Chapter 39: Dissent

"Hush. Don't be nervous. I just want to discuss something with you."

Lin Yue hugged the large white goose in her arms, remaining vigilant. "What is it?"

"Partner with me. Let’s become the masters of this farm together."

Lin Yue’s long eyelashes fluttered. "Don't get any wild ideas. This is Tang Miao’s farm; she calls the shots."

Besides, Tang Miao possessed a strange ability to command trees at will. Those zombies bowed to her, and she kept several terrifying mutated plants. Becoming the master of this farm was no simple task.

Song Mingchen’s lips curled into a faint, indifferent smile. "Tang Miao can only fiddle with a few trees and bushes. What she truly relies on is that pendant hanging around her neck. The storage space and the mysterious shop hidden inside—that is the source of her confidence."

Song Mingchen had originally thought the pendant was merely a spatial carrier, but he had accidentally seen the contents of Zhang Xinrou’s notebook. A point-based shop—a chick for 10 points, sold for 300 points. No wonder she was so keen on giving resources away to others.

"Tang Miao is heading to the Chihuo Safe Zone tomorrow to recruit people. You follow her and find a chance to get your hands on it. Leave the people inside the farm to me."

Lin Yue felt shaken, calculating the possibility of snatching the pendant. "That thing is so important, and Tang Miao keeps it around her neck at all times. How could it possibly be easy to get?"

Song Mingchen raised an eyebrow. "Of course it wouldn't be easy for you alone, but what if everyone in the safe zone wanted it?"

According to Song Mingchen's plan, Lin Yue only needed to incite the people in the safe zone to snatch the jade Buddha, while he would sit in the shadows and reap the rewards. However, there was a fatal flaw in this plan.

"There are so many people on the farm; how could you possibly control them? Even if I get my hands on it, Zhang Xinrou and the others would just take it back."

Song Mingchen curled his lips and slowly opened his palm, a blue glow shimmering across his skin. An ice crystal formed in his palm, radiating cold air and condensing into rings of white mist. Since about eight days ago, he had often felt cold, and he gradually discovered that frost would condense in his palm in the middle of the night. He had boldly guessed and tried to concentrate this power; after occasionally using the sleeping Lin Chaofeng as a test subject, he finally succeeded last night.

"Once it’s done, you will bind yourself to the jade Buddha as its master. You will be responsible for managing the farm's supplies, while I will maintain order and expand the farm's industries."

Lin Yue was still hesitant, but Song Mingchen had already quietly walked to the door. "No need to rush your answer. I’ll be waiting for your move tomorrow."

***

After leaving Lin Yue's room, Song Mingchen turned off the desk lamp and stepped lightly back to his bedroom.

Lin Chaofeng, lying on the bed, yawned, his voice weary. "Brother Chen, where did you go?"

Song Mingchen, expressionless, climbed back under the covers. "Just went to the restroom. Go to sleep; you have to get up early to work tomorrow."

Lin Chaofeng grumbled twice before his breathing gradually leveled out. Seeing this, Song Mingchen finally closed his eyes in relief.

The next morning, Wednesday, August 20, 2025—the 37th day since the apocalypse began, and 4 days remaining until the second deployment of new human genes.

The only remaining project on the farm was the artificial lake. Shou Gao-gao and his team continued digging, while Zaizai piled up dirt nearby. Tang Miao took Huang Zhiming and his group on another tour of the farm, explaining the plans for both developed and undeveloped areas. She hoped they would increase publicity upon returning to the safe zone; with power and the internet cut off, spreading the farm's reputation relied entirely on word of mouth.

Passing through the livestock area, Lin Yue was feeding the large white goose. Aside from the feed from the shop, the goose’s menu included various vegetables. Tang Miao casually picked up a head of lettuce from a basket and asked nonchalantly, "The goose meat production seems to be lower than last week. Is the supply of vegetables insufficient lately?"

Lin Yue’s eyes darted away. "I—I think so. They seem to have bigger appetites lately. Should I increase the amount of vegetables I feed them?"

