TL: Moonlit

They flew high and saw far.

With so many helicopters flying overhead, it was impossible for the people in the civilized city not to hear them.

The civilized zombies who were working immediately stopped their tasks and looked up at the sky. Some of the higher-ranked civilized zombies even jumped to higher places, intending to bring down the helicopters hovering above.

Ji Rong, He Lin, and Shi Chong realized something was wrong and quickly ran up to the city walls to observe the situation.

The colors of these helicopters were too familiar; they were the same type they often used.

To prevent the helicopters from being shot down, Wen Qingling’s voice appeared in the ears of every civilized zombie.

“Don’t worry, they have come to deliver the helicopters to us.”

Upon hearing the voice of the city lord, all the civilized zombies let go of their guard and calmly resumed their work, ignoring the helicopters hovering in the air.

Ji Rong and the others, who were waving their arms, paused at Wen Qingling’s words.

Xiao Hen, sitting next to Wen Qingling, felt quite helpless. “How many do you want?”

Wen Qingling replied, “Half of what Central City has.”

Xiao Hen sighed. He only knew the quantity in the third district, but he couldn’t accurately estimate the number in other districts.

Wen Qingling said, “I’ll talk to them myself.”

Besides agreeing, what else could Xiao Hen say?

The four generals and the high-ranking officials who came with them in the helicopters were already shocked to the point of their eyes bulging.

Looking down from a high altitude, they could see the complete layout of the civilized city.

The enormous civilized city was situated in the middle. Unlike Central City, the civilized city was divided like a layered cake. It was a concentric circle with walls and gates at each ring, meticulously planned.

To the east, south, and west of the civilized city were three sizable county towns. These towns were enclosed by wooden walls, forming three large bases. From the bases to the civilized city, high walls were erected, creating a straight road leading to the city gates in three directions.

That was no ordinary road; it was a planting area enclosed by high walls. The road ran through the middle of the planting area, where many people were working. Men, women, young, and old, adults were cultivating and farming while children ran and played in the fields.

They didn’t live the arduous and difficult lives one would imagine. They lived well, and the smiles that had been worn away by the apocalypse could be seen everywhere.

The civilized city was indeed a massive city. The crops in the civilized city were mature, and all the civilized zombies were busy harvesting. Looking down from above, the outermost ring of the concentric circle was a golden and orange expanse. Some areas had already been harvested, and the harvesters were busy at work. Many people gathered in the fields to help, creating a lively atmosphere.

What shocked the generals the most was the dense sea of zombies beyond the high walls. They roamed around, searching for food, but not a single zombie tried to destroy the erected walls.

The seemingly not-so-tall enclosing walls became the last bastion of peace between humans and zombies. If the zombies wanted to invade human territory, these walls wouldn’t serve any purpose and could easily be knocked down.

Such a dangerous situation made those who witnessed it break into a cold sweat. However, the people living within the walls seemed to be unaware of the fear. They didn’t seem to be afraid at all. How could they be so bold with so many zombies gathered outside? Weren’t they afraid of a potential horde forming?

Wen Qingling and Xiao Hen were not focused on the zombies but rather on the city gates in the east, south, and west directions. Many people had gathered there, forming a bustling marketplace, and many vendors had set up stalls.Outside people cannot enter the civilized city. If they want to buy or exchange things, they can only do so at the city gates, and over time, this formed the marketplace.

The helicopter landed in the planting area outside the south city gate. The group of people got off the helicopter and looked at the lively marketplace ahead, feeling a bit bewildered.

Wen Qingling took the lead and walked forward, followed by Mi Yan and Luo Fengjue, their eyes wide open.

As they walked, people who knew Wen Qingling warmly greeted him.

Wen Qingling had a blank expression on his face, not responding or speaking. The people who greeted him didn’t find it awkward at all; instead, they were happy.

Finally, they had the chance to see Lord Wen, the city lord of the civilized city. It was not something everyone could encounter.

A bold person ran up and asked, “Lord Wen, you have finally returned. I heard that you went on a journey. I am from the Xu County base, and our base needs more detoxifiers. Recently, many survivors have joined our base, and the original amount is not enough. Can you consider increasing it?”

Wen Qingling replied, “Go find the relevant person in charge.”

“Alright, as long as you say so!” The person smiled and ran off.

Another person blocked their path, “Lord Wen, we are from the Xiang County base. Our base has a larger population and we need a large number of seeds, detoxifiers, and vaccines. Can you consider providing us with some as well?”

Wen Qingling continued walking, “Let Chang Boheng come and talk to me.”

“Okay, I’ll go inform the leader.” The person immediately got into a car and drove back to the Xiang County base, afraid that they would be late and the medicines and seeds would be snatched by the other two bases.

Wen Qingling paused for a moment as he saw a young woman holding a baby in her arms, breastfeeding. She was sitting on a small stool, and in front of her were two mutated hens in a cage.

The young woman’s attention was focused on the baby in her arms. When she looked up and saw several people standing in front of her stall, a smile immediately appeared on her worried face. “Do you want to buy mutated hens? These two hens are about to lay eggs. If you buy them, it will definitely be worth it.”

Wen Qingling kept staring at the baby. “Is the milk enough?”

The young woman was taken aback. “…What?”

