After the completion of the "Tragic Plan," Yang Chang jokingly referred to himself as the "dung-throwing boy," and the rest of the group, reeking of stench, returned to the base. Everyone jumped into the Yangtze River to bathe. Shen Feng was no exception; he also bathed in the Yangtze River for a while until his skin became wrinkled before coming ashore.
After the bath, Shen Feng announced the next course of action, saying, "Yang Chang, gather five hundred people. We're going to retake the upstream signal tower. As for the other members of the combat team, have them search for survivors in the vicinity. If things go south, run back, don't get caught by the zombies!"
As they were preparing to set off, Shen Feng noticed Guo Pinming was absent and couldn't help but ask, "Why isn't Guo Pinming here?"
Yang Chang quickly replied, "It seems after returning to the shack, he drank the evolution potion, developed a fever, and fell asleep. He still hasn't woken up, but we don't lack him, do we?"
Shen Feng felt a pang of guilt at this moment. The potion his senior sister had given out the previous night was green, and no one knew what its effects would be. Guo Pinming had drunk the evolution potion and it had been over six hours, meaning the green potion was indeed problematic. Otherwise, Guo Pinming would have woken up long ago.
"Let's go. After retaking the signal tower, we'll try to get in touch with those upstream," Shen Feng quickly changed the subject. If Guo Pinming's abnormality was linked to him, it would be bad, so he had to use the signal tower issue to cover up Guo Pinming's problem.
Yang Chang didn't think much of it and led the team out. After all, no one had had any problems when drinking the potion before, so it was unlikely there would be any issues this time. Therefore, there was no need to worry about Guo Pinming.
There was also a city upstream of the dam, and there were many zombies here as well. Shen Feng's convoy, consisting of ten large trucks, advanced in sequence. Shen Feng sat in the front vehicle and saw that all the zombies blocking the road were ordinary zombies, so he wasn't worried about them blocking the way.
Upon reaching the zombies, Shen Feng instantly unleashed "Eye of the Hurricane." The zombies within a six-meter radius were all swept up, and even the vehicles blocking the road were blown away. All the zombies on the entire road were cleared. The whirlwind continued for ten breaths, and during this time, all the zombies on the road were cleared.
Hu Lai, who was driving, couldn't help but exclaim upon witnessing this, "The Guild Leader is amazing! He can clear these zombies so easily!"
Hearing this, Shen Feng shrugged helplessly and said, "If only it were that simple. Zombies aren't that easy to clear. I just blew them away; most of the zombies are still alive. So, killing zombies still requires everyone."
Shen Feng had been training his abilities during this time, and now he could make "Eye of the Hurricane" last for ten breaths, almost a minute. Unfortunately, the lethality was still insufficient. Shen Feng could only control wind in a small area, and the airflow was not fast enough to cause effective damage.
However, even so, Shen Feng's abilities were envied by many, as having abilities allowed one to do all sorts of miraculous things. Currently, there were only two ability users in the base: Shen Feng and Yu Ren Shu. Yu Ren Shu's abilities could be fully utilized by adding medicine to water, but the base didn't have much poison, so Yu Ren Shu could at most drown the zombies with water and nothing else.
Regarding abilities, Yu Ren Shu believed they were caused by the body's corresponding changes after a large amount of virus entered the body during rain. The virus primarily modified the human brain, which was why she could transfer abilities from Hou Wen Xi to herself; it was because Hou Wen Xi's brain was not damaged that she could transfer abilities.
Soon, everyone arrived near the signal tower. After clearing the nearby zombies, they actually found two staff members near the signal tower. They had survived by hiding in nearby dilapidated buildings these past few days. As for food, they could only rely on vegetables planted by nearby residents. Both of them were so hungry they were dizzy, as eating vegetables provided little nutrition. However, they dared not leave this place because there were zombies all around. If they couldn't escape, it would be a dead end.
Seeing the staff members, Shen Feng felt some comfort. As long as the staff members were alive, it meant that activating the signal tower was feasible.