Tang Miao put down the lettuce and nodded thoughtfully, telling Lin Yue to increase the feed and remember to register it with the dormitory manager.

At two in the afternoon, people from the Jin'an Safe Zone arrived in a truck to collect the wages for twenty workers. Tang Miao handed the documents and a pen to Ge Shan.

"If the count is correct, just sign here. By the way, why didn't Captain Gu come over today?"

Ge Shan paused for a moment before signing. "There are some matters in the safe zone that require Captain Gu’s personal attention, so he sent me instead."

A lie.

Tang Miao had discovered on the map yesterday that Gu Sui'an had left the safe zone with a group of people, heading in the direction of Liutuo Mountain. After questioning Ge Shan, she was certain. Tang Miao felt a bit troubled; she had explicitly told Gu Sui'an that she would go find the turbine at Liutuo Mountain herself and that the safe zone didn't need to send anyone.

Once the wages were loaded and the Chihuo Safe Zone team was sent off, Tang Miao began dressing up Zaizai. She found a Little Red Riding Hood costume, trimmed it to fit, and put a white mask on her, leaving only those large, contact-lens-wearing eyes visible.

Yesterday, when Tang Miao mentioned she would be away from the farm for two days, Zhang Xinrou hadn't felt much. But now that Tang Miao was actually leaving, she was panicking.

"Tang Miao, can you come back to the farm to sleep at night and go during the day? I won't sleep soundly if you don't come back."

"Alright, alright. It’s just one night in the safe zone; it’ll be fine. I’ll be back before dark the day after tomorrow."

Lin Chaofeng also comforted Zhang Xinrou: "Don't worry, Boss Tang is so tough, there won't be any problems."

"Oh, right. While I'm gone, do not leave the perimeter of this isolation belt. If you cross the fence and try to come back, the plant guards will identify you as an intruder, and you might be blown to pieces. If you absolutely must leave, remember to carry some of the farm's soil with you; they recognize the soil."

Zhang Xinrou and Lin Chaofeng nodded repeatedly. They wouldn't dream of leaving the farm; the outside was crawling with zombies, and there were malicious people lurking in the dark.

Song Mingchen leaned against a tree trunk, silent, casting a calm glance at the plant guards on the trees.

Nearby, Yang Sen had already opened the car door. Zaizai, clutching her little red cape, jumped into the vehicle impatiently and crawled all over the interior. Finally, she returned to her seat and flashed an "OK" gesture to Jiang Nanxing outside the window. Her brother had warned her that the outside of the farm was full of bad people, and she had to ensure the environment around "Mom" was safe—if anyone tried to hurt her, she should bite them directly.

Just as Tang Miao stepped into the car, Lin Yue’s voice called out from behind.

"Tang Miao! Wait for me!" Lin Yue ran up, breathless. "Take me—take me with you! I want to go back and see my old friends and bring them a few eggs."

Song Mingchen curled his lips, hiding the gleeful smile of a successful scheme in his eyes.

Before Tang Miao could agree, Yang Sen spoke up. "No, you can't go back. Just stay on the farm." Last time he had taken Lin Yue away, the others in the house had cried for days, and even the aunt who was closest to her had started cursing her. If Lin Yue went back this time, there was no guarantee she would be able to leave again.

Lin Yue glanced at Song Mingchen and continued, "It’s okay, Brother Yang Sen. I’ll stick close to you and Tang Miao; I won’t leave her side for a single step."

"But..."

Tang Miao lowered her eyes to adjust Zaizai's mask and reminded him, "It's fine, Yang Sen. Let Lin Yue come along. Let's go; we need to save time."

Yang Sen had nothing more to say. He let Lin Yue into the passenger seat and drove toward the safe zone.

Watching Tang Miao drive away, Zhang Xinrou felt increasingly uneasy. "Jiang Nanxing, I don't feel right. Could something happen to Tang Miao? Did you tell Zaizai to protect her well?"