C28 Cai Huadao

"I'm the chief of this police station, Cai Huadao. If it's all the same to you, you can call me Brother Dao."

"Cai Huadao? Sounds like the name of a bandit," Jiang Feng said, not bothering to show any respect.

"What did you say?" one of the henchmen barked, raising his submachine gun at Jiang Feng.

To everyone's surprise, Cai Huadao stood up and smacked his henchman across the face.

This slap was in a whole different league from the ones Jiang Feng had weathered. With the strength of thirty men, Jiang Feng could easily fend off any punches and kicks. Meanwhile, the average strength of the bio-enhanced people at this stage was about that of three men. The henchman who received the slap spat blood, coughed a few times, and then passed out.

Regrettably, Jiang Feng lacked Urendir's ability to gauge combat power, so he couldn't determine Cai Huadao's exact strength. But he estimated that Cai Huadao was decently strong, likely around the strength of five men.

Cai Huadao ordered the others to carry the unconscious henchman away before sitting down again, looking ready to engage in a hearty conversation with Jiang Feng.

"My apologies for the lack of discipline. By the way, what's your name?"

"Jiang Feng."

Jiang Feng was intensely curious about this so-called boss, wondering what he was really after.

"Let's cut to the chase. You claim to be a mage, right?"

"Ah, I was just spouting nonsense, having a bit of fun."

"Figures. My men might be gullible, but I'm not. They're all evolved humans, yet their blows don't faze you in the slightest. It's not because you're some kind of mage, but because you're exceptionally strong, incredibly so," Cai Huadao said, actually complimenting Jiang Feng with a smile.

"Oh? So what's your angle?" Jiang Feng didn't see the point in playing coy any longer. It was clear that the man before him had something to negotiate, perhaps even a favor to ask of Jiang Feng, which explained why he hadn't been killed yet.

"Brother Jiang Feng, I'm sure you've had a chance to exchange a few words and laughs with my men by now, so you probably have a sense of how things stand here. Is there anything you're unhappy with?"

"What are you unhappy about?"

"A lot. Take, for instance, those goons of yours who just attacked me. If you're looking for revenge, I'm ready to oblige."

As soon as Cai Huadao uttered these words, his nearby henchmen's legs turned to jelly with fear.

Jiang Feng wasn't one to sweat the small stuff. He reassured his subordinates, "Relax, everyone. I was just messing around. There won't be any payback."

"Go on, thank your brother Jiang Feng," Cai Huadao barked.

At his command, the subordinates swarmed Jiang Feng, showering him with thanks, "Thank you, Brother Jiang Feng..."

"Brother Jiang Feng? Is that what you should call him? Say 'big brother' instead."

"Thank you, Big Brother Jiang Feng. We're sorry for the disrespect earlier." They went on and on, much to Jiang Feng's irritation.

"That's enough! Cut the nonsense. What do you really want?" Jiang Feng's patience was wearing thin.

With a look of concern and a cigarette in hand, Cai Huadao got to the point, "Jiang Feng, let's be frank. We're responsible for hundreds of people, and the local supermarkets and produce farms have been stripped bare. We're forced to scavenge for supplies and food farther afield. But the zombies... they're becoming fiercer and smarter by the day, and our men are dwindling. I know you're strong, and crucially, you have this ability to fend off hordes of zombies. I'm pleading with you for help."

"Help you? So you can play king of the hill here? And then what, allow you to assault the women left without male protectors?"

Cai Huadao kept his cool under Jiang Feng's interrogation and slowly clarified, "I confess, we've done some regrettable things. But we've also granted these women privileges. They don't have to lift a finger and still get food and drink. Unlike us men, they're not contributing to keeping the camp running..."

Jiang Feng cut him off before he could finish, "I'm well aware of how your camp operates, no need to spell it out. I have just one condition: give those beautiful women the freedom to choose. Their beauty isn't your license to abuse."

In our refugee camp, we have over 700 people, with women and children making up more than 500 of that number. Our men are under tremendous pressure to provide for them. Many women have chosen not to wear the iron hoops and willingly serve us, so instances of rape have become rare..."

"Don't make excuses for your wrongdoings. If you want my help, you need to end the iron hoop practice and outright prohibit any acts of malicious rape."

Confronted with Jiang Feng's commanding presence, Cai Huadao hesitated briefly before stubbing out his unfinished cigarette. He then addressed Jiang Feng with earnest conviction, "Alright, I agree. If you stay and help us resolve the food shortage, I'll not only ban malicious rape but also decree it a capital crime, carrying out the execution in front of the victim."

Jiang Feng was taken aback by Cai Huadao's commitment.

