The four-story abandoned theater in the suburbs had been requisitioned as a temporary venue for the study session. The vagrants who once lived here had all been driven out to other places.

When the station announcer called out “Theater Station,” Uncle Dong let out a long breath, stepped off the bus, and stood by the platform, momentarily lost in thought.

Since receiving the lecturer invitation for the study session yesterday, he hadn’t slept for 18 hours straight.

He couldn’t tell if it was excitement or fear.

But now that he was here, all his thoughts suddenly cleared, leaving only a faint sense of bewilderment swirling in his heart.

After a brief moment of distraction, Uncle Dong snapped back to reality and followed a path trodden through the weeds toward the theater.

About two or three hundred steps forward, a sign stood in the middle of the path:

“Attendees go left to the main entrance for the stage. Lecturers go right to the back door for the backstage area.”

He turned toward the back door, soon spotting four guards stationed there and a line of lecturers waiting to enter.

When it was his turn, Uncle Dong pulled an iron badge from his pocket.

The guard scanned it on a defense communicator, and an electronic voice promptly announced:

[Verification Successful]

[Blood Dragon Corps, Level 02 Green Dragon Team, Winter Squad, Captain Xia Dong.]

Hearing the announcement, the four guards’ expressions shifted slightly, quickly replaced by respect.

The Blood Dragon Corps had advanced one level each year since its founding, now reaching Level 29.

This man’s Level 02 status marked him as a veteran from the corps’ second year.

The Green Dragon Team was the third tier within the corps (ranked as Fledgling Dragon, Thorn Dragon, Green Dragon, Winged Dragon, Stone Dragon, and Blood Dragon). Even now, the entire corps had just over a hundred Green Dragon Teams.

To have retired and survived to this day, there was no debate, this man was one of the buffer zone’s living fossils!

“Captain Xia, please enter!”

“Thank you.”

Taking back his badge and slipping it into his pocket, Uncle Dong stepped forward with a hint of unease, passing through the back door.

Phew.

The shift from light to shadow brought a faint breeze from above.

Though the theater was only a temporary venue, it had undergone a major overhaul last night.

As Harlin had put it, with infected entities so active since the start of the year, these study sessions needed to be held regularly and on a grand scale to maintain the inspectors’ combat readiness.

Thus, over a hundred workers had labored through the night.

By today, the first and second floors were spotless, cleared of garbage and grime. Broken light fixtures and outdated equipment had been replaced with brand-new ones, creating a stark contrast with the dilapidated exterior.

Walking step by step down the corridor, Uncle Dong’s long-dormant heart pounded wildly, the pain in his arm seemingly fading away.

But as he rounded two corners, his steps halted abruptly.

An indescribable expression flashed across his face, settling on a group of people in a distant corner.

Four men, two women.

All bore injuries, all carried some form of disability.

Yet Uncle Dong’s gaze locked onto the scarred middle-aged woman, unable to look away.

If Cheng Ye were here, just observing Uncle Dong’s shifting expressions would be enough to guess there was a melodramatic story between them, worthy of a multi-episode TV drama.

And indeed, Uncle Dong and the woman shared a long history.

But melodramatic stories were better left unmentioned.

What was past was past. One couldn’t live forever in self-crafted happy memories.

“After all these years, I’ve long come to terms with it. I just didn’t want to face it.”

“Now my goods are ruined by the flood, and who knows how many infected entities have slipped into the buffer zone. What’s there to fear?”

The unease he felt outside transformed into a sense of clarity here.

Fragments of chaotic memories flashed through his mind, only to be tucked away into a corner.

Pausing, he donned the gentle smile Cheng Ye knew so well and walked along the wall toward them.

“Everyone, looking lively, huh!”

In the cluttered backstage, Uncle Dong’s voice wasn’t loud, but it startled the six people sitting together.

When they turned and saw who it was, their faces lit up with joy.

“Old Xia’s here!”

“Haha, the captain’s finally arrived!”

“Captain still looks so youthful. You can tell he’s living better than us!”

“Old Xia, I thought they wouldn’t be able to drag a big shot like you to this study session!”

The six swarmed around him, surrounding Uncle Dong like stars around the moon.

As original members of the Blood Dragon Corps, survivors weren’t rare, but full squads that remained intact after retirement were few and far between in Happiness City.

Uncle Dong nodded to each in turn. When his gaze landed on the scarred woman, he chuckled softly. “Yunwei, long time no see.”

The woman froze briefly, then shook her head with a wry smile. “Long time no see.”

Those four simple words seemed to encapsulate their entire story, folding the past into them.

The other five, catching the moment, exchanged knowing glances and quietly gave the two space.

“How’ve you been lately?”

“Same old. I can’t sit still, so I’ve been running long-haul trucks with some folks, delivering across a few provinces nearby. Doesn’t pay much, but it’s not too tiring.”

“With the infected acting up this year, it’s dangerous out there, isn’t it? You don’t take a break?”

