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

He tried to call the burly man back, but it felt like something was choking him, and he couldn't utter a single word.

He tried to rush forward and pull the burly man back, but his legs felt like lead, and he couldn't move an inch. He just stood there, his expression changing from green to white, from white to gray, like a sculpture struck by lightning.

"What are you doing?"

A deep voice came from outside the crowd.

He commands respect without being angry, possessing a weight that comes from long-term command and commands, capable of calming people down without conscious effort.

The crowd parted to make way for a middle-aged officer with rank insignia on his shoulder. Behind him were two fully armed soldiers, rifles slung across their chests, their eyes scanning each person present with wary intent.

The middle-aged officer's gaze lingered on Su Mu for a moment, then on Lin Xiaohe for a moment, before sweeping over Zhang Peng and the burly man with a buzz cut who was still sticking out his finger.

His brow furrowed slightly, not with anger, but with a more complex sense of helplessness, like "I knew these survivors would cause trouble."

"We're about to leave, don't cause trouble here." His voice wasn't loud, but every word was like a nail driven into the air, instantly silencing those who had been whispering.

Su Mu noticed that when the officer spoke, his gaze lingered on Zhang Peng for a moment, then on Su Mu again. It wasn't a casual glance, but a conscious, somewhat biased look.

That look wasn't a warning, but more like a subtle form of protection... as if telling Zhang Peng that these two people were not someone he could mess with.

Zhang Peng silently gave that officer countless thumbs-ups.

He had never thought military uniforms looked so good, nor had he ever thought the phrase "we're about to depart" sounded so appealing.

He forced a smile that looked more like a grimace, bowed respectfully, and spoke with an almost obsequious tone.

"Since it's the military's face, we'll naturally give it a shot." He turned around, the smile on his face vanishing the instant he turned, replaced by a gloomy expression, as if he had choked on something.

He lowered his voice and hissed at the burly man with a buzz cut who was still standing there, "Go!"

The burly man's hand was still pointing at Su Mu, his finger frozen in mid-air, his face full of confusion.

He didn't understand why the chairman suddenly backed down, nor did he understand why the officer seemed to be helping those two outsiders.

But seeing Zhang Peng's expression, he knew this wasn't the time to ask questions. He withdrew his hand, turned around, and followed Zhang Peng, leading his men to slink away into the crowd.

People around him were saying that Zhang Peng was giving face to the military.

After all, the military is the most powerful force here. If you offend the military, no one can expect to leave this city alive.

This explanation was reasonable, and everyone believed it.

Only Zhou Zhenguo did not send a letter.

He witnessed the entire process clearly.

When the officer came in, Zhang Peng's expression wasn't one of "relief," but rather one of "being saved."

Even before that, Zhang Peng's face had turned pale the instant he saw Su Mu. Before the officer could even speak, Zhang Peng was already trembling.

Zhang Peng wasn't afraid of the military, but of Su Mu.

Zhou Zhenguo knew Zhang Peng's background.

A former gangster, ruthless and vicious, after awakening the Beastmaster profession, he used threats and inducements to win over a large number of people, forming the largest guild on this cable line.

There were over six hundred people, all gifted individuals. Such people were arrogant and disdainful of others, and even the military might not take them seriously. After all, the rule here was that the military wouldn't interfere in the internal struggles among the survivors.

The person who can frighten him is definitely not an ordinary person.

Su Mu's strength is probably even more terrifying than he knew. But considering he's someone who can withstand bullets with his bare hands, there are probably very few professionals here who could do that.

Su Mu stood in the center of the crowd, still a little bewildered.

Someone came up and randomly assigned him a romantic relationship, then he was inexplicably surrounded by a group of people. Then that burly man with a buzz cut jumped out, pointed his finger at his nose, and said a bunch of things that he didn't hear at all. Then the military arrived, and then Zhang Peng ran away.

The whole process took less than two minutes; he did nothing, and it was over. He didn't even have a chance to say a word. As the officer left, he glanced at him, his eyes conveying a sense of "don't worry."

Su Mu was completely bewildered. What happened?

He did recognize Zhang Peng... the one who led the team at the zoo, a group of about twenty people, who competed against him in the secret realm, and who still coveted his things after leaving the secret realm.

This guy actually made it back; he's lucky to be alive.

Su Mu was too lazy to scheme against such a person; it was too much trouble. If they were in the wild, he probably would have killed the other person, but here, with all sorts of people around, keeping a low profile wouldn't hurt.

Zhou Zhenguo walked over and stood next to Su Mu, looking in the direction Zhang Peng disappeared, a slight smile playing on his lips.

He patted Su Mu on the shoulder, his tone carrying a sense of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

"I've entrusted the person to you, so I've fulfilled one of my requests."

Su Mu turned to look at him and nodded. "Thanks."

Zhou Zhenguo waved his hand without any formalities. "No need, you've helped me a lot too." He paused, looked at Lin Xiaohe, then at Su Mu, and his smile deepened.

He didn't say anything more, turned and left with his men. After a few steps, he stopped, glanced back at Su Mu, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just shook his head and disappeared into the crowd.

Lin Xiaohe was still standing next to that abandoned concrete block, her head down, her fingers still clutching the hem of her clothes, her knuckles still white. Her face was still red, from her ears all the way to her neck, like a boiled shrimp.

Su Mu looked at Lin Xiaohe and remained silent for a moment.

He glanced at her level... Level four. It hadn't even been a day since they parted. Yesterday she was level three, and today she was already level four. This speed of leveling up meant she hadn't stopped working almost all day.

"You can protect yourself now, that's good," Su Mu said. His tone was very calm, but Lin Xiaohe could hear a hint of genuine relief beneath that calmness.

Lin Xiaohe raised her head and looked at Su Mu.

Her eyes were still bright; the light that seemed to emanate from beneath the ice had not yet faded.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say thank you, wanting to say she had been waiting for him, wanting to say she thought she would never see him again. But the words that came to her lips were all just one word... "Mmm."