"Cai Huadao, you've committed innumerable acts of murder and rape since the apocalypse began; you're far from a good man. Yet now, you speak solemnly of your plans to ban rape entirely. What brought about this change of heart?"

With a heavy sigh, Cai Huadao stood up and dismissed his men.

Once the interrogation room was left to just Jiang Feng and Cai Huadao, Cai Huadao's expression grew grave as he confided in Jiang Feng, "I, Cai Huadao, was once a soldier. On the first day of the crisis, my comrades and I were deployed to the front lines to battle the zombies. My unit was over a thousand strong, well-armed and ready. But the zombies were relentless, charging without fear of death. The city was densely populated, and the sheer number of zombies was overwhelming; no matter how many we killed, there were always more. After just a few hours, our losses were devastating, and to make matters worse, we lost contact with our command center. I didn't understand the purpose of our fight anymore.

I was bitten on the thigh by a zombie and thought I was a goner, but against all odds, I survived. That brush with death made me value life all the more, so I led the 300 survivors in my charge to flee.

We fortified the police station in the Elk District, allying with the local police and militia. We equipped them with the army's finest machine guns to fend off the zombies, erected high walls, topped with barbed wire, and ultimately, we held the police station."

Throughout my years in the military, we rarely encountered women. Driven by the fear that we might not survive another day, I led my comrades in some wild escapades. I'll own up to being a lecher, and I've been nicknamed accordingly, like the Flower Picking Pirate, based on a play on my name. But truth be told, I don't even measure up to that moniker. I do have regrets, especially considering the harshness of the apocalypse..." Cai Huadao's voice trailed off as memories resurfaced.

"What happened? Keep going," urged Jiang Feng.

"The police station here faced a dire emergency once.

In the initial days of the apocalypse, thousands were sheltered here. I believed our defenses were solid, given the top-notch gear we provided to the police and militia. But then, someone who hadn't been bitten by zombies suddenly turned. Chaos ensued throughout the station.

It became clear that no one was safe from mutation, bitten or not.

I took charge, initiating what we called 'the purge.' We captured some zombies to bite people, forcing everyone in the station to turn, then we eliminated the zombies, sparing only the evolvers.

We fought for a full day and night. Thousands scattered, mutated, or evolved, and in the end, just over 200 remained in the station.

I've carried the weight of this sin, defending this sanctuary for over 20 days now. Each day has been a struggle.

We've continued to take in refugees, and our numbers have swelled to over 700—all evolvers. I doubt there's a safer haven anywhere in Bluecliff City."

"So, you compel the new refugees to mutate, keeping only the evolvers. That's why everyone at the station is an evolver now?"

"Exactly. Whenever newcomers arrive, we subject them to a ritual, regardless of their status. They receive the finest meals we can offer, laced with zombie toxins and potent sedatives. The odds of them surviving and becoming evolvers are slim, so this meal could well be their last. That's why I ensure it's the most lavish one they could have, more generous and appetizing than our own rations," Cai Huadao explained.

Jiang Feng recalled giving survivors the choice in Heyday, a choice that Cai Huadao had denied them. He expressed his dissatisfaction, "Even if becoming an evolver is necessary for survival, you shouldn’t strip them of their right to choose. You sedated them without offering a choice. Even as evolvers, some will harbor resentment towards you."

"That resentment will soon be crushed by the harshness of reality. We're scrimping and scraping by each day. To secure more food and survive, we must toil away. Humanity has long been shattered."

"What are you getting at with all this? What are you trying to prove?" Jiang Feng wanted to cut to the chase.

"We're at our breaking point. Our food supplies are dwindling, and at our current rate, we won't last more than three days. Soon, the over 500 women and children in this refugee camp will perish. They've struggled so hard to survive, to become evolvers, only to still face a grim fate. Isn't that tragically sad?"

"Is it the 500 women and children you're concerned about now?"

"It's the last shred of my conscience I'm considering. My men are a mixed bunch, and they're getting harder to control. Without food, they'll resort to killing some of the women and children for sustenance."

Cai Huadao's voice broke as he spoke, his eyes welling up with tears. "Many of these women are pregnant... We've wronged them in the past. I want to make amends... I can't bear the thought of them dying..."

Cai Huadao's impassioned plea left one to wonder, would the naturally skeptical Jiang Feng believe him?

Jiang Feng rose slowly and perched himself on the table, facing Cai Huadao. "I'll help you."

With those words, it was clear Jiang Feng trusted him.

But how could Jiang Feng so readily trust someone? Beyond analyzing micro-expressions and emotional intuition, he relied on one crucial guide: the strategy for surviving the apocalypse.