“Rest? Not so easy. I’m tied to a ten-year contract, still got three years left.” Before she finished, she glanced at Uncle Dong’s arm. “And you’re not exactly resting either, are you? That old injury’s been hurting for years. Why not get it treated?”

“Can’t fix it. Been through surgeries, but the root of it’s too deep. Tough one.”

Uncle Dong sighed. As his sleeve slipped, gruesome scars flickered under the light.

The conversation seemed to stall, both struggling to find words to continue.

Fortunately, a burst of applause from the front stage broke the silence.

“Strange, those are inspectors down there, and they’re clapping for us?”

Yunwei stood on her toes, peering toward the stage with a puzzled expression.

This group of roughnecks was here to share experiences, but who dared lecture inspectors?

As the buffer zone’s elite, it was a miracle if they even listened to the end.

Clapping? Welcoming? That was too much to hope for.

“That applause isn’t for you. The last speaker was a Security Bureau instructor, and his wife’s an inspector too, a fourth-stage one with real power,” came a familiar voice.

They turned to see someone from the Thunder Moon Squad.

Another old comrade, though the Thunder Moon Squad was down to just one survivor.

“Miao Yang, you really think inspectors would clap for you?” someone teased.

“Hey, just saying. Aren’t we all here for those eight contribution points?” Miao Yang chuckled, rubbing his hands. “But I’ve got something solid prepared. Stuff I haven’t even shared when the Blood Dragon Corps invited me to lecture. Who knows, maybe the big shots down there will like it and clap for me.”

“Solid? You gonna talk about how Thunder Moon Squad nearly got wiped out back then?”

“Get lost!” Miao Yang laughed, shoving the other guy. “Your Crimson Blood Squad’s down to just you too, isn’t it?”

“That’s different. We had five left when we retired.”

“…”

Listening to Miao Yang bicker with the others, Uncle Dong and Yunwei shared a helpless smile and quietly moved to a corner.

“How about I lend you some money to get that surgery?”

“No need for that. If I really wanted to fix this, the favors I’ve accumulated over the years would’ve been enough. Just no point.”

Uncle Dong shook his head. “All these years, you never thought about finding someone?”

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

Yunwei’s eyelashes fluttered as she looked up, then burst out laughing. “Bet you wanted to hear that, huh? That’s how they played it in those old-era romance dramas!”

“Xia Dong, you’re allowed to be afraid of death, but I’m not?”

“It’s not that I’m afraid of death,” Uncle Dong started, his throat tightening as if to argue, but it melted into a sigh.

Back then, they’d been so close to setting a wedding date.

But a mission went wrong, and their squad was surrounded by infected entities. They barely escaped with their lives, no fatalities, but all were left with injuries big and small.

As captain, Uncle Dong had sensed the infected’s unusual activity. Even though the squad was on the verge of advancing to “Winged Dragon” status, entering the Blood Dragon Corps’ mid-tier, he chose to retire, abandoning the Winter Squad.

Without their backbone, the others grew disheartened and retired one by one.

Everyone resented Xia Dong, blaming his cowardice for ruining their futures.

Naturally, their relationship reached its end.

But fate played a cruel trick. That very winter after their retirement, Happiness City faced a horrific “Plague-level” infected tide.

Nearly all squads from their era were wiped out, with only a handful of survivors.

This brutal twist made the Winter Squad realize Xia Dong’s foresight, and how their near-promotion had blinded them to the dangers in their frenzy.

Others could forgive and understand him, but Xia Dong could never move past that hurdle himself.

In plain terms, his spirit was broken.

A fierce, driven warrior had chosen to retreat at the height of his momentum.

That decision had tormented him for over twenty years.

“You used to argue with me. What, finally accepting your fate now?”

“I’ve accepted it. What else can I do? I’m just a useless coward scared of death. You don’t know how terrified I was last night hearing about the station chief’s death and infected slipping in. Lucky I didn’t embarrass myself in front of the kid, even managed to act like a big shot.”

Uncle Dong grinned, patting the badge on his chest. “This is what I deserve!”

“Well cursed!” Yunwei gave a thumbs-up. “Mind if I throw in a couple curses too?”

“No way, you all said you forgave me already.”

Uncle Dong’s playful pride made Yunwei laugh.

The other five Winter Squad members, eavesdropping nearby, relaxed their brows.

Over the years, they’d tried matchmaking the two, but Uncle Dong always dodged.

Could this be their chance?

“Damn it, I lectured my heart out up there, and these inspectors looking down on me is one thing, but those observers and staff? Who the hell do they think they are, acting like that?”

“Was my talk that bad? Have I taken out fewer infected than them?”

Just then, Miao Yang stormed back to the backstage, cursing.

He’d prepared something real, but while he didn’t notice how many listened, he saw clearly how many were distracted.

Not just the inspectors—even the regular folks in the back barely glanced up. It was downright humiliating!

