manynovel Chapter 88 Jiangcheng: 802561
Chapter 88 Jiangcheng: 802561
Chapter 88 Jiangcheng: 802561 (Seeking first subscription)
As the dark green SUV slowly approached the brightly lit complex, following the flow of traffic, Xu Mo heard a clear, steady announcement playing repeatedly through a loudspeaker amidst the sounds of the wind and engine: "Returning scavengers and residents with verified identities, please enter the base in order through the left-hand passage. First-time visitors and unverified survivors, please park your vehicles in the designated waiting area on the right-hand side of the base and wait for identity verification and registration. We welcome any compatriots who abide by the rules and are willing to contribute to the continuation of humanity to join the Jiangcheng Shelter system. Repeat, returning scavengers—"
"Scavengers?" Xu Mo tapped his fingers lightly on the steering wheel, slightly surprised by the term, but then understood. It was indeed an apt and vivid description, probably referring to those survivors who entered the base and then scavenged any useful resources from the ruins and wilderness outside. From weapon parts to scrap metal, from still-edible sealed food to useful books and documents, anything uncontaminated and still of value was their target. The emergence of this term itself signified the solidification of a new social division of labor and a new way of life.
As the vehicle continued its journey, the entirety of Forward Base No. 6 became increasingly clear before Xu Mo's eyes. The closer they got, the more intense the shock in Xu Mo's heart became.
From a distance, it only seemed brightly lit and of decent size. But seeing it up close now, I truly understand what a heavily armed post-apocalyptic fortress looks like!
The base was surrounded by a concrete wall, estimated to be over fifteen meters high, topped with menacing barbed wire. At intervals, protruding machine gun bunkers stood, their dark muzzles protruding from firing ports, coldly surveying the world beyond. Towering watchtowers stood like giants at key points of the wall, equipped not only with searchlights but also with the faint silhouettes of snipers.
This is just the basic configuration.
To Xu Mo's utter astonishment, he spotted artillery pieces covered in camouflage canvas on some of the reinforced platforms! Their thick, long barrels pointed diagonally to the sky, radiating a chilling aura of menace. Further away, he could even see the tracks and turret outlines of several tanks, as well as the launchers of multiple rocket launchers—things he'd only ever seen in movies! Although most of the heavy equipment remained silent, they themselves constituted a silent declaration—the force here was enough to crush any enemy who dared to invade, whether it be a horde of zombies or some other monster.
"This firepower—it's ridiculously high!" Xu Mo exclaimed to himself.
Xu Mo originally thought that with his Thirteen Bodyguards' formidable strength, while he wouldn't dare say he could run rampant, he at least had considerable self-defense capabilities. But the deadly jungle of steel and gunpowder before him instantly made him realize the insignificance of individual martial prowess.
Under the barrage of heavy machine gun fire, artillery barrage, and even the saturation bombardment of rocket artillery, even the strongest defenses wouldn't last a second; they would be reduced to dust in an instant. Faced with such overwhelming firepower, individual bravery would seem utterly futile.
However, this powerful military deployment also brought a distorted sense of security. Look at the vehicles returning to base, and the people called "scavengers"—though weathered, wary, and covered in blood and grime, they all strictly followed the instructions on the loudspeaker, queuing and undergoing checks in perfect order. No one made a fuss, no one cut in line, and no one dared to show any provocative intent. Powerful force was the most direct and effective cornerstone for maintaining order.
"That's more like it," Xu Mo thought to himself.
Only under the absolute deterrence of violence can relatively stable rules be established, allowing the nascent form of human society to survive. Chaos is the keynote of the apocalypse, but order is the hope for the revival of civilization.
Following the signs, Xu Mo drove his SUV away from the traffic heading back into the city and turned to the right at a vacant area enclosed by a simple fence—the waiting area. Several vehicles that looked even more dilapidated than his were already parked there, and there were many more people in small groups, sitting on the ground or resting on their luggage.
As Xu Mo drove into the waiting area, a staff member wearing a uniform, slightly worn but clean dark blue uniform with a "guide" armband on his arm walked over quickly with a formal yet polite smile on his face.
"Hello, new survivor, welcome to Jiangcheng No. 6 Forward Base." The guide's voice was clear and steady. "Please park your vehicle in any empty space, then take your belongings and go to the rest area over there." The guide pointed to a brightly lit tent made of prefabricated buildings not far away, where you will wait for identity registration and verification. After registration, you will receive an identification tag, after which you can enter the inner area of the base.