Shen Feng handed each of the two staff members a packet of instant noodles and said softly, "It's okay, you're safe now. Let me ask you, if I can provide electricity here, can you successfully activate it?"
The staff members quickly nodded, and while gnawing on the instant noodles, they said, "Of course, we can. The machines in the signal tower were not destroyed, so they are still usable, but they lack electricity. As long as there is electricity, they can be activated."
"That's good. It wasn't in vain that I worked so hard. As long as the signal tower can be used, that's fine," Shen Feng was finally not disappointed by this answer. As long as the signal tower could be used, it was fine. Even if they couldn't contact those upstream, they could at least call home to report their safety.
The signal tower stood tall, with control buildings around it. Shen Feng then led his men into the building. In fact, this should be called a communication tower, because this high tower was incomparable to ordinary signal towers. If it were put into use, it could provide signals for many nearby communities.
Shen Feng was somewhat excited, so he said to Yang Chang, "Take your men back to the base and have them prepare to restore power to this area. I'm going to try to contact the outside world. When you get back, you can also try to call your family."
Yang Chang was also happy about retaking the signal tower because once it was operational, he could call home. This was a great thing. He was a student from out of town, and his home was near Rongcheng. As long as he could successfully make a phone call, he could confirm if his family was safe.
Afterward, Yang Chang immediately drove back to the base with his men to inform Yang Ye to prepare for power restoration. Yang Ye did not dare to delay, as it concerned requesting external support, which was a major matter. If they missed the support, it would be troublesome.
However, Yang Ye also thought of an important issue: after taking down the signal tower, how could they contact external support? They had no idea how to contact the army. Could it be that they had to wait for the army to contact them? How could that be possible?
After informing Yang Ye about the power supply, Yang Chang prepared to return to the signal tower. He brought his mobile phone, eager to contact his family. But at this moment, Chang Jian Yi walked over. Everyone immediately noticed that Chang Jian Yi had dressed up meticulously. She had applied powder, drawn her eyebrows, and put on lip gloss. She wore a long-sleeved round-neck shirt and a white long skirt. She said, "Wait for me, let's go together!"
Chang Jian Yi naturally knew Shen Feng's plan. If they couldn't contact those upstream successfully, she would take the opportunity to call home. Since she was going to make a call, it was best for her to be present, especially since she would be formally speaking to her future in-laws, and perhaps even have a video call. If she didn't dress up well, what impression would she give her future in-laws?
Yang Chang hesitated and said, "Vice Guild Leader, if you're not at the base, won't there be chaos? After all, you've always been the one commanding at the base."
Chang Jian Yi thought carefully and pointed to Yu Ren Shu, who was watching the scenery in the distance, saying, "Isn't there another Vice Guild Leader? If something happens, go ask the Doctor. She's very smart, and she'll handle everything."
After speaking, Chang Jian Yi prepared to set off. No matter how important the matters at the base were, they couldn't compare to meeting her parents-in-law. For the sake of future harmonious family relationships, Chang Jian Yi was prepared to perform well and show that she was a qualified good wife.
Although Chang Jian Yi and Shen Feng had already consummated their relationship, gaining the approval of Shen Feng's family would always be the best. Anyway, there were no major issues at the base now, and the zombies in the city center showed no obvious movements. Therefore, it was okay to leave the base for a while.
Chang Jian Yi left the mess to Yu Ren Shu. After all, the Doctor held the title of Vice Guild Leader, and now was the perfect time for her to share the burden.
After everyone headed back to the signal tower, Yang Ye was also preparing to supply power to the area where the communication tower was located. Coincidentally, when Chang Jian Yi arrived at the signal tower, the street in this area had electricity. Shen Feng was eager to make contact but didn't know how to contact the army. He should have found a retired soldier to give instructions. There were several retired veterans at the base, but unfortunately, none of them were brought along.
Chang Jian Yi walked up to Shen Feng and said expectantly, "Why don't we call your parents first!"
Shen Feng also noticed that his senior sister was dressed exceptionally beautifully and naturally understood her intentions. He then instructed Yang Chang, "You guys think about how to contact the higher-ups here first. I'm going to make a call."
