July 7, 2026, the tenth day after the battle concluded.
During this period, Dawn City remained in a state of repair, with the city gates, walls, and damaged ground structures essentially restored to their original condition.
Wang Zhi and his team had a relatively abundant supply of Survival Points, so they did not venture out to gather supplies during these ten days, spending their time strictly cycling between training and rest.
"Everyone, the Ling Ling Yao has a notification!" Upon returning to their residence that evening, You Luo said, looking at the flashing Ling Ling Yao.
Seeing the notification, Wang Zhi's eyes lit up. This was the second notification they had received recently; the first had instructed them to store their weapons in the Ready Room.
Wang Zhi quickly opened this new notification, which contained the casualty statistics for Dawn City personnel.
From the end of the battle until now, over 230 Citizens, over 320 Migrants, and over 90 Guards remained alive in Dawn City.
Fifty Citizens had been sacrificed, and eighty others were missing.
Over one hundred Guards had been sacrificed, and over twenty were missing.
The losses among the Guard Team personnel were severe, as were the missing Citizens. The Migrants, having been protected in the City Lord's Palace beforehand, had suffered no casualties; their only obligation was labor, and combat had barely involved them.
Wang Zhi looked at the battle damage report; the Guard Team had lost over half its personnel. This made Wang Zhi feel heartache for Jie Xi.
Those who were missing had run away; whether they were still alive or not, nobody knew.
-The City Lord's Palace.
Jie Xi sat on the bed, taking the medicine in her hand and washing it down with water.
"How is your recovery progressing?"
the tower Master stood to the side and asked.
"Recovering very well!" Jie Xi replied.
"I heard they left you out there alone?" The Tower Master's tone revealed a hint of anger.
"I forced them to do it!" Jie Xi quickly explained.
"Sigh." The Tower Master sighed and sat down on the bed.
"Jie Xi, how many times have I told you, you must remain behind the scenes. How can you, as the City Lord, charge into battle like a common soldier?"
"But I'm suited to be a soldier," Jie Xi said stubbornly.
"Nonsense! If you continue like this, you will return with me to the Dawn Tower, and I will let Adam take over as City Lord!" the Tower Master suddenly said angrily.
"In this disaster, Dawn City lost more than half its guards. Watching my people fall one by one, if I could still sit here as if nothing had happened, what difference would I be from a demon?" Jie Xi looked at the Tower Master and said.
'Don't you forget, the original purpose for establishing the Dawn Tower was not to save others! It was to save ourselves! Everyone else in the World is dead, do you still care about them?" The Tower Master stood up and spoke in a cold voice.
Jie Xi lowered her head and remained silent. She could not refute it; what the Tower Master said was indeed their original intention, it was just that she herself had changed.
"We have already utilized the components in Wang Zhi's blood to develop the biochemical Inhibitor. To ensure Wang Zhi is not captured by those people, and for safety, he must be confined in the Dawn Tower. His existence is now only a threat to us," the Tower Master stated again.
Hearing the Tower Master's words, Jie Xi's pupils contracted. She understood the Tower Master's meaning: this was about locking Wang Zhi up as an experimental subject.
"No... Tower Master, you can't do this... we can't do this...." Jie Xi became somewhat agitated.
"Hm?" The Tower Master looked at the agitated Jie Xi with some confusion.
"Wang Zhi will absolutely not betray us. Please don't treat him this way," Jie Xi pleaded.
"There are no absolutes in this world. You are still too naive. Their ability to sway people's hearts, you and I both know it well. Within three days, I expect you to personally 'send' him back," the Tower Master said with a resolute attitude.
"I cannot do it!" Jie Xi stubbornly refused.
"Cannot do it? Jie Xi, have you lost your mind as the Town Master, or have you been bewitched by that Wang Zhi?" the Tower Master questioned angrily.
Jie Xi lowered her head and remained silent, not daring to meet the Tower Master's gaze.
"Fine! If you cannot do it, I will personally send him back!" After saying this, the tower Master moved to leave the room.
"Don't!" Jie Xi lunged forward, reaching out to grab the Tower Master's hand.
"Mother... I beg you!" Jie Xi trembled.
Upon hearing Jie Xi's words, the Tower Master froze in place.
"I hope you can give me a reasonable explanation," the Tower Master said calmly.
"The situation in Dawn City is unstable right now. His team can make a huge contribution to Dawn City, but if his team loses him, it might fall apart, or even cause chaos. That is why we cannot do this right now," jie Xi said, trembling.
"Is that all?" the Tower Master confirmed.
Seeing that the Tower Master was still unmoved, Jie Xi hesitated for a moment before speaking again, "And... and our personal relationship."
"Hmph! In such chaotic times, still indulging in romantic sentiment-how utterly ridiculous!" The Tower Master scoffed, shaking off Jie Xi's hand.
"Mother, I beg you, apart from this matter, I will agree to anything else you ask!"
The Tower Master took a deep breath and said, "You stay behind the scenes and do your job well. Later, I will dispatch another thirty guards for you from the Dawn Tower."
Hearing the Tower Master compromise, Jie Xi's eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up and hugged the Tower Master.
"I hope you will not regret this, and you must take responsibility for your own actions," the Tower Master said softly.
"Mm!"
"Alright, you should rest now. I need to go back. Aelirans will bring the biochemical Inhibitors over for you shortly; make sure they are distributed properly," the Tower Master said, then left Jie Xi's room.
---Villa No. 1.
"Two of spades."
'Pass."
"Three of diamonds, I won again. Hey, hand them over." Fatty slapped down his cards and quickly snatched the cigarettes from in front of You Luo and Gray Wolf.
"Damn it! I'm not playing anymore, what terrible luck," You Luo said irritably, scattering her cards on the table.
-Ding-dong.
'Huh? Why is the Ling Ling Yao notifying us again?" Fatty looked at the Flashing Ling Ling Yao beside him.
"Captain Wang, the Ling Ling Yao is signaling again! Hurry and come down," Fatty shouted upstairs.
Wang Zhi walked down from the Rooftop and read the notification content.
Dawn City has released a new weapon: the Biochemical Inhibitor.
Function: Injected into the body of an Infected Species, it can cause weakness, nearing death.
Price: 100 Survival Points/dose.
Usage: Requires a dedicated launcher.
Inhibitor Launcher Price: 500 Survival Points/unit.
"Holy crap? These sons of bitches at Dawn Tower move fast. They've already turned your blood into a weapon?" Fatty exclaimed in shock.
"And they're using it to make money," You Luo added.
"Not bad. This is a major breakthrough. The birth of the Inhibitor means a leap forward in survival capability for all of us," Wang Zhi nodded and said.
"Five hundred times ten-this setup will cost us five thousand Survival Points. Wang Zhi, how many Survival Points do we have left?" Old He asked.
"Unfortunately, just over four thousand," Wang Zhi replied helplessly.
11