Xu Mo nodded, rolled down the car window, and asked, "Excuse me, how long will the registration take? Also, my car—" He glanced at his SUV with its shattered windshield and obvious bullet holes; it was quite conspicuous wherever it was parked.
The guide, seemingly accustomed to seeing vehicles in various sorry states, answered calmly, "Registration is quick, mainly involving basic information entry and simple inquiries. As for your vehicle, once you receive your identification, you can drive it into the base. There are designated public parking lots and repair shops inside, though you'll need to pay a certain amount of contribution points." He paused, then added, "If you have any questions about the base's rules, there are promotional videos playing on a loop in the rest area, and registration officers will also explain them. Rest assured, as long as you follow the rules, the base will ensure the basic safety of every legal resident."
The staff's polite responses gave Xu Mo a very good first impression of the place; at least on the surface, there was order and efficiency.
After parking the car in a corner, Xu Mo slung his backpack over his shoulder, locked the car door, and headed towards the brightly lit rest area tent.
Stepping into the shed, it appeared more spacious inside than outside, with several rows of simple benches. There were already twenty or thirty people inside, men, women, and children, most looking tired and weathered, but their eyes held a hint of relief and anticipation at having reached a "safe zone." They mostly sat in small groups, talking quietly, seemingly having made their way there in small teams.
Xu Mo's gaze swept across the area and noticed a detail—there were very few vehicles parked in the waiting area, and most of them were dilapidated, far inferior to the vehicles of the "scavengers" outside. It seemed that the vast majority of these new survivors had walked here on foot, arduously making their way from who-knows-where.
This puzzled Xu Mo. He had driven all the way here and hadn't seen any other groups of survivors on foot, except for the three ambushers. They must have come from different routes or from more remote areas.
Xu Mo's entry attracted the attention of some people. Several people near the door looked up at him, their gazes lingering on the long, cloth-covered object behind him and the bulging holster at his waist, but they quickly looked away without showing much surprise or hostility. Some even nodded slightly to him and gave him a friendly smile.
Xu Mo followed suit, nodding to the people who were looking at him as a greeting, and then found an empty seat with a good view on the side and sat down.
After sitting down, Xu Mo's gaze was drawn to a fairly large LCD screen hanging on the wall directly in front of the rest area. The screen was playing a video, which looked to be halfway through.
On the screen, accompanied by powerful and hopeful background music, carefully edited footage unfolds: first, a series of rapid flashbacks of black-and-white photographs and blurry videos showcasing the chaos, explosions, and fleeing crowds of the apocalypse, as well as the arduous scenes of the early Jiangcheng Shelter establishing its defenses and sheltering survivors. A steady male voice narrates the origins of the Jiangcheng Shelter—established by relying on parts of the old Jiangcheng city and surrounding military facilities, it gradually rallied its strength amidst the initial chaos and established a foothold.
The scene then transitions to color, showcasing some of the larger aspects of the shelter today: sprawling, fortified and renovated buildings; soldiers patrolling above the walls; a bustling yet orderly flow of people on the inner streets; cultivated fields planted with potatoes and hardy crops; and a power plant emitting wisps of steam.
A voice-over timely reported some data: "As of now, the number of registered survivors at Jiangcheng Shelter has exceeded 750,000, and it continues to absorb scattered survivors. We have successfully withstood three large-scale zombie hordes exceeding 500,000 each, as well as countless small and medium-sized mutated creature attacks, forging this sanctuary of human civilization with steel and blood—"
The scene then shifts to show Jiangcheng Shelter communicating with other large shelters via radio and exchanging limited supplies, emphasizing that the human camp is not fighting alone.
Then, the focus shifted to survivor benefits: "Every survivor who passes the screening and is registered will receive an identification tag produced and distributed by the shelter."
The camera zoomed in on the metal tag that Xu Mo had seen on the vehicle of the three scavengers who attacked him. It had a number on it, which was the only identification you had in the shelter.
"You will also receive a base map, a survival manual, and a guide to basic necessities in the city."
The video explains the "Contribution Points" system in detail: Identity tags have embedded chips that store contribution points. Contribution points can be acquired in various ways to become a "Scavenger": accepting various collection, exploration, and clearing missions issued by the mission lobby; finding work within the base, with scenes flashing across construction sites, repair shops, farm work, and kitchen help; or selling any valuable resources you possess to the official or officially designated trading points, from weapons and ammunition to scrap metal, from medicine to books, and more.
