133 A New Plan!

"You have a plan?" Xue Feng asked, looking quite surprised.

In truth, Xue Feng had brought this topic up for discussion precisely because he wanted to hear everyone’s ideas and analyze the pros and cons.

"We cannot rely solely on our own strength; we must coordinate with other survivors," Shen Ruyan stated.

"Other survivors, you say?" Xue Feng narrowed his eyes. According to intelligence gathered previously by Qin Fengshan and his team, they had located seven or eight survivor bases. There were likely quite a few people within them. Those who had managed to survive this long were no simpletons. Xue Feng estimated that most of them were either gifted with abilities or resided in highly secure locations.

"Exactly. If we can reach out to these survivors, we can have them act in concert with us," Shen Ruyan nodded.

"What if they aren't willing?" Hao Yifei asked curiously. Trusting strangers in the apocalypse was difficult. If they were suddenly asked to help eliminate zombies, how could they possibly agree? Unless there was a massive exchange of benefits involved, even then, the other party might just take the reward and do nothing.

"It’s simple. We frame this as a sweep and evaluation of the forces within the city. If they are willing to cooperate, they can remain peacefully in their own territories. If they are unwilling..." Shen Ruyan’s expression remained calm, yet a sense of chill could be felt in her words.

"Those who obey can stay in the city, and we will designate activity zones for them. Those who refuse must leave," Xue Feng understood her meaning immediately. He had merely proposed an idea, and Shen Ruyan had perfected it, offering a more logical approach.

"This is using the guise of eradicating zombies to claim the moral high ground," Hao Yifei realized, immediately feeling a surge of admiration for Shen Ruyan. Deep down, however, she harbored a sliver of doubt: how could a woman as capable and calculating as Shen Ruyan be so utterly devoted to Xue Feng? It was the kind of total, body-and-soul submission.

"This sounds like the kind of imperial statecraft I read about in history class—the Kingly Way!" Wang Xinyu chimed in.

"You mean Cao Cao, holding the Emperor hostage to command the vassals, seizing the moral authority! Since we’ve proposed the idea of eradicating zombies, they have no way to object!" Even though Zhao Weisuo was a combatant, she was arguably the most knowledgeable among them, having once been a teacher. She understood why Cao Cao’s tactic of "holding the Emperor to command the vassals" had granted him such a massive advantage: many of the other warlords' subordinates were still willing to obey the Emperor’s decrees.

Now, by raising the banner of eradicating zombies, Xue Feng would inevitably cause internal instability among the other survivor groups. There would be those willing to follow him. This internal division alone could collapse those survivor factions. One could even conclude that any survivor who refused to join Xue Feng in clearing out zombies likely had something to hide; after all, very few of the survivor groups they had encountered on their journey were truly "normal." In the apocalypse, there weren't many normal people left anyway.

"This plan isn't meant to be completed overnight. Jiang City is massive; we’ll take three to six months to stabilize it, then identify an area for spring plowing to ensure a steady supply of food," Xue Feng explained.

The group was stunned. They hadn't realized that Xue Feng wasn't just planning to wipe out zombies, but was already looking toward future cultivation. With that in mind, everyone agreed that clearing the zombies needed to be prioritized. It was by no means a futile effort; without clearing the zombies, there would be no vast tracts of land available for planting. Without food production, their supplies would eventually run dry.

"But what if zombies migrate in from other places? We can't guard such a huge city," Hao Yifei still had concerns, especially regarding the mutants with special abilities. They were impossible for survivors to guard against, and ordinary road barricades wouldn't stop them.

"We don't need to build a base that is completely sealed off from zombies. We only need to set up defenses at key locations and organize patrol teams to clear zombies regularly," Shen Ruyan explained.

"It’s equivalent to creating zones with different security levels," Gu Xiaoqian added. The base they lived in now would be the safest, followed by a radius of several kilometers around it to ensure no zombies appeared there. Other areas would be subjected to irregular patrols to eliminate any threats. This was the most practical approach.

"Excellent. Shen Ruyan, map out which areas can become farmland in the future. Ensure they meet the necessary conditions, and coordinate with Song Yan if needed," Xue Feng said, looking at Shen Ruyan. Although Song Yan was not present, she was, after all, the head of agriculture.

"Understood," Shen Ruyan nodded.

After discussing a few more details, Xue Feng dismissed the meeting. One of the A-level members, Nie Xiaoyue, had been absent. She had been living in the laboratory for the past few days, eating and sleeping there, so Xue Feng hadn't forced her to attend. Her primary focus remained on the research of the crystals.

Xue Feng headed to the laboratory, wanting to check on the progress. He still had some of the Director’s research materials in his possession and wondered if Nie Xiaoyue had time to organize them.

Upon entering, he saw Nie Xiaoyue and Nie Xiaoxing busy at work. They were tinkering with a pile of equipment, so focused they didn't even notice him enter. Xue Feng didn't disturb them, instead taking a seat on a chair behind them and watching the two sisters' busy backs.

After about ten minutes, Nie Xiaoyue finally sighed and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Just one more step, just one more step," she breathed out.

"Big sister, can the crystal cores really replace all our current power systems?" Nie Xiaoxing asked curiously. Currently, crystal core power drove forty percent of the base’s electricity, with the rest coming from large solar arrays.

"Absolutely. The previous methods of using the cores weren't perfect, but after these improvements, five ordinary zombie cores can sustain the base for an entire day. I’ve even improved the generators!" Nie Xiaoyue nodded firmly.

"Sister, you're incredible! If this weren't the apocalypse, you'd win a Nobel Prize!" Nie Xiaoxing exclaimed excitedly.

"If this weren't the apocalypse, I wouldn't have had the chance to do this research, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who has discovered how to utilize the cores," Nie Xiaoyue said with sober clarity. She knew that such unique materials only existed because of the apocalypse.

"Sister, with such a major discovery, will you get a reward?" Nie Xiaoxing asked, her face flushing with excitement.