Chapter 39: The Special Committee (6)

Staring at the official document issued by the Special Committee, Li Fengyi wiped his face, flicking away some indistinguishable liquid—whether sweat or rain, he couldn't tell. He harbored a particular prejudice against the Public Security Bureau. Before the apocalypse, his company developed a project for a client, completing most of the work, but the client reneged once they had the results. The two sides ended up in a dispute, and the client used their connections to have the police station detain Li Fengyi. He was put through quite an ordeal in the interrogation chair, with the authorities treating a civil dispute as a criminal case, and all evidence was accepted in favor of the other party.

Thus, Li Fengyi did not examine the feasibility of the regulations in detail; he simply insisted that the Party Secretary strictly enforce the discipline and conduct of the Ministry of Public Security, requiring that every matter, big or small, be reported promptly. The recently established Supervision Department also adopted this approach.

For this, Commander Liu admired Li Fengyi, impressed by how quickly he understood the need to control all sources of power—whether combat troops or security forces—firmly in their hands. It seemed the young man had some real ability.

Li Qiang, however, read the regulations carefully. “Good, good. We must guard against our rear catching fire while our front is engaged in battle.”

The Special Committee decided that the Survivors’ Guide would be compiled and updated by the Civil Affairs Ministry, incorporating the latest versions of documents from each department.

Upon receiving the notification, Minister Ma Huaibo immediately assembled a team to organize the Survivors’ Guide. The defining feature of the apocalypse was an extremely high work efficiency—everyone’s shared wish was to finish their tasks before the zombies devoured them. Ma Huaibo, still carrying the grievances of a civil servant, worked with urgency.

By the second night of heavy rain, the Survivors’ Guide was completed. The three members of the Special Committee hurried to the Civil Affairs Ministry office in Building 5, Unit 3, to hear the report.

Ma Huaibo had never been a formal civil servant, so the Survivors’ Guide did not follow official government formatting, but it was thorough and well-considered. Of course, much of it consisted of department documents attached as appendices.

The Survivors’ Guide stipulated: Article One: These regulations apply to all survivors under the leadership of the Special Committee for Apocalypse Work.

Article Two: All outside survivors must undergo isolation and quarantine according to procedures set by the Civil Affairs Ministry. All belongings must be sealed, disinfected, and sterilized prior to inspection, and returned as prescribed afterward.

Article Three: All survivors may retain a seven-day supply of food, while all other materials, including weapons, are to be distributed centrally.

Article Four: All outside survivors must fill out a personal resume; any falsification will result in severe punishment.

Article Five: All outside survivors must submit a personal experience observation report to assist the Special Committee in tracking the overall situation.

Article Six: All personnel must follow the Special Committee’s orders and deployments.

Article Seven: Apart from items allowed for personal use, all resources are currently under unified management.

Article Eight: This Guide will be revised periodically. The right of interpretation belongs to the Special Committee.

“That last article is rather overbearing,” Li Fengyi mused, stroking his chin. “A bit crude.” However, given the present circumstances, he knew that if all forces weren’t concentrated on fighting the zombies, too much freedom would doom them all, so he didn’t object.

“We also have to consider what to do when our people return from duty,” Li Qiang said, pained by the memory of those recently bitten. “How will we conduct personal isolation checks?”

“All right, I’ll draft an additional internal management regulation,” Ma Huaibo jotted down the request. “We’ll have the Health Ministry assign doctors to be on duty during inspections.”

“That’s easy to arrange. I’ll have Minister Ou draw up a duty roster at once,” Li Fengyi agreed.

“Also, some have suggested we should make thick gloves, neck guards, and leg bindings,” Ma Huaibo read from his notes, “to reduce injuries from zombie bites and scratches. We’ve even found a few manual sewing machines, but almost no one knows how to use them. Hand-sewing isn’t effective. There’s an elderly lady who does know how to use a manual sewing machine, and I suggest she be given a worker’s meal allowance.” In modern society, specialization was so extreme that most people lacked even basic life skills; many couldn’t even cook for themselves, relying entirely on restaurants or modern kitchen appliances.

“We should mobilize the masses to come up with more good ideas,” Commander Liu said spiritedly. “The people are the real heroes.”

Both Li Fengyi and Li Qiang knew that the elderly lady was Li Fengyi’s mother. She had spent the first half of her life in a self-sufficient, natural economy and was well-versed in such matters. Li Fengyi said nothing.

“Has anyone suggested we should start planting crops?” Li Qiang asked.

“Yes, I was just about to mention that. The old lady is very thorough in her thinking,” Ma Huaibo marveled at how well-informed the Special Committee was. “She said we’ll run out of food sooner or later and must find a way to grow our own. I had someone find her some corn kernels and cleared a few plots of land in front of the building for her, even gave her the flower beds.”

When Ma Huaibo noticed Li Qiang looking at him oddly, Li Qiang laughed. “She’s Director Li’s mother.” Just the night before, the old lady had been chatting with them, and he could tell that Minister Ma was trying to take credit for the idea.

“Oh?” Ma Huaibo quickly embellished, “I’ve already appointed her as head of the Agriculture and Handicrafts Group.” Originally, he had planned to appoint a young woman he liked, but now he had to set that aside.

“I don’t get involved in personnel specifics,” Li Fengyi declared. “As long as everyone takes good care of the supplies we’ve brought back and tries to organize production for self-sufficiency.” When it came to assigning supply tiers, Li Fengyi had said nothing. With so few people, any special treatment would be too conspicuous. He merely asked Wang Shujuan to discuss work with him during meals, and let her take the extra portion home. Taking credit was only human—so long as it didn’t cause problems.

Ma Huaibo realized he had not paid enough attention to the leaders’ families and resolved to learn more about their circumstances in the future. He had come close to making a blunder this time, and any further explanation about meal allowances would only make things worse.

“Director Li, is there any area where my work still needs improvement?” Ma Huaibo wiped a cold sweat from his brow, eager to make amends. “I haven’t been thorough enough. From now on, you can count on me—if there is any mistake, hold me accountable.”

Li Fengyi smiled and shook his head. No wonder this one aspired to be a civil servant. “Is there anything else we need?”

“We still need some capable fighters to guard the supplies,” Ma Huaibo said, relieved to see Li Fengyi showed no displeasure. “These past few days, people have been eyeing the organized supplies, and all our able fighters have been reassigned to the military. Now it’s just a few delicate girls on watch.” He didn’t mention that the young men in the army were mainly interested in watching the girls; all the strong women had gone to the front lines, but the men, by instinct, still preferred to watch the less combat-capable young women.