The top three on the fan list are both girls—how can the strong men here bear that, brothers, keep up, don't fall behind! Hehe …… Thunder God!

Ye Chen looked at the man before him, a hint of surprise in his eyes. He hadn't expected that the man he had casually saved long ago had now become a Battalion Commander in the military headquarters of the Huaxia Base City!

In the reorganized army following the apocalypse, the hierarchy was vastly different from before, divided into ten levels. The highest was the Grand Marshal of the Military Department, who held the true military power and served as the de facto leader of the Base City!

Below the Grand Marshal were: High Commander, Intermediate Commander, Junior Commander, General, Lieutenant General, Major General, Battalion Commander, Regiment Commander, and Team Leader! The rank of Battalion Commander was immensely powerful, controlling considerable military resources.

Each Battalion Commander commanded ten Regiments, and each Regiment consisted of five Teams! A single Battalion was allocated a quota of one thousand personnel!

To date... A total of 108 Battalions had been recruited!

The Battalion Ye Chen belonged to was one of the most recently established, and the Battalions would continue to expand as the population grew. Every Battalion Commander commanded thousands of soldiers, and their monthly achievements were staggering, yielding vast amounts of 'Jihua' and monster corpses, which could be processed by the Commerce Department into cuisine for sale.

Behind him, when Bailong and the others first saw Gu Xinghe, they hadn't recognized him. Hearing his words now, they couldn't help but startle, glancing at the man with surprise.

A moment later, recognition dawned. "It's you?" Bailong exclaimed, then grinned broadly, "Long time no see.

I didn't realize you'd reached this level already, that’s excellent!" Gu Xinghe smiled faintly and said to Mo Feng, Bailong, and the others, "It’s good I arrived in time. Since becoming a Battalion Commander, I designated personnel to be on duty at the Base City gates, with strict orders to immediately report any sighting of you all to me.

Unfortunately, my position isn't high enough, and they only reported it to me today. I tracked you down by asking around—truly, the timing couldn't be better." Everyone laughed.

Gu Xinghe glanced at Ye Chen but didn't inquire about what had happened. Instead, he turned, his smile fading, and looked at the robust man with stern authority: "What exactly happened here?" The robust man inwardly groaned.

Judging by Gu Xinghe's demeanor toward Ye Chen and his group, even if they weren't friends, they were certainly acquaintances. He had clearly stepped on a landmine.

Even though Ye Chen had killed someone. In the eyes of a Battalion Commander, killing one person was nothing.

Black could be called white; this was blatant favoritism and the subversion of justice! Report him?

The robust man didn't even consider it. For him, a mere Team Leader managing twenty men, reporting a Battalion Commander overseeing a thousand was clearly an act of utter irrationality.

Unless he had a powerful patron or an unshakeable background, it would be suicide! After all— The deceased was only a clerk in the Information Department.

Such people could be recruited endlessly in the apocalypse; the Base City would never punish a Battalion Commander over such a minor figure. The perceived value of the two individuals was incomparable, and the Base City was currently facing a critical shortage of talent everywhere.

Those humble, ant-like weaklings were disposable. This was the cold-blooded reality imposed by the rulers of the post-apocalyptic Base City!

Of course, if such an incident were exposed and became a huge public scandal, the Base City would have no choice but to execute the Battalion Commander to appease public opinion, lest future settlers lose faith in seeking refuge there. Under Gu Xinghe's sharp gaze, cold sweat beaded on the robust man's forehead.

He lowered his head and mumbled, "N-nothing." Gu Xinghe snorted coldly, "If nothing's wrong, then leave! If I hear a single rumor about this, you know the consequences!" Rumors?

The robust man smiled bitterly to himself. What was clearly fact was now being dismissed as rumor.

He nodded mournfully, gestured to the men beside him, and these soldiers, all keenly aware of the situation, quickly lowered their heads and boarded the large truck. "Vrooom—" The vehicle pulled away into the distance.

The large truck parked nearby swiftly started its engine as well, following behind without daring to look at Ye Chen and the others again. They knew they had stumbled into serious trouble.

Everyone present was a witness to today's events; not only must they remain silent, but they also had to prevent anyone else from speaking out, ensuring absolute secrecy. Otherwise, if Battalion Commander Gu Xinghe investigated, he might not openly confront them, but he would find ways to eliminate them discreetly.

Once these men were gone, Gu Xinghe broke into a slight smile, his lips curving upward. He looked at Ye Chen and said, "Interested?

We could grab a bite at the hotel." Ye Chen shook his head. "No thanks.