“Alright, alright, didn’t you say you’re here for the contribution points? Don’t yell, you’ll get in trouble if someone hears,” someone urged.

The emotionless announcer approached, gave Miao Yang a deep look, then turned to Uncle Dong’s group. “Winter Squad, get ready. You’re up next. Decide who’s going first.”

Who’s first?

“I’ll go,” Uncle Dong said, brushing off nonexistent dust. “I was the first to run last time. Can’t be the last one up now.”

He didn’t think he’d do much better than Miao Yang, but when it came to embarrassment, he’d had his fill over the years. One more time wouldn’t hurt.

“Captain’s got this!”

“Captain’s still got that old-school flair, badass!”

“Haha, Captain, go for it. If no one claps, we’ll clap for you!”

Amid the cheers, Uncle Dong took a deep breath and glanced at Yunwei.

She blinked, as if encouraging him, or perhaps asking if he’d truly regained his spirit.

Had he?

Uncle Dong shook his head with a self-mocking smile. What spirit did an old shopkeeper clinging to life have?

“Next, we invite Captain Xia Dong of the Blood Dragon Corps, Level 02 Green Dragon Team, to give his lecture.”

At the announcer’s call, Uncle Dong took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage.

The lights weren’t as dazzling as he’d imagined, nothing like the old-era magazines he’d scavenged from the flea market, which described a stage that made you feel like the center of the world.

Looking down, the front-row inspectors kept their heads low, indifferent.

The middle rows whispered among themselves, discussing something important.

As for the back, Uncle Dong wanted to spot Cheng Ye, but the crowd was too big, and he didn’t have time to search.

“Hello, everyone. I’m Xia Dong, a soldier who barely survived the battlefield.”

“Today, I’ll be talking about… handling area-attack hydrophilic infected entities.”

Five minutes wasn’t enough for anything too deep.

Uncle Dong broke down a battle the Winter Squad had faced, detailing the strategy and practical outcomes clearly and engagingly.

The backstage team couldn’t help but clap, and even Yunwei’s eyes burned with intensity, as if seeing the old Xia Dong return.

But the audience’s response was lukewarm. Miao Yang, watching from the side, sighed with a wry smile.

“That’s the full strategy. Any questions?” Uncle Dong asked.

No one spoke up.

He wasn’t surprised and gave a slight bow. “Well then, thank you for listening.”

He turned to leave the stage.

But at that moment, in the silent hall, a surprising burst of applause rang out.

It wasn’t loud, but in the quiet, it was strikingly clear!

It was…

Cheng Ye, clapping lightly. To others, Uncle Dong was just another insignificant figure.

But to him, Uncle Dong was one of the few people he could talk to and unwind with since arriving in the wasteland.

“Brilliant!”

He stood slightly, nodding to those around him, ignoring their surprised stares, and clapped generously.

Clap, clap, clap.

Lee Matteo, seeing this, stood and clapped too, unbothered by the odd looks.

For him, this low-risk, high-visibility moment was perfect.

But almost as he stood, synchronized applause came from behind!

Huh?

Cheng Ye had that much pull, someone else joined in?

Lee Matteo turned curiously, wondering who else dared to ignore the East-West divide and jump in for attention.

Some fearless nobody, maybe?

His eyes met the back row, where Dario Haven was clapping, a hint of confusion on his face.

As if to say, You stealing my spotlight?

“Dario Haven?”

Lee Matteo froze, his expression stiffening, eyes wide with disbelief, as if he’d seen a ghost.

How was this possible?

A fifth-stage Western inspector, Harlin’s top supporter.

The likely successor to the duty station chief, Dario Haven.

He… he was clapping too?

Was he trying to win Cheng Ye over to the Western faction?

No, this guy was obsessed with loyalty. Clapping for an Easterner?

Bewildered Western inspectors turned, jaws dropping.

But some lackey took the cue and started clapping along with Dario Haven.

The sparse applause grew louder, and Western observers and staff hurriedly joined in.

Truly, this world’s gone mad, like rats playing bridesmaid to a cat!

The Western faction, clapping for an Easterner?

The front-row Eastern inspectors hesitated, thinking they couldn’t lose face. If the Westerners could clap with Cheng Ye, what was there to fear? They joined in too.

Wave after wave, the applause grew louder, more people standing!

The hall erupted in unprecedented fervor.

What just happened?

From the first clap to the thunderous ovation, only three or four seconds passed. Uncle Dong’s steps froze, disbelief flashing across his face.

He turned sharply, his memories seeming to glitch.

In a daze, he felt as if he stood on the stage described in that old magazine.

Lights sparkled like scattered diamonds.

The crowd roared like rolling thunder.

Waves of applause crashed from all directions, enveloping him, overwhelming him, nearly stealing his breath.

Though all eyes weren’t on him but on a young inspector in the back center!

Yet that inspector looked at him, his gentle, slightly stunned gaze saying:

Xia Dong, you’re not some forgotten nobody!