Seeing Wen Qingling’s gaze, the woman hurriedly pulled down her shirt to cover the baby’s face while nursing.

Mi Yan stared blankly, not expecting Wen Qingling to be like this.

Luo Fengjue also felt embarrassed and quietly pulled Wen Qingling, asking him to be more aware of the impact.

Xiao Hen followed behind, his attention focused on Wen Qingling. When he saw the situation, he quickly approached, pulling Wen Qingling aside and apologizing to the startled woman, “I’m sorry, he didn’t mean anything else.”

Wen Qingling continued to stare at the baby. “Is your milk enough? When was the baby born? How old is the baby?”

Xiao Hen also saw the baby in the woman’s arms. It was very small, and he hadn’t seen such a small baby in a long time.

The young woman was still a bit panicked, holding the child tightly, not knowing what this strange person intended to do.

Xiao Hen said, “Don’t be nervous. This is Lord Wen, the city lord of the civilized city. He won’t harm you. He just wants to know if your baby is getting enough to eat and how old the baby is.”

The young woman hesitated for a moment. Since she arrived here, she had been hearing stories about Lord Wen. She didn’t expect the city lord of the civilized city to be so young and look calm and peaceful, completely unlike the rumored cold-blooded killer.

The achievements of Lord Wen were well known, and his terror was equally renowned.

The young woman’s knees trembled. “N-No, it’s not enough. I have very little milk…”Wen Qingling frowned slightly. “Hens can lay eggs. Why do you want to sell them?”

Tears welled up in the young woman’s eyes. “My… My boyfriend got scratched on his face while trying to catch a mutated sheep to stimulate milk production for the child. He got infected during a conflict with zombies when we were outside. We don’t have crystal nuclei, and we can’t buy detoxifiers. I can only try to sell the hens and see if I can exchange them for a detoxifier.”

Wen Qingling squinted his eyes. “Which base are you from?”

The young woman became nervous. “I… I’m from the Yue County base.”

“Yue County base?” Wen Qingling narrowed his eyes. “I’m not familiar with that. I’m currently away, and the Yue County base seems to have been established on its own.”

When they left, Fang Shenlong had just taken over the Xu County base. Under the jurisdiction of the civilized city, there were only two affiliated bases left—Xiang County base and Xu County base.

Wen Qingling originally planned to return and rebuild the Yue County base, but he didn’t expect that the Yue County base had already been established on its own.

While on the helicopter, Wen Qingling noticed something was amiss. Yue County had imitated Xiang County and Xu County by enclosing itself with a wall. They had also built a similar gate leading to the civilized city, although it was crooked and poorly constructed.

Wen Qingling was curious about how the Yue County base had been established without him relocating the zombies from Yue County.

When Xiao Hen saw the situation in Yue County from the helicopter, he knew it was not good. Unexpectedly, they encountered someone who claimed to be from the Yue County base.

Xiao Hen said, “If you’re from the Yue County base, how did you end up here?”

The southern gate led directly to the Xiang County base, while the Yue County base was in the opposite direction. It was impossible for a young woman to fly across the zombie-infested area.

The young woman realized her mistake and hurriedly corrected herself, “I-I made a mistake. I’m from the Xiang County base.”

Mi Yan chuckled, “Are you going to say you’re from the civilized city next?”

The young woman shook her head in fright, “The civilized city doesn’t accept outsiders. I know that.”

Mi Yan continued to inquire, “Then which base are you really from?”

The young woman stammered, “I-I was originally from the Yue County base, b-but my boyfriend brought me to the Xiang County base later. They accepted us because I was pregnant.”

Wen Qingling pressed his waist, and a detoxifier appeared in his hand. He handed it to the young woman and said, “Take this back, and bring the hens back too. It’s been a long time since there were babies born. Take good care of them.”

The young woman expressed her gratitude and watched Wen Qingling leave.

Under the rule of the civilized city, the security of the bases was guaranteed. Anyone caught engaging in criminal activities would be thrown out of the walls to be fed to the zombies. This kind of deterrence was very effective, and hardly anyone dared to have evil intentions.

Wen Qingling hadn’t gone far when Ji Rong, He Lin, and Shi Chong arrived at the southern gate.

Ji Rong smiled happily, “You finally came back. Things are lively now. Everything is on the right track.”

Xiao Hen signaled him with his eyes.

Ji Rong didn’t react immediately and looked a bit foolish. He Lin secretly kicked him.

Ji Rong looked at Wen Qingling and met his cold gaze, causing his heart to tremble.

Wen Qingling said, “Indeed, it’s lively. Even the places that shouldn’t be lively are now bustling.”

Ji Rong: “…”

Ji Rong took a step forward and whispered, “I can’t do anything about Yue County’s situation. I have no control over it.”

Wen Qingling coldly stared at him, “You’re saying you have no control? As the Eastward General of the civilized city, you can’t control matters in the East? Did I give you the position and authority just for show?”

Ji Rong hurriedly said, “The situation in Yue County was caused by Blood Corpse. He acted against everyone’s objections, and I couldn’t stop him. We had several battles, with wins and losses on both sides, but neither of us could persuade the other.”

Xiao Hen was worried that Wen Qingling might lose his temper and attack Ji Rong. He spoke up, “What happened exactly?”