Rebirth of the Last Days: Double Pets

“What’s going on? Why are you all gathered here?” Wei Lan could no longer listen. He had tolerated the earlier parts of Hu Haotian’s speech, but now it was just emotional appeals. He directly interrupted Hu Haotian’s endless monologue, “Are you on patrol or just listening to a speech? Get back to what you’re supposed to do; don’t just stand there like fools.”

The patrol soldiers felt quite innocent.

Weren’t they just caught up in the speech? This guy not only spoke standard Mandarin, but his pronunciation also had a rhythm that made it very engaging.

After Wei Lan spoke, the onlookers responded with applause for Hu Haotian.

Who could argue? Everyone came to the base seeking better security, willing to pay fees like they did before the apocalypse.

However, if the base couldn’t provide that security, what difference did it make whether they were here or wandering outside?

Facing the crowd’s applause, Hu Haotian maintained a calm expression, raising his hand to wave at them, as if he were giving a speech on a university stage.

The team members: “…”

The patrol soldiers: “…”

Is your skin so thick that you could flush it down a toilet anytime?

Wei Lan did not belong to Zhou Shao’s faction and was competing against him in a contest of strength.

The patrolmen understood that these ruffians couldn’t fall into Wei Lan’s hands. So, they decided not to linger and directly grabbed the troublemakers: “Come on, let’s take you to the task hall for recording.”

Hu Haotian curled his lip and didn’t plan to pursue the matter further.

He understood early on the implications of authority; in a situation where there was no powerful figure in the government, one had to make concessions first.

Wei Lan didn’t concern himself with patrol duties. Seeing people being taken away, he felt helpless. For now, he couldn’t confront Zhou Shuguang directly in the base, but he would eventually put an end to his arrogance.

With this incident in the team, everyone lost the desire to return to work for the base. They weren’t masochists.

Once the crowd was dispersed and the door was closed, Hu Haotian slumped in the living room, feeling dejected. “Damn, this is so frustrating. Getting this kind of treatment on the first day—who knows how many more of these people we’ll encounter?”

Yu Wanli replied, “What is this, a self-directed show? Anyone can see those guys are in cahoots with the patrolmen.”

“I know that too, but what can we do? We can’t match their numbers; we can’t force our way through.”

Old Qin said, “The Zhou family can’t control the entire base. Their actions are too outrageous; someone will eventually find them intolerable…”

Liu Bing added, “They’ve already bribed those guys; everyone in the base is being kept in the dark.”

Bai Qi suggested, “Then let’s tear away this veil of shame.”

Everyone turned to look at Bai Qi.

Having dealt with major issues before, Hu Haotian understood immediately and slapped his thigh. “Right! They’ve covered their tracks, but we can expose them. Even if there’s nothing to reveal, we’ll create something!”

However, saying that was one thing; they needed to discuss a plan. Hu Haotian turned to Bai Qi.

He realized he had developed a habit of checking Bai Qi’s opinion before taking action.

Bai Qi replied, “Public opinion is mightier than a tiger.”

“You mean…”

Bai Qi nodded. “Just as you thought.”

Hu Haotian felt a surge of confidence. “Good, let’s do it.”

The onlookers exchanged glances, all thinking, “What the hell?”

These two are speaking in riddles, taking advantage of our lack of education!

Tang Ruo didn’t quite understand their thoughts, and under the intense gaze of the others in the team, she reluctantly acted as their translator: “What plan are you all discussing?”

Bai Qi touched her face and said, “We’re looking to create public opinion against the Zhou family.”

Tang Ruo replied, “But if we do that, won’t the Zhou family immediately realize we’re targeting them?”

Liu Bing added, “Exactly. They’re such narrow-minded people; once they find out, they won’t stop until they wipe us out.”

Though everyone had strong abilities, facing guns and artillery would definitely mean death.

Hu Haotian said, “That’s why we need to find a powerful ally in the government.”

Pan Dawei asked, “Who do you want to find, Uncle Hu?”

