The whole nation is trying to survive on the cable car; I'm choosing one of three options at ea

He dropped what he was doing and rushed over, his combat uniform still stained with the monster's blood that hadn't dried. He squeezed through the crowd, stood next to Lin Xiaohe, and glanced at Zhang Peng, then at the armed men behind him.

"Lin Xiaohe is someone our guild must protect." Zhou Zhenguo's voice wasn't loud, but it was very steady, each word sounding like it was being forced out from his chest. "Anyone who touches her is touching our guild."

Zhang Peng took his hand off his chin; the blood had dried, forming a thin, dark red line on his skin.

He looked at Zhou Zhenguo, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned... not a smile, but a more complex expression, as if he were looking at an arrogant ant.

"Your guild?" His tone was laced with undisguised contempt. "A bunch of ordinary people, hardly any job changers. Why should we give you face?"

Zhou Zhenguo didn't speak, but his men squeezed in from the periphery of the crowd.

There were more than a dozen, not just one or two. Some carried axes, some carried shields, and some carried spears. Their equipment varied, but when they stood together, they resembled a not-so-perfect but sufficiently thick wall.

They stood behind Zhou Zhenguo, and no one spoke, but that silence itself was a statement.

Some people in the crowd began to whisper among themselves.

"The Salvation Guild... is that Zhang Peng's?"

"Yes, that's the one. There was a professional who could make detectors before, and he was threatened into joining them."

"Robber logic. If someone doesn't want to do something, they resort to force."

"This is nothing new. Their guild expands entirely through this tactic: if they don't comply, they threaten; if threats don't work, they resort to violence. They have over six hundred members; who can afford to mess with them?"

"But that woman is Zhou Zhenguo's person. Although Zhou Zhenguo is just an ordinary person, he has influence in the military."

"So what if you have influence? The military won't care about these things. Once we're in a safe zone, the military will abandon us. What will Zhou Zhenguo have to fight Zhang Peng then?"

Zhang Peng heard the comments, but he didn't care.

What he cared about was the wall behind Zhou Zhenguo... not the wall made up of ordinary people, but the possible military connections behind that wall.

If Zhou Zhenguo were just the leader of a group of ordinary people, he wouldn't even give him a second glance.

But Zhou Zhenguo and those five people from the military... the boy holding the flowerpot, the burly man carrying the shield, the lean man with the Tang sword at his waist, and the woman who was as cold as ice... they were connected.

He didn't know what the relationship was, but he knew that now was not the time to take action.

The air was as tense as a string about to snap.

The air was taut, like a bowstring about to snap. Tensions were high. Zhang Peng's men gripped their weapons, their knuckles white; Zhou Zhenguo's men were equally fierce, their axes, shields, and spears gleaming coldly in the sunlight. The onlookers held their breath, no one daring to make the first move.

Just then, Lin Xiaohe glanced at the edge of the crowd out of the corner of her eye.

Her gaze had been empty, numb, and indifferent to everything around her, but in that instant, something in her eyes changed.

It didn't light up suddenly, but rather it was as if something warm was surging beneath the frozen surface of a river, pushing upwards little by little from the depths, creating fine cracks in the ice.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze passing over Zhang Peng's shoulder and over the heads of the onlookers, landing on a figure walking towards her on the outskirts of the crowd.

Those cold, unapproachable eyes, at that moment, cracked and melted like the surface of a lake touched by a spring breeze. What welled up from the depths was not surprise or excitement, but a kind of peace that she herself did not know how long she had hidden, as if she had finally found a harbor...

Zhou Zhenguo noticed the change in Lin Xiaohe's eyes.

He followed her gaze and saw Su Mu. Su Mu was walking in from outside the crowd, his pace neither fast nor slow, his face expressionless, as if he were there for a stroll rather than to help someone out of a predicament.

He was wearing a dark coat, his backpack was bulging, and his clothes were stained with dried blood and dust, making him look no different from the other survivors around him. But Zhou Zhenguo knew how strong this man was.

He spoke, his voice not loud, but with great penetrating power, enough for everyone present to hear clearly.

"Su Mu!"

Zhou Zhenguo did not hesitate.

He knew that if Su Mu were brought in, this conflict would introduce a variable that no one dared to underestimate. He knew exactly how powerful Su Mu was.

Moreover, Lin Xiaohe is Su Mu's person.

For both personal and professional reasons, he had to bring Su Mu into this. Not to use Su Mu's influence, but to let Zhang Peng know... that behind Lin Xiaohe stood not just a group of ordinary people, but also this person.

......

Su Mu did not encounter any difficulties during the investigation.

The entrance to the North Suburb Power Plant was located at a breach in the wall that had been blown open, with several armored vehicles positioned on either side, forming a natural checkpoint.

Several soldiers stood next to the armored vehicle, each holding a palm-sized, cell phone-like device, scanning each survivor who entered.

Su Mu waited in line for about ten minutes. When it was his turn, the soldier held the device up in front of him. The screen flashed and emitted a short "beep." The soldier glanced at the screen, nodded, and indicated that he could go in.

Su Mu didn't ask what the instrument was measuring, but he could roughly guess... it might be measuring body temperature, heart rate, pupil response, or some kind of physiological characteristic unique to humans.

Whatever it was, he passed. He walked through the power plant gate, which was much more lively than he had expected.

The open space was filled with tents and makeshift shacks, and flags and symbols of different guilds were planted in various areas. Survivors gathered in twos and threes, some organizing their equipment, some exchanging supplies, and some lying on the ground sleeping.

The air was filled with all sorts of smells... food, sweat, blood, gunpowder smoke, all mixed together like a pot of burnt porridge.

His gaze swept across the chaotic area. He wanted to find a quiet place to sit down and wait for the retreat, but the crowd gathered in the distance caught his attention.

It wasn't just one or two people, but dozens, forming a large circle. You could faintly hear people talking inside, their voices not loud, but the tense atmosphere could be felt from a great distance.

Su Mu didn't join in. He didn't like crowds and didn't want to expose himself in such a crowded place.

He was about to walk in the opposite direction to find a less crowded place when a voice came from the center of the crowd.

"Su Mu!"

Su Mu stopped in his tracks. He recognized the voice... Zhou Zhenguo.