Chapter 36: Meeting Again

"Get off the truck, you lazy lot! Move it!"
The new employees who had just arrived at the compound lined up nervously under Xu Hao's thunderous roar.

Xu Hao frowned.
This batch was all over the place—some were decent, others far from it, nothing like those who joined earlier in the week.
After yesterday’s near-total wipeout of the second team, Future Livestock Company needed many more hands. Yet, the labor agency had few suitable candidates; it felt like they were cobbling together numbers just to fill gaps.

“I’ll make an exception for you—go ahead and pick your people first,” Xu Hao said to Yi Chen.

Yi Chen was the new leader of the second team, fresh in his role, clearly lacking experience. Xu Hao didn’t want needless deaths, so he hoped Yi Chen would choose physically fit subordinates to make up for any shortcomings.

But Yi Chen stepped forward and, without regard for height, build, or appearance, simply went down the line and selected twenty people in order. The whole process took less than a minute.

"You brat, remember your promise: if anyone in your team dies, you’ll answer to me!" Xu Hao genuinely admired Yi Chen, but being snubbed in front of so many people infuriated him.

“I understand,” Yi Chen replied calmly with a nod.

“I’ll be waiting,” Xu Hao said, his expression dark.

The four teams boarded their vehicles and set out. The second team once again headed north.

Yi Chen’s truck was nearly all newcomers, and they were utterly clueless.

“Boss, shouldn’t you say a few words, introduce yourself, and let us know what to expect…” Cheng Xianglong, noticing Yi Chen was either gazing at the scenery or frowning in thought without saying a word, couldn’t help but quietly remind him.

What a bother… Yi Chen scratched his head.
To hold the position, one must fulfill its duties.
If it were up to him, he’d prefer no team at all—then he could work freely. But that was impossible.
His identity had to stay hidden; he couldn’t arouse suspicion among ordinary people.

Clearing his throat, he surveyed the group and said, “I’m Yi Chen, your team leader. I have only one demand of you—absolute obedience to my orders!”

“Absolute obedience” was a principle Manager Xu Hao and the previous second team leader Zhang Yumin always emphasized; Yi Chen would uphold it, too. Unlike them, who relied on experience and judgment, Yi Chen possessed extraordinary sensory abilities, able to grasp the overall situation with precision within a certain range.

As long as everyone followed his instructions, he could reduce the risk to zero.

“When we arrive, all of you will stay in the truck,” Yi Chen said.

---

“What?”
Everyone exchanged bewildered looks, unsure what the leader was up to. How were they supposed to complete the task without getting off the truck?

“I’ll go up the mountain alone.”

“You… Isn’t it too dangerous to go alone?” a new employee asked.

“I know the route. I move faster by myself, and you’re safer here. That’s an order,” Yi Chen replied firmly.

Having spoken so decisively, no one pressed further.

Before departure, everyone had overheard Yi Chen’s exchange with Xu Hao—if anyone from the second team died, Yi Chen would pay dearly. Surely, he was worried about being dealt with by the manager.

Staying in the truck was certainly safer than climbing the mountain—less trouble, less risk. Why complain? Though, if their leader vanished for good, their day’s pay would likely go up in smoke…

“Should I stay too?” Cheng Xianglong asked.

Yi Chen nodded. “You’re in charge of the firearms. If anything urgent happens, shoot.”

From Yi Chen’s gaze, Cheng Xianglong picked up on something more. “Urgent” didn’t just mean zombies or monsters; it included unforeseen human hazards.

If anyone tried to go up the mountain without orders, he’d have to stop them.

“Understood,” Cheng Xianglong replied.

When the truck stopped, Yi Chen jumped out.

He carried two meat cleavers and had a backpack filled with bait and rope—simple trapping tools.

As Yi Chen’s figure disappeared from sight, a few of the new employees asked, bewildered, “If the leader doesn’t come back in time, what do we do?”

“We’ll have to drive back when the time’s up—we can’t wait indefinitely,” said an older worker.
Humans are innately afraid of the dark, even more so in the apocalypse. At night, people are blind, but zombies and monsters aren’t—making it the most dangerous time.

“Hey, you’re all overthinking it. He’ll be back,” Cheng Xianglong said with conviction.

Even if there were hundreds or thousands of infected beasts in the mountains, as long as Yi Chen didn’t provoke them, they’d hardly notice him.

And if a fight broke out, with Yi Chen’s abilities, breaking through would be a breeze.

Arguing among themselves was pointless; only time would tell.

“So… what should we do now?” a new employee asked.

---

“If there’s nothing to do, sleep!” Cheng Xianglong snapped.

The mountain wasn’t tall, and since they’d been there the day before, the route was clear. Yi Chen moved swiftly.

Wherever there was life, wherever there were infected monsters… all the nearby conditions were within his awareness. Compared to yesterday, the number of uninfected animals had halved again. At this rate, in less than a week, there would be no point in coming back to this mountain.

Despite his musings, Yi Chen wasted no time and headed straight for his target.

He caught two nests of mountain hens and several rabbits, tying them together haphazardly with rope.

There were more creatures higher up, but he wasn’t in a hurry to go there.
A small group of infected mountain cats had begun to encircle him.

They made no effort to conceal themselves; this wasn’t a hunting expedition.

“So you’ve come to me, before I even settle the score with you?” Yi Chen chuckled, glancing back at them.

Of course, they couldn’t understand his words.

Yi Chen’s scent as a living person was faint, so ordinary zombies weren’t aware of him. But this group of mountain cats had a leader, and the leader was naturally more capable.

This time, Yi Chen easily identified the mountain cat boss.

Previously, it was nearly indistinguishable from the others, hard to recognize. But after a day, its appearance had changed dramatically!

Its body no longer sported fine fur, but gleaming black scales; a pair of budding fleshy wings had sprouted on its back!

“Could it have evolved from eating something?” Yi Chen wondered.

That was a terrifying discovery. If such minor bosses could keep evolving, then the crawler he’d seen before was likely the result of some creature’s evolution.
If they had enough to eat, who knew what these monsters might become in the future!

Yi Chen dropped the animals he’d caught and drew his two meat cleavers from his waist, eyes blazing.

Whatever their intentions today, he would take down the boss. Yesterday, twenty lives were owed to it!

Sensing the murderous aura emanating from Yi Chen, the mountain cat boss began pacing, as if searching for an opening to attack.