Hu Haotian shot him a glance that seemed to say: Can you check your age? You’re on the same level as my dad, and you still dare to call him ‘Uncle’?

However, Pan Dawei clearly didn’t catch the implication in Hu Haotian’s eyes. He pondered for a moment and analyzed the relationships involved: “Uncle Hu doesn’t have military power; he might be too weak to support us.”

Hu Haotian gave up on trying to reveal his real age: “No, there’s someone else we can have my father introduce.”

The others immediately asked, “Who?”

Hu Haotian looked at Bai Qi and said, “Qian Jinxin.”

The group murmured the name, concluding that this person must be in desperate need of money.

Hu Haotian continued, “He’s the commander of the Third Army Corps, which operates independently. Besides him, it answers to no one. Previously, he was a favored protégé of Advisor Shi. My father says he regards Advisor Shi as a father figure.”

When mentioning her grandfather, Bai Qi raised her eyes and said slowly, “What do you need me to do?”

There’s no need for hidden meanings between clear-minded people.

Hu Haotian appreciated Bai Qi’s straightforward personality. He never pretended with those he trusted; he was always very direct.

Just like with Tang Ruo, he would show affection in front of the team however he liked.

Hu Haotian said, “I’ll have my father reach out today to see if we can bring him over so you can meet.”

Of course, this meeting wouldn’t just be a simple introduction.

Bai Qi understood this and nodded.

Hu Haotian would facilitate the connection while he handled the details.

By helping each other, they would strengthen the team’s support, allowing everyone to live more confidently.

Once they had the plan for this backing sorted out, there was another important matter.

Hu Haotian asked, “Who should we have spread this public opinion? We’re not exactly familiar with the area.”

Bai Qi thought for a moment and remembered someone.

That person was a web writer known for storytelling in the civilian district of the base—Fang Qinglan.

He was a famous author on a popular online platform, with countless fans and many published novels. Bai Qi had never read these novels before, but he had heard him tell stories after the apocalypse while in the base.

After the apocalypse, Fang Qinglan awakened his speed ability. However, this ability only allowed him to serve as a vanguard and cannon fodder in the team. Thus, he gave up being a hunter and instead leveraged his creativity, using his speed to gather gossip and then adapt it into stories. In this way, he became a storyteller in the apocalypse, making a living with just his words.

Moreover, he was quite savvy and street-smart. Despite the chaos of the apocalypse, he managed to spread private gossip around the base without a hitch, demonstrating his remarkable skills.

Bai Qi recognized Fang Qinglan’s face but wasn’t sure if he had moved to the base in City A. He only remembered him mentioning his residence was in Building 2, Room 802 of a high-rise area.

Bai Qi said, “I can look for him. Of course, I can’t guarantee success.”

“Then,” Pan Dawei said, “let’s all try to find some candidates. We can’t just go out to spread the word ourselves. Even though I have that ability, it feels too selfish to compete with the younger generation for credit. After all, someone like me, a public figure, is quite protective of his reputation…”

Everyone else: “…”

Uncle Pan, the show must go on!

Since they agreed to spread public opinion, they needed a template for it.

Yu Wanli, the department manager, was quite familiar with writing negative content about the regime. Even if he couldn’t come up with it himself, Pan Dawei and Hu Haotian were there to help.

So, creating this template was quick and easy.

The document vividly and specifically narrated the story of a tyrant seizing power, robbing others of their labor, and indulging in pleasures while treating others as slaves, leading to public outrage. It then called on everyone to take it upon themselves to remove him.

Luo Ziqiang held the paper and read it from start to finish: “It really has the style of an online novel. So dramatic!”

Yu Wanli shook his finished product and said nonchalantly, “Life is full of drama, and there are oddities everywhere. Without conflicts, how can we see the slapstick? So, this is all a tactic; do you understand the tactics?”

Everyone: “…”

They truly couldn’t tell that someone as straightforward as Yu Wanli was also so knowledgeable about these things!

While the group was discussing, they saw Wei Lan walking in from the courtyard and standing in front of the villa’s glass window, tapping on the glass with his finger.