There weren't many usable materials in the cinema. After barely managing to seal off all the doors and windows on the first floor, they were completely depleted.
Fortunately, no special zombies capable of climbing had been spotted yet. This makeshift defense system should hold for some time. However, Xu Mo dared not let his guard down. He still instructed Dong Tian to station lookouts on the second floor to prevent a surprise attack from above.
While reinforcing the defense, another crucial task—population survey—was also underway.
After a simple count, it was estimated that there were around 2,100 people in Liangyuan Cinema. Of these, over 1,600 were regular citizens and night market vendors from the plaza park, while nearly 500 were audience members watching movies in the cinema and its staff.
As for the composition of these 2,000-plus people, it was incredibly diverse—ranging from government officials to street cleaners. Almost every common occupation in society was represented, with some people even having multiple roles.
However, this wasn't about rebuilding civilization or some grand endeavor. In this scenario, high-tech talent was probably less useful than construction workers. Xu Mo only had Dong Tian select some young and strong individuals with military experience to form a rescue team. The rest were divided into groups of twenty and settled in the cinema halls, awaiting further orders.
During the process of identifying the remaining people, Xu Mo unexpectedly discovered two familiar faces—Du Zhizhang and Chang Ziteng.
The two had planned to watch a late-night movie together, but just as the film began, they were inexplicably pulled into the Apocalyptic Mirage. They had heard Xu Mo's emergency broadcast earlier, but by the time they grasped the situation and tried to find him, they got caught in the chaotic stampede. Unable to locate Xu Mo, they had no choice but to stay put in the cinema.
Their appearance was a pleasant surprise for Xu Mo. Du Zhizhang's enhancement ability was negligible in this scenario, but Chang Ziteng, a powerhouse of physical strength, was definitely a formidable fighter. Especially with her nearly three-meter-long battle hammer, "Earthsplitter," which was a devastating weapon for clearing out zombie hordes—far more efficient than his Spartan short sword.
Chang Ziteng had already been considering entering the Apocalyptic Mirage. Now that she realized she was already inside, she didn't even need Xu Mo to invite her—she readily agreed to cooperate. Du Zhizhang, although reluctant to let Chang Ziteng take such risks, had no say in the matter now that they were both stuck on this metaphorical pirate ship.
To prevent their identities as Apocalyptic Shard Wielders from being exposed in the real world, Xu Mo even made a trip to the plaza night market to grab two ridiculously outdated knitted hats. After cutting out holes for the eyes, they served as makeshift masks.
The preparation phase took much longer than Xu Mo anticipated. By the time everything was finally in place, an entire hour had passed since the first wave of zombies had appeared. Fortunately, there were still no signs of new zombies within visible range.
Remembering there were still some details to discuss with Dong Tian and the others, Xu Mo brought Du Zhizhang and Chang Ziteng back to the cinema hall. As soon as they entered, a voice, reminiscent of a government meeting report, echoed from the ceiling.
On the stage at the front, a middle-aged man with a bulging belly—almost the size of an eight-month pregnant woman—and a ridiculous "Local Supports Central" hairstyle was holding a microphone wrapped in red cloth. He spoke in that slow, monotonous, and painfully bureaucratic tone unique to officials, attempting to calm the mildly restless crowd below.
"Citizens, please remain calm and listen to me... This incident must be a conspiracy orchestrated by certain foreign nations that have long coveted our country! This nonsense about another dimension and different cities is utterly baseless! As for why the military hasn't arrived to rescue us yet, I believe it's due to communication disruptions causing temporary logistical difficulties. But please, have faith in the nation and trust the government. We will never abandon a single citizen! If we unite and stand together, we will surely overcome this crisis..."
The big-bellied, balding middle-aged man suddenly shifted to the side, revealing six or seven other middle-aged men radiating an unmistakable bureaucratic aura. He introduced them one by one:
"Now, allow me to introduce the members of our temporary leadership committee. This is Director Liu from the Liangyuan District Government of Shang Shan City. This is from the City Tax Bureau…"
Xu Mo was immediately overwhelmed by the sheer familiarity of this leadership charade. While he acknowledged the need for capable individuals to step up and maintain order among the 2,000-plus survivors, these bloated government officials were far from his ideal candidates.
It wasn't that he held a prejudice against government officials—he knew that some were indeed competent. However, the unique bureaucratic culture of Huaxia had nurtured far more deadweight officials than effective leaders—people skilled at seizing credit and passing blame, endlessly spouting empty rhetoric, and spending their days reading newspapers and sipping tea, simply coasting along without taking real responsibility.
These people excelled at power grabs, cronyism, and suppressing dissent, but when it came to actual crisis management? Their most effective strategy would probably be hastily promoting a batch of middle managers and then sitting back, issuing commands from above while pretending to "delegate authority."
Dong Tian was nearby, distributing bottled water and biscuits from the cinema's supermarket stockpile to the survivors with the help of some volunteers. Xu Mo approached him and asked about this farcical spectacle.
With a bitter smile, Dong Tian explained, "The one speaking is Minister Wang from Shang Shan City's Publicity Department. Since he's the highest-ranking official here, it's standard protocol to form a temporary leadership team with senior officials at its core during emergencies. I'm just a rookie cop with less than a year on the job—what can I say? I can only follow orders…"
Xu Mo could see the helplessness in Dong Tian's eyes. But that was just how things worked in Huaxia—hierarchy ruled everything. The people had been conditioned to trust government leadership. If no high-ranking official stepped forward in a crisis, the public might start believing that the government had collapsed, which could lead to even greater chaos.
Fine, as long as these people didn't interfere, they could just serve as ceremonial decorations—human flags and national emblems for the panicked citizens to cling to.
Just as Xu Mo was about to leave the hall, a young woman in her twenties suddenly dashed out from the crowd, dropped to her knees in front of him, and grabbed his pant leg, pleading through tears, "Please! Please save my child! He's only three years old! He can't survive without his mother! If you're going to lock him up, then lock me up too!"
"Sister, please get up and speak slowly." Chang Ziteng, as a fellow woman, couldn't stand by and watch. She hurried forward, helped the woman to her feet, and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with a tissue.
Xu Mo turned to Dong Tian with a questioning look. Dong Tian lowered his head in shame and muttered apologetically, "Her child was scratched by a zombie. Minister Wang ordered that anyone bitten or scratched be locked in the underground storage room to prevent infection…"
Xu Mo was immediately enraged. These useless, incompetent fools! The zombies weren't even here yet, and they had already started causing problems!
His voice was sharp with anger as he commanded, "Dong Tian, go release those people immediately! Who told them that zombies spread infections? Listen carefully—this isn't Resident Evil! There's no T-virus or any of that nonsense! These zombies are merely illusory creatures manifested by this space's unique energy... Ugh, explaining this to you is pointless. Just remember—these zombies do not transmit viruses. As long as the wounds are treated in time, there's no life-threatening risk."
"Alright… if you say so…" Compared to the bureaucrats making baseless, knee-jerk decisions, Dong Tian trusted Xu Mo more. After all, Xu Mo seemed to be the only person who actually understood what was going on in this world.