“Yes, we have elderly, women, and children here. How could we possibly fight those monsters outside?”

“Can’t we contact the government troops? If they send a helicopter to pick us up, wouldn’t that work?”

“It must be that too many people are trying to reach them. You can’t even get a call through. The government’s stance is that we have to rely on ourselves to get out.”

“Rely on ourselves? Just to get bitten by zombies? Look at those swarms of monsters. The moment we step outside, we’ll be torn apart in seconds. What difference is there between dying sooner or later?”

The people in the basement chirped and argued, unable to reach a consensus.

Those who looked strong insisted on trying their luck, thinking that maybe, if they ran into the government forces, they might just be saved.

At a time like this, human nature was laid bare—everyone thinking only of themselves, not caring about the old, weak, or young.

Before long, a group of young men who agreed with each other formed a small team, grabbed makeshift weapons from the shop, and slipped out quietly under the cover of night.

At that very moment, zombies on the street caught the scent of living humans and began to converge on the bakery.

The old woman in the bakery clasped her hands together, praying to God for safety.

By the time Su You arrived, the bakery’s glass had already been smashed by zombies.

Robert held a butcher’s knife, stabbing it into a zombie’s eye socket to protect his wife and daughter in the basement.

Meanwhile, the old woman wielded a thick rolling pin, smashing it hard against a zombie’s skull in front of her, muttering, “Bite me, will you? Take that!”

Su You fought her way in, clearing the zombies inside the shop, and found only four survivors left—a three-year-old child, Robert, his wife, and the elderly woman.

Seeing the endless horde pouring in from outside, she reminded them, “Get into the basement first, there are too many zombies.”

“Alright.” Robert finally reacted.

Though small, the basement at least had a wooden door to hold them off. They piled sacks of flour and blocks of butter against it, hoping to delay the zombies’ entry.

After finishing, Robert said, “Thank you for helping us deal with the zombies!”

Su You nodded. “The basement isn’t very safe. Why did you come out?”

Robert explained, “The others hiding here wanted to go find the government troops, but someone left the shop door ajar. A zombie got in. I wanted to kill it and shut the door, but the noise drew even more, and those people bolted.”

Hearing this, Su You understood the situation. No wonder earlier she had sensed more survivors here—it turned out most had already run off.

That meant fewer hands she could use.

She felt a tinge of regret.

At this moment, the old woman asked curiously, “Girl, how did you know people were here? What did you come for?”

Su You gave them a glance, a faint smile at the corner of her lips. “I’m the head of a survivor base. I came to search for survivors. Would you be willing to live in a new base?”

At this, all three adults’ eyes lit up. Even little Jenny asked, “Big sister, what’s a survivor base?”

Su You smiled, ruffling her fluffy little head. “A base is a safe place for people to live—no zombies, no disasters, just like life before.”

But to the adults, she was direct. “To enter the base, you need to work. After an evaluation, you’ll be assigned a suitable job. You earn points through your work, which can be exchanged for supplies and living security.”

It didn’t sound all that different from the outside world—except money was replaced with points, and there was no constant threat of zombies.

Robert’s heart was immediately moved.

In this day and a half, living with his wife and child had felt like ten long years, always on edge, fearing that the monsters would break in or that one of their companions might turn.

To have a safe place was a blessing beyond words.

Still, he asked cautiously, “Where is this base? Is it safe? This city is about to be bombed and won’t be secure at all. The underground shelter needs to be strong enough.”

Su You nodded. “Of course. We can make a contract. If you’re unhappy with life in the base, you can raise your request, and I will release you.”

As an adult, Robert understood what she meant.

The base’s location was highly secret, and entry and exit were strictly controlled.

He thought it was something like a doomsday organization, recruiting members during this catastrophe—a perfect time for them to grow.

But he also reasoned that even reaching a government shelter didn’t guarantee safety.

If a city couldn’t control the infection, it was inevitable that it would spread to others.

Everywhere outside was already unsafe.

This girl gave him a reliable feeling. Maybe this group had a strong underground fortress to depend on.

His thoughts swirled, but at last, he agreed.

Robert said, “I have a farm. I’m skilled at growing crops. I can provide the base with seeds and cultivation.”

His wife was a pediatric nurse, patient and attentive.

The old woman had been baking bread for decades and was an excellent baker.

Su You was particularly interested in Robert’s words.

She had been fretting over idle farmland and equipment in the base. Now was the time to start farming, and Robert was the perfect fit to fill that gap.

His wife and the old woman could also contribute.

Soon, Su You pulled a drone from her backpack.

She tuned its special speakers so that the drone could lure away the scattered zombies in the area.

Then, leading the four, she broke through a city shelter route, looped around, and brought them to the base.

“Alright, we’re here.”

The moment Robert stepped inside, the outside noises vanished completely.

His eyes widened in shock as he looked around at buildings modeled after those in Snow City. “You even recreated the city’s architecture underground?”

Though smaller and sparsely populated, it was like a shadow version of Snow City.

Here, there were no zombie roars—only peace and quiet.

It was incredible.

The moment they entered, they were convinced of Su You’s words and felt warmly toward her.

As for being admitted—it was really a stroke of luck.

Robert was immensely grateful for his choice to bring his family into this underground fortress.

At that moment, Su You handed them four black cards—their identity proof as the first batch of base residents.

“These black cards are your identification here. They record your real information, help track and accumulate points, and let you live normally within the base.”