Yang Chang's eyes darted around, and he said to his subordinates, "You guys think carefully and seriously about what to do next. I'm going to make a call."
The subordinates naturally didn't know what to do, so they could only look at each other blankly. After thinking about it, they couldn't just do nothing, so they sat in front of the computer. Since they didn't know how to contact the higher-ups, they might as well call 114 to inquire, although they didn't know if they could accurately get the army's phone number.
As for Shen Feng and Chang Jian Yi, they prepared to call home. Many other members of the combat team also started making calls, all eagerly awaiting someone to answer on the other end of the phone. As soon as Shen Feng's signal was restored, he saw hundreds of missed calls on his phone, all from his family. There were missed calls every day. Luzhou had already lost power and network, so it was impossible to receive calls.
Shen Feng's heart was filled with warmth. It seemed his family had been worried about him all along.
Afterward, Shen Feng made a video call to his mother. As soon as it was connected, the other end of the phone lit up. Shen Feng immediately saw his mother's face and became excited, "Mom, how are you guys? Are you safe?"
Shen Feng's mother, He Pingli, had been eagerly awaiting news of her son's safety, so she had waited until now, making calls at different times every day, but they had never been connected. She had thought her son was in grave danger, but now that she received his call, she started to cry.
"Mom, I'm fine. Don't worry. Where are Dad and my sister?" Shen Feng quickly comforted his mother.
He Liping was sitting at home, wearing casual clothes. From Shen Feng's perspective, his mother's complexion hadn't changed much. Apart from being a little thinner, her complexion and body looked pretty good, which indicated that the zombie outbreak hadn't caused her too much harm.
He Pingli looked at her son's face and thought about the past month when her son's whereabouts were unknown. Before the zombie infection, he had seemed to have caught a cold and had a fever, so she had been very uneasy, always feeling that her son was likely in grave danger outside. But now, it seemed her son was quite safe.
"Dad joined the army, and your sister is working in the government department. I'm off today, so I'm at home!" He Pingli explained. She was the only one at home now, so Shen Feng couldn't see his father and sister for the moment.
Upon hearing his mother's answer, Shen Feng was immediately confused and asked, "Aren't you in Rongcheng? Do you still need to work?"
He Pingli said with a wry smile, "Of course, we need to work. Nowadays, everyone except the disabled and children needs to work. After all, the virus outbreak has caused social chaos, so everyone has to work hard together to get through this difficult time. In short, we won't lack food, clothing, housing, or transportation, but we have to work eight hours a day. Where are you now?"
Shen Feng quickly replied, "I'm still in Luzhou, but don't worry. Once it's safe here and I've established a base, I'll find a way to bring you over."
Chang Jian Yi also leaned over and smiled, saying, "Hello Auntie, I'm Chang Jian Yi. We spoke on the phone before."
Upon seeing Chang Jian Yi, He Pingli's face immediately broke into a smile. "I remember you. You said you were with Shen Feng at the time. I didn't expect you to be safe and sound now. That's great. Have you also recaptured your area?"
Just as Shen Feng was about to explain, someone suddenly walked over and whispered, "Guild Leader, there's a call. It seems to be from the military."
Shen Feng didn't expect his subordinate to find a way to contact the higher-ups so quickly, but this was a good thing. So, he handed his phone to his senior sister and said, "I'm going to take a call. You and Mom chat first."
Afterward, Shen Feng walked aside and asked the combat team, "How did you contact them? What method did you use?"
The person replied somewhat awkwardly, "We didn't contact them actively; they called us. It seems they already know we've occupied the signal tower."
Hearing this, Shen Feng instantly understood. It seemed he had been noticed. But it was also reasonable. Satellites could observe from the sky, and they would surely pay attention to the abnormal gathering of personnel on their side. The call now seemed to be for instructions.
Shen Feng hadn't expected that he would be noticed by the higher-ups and that they would specifically call to get in touch. It was truly exaggerated.
So, Shen Feng walked to the landline, picked up the receiver, and said, "Hello, I'm Shen Feng. Who is this?"