Rewriting My Fate in the Apocalypse-Chapter 357: Gathering Flames

The lively discussion continued for a while, voices overlapping as everyone imagined a future that was no longer limited to mere survival.

Leng Pan didn’t interrupt them immediately. She sat quietly on the sofa beside Lu Zhen, fingers interlocked, listening as ideas collided and merged.

All the ideas given mirrored the hope every member of the team carried. That was why Leng Pan chose to sit quietly and let them dream, even if their hopes would not become a reality.

The sight before her was exactly what she wanted to see, not blind obedience from the team members. She wanted people who could think, plan, and envision tomorrow even when today was trying to burn them alive.

When the room finally grew quieter, she stood up.

Most of the time, they discussed their plans while seated, but today there were too many people squeezed into the living room of the apartment making it look smaller.

She needed everyone to see her and pay attention to what she was going to say.

The moment she moved, it was as if someone had pressed a mute button. The room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

"We can build a base here," Leng Pan said calmly, her gaze sweeping across everyone present.

"But before that, there are three problems we must solve."

Everyone straightened instinctively, waiting to hear what they needed to do next.

"First, the immediate problem we need to solve is the heat. Even though it might only last for a few weeks, we must be able to survive those weeks."

She gestured toward the window. Even with the curtains drawn, the sunlight leaked in like molten gold.

Sweat glistened on the foreheads of nearly everyone there, and the ice in the buckets was already melting at a visible rate.

"This extreme heat won’t end today. It will likely last longer than the cold disaster," Leng Pan said. "Water sources will evaporate. Crops won’t survive, and zombies exposed to the sun may mutate faster instead of weakening."

That last sentence made several people’s expressions change.

They hadn’t thought of this before, but it was a possibility. While the cold weather had slowed the zombies down, it hadn’t stopped their mutation and evolution.

The heat might prove to be worse.

Zaizai frowned. "You think the heat could accelerate mutation?"

"Yes," Leng Pan replied without hesitation. "Extreme environments force evolution. Zombies aren’t limited by pain, dehydration, or heatstroke like humans are. If they adapt before we do, the situation will become worse."

Leng Pan remembered the last apocalypse how zombies had become stronger and faster with every disaster and had no doubt about her deduction.

Lu Zhen added in a low voice, "Which means our current strength won’t be enough very soon."

Even though Lu Zhen and Leng Pan were stronger than probably every human on the planet, they were not conceited. They knew that humans had limitations that zombies didn’t.

These were weaknesses that needed to be addressed quickly.

Silence fell into the room once again.

"The second problem that needs solving is....," Leng Pan continued, "People."

She paused for a brief moment before speaking again.

"After what happened this morning, morale will collapse faster than buildings," she said. "Parents lost children. Families lost everything in a single hour. Despair spreads faster than zombies."

Leng Pan continued to explain.

Everyone subconsciously recalled the woman who jumped with her baby.

Janna lowered her head, fingers clenched tightly.

"Emotions play a key role in survival. When one has lost the motivation to survive, they become a liability instead of being an asset.

So, we cannot recruit people blindly. If we do so, we won’t be building an army," Leng Pan said. "We’ll be gathering unstable explosives waiting to explode anytime.

Something that might endanger the entire base."

"So we need to set up a screening mechanism," Ouyang Jin said slowly.

"Yes," Leng Pan nodded.

"We shouldn’t focus on strength first, but mentality.

Anyone who wants to join must accept one thing: no one will be saved unconditionally. Orders come before emotions. Survival comes before sympathy." Leng Pan had suddenly become the Commander Leng, Ouyang Jin and the others remembered from the previous apocalypse.

She was always so rational, something that had contributed to her sacrificing herself to protect the city protecting the survivors.

Even though her voice was steady, no one mistook it for cruelty.

It was reality.

"And the third problem?" Momo asked quietly.

Leng Pan’s eyes darkened slightly at the question.

"Aliens." She muttered softly, almost to herself, but everyone in the room heard her.

That single word made the air feel heavier.

Those who had survived the other apocalypse knew how destructive the aliens could be.

While zombies were a challenge, they were nothing compared to the aliens.

"We still don’t know how many have infiltrated human society," Leng Pan said. "We don’t know their selection criteria, their limits, or their ultimate goal. Well, maybe we do know that one. It is to occupy our plant.

But one thing is certain, they thrive in chaos." Leng Pan explained, a heavy sigh escaping her lips.

The room fell dead silent again, only interrupted by a sigh here and there.

Lu Tao suddenly raised his hand like a student in class.

"What is it?" Lu Zhen asked in a deep voice.

Lu Tao nodded. "There’s another issue."

Leng Pan looked at him, "Speak your mind."

"The water outside," Lu Tao said. "It’s receding or rather, evaporating faster than expected.

But... it’s not clean. My equipment picked up unusual movement beneath the surface earlier. Not zombies."

Of course, Lu Tao used his X-ray vision and super hearing, but he couldn’t expose his superpower.

So, he gave credit to his equipment."

The room instantly grew tense when everyone heard what Lu Tao said.

"Are there other mutated creatures?" Xu Man asked curiously.

"Possibly, or something else. I don’t know, I couldn’t figure it out for a moment." Lu Tao replied regrettably.

Leng Pan closed her eyes for a brief moment.

She had expected this. After all, this wasn’t her first apocalypse. But she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.