Since the issue is resolved and I've completed my registration, I should head to the army unit now." Gu Xinghe sighed with resignation. "Alright, but with your strength, I believe you can quickly earn military merits and become a Battalion Commander yourselves." Ye Chen nodded, not disputing the claim.

"Then I’ll take my leave. Let’s gather when time permits.

The Base City is expanding rapidly recently, and I have a lot to keep me busy." "Go ahead," Ye Chen replied with a nod. Gu Xinghe waved and turned, climbing into his luxurious BMW before driving away from the small residential area.

"Let's go," Ye Chen said without looking back, turning and entering the large building. He returned to that office and saw the few clerical staff members who had been registering people hiding in a corner, whispering amongst themselves.

When they saw him return, the group jumped, quickly silencing their conversation. Ye Chen couldn't be bothered with them.

He walked to the dead woman's desk, flipped through the documents, searched the empty slots in the roster, casually selected a team, and slotted everyone’s information into their files. He then took five slips of paper from a drawer, wrote their names on them, and distributed them to Bailong and the others.

He performed all these team registration procedures more naturally than the clerks had, leaving the onlookers completely stunned. When these clerks had first started, they had spent half a day being lectured by their supervisor just to understand every step, yet how did an outsider like Ye Chen know?

After handing the slips to Bailong and the others, Ye Chen led the way out of the room, heading toward the residential block designated on the cards. As they walked, he couldn't help but reflect that in his past life, he had sworn allegiance to a Base City and was initially assigned this exact type of clerical work.

Later, he was noticed by a powerful figure and transferred to the military, which marked the turning point of his fate... Without that powerful figure's assistance, he likely would have died within two or three years in his previous life.

Building 7! This was where Ye Chen and his group were to reside.

This residential area served as Military Camp No. 108, containing 10 Regiments, each with five Teams!

Ye Chen had chosen the Eighth Regiment! Before entering the building, they saw a middle-aged man sitting outside, dressed in camouflage fatigues, looking quite capable.

His eyes narrowed slightly as he observed Ye Chen and his party approaching. "We are here to join the team," Ye Chen stepped forward and handed him the card.

The middle-aged man glanced down, then looked up at Ye Chen, a slight curve forming on his lips. "Do you have experience with killing?" Ye Chen frowned slightly.

The middle-aged man smiled gently. "Good luck.

I hope you don't end up as zombie chow. The Third Small Team is still short-handed; they are on the fifth floor.

You can head up there." Ye Chen nodded, saying nothing more, and walked into the building, ascending the stairs, with Bailong and the others following suit. A moment later, they reached the fifth floor.

Two rooms on this floor had their doors open. Ye Chen headed toward 501, knocked lightly, and then walked in.

The room had clearly been repurposed; much of the luxurious furniture had been removed, leaving only basic amenities, including double-decker metal frame beds, bunk style, two in the main living area, and three separate bedrooms inside. "Who are you looking for?" A young man washing clothes in a basin full of blood looked up, surprised.

Ye Chen glanced around. "We are newcomers here, looking for empty bunks." The young man suddenly understood and then chuckled.

"There’s one empty bedroom left in here, with two bunk beds. You can move in." Ye Chen nodded and stepped inside.

"My name is Qinghe. I don't know yours yet?" The young man smiled, noticing Bailong and the others outside.

"Ye Chen," Ye Chen stated calmly, then walked into the bedroom. Mo Feng followed him in shortly after; he also wasn't one for much conversation.

This bedroom contained two beds, similar to the cramped rooms provided for factory workers. The captain of the Third Team was a youth of balanced build, appearing extremely placid.

Upon learning that Ye Chen's group were new arrivals, they briefly introduced themselves, discussed some basic military rules, and then departed. The next day.

Ye Chen woke up extremely early, only to find Bailong and the others still sound asleep. He shook his head helplessly, opened the door, and stepped out, immediately spotting the young man named Qinghe also just rising.

They exchanged slight nods before heading toward the mess hall. The military camp had a standardized canteen.

Ye Chen went there alone, ate two bowls of thin congee, and then returned to the dormitory. Each soldier’s ration was fixed; only two bowls of congee were provided for breakfast, requiring them to pay out of pocket for more.

"I wonder what kind of military merit missions are available. If I could quickly advance to a high-ranking official, then I wouldn't have to spend my days confined to the Base City.

Life would be relaxed, I could pursue my own interests, and still collect a salary from the military department." The higher the position, the more leisurely the work often became, much like the difference between a laborer and a boss. However, higher positions also meant dealing with more critical, high-stakes affairs where mistakes were intolerable.

Ye Chen headed toward a building designated for posting military merit assignments.