Chapter 27、One vs Thirty? Victory Is Mine!

Yi Bai stood by the window on the upper floor, looking down at Jiang Xiaoci as she addressed the women gathered below. Though the words were too distant to be heard clearly, it was apparent from their expressions that Jiang Xiaoci had managed to calm them down. The women were beginning to trust her.

"She's really skilled at managing people. No wonder she's an A-level talent," Yi Bai murmured to himself, his gaze drifting upward to the deep red sun sinking in the sky. The entire sky was painted with a dark crimson hue, exuding a sense of oppression and suffocating heat.

"Speaking of which, it's been almost a week. Why haven't we seen any rescue forces yet?"

"If foreign military forces might collapse due to the sudden disaster, that would make sense. But such a scenario is highly unlikely, right?"

"Where are the soldiers? The million-strong regular army, the city defense forces, the armed police, special forces, and militias... That's more than ten million combat-ready personnel. Not to mention the countless veterans who retire every year. How could they all remain silent?"

Yi Bai furrowed his brow in frustration, a deep sense of confusion settling in. Like everyone else when the apocalypse first struck, he had clung to the hope of rescue.

He had even gone so far as to wonder, if rescue forces arrived, whether he would follow the state or stay in the shelter to survive.

But now, there was no need for that dilemma. No rescue forces had appeared at all!

Not only were there no military movements, but even the police had scarcely been heard from. There was no sign of any political power either. The only information available came from sporadic reports in the city's chat channels, mostly from people claiming to be police officers in shelters, trying to gather homeless survivors.

But nothing else. No clues. No useful information.

"This doesn't make any sense," Yi Bai thought. "I know there's a military district near Jinling City."

"The military strength of this city is not weak. The first wave of the apocalypse was only caused by a heatwave, not an extraterrestrial monster attack. How could the military just disappear?"

He couldn't understand it. He had already made some assumptions: "Even if the apocalypse game caused global human technology to malfunction, rendering communications, planes, tanks, satellites, and drones useless…"

"We still have people. Soldiers are human too. Even if they're unarmed or using cold weapons, that's still a terrifying force."

"Given the nature of soldiers, they wouldn't just vanish without a trace in the face of such a disaster."

"Something is hidden here that I don't know about."

"Could it be the apocalypse game's mechanism at play?" Yi Bai mused, frowning deeply. "Did the resulting disaster wipe out the country's military forces? That doesn't make sense. So many soldiers are scattered everywhere. How could they all be taken down in one swoop?"

"Even if they were all killed, at least we should have been notified."

"Based on the current situation, the apocalypse game's mechanism doesn't seem to be about indiscriminate slaughter. The mysterious force wouldn't just make the military and political powers disappear."

"Moreover, this is a heatwave apocalypse. A 70-degree climate is terrifying, but it wouldn't instantly kill everyone. Where have all these people gone?"

"Strange..." Yi Bai muttered. "Last time, the mysterious entity reported the global death toll. Could it be that the 1.3 billion dead included national leaders and military personnel?"

He still couldn't make sense of it and had no channels to obtain more information.

The only way he had to communicate with the outside world was through the city's regional chat interface, provided by the mysterious force, similar to a game's chat system. But on this platform, the messages were mostly distress signals, trade offers, and the despair of the hopeless. Useful information was scarce.

"It feels like there's some invisible force deliberately suppressing humanity's ability to self-rescue and correct its mistakes."

"That mysterious entity... is it watching how humanity struggles in complete chaos? Like nobles watching beasts fight for survival... it's relishing our despair."

Yi Bai sat on the bed, his mind restless. He was in a relatively safe environment now, and his thoughts were beginning to dive deeper.

But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that this sudden apocalypse game was filled with unsolvable mysteries.

"Commander? Commander, are you there?" Lin Yue's voice called from outside, breaking Yi Bai's train of thought.

"Come in," he called back.

"Yes!" Lin Yue entered and saluted. "Commander, I have an important report!"

"Go ahead," Yi Bai nodded.

Lin Yue gathered her thoughts before speaking in a low voice. "During my mission earlier, I discovered an unguarded large supermarket. After investigating, I found that there were no attendants, and some of the supplies had already been taken. However, there's still a large amount of stock left."

"I can't carry much on my own, so I'd like to ask for your permission: should I focus on collecting supplies from this supermarket?"

"A deserted supermarket?" Yi Bai was momentarily stunned, rubbing his chin. "Could it be a trap? In this chaos, people are starving, risking death from the heat just to scavenge. How could a supermarket remain unoccupied?"

"If someone found it, they'd have emptied it by now."

"Commander, I don't think it's a trap. I checked thoroughly," Lin Yue shook her head. "But I did find signs of a fight. There are bodies and blood, and it seems the deaths occurred within the past two days."

"From the scene, it looks like someone killed the store owner and the residents, then took some supplies. I believe they'll keep coming back in the next few days to take more."

"So, you want to raid it?" Yi Bai frowned. "Seems risky..."

"Commander, they don't have guns," Lin Yue replied with a serious tone. "The weapons used to kill were edged tools, most likely regular commercial equipment. They didn't have military gear."

"There were eight dead, and the fight seemed intense. I estimate there were about 10-15 attackers, maybe up to 30 with potential backup forces."

"And I've got this!" Lin Yue proudly patted the rifle slung on her back, her voice full of confidence.

One versus thirty. A single gun would be enough!

"Well, alright," Yi Bai blinked, a bit impressed. Lin Yue's character background really fit the mold of a soldier—truly invincible with me! The potential thirty enemies seemed no match for her, and she was already thinking about raiding the large supermarket that had been taken over.

"Lin Yue, I don't want you to get hurt. Are you sure you're confident?"

Yi Bai was tempted. The shelter had just taken in a group of people, and they needed more supplies to cope with the growing needs.

Jiang Xiaoci was confident she could turn these women into qualified residents of the shelter, but that would only work if Yi Bai could keep everyone fed.

"I'm ten times sure. We'll definitely take it!" Lin Yue affirmed with calm determination.

"I'm not worried about your success," Yi Bai replied. "I just don't want you getting hurt."

"I won't be!" Lin Yue raised her chin confidently. "A bunch of thugs without proper equipment? They don't even deserve to see me."

Yi Bai chuckled. Lin Yue's confidence reminded him of a female soldier king. He had seen her skills firsthand.

"Alright, I trust you. You can make the battle plan yourself. I'm not a professional."

"However, I suggest you consult Jiang Xiaoci for some tactical advice. She's smart and might be able to help."

"Also, let Li Ya know. See if she can make some useful tools for you."

Yi Bai paused, then added, "Don't rush. Take your time to prepare. I can't afford to lose you."

He spoke sincerely. It wasn't about love; he truly couldn't afford to lose Lin Yue—she was too important.

"Victory is guaranteed!" Lin Yue saluted sharply, then turned and left.

Once given permission, she immediately sought out Li Ya, who was absorbed in the research lab, and then met with Jiang Xiaoci to strategize. They spent over an hour together before splitting up to take action.

At 8 p.m., Yi Bai stood by the window, watching as Lin Yue, along with Jiang Xiaoci and twelve other women, left the building in an organized procession.

Damn, they were going all out!

Apart from Li Ya and Yi Bai, Lin Yue had led the women on this mission. Each of them was armed with a rudimentary steel spear and wooden shield crafted quickly by Li Ya in the research lab, providing them with some combat potential.

"I remember telling her not to rush..." Yi Bai muttered uneasily. "It's already night. Are they planning a night raid?"

Those women sure were bold.