"Within the shelter, any form of private fighting or looting among survivors is strictly prohibited. You may carry weapons for self-defense and outings, but the use of force against others within the base is absolutely forbidden. Violators will be severely punished by the enforcement team, with penalties ranging from deportation to the death penalty—" The voice-over became serious, and the visuals showed well-equipped enforcement officers in black uniforms patrolling.
The simulated scenario of arresting violators was highly intimidating.
The promotional video wasn't long, but it was packed with information, and Xu Mo watched it very carefully. His initial impression of the Jiangcheng Shelter was that it was well-organized, powerful, and genuinely working to rebuild order and restore production. While there were certainly various problems, it at least provided a relatively stable and rule-based living environment. This was already quite appealing to him, who had struggled to survive in the wilderness for far too long.
The promotional video played on a loop. About half an hour later, a middle-aged man, also wearing a dark blue uniform but with a more composed demeanor and around forty years old, entered the rest area accompanied by a soldier carrying a rifle. He was carrying a tablet computer and a bag.
"Hello, fellow newcomers." The middle-aged man stood below the screen, his voice loud and clear. "I am Wang, an official from the base's registration office. Welcome to Jiangcheng No. 6 Forward Base. I will now register your identities and issue you identification tags. Before registration, I would like to briefly reiterate the base's core regulations—"
The official surnamed Wang quickly reiterated the core points mentioned in the promotional video, such as the ban on private fights, the contribution point system, and the scavenger system, in an unquestionable tone.
"Now, please come forward one by one and state your name, age, place of origin (general area is fine), and whether you have any special skills. We will verify the information, but we will mainly rely on your self-reported information."
Registration began, and people lined up, one by one stepping forward. Official Wang recorded information on a tablet, then took a brand-new metal ID tag from his bag, engraved the information onto it with a handheld device, and handed it to the person. The process was quick, averaging less than two minutes per person.
When it was Xu Mo's turn, he stepped forward.
"Name?"
"Xu Mo".
"age?"
"Twenty-six."
"Original place of residence?"
"The area around Qingsongling Town."
"Do you have any special skills?"
"no."
When Xu Mo said no, the official looked up at him, then glanced at the rifle wrapped in cloth on Xu Mo's back and the pistol at his waist, but said nothing. He simply calmly recorded on the tablet, then took out an ID card from his bag and used the device to engrave it.
After a soft "beep", he handed the identity card to Xu Mo.
Xu Mo took it, feeling the cool metallic touch. It only had a string of laser-engraved numbers on it: [Jiangcheng: 802561]
Eight hundred thousand two thousand five hundred and sixty-one—this number made Xu Mo's eyes twitch slightly. He remembered that the three ambushers' numbers were over three hundred thousand, while his own were over eight hundred thousand. This jump in numbers demonstrated the rapid rate at which the Jiangcheng shelter was absorbing people.
"This is your identification card; please keep it safe. Once inside the base, you can activate it at a designated location, and it will then be used to store and pay contribution points," Official Wang explained routinely. "Now, you may enter the base in an orderly manner. Vehicles are allowed; follow the signs to find the public parking lot. Again, please remember, violence is strictly prohibited inside the base. For more information, please refer to the survival manual and map, or consult the mission lobby."
At this moment, a survivor who looked quite young timidly raised his hand and asked, "Sir, didn't you say there would be testing? Don't we need to be checked to see if we're infected?"
Before the official could answer, a more experienced-looking survivor chuckled and answered for him: "Kid, what do you think testing is? Blood tests? Where would we find the facilities for that? Making you wait here for an hour or two is the testing! If you were bitten by a zombie and infected, the virus would take effect in about ten minutes. The fact that you can sit here calmly watching the propaganda video and even queue to register basically means you're not infected. This is the most primitive and effective method of waiting for testing."
Official Wang tacitly acknowledged this statement, adding, "After entering the base, if you discover any abnormalities in your body, please immediately go to the medical area to report them. Those who conceal or fail to report will bear the consequences themselves."
Xu Mo suddenly realized that he had just been thinking about how to test it, but he didn't expect that waiting was also a part of the test.
After registration, everyone received their identification tags. At the signal from Officer Wang and the soldier, people began to leave the rest area, heading towards their vehicles or walking towards the base gate that had finally opened to them, a symbol of order and hope.
Xu Mo stroked the metal plaque in his hand, which was engraved with "Jiangcheng: 802561," feeling its cold texture, and his heart was filled with mixed emotions.
This is not just a number, but a new beginning. He glanced back at his SUV, took a deep breath, and strode towards it.
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