Chapter Forty-Six: Unless There Are Zombies That Can Fly

As soon as those words were spoken, the atmosphere grew instantly tense.

At that moment, Chen Yaxi ran from the side to Chen Yi, tugging gently at his sleeve. "Brother... does it really have to be this way?"

Chen Yi bent down and stroked her head tenderly. "Xiaoyaxi, this is for everyone's survival. Whether we can endure these dark days matters far more than our individual feelings."

But suddenly, a voice in the crowd objected. "Boss Chen, isn't this too cruel? They're people too!"

"If they surrender, can't they join our base?"

"Wouldn't that mean gaining new strength for us?"

The speaker was a young man named Li Ming, who looked gentle and refined—a clearly kind-hearted soul.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes at him. "Li Ming, do you truly believe we should cling to such benevolence at the end of the world?"

Li Ming’s face turned a bit pale, yet he gritted his teeth and insisted, "We're human, not beasts. We can't lose all our humanity..."

"You're mistaken."

Chen Yi cut him off coldly. "In this world, mercy will get you killed.

"Those so-called enemies—if we hadn't fought back fiercely and gained a tactical advantage, it would be us lying dead now."

Li Ming bit his lip, speechless. He knew, deep down, that Chen Yi was right, but his conscience was still at war within him.

Hu Sanhan stepped forward, speaking in a calm, steady tone. "Chen Yi is right."

"In these times, survival is all that matters."

"Today you may stand in safety, but tomorrow the enemy's blade could be at your throat."

Lu Kai also approached, clapping Chen Yi on the shoulder. "Brother Chen, we support you."

At that, Chen Yi walked up to Li Ming, giving his shoulder a reassuring pat, then turned to praise him. "Everyone, Li Ming just raised a question, and I think that's something to be commended."

"Being able to question is a good thing; it prevents me, as your leader, from making rash decisions in moments of passion."

He glanced around, then continued, "I hope you'll keep that attitude. Such voices can only make the base better."

Low discussions began to ripple among the crowd, gradually growing in agreement.

Chen Yi smiled faintly, then reminded them, "This is exactly the kind of voice and attitude we need! Doubt and debate have their place, but their purpose must be clear."

"If they're for personal gain, we cannot tolerate it!"

"But if it's for the survival of our base and everyone here, I have no objection!"

The crowd erupted.

"That's right, what matters most is the collective good!"

"This is for everyone's safety—I support Boss Chen!"

"Boss Chen is right! We can't act out of selfishness or just to ease our own consciences!"

In that moment, Chen Yi’s image in the minds of his team grew ever loftier.

Meanwhile, among the captured soldiers, some still seemed intent on resisting.

Suddenly, a faint sound of rope scraping broke the air. Chen Yi, his back turned to the crowd, sensed the anomaly.

Among the captives, one was clearly not resigned and was trying to make a move behind their backs.

"Boss! Look out!" Li Ming shouted anxiously.

Chen Yi spun around, his blade flashing like lightning.

A prisoner, caught in the act of untying himself, stared in horror as he collapsed, blood soaking the earth.

"Now you have a living example—this is the price of mercy!"

"The enemy will never truly coexist with us."

"One careless moment, and it's our own doom."

Chen Yi's tone was icy.

No one dared object further; all had learned their lesson.

They had only wanted to survive, and since joining Chen Yi and Hu Sanhan, life seemed to have improved.

That was why they felt emboldened to reveal a softer side of their humanity.

But in truth, no one could afford to be so foolish.

Chen Yi surveyed the silent crowd, nodding in satisfaction.

In fact, he had been aware of the would-be attacker’s furtive movements all along, but he had deliberately allowed the attempt—for the sake of setting a warning example.

He knew all too well what disaster mercy could bring in a world such as this.

In his team, there could be no place for such people.

If such tendencies arose, they had to be stamped out at once!

He turned to the others, his voice grave. "Remember, we have no way back."

"If we let one enemy go, we might be letting a threat slip through."

Hu Sanhan’s rough voice rang out, "That's right. There's no such thing as righteousness left in this world."

"What we want is survival, not fleeting compromises."

His golden saber trembled slightly in his grip, as if still hungry for blood.

Chen Yi raised his double-edged blade, then swiftly brought it down, giving his team a clear demonstration.

"Begin."

His command was cold and absolute.

Immediately, the team moved into action, showing no mercy.

As Chen Yi watched them deal with the bodies, he noticed their work was too perfunctory.

He spoke up, reminding them, "Check the bodies carefully—especially for anything useful on them."

"After the end times, every resource matters more than ever."

"Understood, Boss!" one team member replied, promptly leading the way.

Spurred on, the others became even more thorough, searching every inch, leaving no corner unchecked.

In the end, over a hundred bodies were thrown into the water, becoming part of the churning waves.

Once the grim work was done, they finally moved toward the warship.

Chen Yi led the way aboard, his gaze falling instantly upon two missiles on the deck ahead.

He approached, laying his hands on the control levers.

"Can these still be used?" Lu Kai asked, curiosity piqued.

Chen Yi carefully inspected the control panel, then smiled and pointed at the launch controls. "See this? That’s how you fire them."

"In the military, there are dedicated training courses for these procedures."

"I've never served, but I’ve watched plenty of instructional videos and visited military bases."

"So, Boss, you can operate them?" Li Ming asked, intrigued.

"I can," Chen Yi answered with a shrug and a mild smile. "But there’s no need right now—these are anti-aircraft missiles."

Hu Sanhan joked, "Little brother, when will we get to see your skills in action?"

"If a mutated zombie ever takes to the sky, I’ll give you all a demonstration," Chen Yi replied, pointing at the clouds above.