Chapter 39: Throw a Brick to Attract Jade

That remark actually jogged the town chief’s memory. He nodded. “You’re right. Go back to the orphanage and make arrangements. Come by again later—I need your input on some things. After all, you’ve been on the front lines.”

“Xiao Li, go get Comrade Wang Xiaoqiang a walkie-talkie.” Xiao Li snapped to attention and dashed out the door. Since she was facing away from the phone screen, she didn’t catch what was on it. A moment later, she returned with a high-powered walkie-talkie, tuned to the correct frequency, and placed it in front of Wang Xiaoqiang.

Wang Xiaoqiang’s eyes flickered. “Chief, could I get another one? You know, there are a lot of family members at the orphanage. If I’m stuck here for too long, I won’t be able to keep track of what’s going on over there.”

The chief’s lips twitched. “Fast thinker, aren’t you? Fine—Xiao Li, grab him another one.” Xiao Li turned, glanced at Wang Xiaoqiang, then bolted out again. Not long after, she came back with a second unit.

The chief warned, “This walkie-talkie is already pre-set to the official command frequency used by the bureau. For personal calls with your family, switch to a different channel—don’t interfere with our operations.”

Wang Xiaoqiang nodded quickly. “Got it. Anything else, sir?” The chief waved a hand dismissively.

“Alright, I’ll head out then.” With that, Wang Xiaoqiang left the office.

He rushed back to the orphanage like his pants were on fire. As soon as he stepped inside, he bellowed, “Everyone come out! I’ve got something to say!” Then he turned to Cheng Ying. “Go get Old Zhang over here.” After that, he sat down in the dining hall, lost in thought.

About five minutes passed. One by one, the others filed in. Once everyone was present, Wang Xiaoqiang said, “I want you all to see something. Stay calm—don’t scare the kids.”

Then he pulled out his phone and started playing the video.

As the footage unfolded, tension crept across their faces. Several women clutched each other tightly. Yingzi looked like she might burst into tears at any second. The kids, though, seemed unfazed—they thought it was just a movie.

But the older men—Old Wang and the rest—knew better. Something was deeply wrong. This wasn’t normal. There was something unnatural about it. Zhang Youcai held his son close, trembling. He couldn’t help but think: if Wang Xiaoqiang hadn’t found them when he did, their whole family would’ve been doomed.

When the video ended, Wang Xiaoqiang spoke. “I don’t know exactly what’s coming next. But it’s probably not good. We may have to prepare to run. Check everything again—what do we still need to pack? What’s missing?”

He turned to Old Wang. “Dad, take this walkie-talkie with you. I’ve already adjusted the frequency. If anything comes up, call me directly. I’ll be heading back to the bureau shortly.” Old Wang took the device, slipped it into the left pocket of his bulletproof vest, and zipped it shut.

“So… do we just sit here and wait?” Old Wang asked.

“Something’s bound to happen. Can’t just freeze in fear. My guess? They’ll start burning bodies on a massive scale soon. Until things get worse, let’s stay alert and watch.”

“As for now, none of you should get involved. Just wait for my signal. Da Fu, double-check the vehicle condition. Zhang Brother, go over your truck again. That’s it for now.” With that, he turned and walked out of the orphanage, heading back toward the town hall.

Wang Xiaoqiang wasn’t exactly a hero out of the goodness of his heart—he just wanted to be first in line for information. As he’d said earlier: *If we’re gonna panic, can’t we at least know why?* Running blind wouldn’t save anyone.

He moved through the building like he owned the place. Up the stairs in three quick strides. Xiao Li spotted him and immediately led him to the conference room.

Inside, the air was thick with smoke—old hands who’d spent decades chain-smoking. Wang Xiaoqiang found a seat near the window, cracked it open a sliver.

When Chief Niu saw him enter, he said, “We’ve all watched the video. No consensus yet. Young man, got any ideas?”

Wang Xiaoqiang rubbed his nose. “I’m sure the senior officials already have solid plans. From my perspective, I’ll just throw out a few thoughts—nothing more than a little stone to start the ball rolling.”

Niu chuckled—a rare smile. “You’ve got a way with words. Cut the fluff. Let’s hear it.”

Wang Xiaoqiang gave a sheepish grin. “Honesty, I’ll admit—my understanding of this situation is mostly based on old sci-fi movies and TV shows. I don’t know much more than you all do about what’s really happening in Dian’an City.”

“But personally,” he continued, “if the dead outside are changing in ways we never expected, the first priority has to be burning every body we can find. Mobilize every resource we’ve got. Dian’an City alone likely has millions of corpses. The job will be enormous. If we can reach out to neighboring towns, even better.”

He paused, then looked directly at Chief Niu.

Niu blinked. “Go ahead. Say what’s on your mind. Your experience is invaluable.”

“Then I’ll speak plainly,” Wang Xiaoqiang straightened up. “I suggest we start drafting evacuation plans.”

The room went silent. Everyone stared at him, stunned.

Wang Xiaoqiang pressed on. “I’m not optimistic about how this will turn out. If something goes wrong—and we’ve got no military here, just ordinary people—we need a way out. If things spiral, we need to be ready to leave.”

Chief Niu nodded slowly.

“I haven’t thought of anything else yet,” Wang Xiaoqiang said, sitting back down.

A murmur spread through the room. After about five minutes, Chief Niu spoke up.

“Wang Xiaoqiang’s suggestion has real value. Hezhang, have you managed to establish contact with nearby towns?”

A plump middle-aged man jumped in. “Working on it. Our local cell towers are severely damaged. We consulted with the communications engineers who came down from above. Given our unique situation, they’re deploying an emergency mobile base station. It’ll allow us to set up temporary point-to-point communication with towns within 50 kilometers of Dian’an City. Based on current estimates, we should be able to connect with four neighboring towns within two hours.”

Niu nodded. “Hezhang, excellent work. Everyone should follow your lead. Especially now—when things are toughest, we need clear heads.”

He turned to the group. “You all heard Wang Xiaoqiang’s idea. Any thoughts?” Heads bent together again. Murmurs. But no one offered anything useful.

After scanning the room, seeing no one willing to speak, Niu finally said, “Let me share my take.” Instantly, the room fell quiet.