Chapter 56 — The Team's Rapid Expansion Is Also Unsustainable
The cleanup in the town was progressing more slowly than expected.
House by house, the seventh squad searched every building without exception—behind doors, under beds, inside closets, attics, and basements. No corner was left unchecked. Any place that could hide a Walker had to be cleared.
The twenty-five members of the squad split into small pairs, advancing outward from the town center along the streets.
T-boy, carrying an M870 shotgun, walked in front of Morales.
His mouth hadn't stopped moving since they entered the town.
"If one jumps out, I'll blow its head off—bang! If two come out, I'll sweep left and right—bang bang! All down. And if a whole bunch come out—"
He glanced back at Morales.
"You cover me."
Morales rolled his eyes.
This guy had been acting like he won the lottery when assigned to the garrison squad, but now that Sandra had assigned him to town clearing duty, he had suddenly slowed down and drifted to the back.
In the end, Sandra simply assigned the innermost buildings to them.
Morales pushed open a half-open door. The living room inside was dark, curtains tightly drawn, only thin beams of light leaking through the gaps.
T-boy followed behind, shotgun raised, nerves stretched tight.
"You lead. I'll cover you."
Morales ignored him and scanned the room.
Then he suddenly spoke.
"Wow."
T-boy nearly jumped out of his skin. He immediately raised his gun toward the direction Morales was looking.
Then he saw it.
A wine cabinet.
Solid wood. Glass doors. Inside were neatly arranged bottles of red wine, many of them covered in dust but still sealed.
T-boy paused.
"You're impressed by this?"
Morales walked closer and crouched down in front of the cabinet like he had discovered treasure.
"'82 Lafite… '90 Pétrus… and these two… Romanée-Conti…"
His voice trembled slightly.
"This entire cabinet could've been exchanged for a house before the apocalypse."
T-boy rolled his eyes.
"Dude, we're on a mission. Forget the damn wine."
Morales sighed.
"If I could take this whole cabinet…"
"We can't," T-boy cut in. "A bottle or two is fine. More than that and we report it. You know the rules."
Morales hesitated, then pulled out two bottles and stuffed them into his backpack.
After a pause, T-boy also grabbed one.
If it's already taken… might as well.
First Floor — Kitchen
T-boy kicked open the kitchen door.
It was dark inside. Dust covered the stove. Blackened bowls soaked in the sink.
No movement.
He opened the refrigerator casually.
A thick wave of rot hit him instantly.
T-boy's face twisted. He staggered back, rushed to the window, and vomited.
"What's wrong?" Morales called from outside.
T-boy wiped his mouth, eyes watery.
"It's fine… just the fridge… too much meat… it all rotted…"
Morales walked over, looked inside from a distance, and shook his head.
"No electricity for months. Of course it smells like that."
When T-boy recovered, he forced himself to look again.
Inside was a mass of black-green decay, completely unrecognizable.
He immediately closed it again and left.
Second Floor — Bedroom
T-boy kicked open the door and swept his gun inside.
No response.
He slowly stepped in and turned on his flashlight.
The beam passed over a bed, a dressing table, and scattered clothes on the floor.
Then it stopped.
A woman lay on the bed in a bathrobe.
A bullet hole sat in the center of her forehead. Dried blood spread outward like a withered flower. Half her face had already decayed, hollow eye sockets and exposed teeth frozen in a peaceful expression.
She looked almost asleep.
T-boy stood silently for a long time.
Someone had ended her life.
Perhaps a husband. Perhaps a son. Perhaps a stranger.
A final mercy shot—and then silence.
He gently closed the door behind him.
Outside — Street
Morales's voice echoed from downstairs.
"We're done here!"
Gunshots suddenly rang out in the distance—multiple bursts, sharp and chaotic.
Not everyone was so lucky.
Some teams had encountered hidden Walkers.
T-boy quickly moved downstairs and regrouped with Morales.
On the street, another team dragged out a Walker's corpse. Its skull was shattered, black blood trailing along the ground.
"How's your side?" someone shouted.
T-boy gave a thumbs-up.
"Clear!"
The other team responded the same.
CDC — Third Floor Office
Wu Fan stood by the window, looking toward the town.
Occasional gunshots echoed faintly in the distance.
Amy entered and placed a cup of coffee on the table.
"How's the cleanup going?" she asked.
"Slow," Wu Fan said, taking a sip. "Over two hundred houses, twenty-five people. It's normal. They need time to learn."
"Why not send more people?"
"Training," he replied. "The seventh squad is new. This is practice. The others will rotate too. The team is expanding too fast—training can't be skipped."
Amy nodded.
"Where is Merle?"
"He went out this morning to find tools."
Wu Fan turned to the system panel.
Points income had slowed.
Not because there were fewer Walkers—but because more people meant higher consumption.
Previously, 100 points could last two or three days. Now it barely lasted a day.
He closed the panel.
Then he shifted his thoughts.
Too many men had joined security. The rest worked as porters or drivers.
But the women…
Most of them were idle.
That wasn't acceptable.
He didn't run a charity. Everyone had to contribute.
"Amy," he said. "Call Jackie."
Construction Planning
Jackie arrived ten minutes later, holding blueprints.
"How's the wall?" Wu Fan asked.
"Main structure finishes next week. But the southern and western gaps still need containers. We have manpower and materials, but—"
"What is it?"
"Once it's finished… the inside will be empty space."
Jackie frowned.
"We can't leave it unused."
Wu Fan looked at the map.
"That space is for helicopters and logistics. Once the helipad is built, we'll fence the surrounding land and turn it into farmland."
Jackie's eyes lit up.
"What will we plant?"
"Potatoes, sweet potatoes first. Then corn and soybeans. Step by step."
Jackie smiled.
"And the women?"
"They farm. Or raise pigs and chickens. No one stays idle."
Jackie chuckled.
"Do you think they'll agree?"
"If they don't, they can leave," Wu Fan said calmly. "They'll learn what survival really means."
Jackie left with the blueprints.
Amy glanced at him.
"Are you really sending all the women to farm?"
"I'm giving them work," Wu Fan said. "Idle people cause problems."
Amy smiled faintly.
"And me?"
Wu Fan looked at her without answering.
Amy turned away, slightly flushed.
"I'll check on the town cleanup."
She left.
Night Falls
The office fell silent.
Wu Fan leaned back, staring at the map.
The system numbers kept fluctuating.
The helicopter sat below the Hive, ready to take off.
One flight could clear hordes—and earn massive points.
But he didn't use it.
Noise attracted Walkers… and worse, attracted people.
Living people were always more dangerous than the dead.
He exhaled and stubbed out his cigarette.
Step by step.
Stabilize the base first.
Everything else later.
Outside, gunfire in the town finally stopped.
The sun set, leaving the cleaned houses standing quietly under the fading light—waiting for new owners.