Chapter 78: Regrouping and Founding the New Dawn Squad!

"Half of the people we have now are either old, weak, sick, or disabled," Lu Kai said, his voice tinged with resignation.

"If I’d known it would come to this, we really should have gathered more help at the start."

"Don’t lose heart," Chen Yi offered, taking it upon himself to comfort them.

"Since the X Organization has so many members, we could try to win them over. After all, killing isn’t always the ultimate goal." Hu Sanhan and the others agreed that this was a compromise worth considering. In these end times, finding a powerful adversary like the X Organization was rare. If they could recruit some of their people, it would benefit the formation of their newly established squad.

"Boss, whatever you decide, we’ll follow your lead," Hu Sanhan assured him, but Chen Yi’s gaze swept over the rest of the group.

Those who lacked their own opinions saw Chen Yi’s decisive command and nodded in agreement. "We have no objections. Go ahead with your plans, and we’ll act according to your instructions."

Chen Yi nodded. "Good. In that case, listen for my orders. Once we’ve assembled the remains of the Kunpeng, the wounded will move inside, and our supplies will be relocated as well. We’ll reform our new squad, making the belly of the Kunpeng our base. With such a camp, facing the next disaster isn’t impossible."

At that moment, a strange thundercloud flickered across the sky. Sensing another storm was imminent, Chen Yi surveyed their surroundings with anxious eyes. After careful observation, he deemed the mountaintop a suitable spot, thick with foliage that could provide cover.

Every base now was littered with corpses, making it difficult to stay inside for long. Worse still, some had mutated into zombies, lurking within—entering would be like offering oneself as a target.

What troubled him further was that many of the children were beginning to grow hungry. All their food supplies were stored in the dilapidated base on the other side of the island. Without nourishment, they faced death.

Chen Yi had no choice; he must ensure the survival of the squad. To reassure those anxiously waiting for food, he nodded at them. "Wait for me. I’ll go search right now."

Chu Yunxi watched him anxiously, whispering, "Chen Yi, how confident are you that you’ll return unharmed? If not, we need another plan for food. We can’t wait much longer; the weaker ones won’t manage."

"I’m going now. I’ll be back before dark. Although the base is far from here, I believe I can make it," he replied, turning to Hu Sanhan.

Hu Sanhan, startled at first, quickly grew excited. "Almost forgot about myself—let’s go, I’ll use teleportation!"

He grabbed Chen Yi’s shirt, and the two vanished in a flash.

Lu Kai, watching from the side, felt restless. "I should be the one accompanying the boss, yet here I am, left to grumble."

"Enough," Chu Yunxi said with a gentle smile, shaking her head at him. "Everyone has their role. Don’t underestimate yourself; I think your abilities are invaluable."

Lu Kai was the most reckless when danger struck, risking his life without hesitation. Chu Yunxi would not permit him to leave, for his strength was needed not only to protect the vulnerable but also because the information he possessed was terrifying—if leaked, the consequences would be dire.

Suddenly, the young Kunpeng began to tremble violently, causing the group to tense.

A bespectacled scientist pushed up his glasses and explained, "The Kunpeng must have sensed something amiss. We should be careful."

Chu Yunxi showed no surprise. A deep suspicion had already taken root in her heart.

How did this man know the Kunpeng could give warnings? Earlier, when Chen Yi went to gather supplies, no one said or did anything. Now, with Chen Yi gone, someone steps forward?

Lu Kai grew alert. With the boss absent, it was up to them to protect everyone.

The young researcher laughed scornfully at Chu Yunxi’s wary gaze.

"What, you think I’ll harm you? To you, I’m just a coward, always acting for myself, always scheming, right?"

Chu Yunxi did not answer, but her eyes said it all. This wasn’t mere suspicion; she was certain things had progressed to this point.

The man scoffed. "You’re clever, indeed. You figured out I’m an enemy hiding among you. Yes, I admit you’ve won—but sadly, there’s no reward!"

Had it been any other time, the group might have laughed, but in the apocalypse, Chu Yunxi simply drew her pistol and aimed it at the braggart.

"Don’t test my patience. I may be easygoing most days, but when it matters, I have my principles."

The man began to tremble with fear.

Who could remain unmoved at such a moment?

Seeing his change, Chu Yunxi calculated that he must have concerns, so she pressed him further. "You should come clean. I know that, as an ordinary man, you must have some secret, something someone is holding over you—so..."

"Shut up!" the man screamed crazily, raising his knife to attack Chu Yunxi, but Lu Kai and several strong men rushed in, pinned him forcefully to the ground.

"You bastard! You dare lay a hand on our sister-in-law? Are you so desperate to die? I’ll tell you right now—don’t think you can dodge responsibility with these tricks. Not everyone in this world will indulge you!"

"I... I must go back!" the man cried in terror. "I have family to care for—I can’t die here!"

"Then speak plainly!" Chu Yunxi regarded him with cold indifference. "If you don’t wish to lose everything, tell us exactly how many people the X Organization sent. It shouldn’t be hard for you."

The man hesitated. "You only want that?"

Chu Yunxi scoffed and shook her head. "What else did you think I’d ask? To fight your enemies for you? Do you really have the ability for that? Even if you did, I doubt you could act without self-interest."