Boom.

Thunder rolled in waves, shaking the entire apartment building as if the floors were trembling.

The torrential rain formed a continuous line, and without even looking, it was clear that the Buffer Zone would flood again.

The closer the Stand-In Starfish outbreak came, the more frequent the gunfire outside became, sometimes even lasting a minute or two before stopping. Who knew which groups were exchanging fire.

But in Zone B-7, there was an eerie calm, almost no different from usual.

Time passed by the sound of the rain, second by second.

Cheng Ye lay straight on the bed without taking off his battle armor, eyes closed to meditate, trying to conserve energy as much as possible.

As the rain grew more torrential, the hygrometer needle on the wall had unknowingly jumped to 95%, just 3% short of triggering the Stand-In Starfish outbreak.

But that was just the indoor humidity; outside had long been soaked by incessant rain, far exceeding the activation conditions for the Stand-In Starfish.

"Still not releasing the news?"

The Defense Communication alarm clock rang and was silenced by Cheng Ye's hand.

He sighed impatiently; it was already 11:00 PM, just forty minutes left until the outbreak, yet the third wave of messages faced toward all residents was still hidden.

Could it be that they didn't plan to announce it to everyone this time?

However, just as this thought appeared, the Defense Communication vibrated again, and finally, there was a message.

"Here it comes!"

Cheng Ye sprang up, and the first thing he did was not to check the message, but to check his equipment again.

Once everything was confirmed ready, the security door was refastened.

Only then did he pick up the Defense Communication and click into the dazzling red alert message.

[Happiness City A-level Infection Wave Alert]

[Dear residents of Happiness City, hello, I am the City Lord 'An Xingfu'.]

[At this moment, I speak to you with the heaviest yet most resolute heart.]

[As your City Lord, I must honestly reveal to all residents: despite the efforts of Duty Commander He Fei, who sounded the alarm with his life, and despite the research institute's maximum efforts, the infection source codenamed "Stand-In Starfish" has broken through Shelter City's defenses.]

[First, I must express my deepest apologies to all residents; the defense measures did not fully respond to the infection wave, and the drugs we developed did not perfectly eradicate the Stand-In Starfish.]

[But secondly, I must convey the belief in ultimate victory to all residents: the infection wave is not the end of Happiness City, but the ultimate test of our communal spirit. Today, the invasion of the Stand-In Starfish may exact a heavy toll, but if we endure, each of us will be one step closer to the Gate of Happiness.]

[Now, I need every resident to take immediate action, I will synchronize all information to be released.]

[You have 40 minutes to prepare, to fight, unite, or hide. All choices are in your hands.]

[...]

Contrary to imagined earth-shattering news, City Lord An Xingfu's tone was as calm as if he were announcing something trivial.

It was as if this wasn't the life-or-death moment of Happiness City but rather a test requiring everyone's participation.

The response was a brief dead silence.

And then, ten minutes later, the ear-piercing gunfire erupted suddenly.

Unlike the previous minor skirmishes that broke out sporadically in certain areas, this time the gunfire entirely covered all residential areas in the Buffer Zone!

People seemed to fire in unison as if by a tacit understanding, mixed with the thunderous crashes outside, even drowning out the sound of the rain.

Chaos had arrived!

Thud..

Thud thud...

In the empty hallway of the apartment building, hurried and chaotic footsteps echoed.

This was peculiar because those qualified to live here were at least second-wave information liberated personnel.

No chaos occurred during the previous liberation, so it made no sense for it to spiral out of control when all information was released.

"Someone's coming?"

Cheng Ye got up, his body slightly pressed against the wall.

The footsteps abruptly halted outside the door, followed by a dull knocking on the security door.

He never expected that the first door knocked on the fifth floor of the building would be his own.

"Brother, open the door! The infection wave is about to erupt outside, let the three of us in!"

A rapid voice hit the door panel, and before it was finished, another voice followed:

"We can prove we're not infected! Open the door and see, we definitely don't have the Starfish mark on our heads!"

"We're all on the same side, your security door is so solid, and with more people, it's definitely safer to stay here than elsewhere!"

Because my door is safer, they chose to come to me first?

Cheng Ye was slightly baffled, not responding.

He stepped back, using the Defense Communication to enter the disaster module.

[Applying for drone control permission]

[Applying...]

[Application successful, the straight distance to your nearest drone is 273m, it's on its way]

At this moment, he couldn't go out, but he had a way to see the situation in the hallway.

As the surveillance drone flew over, the screen on the Defense Communication began to display images.

Raindrops draped like curtains, and the drone's transmitted images were filled with static due to signal interference.

Nevertheless, through the corridor glass, it was visible that the three standing at his door each held a pistol.

Two people were pressed against the wall on either side of the door, while the third crouched slightly, the dark gun muzzle firmly aimed at the shooting port on the security door.

It wasn't hard to imagine what the outcome would be if he opened the shooting port to look outside.

After a moment's pause, the drone camera slightly tilted, bringing the profiles of the three into view.

What struck Cheng Ye with shock was that the three faces at his door were not unfamiliar to him.

The one crouching and aiming at the shooting port was the boss who had sold him the door just a few days ago.

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