Chapter 39: The Armory

In just two short months, the A City Refuge Shelter had taken in more than seventy thousand refugees, far exceeding its intended capacity.

The shelter was overcrowded, yet new refugees continued to arrive every day.

Each hastily modified communal dormitory, originally designed for a hundred people, was now packed with over a thousand, leaving only a narrow path for staff to distribute daily rations.

At first, when the population was smaller, there were enough supplies to provide everyone with three meals a day. However, as the number of refugees surged, the quantity and quality of food steadily declined. Now, each person received only a single pack of bread or compressed biscuits per day, along with a bottle of mineral water.

With thousands crammed into a single room, the place was a chaotic mix of people from all walks of life.

The rations distributed by the authorities ensured people wouldn’t starve, but eating to satisfaction was out of the question.

Some grew desperate for more food—stealing from others while they slept, or preying on the weak when the staff weren’t looking.

When conflicts escalated and were reported to the shelter’s management, accusations flew from both sides, but without concrete evidence, cases were often left unresolved.

The shelter’s limited staff struggled to manage the overwhelming number of people. Tensions flared constantly, and although the workers were aware of much of the wrongdoing, they often turned a blind eye. Otherwise, if they were burdened with every minor grievance, they wouldn’t be able to accomplish anything at all.

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In a corner of one of the shelter’s rooms…

“Brother Hanxu, let’s leave the shelter and go back to the residential area. I can’t stand living like this for another day!” Wang Yayun clung to Du Hanxu’s arm, her voice filled with complaint.

“We can’t go back! If we return, we’re dead for sure! Have you forgotten that lunatic Ye Yunan is still there?! If she finds out we were the ones who encouraged those people to go after her, we’ll be walking straight into our graves! So many men couldn’t handle her—what chance do we have?” Du Hanxu’s face turned pale as he glared and hissed.

Hearing his words, Wang Yayun recalled the terrifying events she had witnessed that day. Her lips trembled, and she lowered her head.

Back in the residential area, they had convinced the local gang leader to deal with Ye Yunan, eager to watch her suffer. They had even hidden nearby to observe in secret.

But what they saw shocked them to their core. Ye Yunan had completely transformed—nothing like the weak and helpless girl they remembered. She was cold and ruthless, moving with lethal precision. One after another, people fell at her hands, their warm blood splattering onto her face. Yet, her expression never wavered.

Du Hanxu and Wang Yayun had watched the entire massacre from the shadows, their bodies frozen as if plunged into an icy abyss. Despite the freezing temperatures, cold sweat drenched their backs.

Fearing Ye Yunan would come for them next, they had fled without even gathering their belongings, escaping to the refuge shelter.

Now, Wang Yayun’s words struck a nerve in Du Hanxu’s already fragile state.

Having grown up in a privileged environment, he had never suffered like this before—going hungry, living in a room filled with a nauseating mix of odors, crammed onto a communal floor with a thousand strangers.

Day and night, the air was filled with the sounds of arguments, crying babies, snoring, teeth grinding, and murmured dreams.

Two months without a single moment of peace.

Every hardship gnawed at his sanity, and Wang Yayun’s complaint became the last straw that broke him.

“I’m sorry, Brother Hanxu. I spoke without thinking,” Wang Yayun quickly apologized, adopting a pitiful expression. She lowered her head, concealing the flash of resentment in her eyes. If not for the hope that the Du family would come for him and bring her along, she wouldn’t have humbled herself to stay by his side.

“Just endure a little longer. I’ve already asked the military if they can help contact my family. If they find them, we’ll be able to leave this place and return to a good life.” Du Hanxu’s voice was bitter, uncertain whether he was trying to comfort her or himself.

“Mm, I’ll always stay with Brother Hanxu,” Wang Yayun murmured, leaning into him as if he were her entire world. Her show of devotion slightly eased his irritation.

In times like these, knowing that a woman was willing to follow him so steadfastly reassured him of his own worth.

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Back in the residential area, survivors had returned from the shelter.

Shu Xin had been observing them through a telescope, noting their haggard faces and exhausted expressions. It wasn’t hard to tell that life in the shelter was anything but pleasant.

She could already imagine the conditions. The book had mentioned government-run shelters before, though those were described in the later stages of the catastrophe.

This time, thanks to Yan Mo’s warning, the authorities had prepared earlier, setting up shelters ahead of schedule.

But that only meant more survivors had made it, leading to even greater overcrowding. With limited resources, the more people they had to feed, the worse conditions would become.

The military wasn’t just rescuing survivors—they were likely searching for supplies as well.

“Xinbao, are you ready?”

“Yes, coming!”

Shu Xin quickly tied her hair, put on her cap, and went out to meet the group.

The discovery that the intruders from last time had guns gave them a new plan.

Those men weren’t like them—they hadn’t acquired firearms from overseas in advance. The only possible source was the police stations scattered throughout A City.

Every police station had an armory, with weapons stocked according to the number of officers assigned there. The firearms those men had matched what a single police station would have held.

Police stations were spread out, and their stockpiles were limited, so there was still time to collect weapons gradually. However, their main target was A City’s largest armory.

Before the catastrophe, A City had been of strategic importance, meaning its armory would have been stocked with the most advanced and comprehensive arsenal.

Because of his family background, Yan Mo knew the locations of all the major armories within the city. Today, their goal was to reach the nearest and largest one.

At the same time, a special forces unit was driving into A City from another direction.

Their objective was also A City’s largest armory.