Professor Tang

Chang Hao left the room dejectedly, his footsteps fading into the distance in the corridor.

Ten minutes later, the study door was pushed open again. Chang Hao and Zhang Hui walked in first, followed by two more people.

The man walking in front was about forty years old, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, with a refined and calm demeanor—he was Professor Tang Guohua, one of China's top experts in biology and neuroscience.

Following behind him was a lean man in his early thirties with sharp, eagle-like eyes; he was Han Xiaoyang, the captain of the shelter's intelligence team.

The room was not very warm, and everyone was wrapped in heavy winter clothes, with their down jackets zipped up to their chins.

After entering, Tang Guohua sat down on an empty chair to the side, his face expressionless. Unlike Chang Hao, Zhang Hui, and Han Xiaoyang, he did not show any obvious respect to Chang Chengye.

Chang Chengye, however, did not care at all, as if he had long been used to it.

No one knew better than him how Professor Tang stayed behind.

On the day the end of the world arrived, Tang Guohua happened to be at the city government office with his daughter. Chang Chengye used his daughter's safety as leverage to control him.

For his daughter's sake, this once highly respected scholar can only remain here in silence, working in her place.

Chang Chengye looked at Tang Guohua, his tone gentle yet carrying an invisible pressure: "Professor, have you reached a conclusion?"

Professor Tang pushed up his glasses, his voice calm but slightly tired: "Based on the analysis of a large number of survivor and zombie samples, we have initially summarized some patterns about superpowers... Currently, we have divided superpower talents into seven levels from low to high: F, E, D, C, B, A, and S."

Awakened beings are automatically immune to the zombie virus, and the higher their talent level, the greater the energy required to upgrade...

He presented his key findings, such as the conditions for awakening, the hierarchy, and energy requirements, in a clear and organized manner.

After a brief pause, he continued, "As for the fact that you feel your abilities have stagnated, Mayor, I deduce that you have already advanced to the second tier."

The commonly seen Tier 1 zombie crystal cores have mixed internal energy and insufficient purity, making it difficult to support further upgrades.

To advance further, one would likely need to hunt down higher-ranking zombies and obtain their purer crystal cores.

Of course, the current data on the specific correspondence between zombies and superhuman levels is insufficient, and more samples need to be collected for further analysis.

Upon hearing this, apart from Chang Hao, who already knew, Zhang Hui and Han Xiaoyang both stiffened – they never expected that Mayor Chang was not only also a superhuman, but had already quietly stepped into the threshold of the second level!

Chang Chengye's lips curled up almost imperceptibly, a hint of smugness flashing in his eyes, but his tone remained reserved: "So, in your opinion, my talent should be A-level?"

"Yes," Professor Tang answered readily, then added, "Young Master Chang is a B-level, Captain Han is an A-level, and Secretary Zhang is a C-level."

Chang Chengye narrowed his eyes, his knuckles tapping lightly on the table: "Professor Tang... have you already come into contact with the S-level samples?"

"Yes." Professor Tang nodded, lowering his voice slightly. "The young man who arrived at the shelter at noon today, according to preliminary tests, should be S-rank. Even in the first-tier state, his physical strength is already about five times that of an ordinary person."

Chang Chengye frowned slightly at first, then remembered that the man had already been controlled by his puppetry technique, and a cold smile appeared on his lips: "Very good. Allocate him the best resources and help him advance to the second tier as soon as possible."

Professor Tang lowered his eyes: "Understood."

He then fell silent and stood still like a statue.

Chang Chengye turned to Han Xiaoyang, his tone suddenly becoming serious and cold: "Have you figured out the situation in the east of the city?"

Han Xiaoyang immediately straightened his back and reported in a deep voice: "Mayor Chang! There are only three clearly established forces left in the east of the city: ourselves, Tianshui Garden, and Wang Gang's 'Andu Company'. The rest are just scattered troops lacking food and weapons, and they are not a threat."

"So..." Chang Chengye's voice trailed off, "they're all hungry too?"

"It's not just the east side of the city; the situation is the same in the north, south, and west." Han Xiaoyang's tone was resolute. "Supplies are extremely scarce, creating a vicious cycle—to gather manpower, you need food; to obtain food, you must send out manpower. Right now, each faction only dares to raid the scattered small shops on the street; they don't dare to touch the core areas where zombies are densely packed."

Chang Chengye's face grew increasingly grim: "So... right now, only Tianshui Garden is constantly hiring and expanding?"

He couldn't understand where all the supplies in the city's shopping malls and supermarkets had gone. And where did the seemingly inexhaustible reserves in Tianshui Garden come from?

Han Xiaoyang was silent for a moment, then nodded heavily.

Chang Chengye surveyed the crowd, his tone softening, yet carrying an invisible weight: "Tell me, what are some ways to break this deadlock?"

Chang Hao immediately chimed in, "Dad! Is there even a question? Just take some men and take care of that Lin guy, then all his supplies will be ours!"

Chang Chengye didn't even bother to lift his eyelids—such thoughtless nonsense wasn't worth responding to.

He skipped over his son and looked directly at Zhang Hui: "Xiao Zhang, what's your opinion?"

Zhang Hui pondered for a long time before speaking slowly and cautiously: "Mayor, judging from the current situation, there are roughly three paths we can take."

Firstly, we should expand outwards. There should still be a large amount of undeveloped resources in places like Dongguan and Foshan, but the risks are extremely high—we know nothing about the distribution of zombies and the power structure in those areas. If we venture in rashly, we are likely to suffer heavy losses and lose more than we gain.

Secondly, we implemented a work-for-relief program. We utilized the base's remaining arms inventory to recruit external survivors, distribute weapons, and drive them to clean up streets and collect supplies, taking a cut from each effort.

However, the potential danger is that if someone takes this opportunity to grow powerful, it could backfire and harm them.

Thirdly, as Chang Shao mentioned, this is aimed at Tianshui Garden. However, I suggest that we don't need to take direct action. We can secretly spread the word that "Tianshui Garden has embezzled all the city's supplies."

There will inevitably be desperate fugitives willing to take the risk and be the first to charge. The risk is... if they survive this ordeal and instead use it to establish their power and influence, they will surely become a major threat in the future.

After speaking, he stood with his head bowed, saying no more.

Chang Chengye's gaze swept over Han Xiaoyang and Professor Tang: "And you two?"

Han Xiaoyang puffed out his chest and declared without hesitation, "Wherever Mayor Chang points, I will go! No questions asked!"

Chang Chengye nodded slightly, his face expressionless.

Finally, his gaze fell on Professor Tang.

Professor Tang hesitated slightly, his tone remaining calm and detached: "I don't understand matters of military campaigns or territorial planning. But a climate expert in the lab has pointed out that the current rate of temperature drop is extremely unusual. He predicts that Guangzhou will soon experience a severe cold snap that will last for several months."

Mayor Chang's expression suddenly changed, and he involuntarily leaned forward: "What are the chances of success?"

Professor Tang adjusted his glasses: "Eighty percent."

Chang Chengye's expression shifted instantly – supplies were running low, and extreme cold was approaching, making all outdoor activities incredibly difficult.

He leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrest, and fell into a long silence.