Chapter 700: Ambition

Chapter 700: Ambition

The day after their return, Gao Changkong brought his girlfriend Gu Man and Vice-Captain Ji Yushen to Zone E.

They were driving a large truck, packed full of essentials like food and coal, all exchanged using points.

Their arrival thrilled the people in this area.

This place wasn’t exactly a slum—Blizzard City still provided decent security for ordinary residents, ensuring they didn’t go hungry or freeze.

And every resident allowed to stay in Blizzard City was once an elite in the old world.

Even those who had worked in the service industry were once the best in their field.

But they had families.

Some families relied on one person’s labor to support two or three others, making it hard to stretch supplies.

And nowhere was this more evident than in Zone E.

Gao Changkong was someone who had come out of Zone E.

Even though he had once been a shining basketball superstar and financially well-off, after the apocalypse, his abilities didn’t bring much value to Blizzard City.

So, he had lived here for over a month.

Later, after awakening his superhuman ability, he joined the City Guards with his outstanding strength, and step by step became one of the captains of the Yan Yun Guards' investigation teams.

That’s why every time he came back from a mission, he never forgot to visit the place he used to live, bringing supplies for the people of Zone E who once helped him.

When Gao Changkong arrived at the community, he was greeted with great enthusiasm.

Gu Man smiled and asked everyone to line up to receive supplies.

No useless junk—only the essentials for survival.

At times like this, nothing touched hearts more than heating supplies and food.

Among the crowd, an older balding man looked at the food and coal in his hands, eyes full of gratitude as he watched Gao Changkong unloading supplies.

“If Captain Gao could one day become the commander of the Jiangnan District, that would be amazing!”

As soon as he said it, everyone around nodded in agreement.

“Yeah! Captain Gao is kind-hearted and shows compassion to us common folks. If he were the commander, maybe life wouldn’t be so hard.”

Hearing this, Gu Man’s lips curled into a proud smile.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and turned to look at the man busy unloading supplies from the truck.

Who would’ve thought that this investigation team captain, a well-known figure in Blizzard City, often did this kind of heavy labor himself?

Gao Changkong heard the chatter and laughed heartily. “Don’t say stuff like that! I’ve only done a few minor things, no need to praise me so much.”

“Commander Zhu has already done a great job with Blizzard City. At least everyone can live in peace.”

Among the crowd, a woman lowered her head and said bleakly, “Living in peace... is it really like that?”

“Jinling used to have 15 million people. After the apocalypse, less than two million were selected to enter Blizzard City.”

“Later, those who lost the ability to work for any reason were ruthlessly expelled.”

She took a deep breath, struggling to hold back her emotions.

Because she thought of her parents—an elderly couple in their seventies—who were driven out of Blizzard City for exactly that reason.

Gao Changkong fell silent.

In the apocalypse, things like this were unavoidable.

Limited resources could only support a limited population.

Otherwise, all of Blizzard City would collapse, and everyone would die together.

“The world will get better in the future! Please believe in that!”

Gao Changkong looked at the people with a determined gaze.

His eyes lifted their spirits and gave them hope.

“If Captain Gao could really become commander, that would be amazing.”

“Commander Zhu’s alright, but even he has to bow to those in power. At the end of the day, we ordinary folks still have it rough.”

“Not everyone can be like Gao Changkong!”

Several women pulled their children close and taught them to look up to Gao Changkong.

“See? Even ordinary people can defy the odds.”

“Captain Gao lived in Zone E just like us. But now, look at him—he’s a big deal.”

The kids were already tired of hearing things like this.

Their parents used Gao Changkong as an example nearly every day.

Gao Changkong was used to this too, so after distributing the supplies, he asked if the community needed help with anything else.

After a busy half-day, the matter was finally settled.

He, Gu Man, and Ji Yushen drove to Zone A and found a café to rest in.

The poor lived in cold, honeycomb-like apartment blocks.

But the rich lived almost like it was before the apocalypse—you could enjoy gourmet food, and even luxury goods were cheaper.

The three of them ordered coffee and desserts and chose a window seat.

The staff treated them with extra respect, and the way the young waitress looked at Gao Changkong was full of girlish affection.

Even though she was a 32-year-old mom, who didn’t have a girlish heart?

She was the type who would drag her husband and child along to watch an idol concert in a wedding dress.

Unfortunately, sitting next to Gao Changkong was Gu Man—a woman who could easily make other women feel inferior.

Once the coffee arrived, the three of them started chatting during their break.

Ji Yushen leaned back in his rattan chair and smiled. “We just got back and thought we could rest a bit, but now we’re being sent on another mission. Seems like the Jiangnan District really can’t function without us!”

Gao Changkong took a sip of his mocha and smiled faintly.

“It’s only because we happened to be free. If another investigation team had returned, they’d be the ones sent out.”

Gu Man looked at the side of Gao Changkong’s face and gave a small smile.

“That’s what they call ‘right place, right time,’ huh?”

Gao Changkong couldn’t help but sigh, “Yeah. Sometimes, it really does come down to luck. If we’d been the ones sent to Tianhai City…”

All three of them sighed.

Who could have imagined that a routine zombie-clearing mission would involve an Epsilon-level Superhuman?

Bian Junwu died, and the Black Robe Investigation Team was severely wounded.

Even if they had gone instead—even with Gao Changkong’s formidable power—it wouldn’t have made up for the gap between him and an awakened Epsilon.

Ji Yushen glanced around—there weren’t many people in the café.

He put down his cup and whispered to the two of them, “Captain, Gu-jie, if we succeed in this mission, the Reincarnation Squad will become the top of the Six Investigation Teams!”

“At that point, our prestige will reach an all-time high! After all, this is about driving out foreign invaders!”

Gao Changkong smiled faintly. “It’s not that simple. The higher-ups wouldn’t hand over such a big credit to me so easily.”

Author's Note