felt ordinary and peaceful, but now the atmosphere was undeniably bleak and sorrowful. He wondered how many children had lost their parents and how many parents had lost their children. Wang Chao sighed, thinking about whether Yiyi, Yang Mengying, and the others were living here.
When everyone had exited, Captain Lei said, "Hey handsome, you and your girlfriend follow this person." He pointed to a soldier nearby and continued, "He will take you to your accommodation."
"Miss Shen, you come with me!" Captain Lei said before turning to leave.
Since encountering this group of soldiers, Wang Chao had hardly spoken to Shen Zhitao. Now they were parting ways, and for some reason, he felt a twinge of sadness—he couldn't quite understand this emotion.
"Brother, sister is leaving. I'll come back to see you!" Shen Zhitao winked at Wang Chao before following Captain Lei in another direction.
Wang Chao watched her departing figure and shook his head.
"Let's go." The soldier leading the way looked to be in his twenties, seemingly a few years younger than Wang Chao.
Wang Chao asked, "Are the places here assigned?"
The Brother nodded and replied, "That's right. These two-story buildings were just constructed not long ago, but the interiors are quite different. I've had the fortune to enter some of the leaders' houses; their decorations are as luxurious as those of the wealthy before." Seeing that the Brother was young, Wang Chao refrained from mentioning that no matter how the world changed, fairness was a word that could only be found in books.
"You don't have anything with you; naturally, you won't get a good house," the Brother continued. "I heard someone traded a box of milk for a nice house because one of the leaders' wives liked milk."
Wang Chao followed the woman and walked between two rows of buildings. He noticed many people selling goods by the roadside, most of whom were using gold, silver, and jewelry to buy new rations. These individuals had previously been part of the middle class, accustomed to a comfortable life. Now, suddenly forced to consume aged grains that had been stored for years, many found their stomachs unable to handle it, resulting in numerous cases of vomiting and diarrhea.
Thus began the transactions where people exchanged jewelry and other so-called luxury items for food.
However, no one enjoyed eating old grains, and in this world, the value of jewelry had depreciated significantly. Items that once could have bought years' worth of fresh rations were now nearly worthless, with only a handful of people willing to make such purchases.
They continued walking until they reached the end of the two rows of houses. The man pointed to a two-story building and said, "See that? No one has moved in yet. Inside, there’s just a simple wooden double bed; you’ll have to buy or find everything else you need at the market. The market is over there..." He gestured into the distance, and Wang Chao nodded in acknowledgment.
"Thanks," Wang Chao said calmly as he discreetly pulled out a cigarette from his Spatial Ring and handed it to the man.
The man accepted the cigarette with a smile and replied, "No problem. In the evening, go to that entrance over there; newcomers need to obtain a temporary identification."
Wang Chao nodded again.
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