093 Tang Qiqiang in Shock!

Just as everyone stood in stunned silence, the main gates swung open.

Zhao Weisuo, An Xiaowei, and a few others stood at the entrance, firearms in hand.

On Shen Ruyan’s suggestion, a watchtower had been built within the villa complex, staffed by women of E rank who took turns keeping watch. Thanks to this, they had spotted Xue Feng’s return early on—especially since this time, he was trailed by two large buses packed with people. All of them, knowing they would be heading out, wore camouflage uniforms from the armory, lending them a striking air of vigor and martial grace. As for the more daring attire, that would have to wait for a time when there were no outsiders present.

“Sir! Who are these people?” An Xiaowei asked, glancing curiously at the buses behind him. She hadn’t expected Xue Feng to bring back so many at once.

“They’re all useful. They’ll help in building up the base,” Xue Feng replied with a smile, ruffling An Xiaowei’s hair.

Hearing this, two women standing behind An Xiaowei broke into delighted smiles. They were classmates of Nie Xiaoxing and E-ranked members of the base, responsible for the steel wire installations. Once delicate young women, they now faced grueling tasks that left their bodies marked by the scars of hard labor. The prospect of so many newcomers filled them with excitement—finally, there would be others to share the workload.

“There are five of you in all. From today on, you’re promoted one rank—to D level,” Xue Feng said to the two women.

“Thank you, sir!” The two were instantly overwhelmed with joy. Their hard work had finally been rewarded. An increase in rank meant better food, and they could already foresee that most of the newcomers would start as E ranks. At last, they could enjoy the feeling of being a notch above, no longer stuck at the bottom of the base’s hierarchy.

“Gu Xiaoqian, arrange accommodations for these people in District Three and District Four,” Xue Feng then instructed.

The Riverside Villa Complex was roughly circular and had previously been divided into four districts, each containing five or six villas, with twenty-two in total. Xue Feng’s current residence was in District One, the innermost area. Districts Two, Three, and Four formed a semicircle encircling District One, separated by a plaza and green belts. Housing the new arrivals in Districts Three and Four would create a defensive barrier. In the event of danger, they would be the first to know, ensuring that neither enemies nor zombies could easily reach Xue Feng’s villa.

“Understood, leave it to me. Also, Nie Xiaoyue has made some discoveries—she asked if you could visit her after you returned,” Gu Xiaoqian replied with a nod.

Nie Xiaoyue had made a discovery? Xue Feng was surprised; lately, Nie Xiaoyue and her sister had been cooped up in the laboratory day and night. He hadn’t expected results so soon—after all, in his mind, such major experiments took years. But since Nie Xiaoyue was this eager, she must have found something worthwhile.

“There’s a man among them named Tang Qiqiang. Assign him as a B rank; the rest are E ranks. Once everyone is settled, have Tang Qiqiang come see me, and show him around the entire complex,” Xue Feng instructed Gu Xiaoqian directly. He also told An Xiaowei to take Li Wangmiao to the villa for a bath and some food, while he himself went to find Nie Xiaoyue, curious to see what surprise she had in store.

Meanwhile, Gu Xiaoqian led Tang Qiqiang and the others to Districts Three and Four.

“There are over fifty of you, so we’ll allocate four villas. Any objections?” she asked.

“None at all,” Tang Qiqiang replied promptly. This was the apocalypse, after all—no one expected a family to have a whole villa to themselves. Having a roof overhead was blessing enough, and it wasn’t even crowded; at most, two or three people to a room. Some were still so traumatized they dreaded sleeping alone at night, yearning for the comfort of others nearby. To sleep alone was to risk never closing one’s eyes at all.

After assigning rooms, Gu Xiaoqian explained the ranking system and food distribution. Tang Qiqiang and his group hadn’t expected Xue Feng to provide them with food; they were prepared to scavenge for themselves, even at the risk of their lives. Having a single meal was already a fortune.

As for becoming members of the base and following its rules—that all goods belonged to the collective—Tang Qiqiang had no objections; they had little to their names anyway. The ranking system, however, caught him by surprise. Only now did he realize how organized Xue Feng’s base was, dividing members into several ranks with clear duties and opportunities for promotion, thereby reducing the chances of internal strife—since such conflicts usually arose from dissatisfaction over treatment.

“All right, follow me, and I’ll give you a tour of the internal layout,” Gu Xiaoqian said, leading Tang Qiqiang on a walk through the streets of the Jianghuai Villa Complex.

“Currently, District Two is designated as storage, holding supplies and such. Weapons and food are stored in District One. Some generators are installed here, and the water purification system is also in District One. Today, you’ll be able to use clean water,” she explained as they walked.

Tang Qiqiang nodded to himself—this was a wise arrangement. Weapons and food, the most vital resources in the apocalypse, had to be kept close at hand. Generators, on the other hand, could be stored separately; if one set failed, the backup could be put to immediate use.

What truly amazed Tang Qiqiang was that the complex had its own water purification facilities—enough to serve everyone.

“Can we take showers?” Tang Qiqiang asked, suddenly realizing he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had a hot shower—it must have been before the world fell apart.

“Of course,” Gu Xiaoqian replied. “But you must save water. E-ranked members can shower once a week for no more than twenty minutes. I’ll be monitoring water usage, and any excess will result in punishment.”

At the mention of punishment, Gu Xiaoqian’s lips curled into a smile. Lately, she felt as if she’d awakened a new passion—supervising the young women at their tasks and, when dissatisfied, disciplining them with a whip. But lately, she’d grown a bit bored; their reactions had become predictable. Perhaps with these newcomers, she might rediscover that sense of excitement. The thought alone made Gu Xiaoqian feel a flush of heat.