Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies
Chapter 776: The Idol

Chapter 776: The Idol

The purge in Blizzard City was still ongoing. Zhang Yi had initially thought it would take quite a long time to complete. After all, the Reincarnation Squad had nearly destroyed Blizzard City's headquarters and killed Zhu Zheng this time.

But unexpectedly, the purge ended rather quickly. To prevent widespread panic among Blizzard City's residents, Zhu Zheng adopted a conciliatory approach, executing only the main culprits. This actually made Zhang Yi view Zhu Zheng in a new light.

Only someone with such decisiveness could truly lead a major region. When the Celestial Hound Squad returned to Blizzard City, Yang Xinxin came back with them. As for Liang Yue, she stayed home to recuperate from her injuries.

Zhang Yi inquired about the current situation in Tianhai City. Yang Xinxin's answer made him sigh. Although local forces hadn't participated in the main battle against the Moon of Corrosion, they still suffered heavy losses. The already weakened base organizations lost another thirty percent of their forces fighting against the Tianlong Pirate Crew.

"If this continues, Tianhai City's population will keep dwindling," Zhang Yi remarked.

Yang Xinxin asked curiously, "Brother, do you want to increase Tianhai City's population? That seems different from your original stance."

Zhang Yi shrugged. "While I despise scheming and power struggles, I don't want to see Tianhai City become a ghost town either. Besides, I'm no longer worried about anyone coveting our shelter." With his current strength, he had nothing to fear.

Yang Xinxin giggled. "Rebuilding the population would be a long-term project. Even if everyone in Tianhai City started having babies now, we wouldn't see results for over a decade. Though given current circumstances, we could lower the reproductive age like in ancient times."

Zhang Yi shook his head—he couldn't be bothered with such thoughts. Living day by day happily was enough; why worry about the distant future?

"How are Liang Yue and Old You doing?" During the battle, Old You and Fatty Xu had joined the fight against the pirates. Zhang Yi had been too occupied to look after them, but with the equipment he'd provided, they couldn't possibly lose to ordinary pirates.

Yang Xinxin replied, "Teacher Liang suffered severe arm injuries—her bones were shattered. Luckily, Sister Zhou helped reset them. She'll recover after some rest. As for Old You, don't worry about him—his regeneration is incredible; he didn't even need Sister Zhou's help. And Fatty Xu? That guy hid at the back the whole time without a scratch."

Zhang Yi nodded in satisfaction. It was good that his people were safe. After surviving the harsh early days of the apocalypse and building precious bonds, he didn't want anything bad to happen to any of them.

"After this battle, we can finally rest for a while." Zhang Yi closed his eyes and relaxed on the sofa. With the Jiangnan Region's internal unrest quelled and both the Moon of Corrosion and Tianlong Pirate Crew's forces destroyed, coastal cities would enjoy relative peace. The only remaining concern was the escaped Reincarnation Squad. Their whereabouts remained unknown, but they were now on the nationwide most-wanted list with an S-class priority. Once found, special squads from all regions would hunt them down.

Zhang Yi wasn't too worried about Gao Changkong seeking revenge. Gao Changkong was smart enough to avoid meaningless actions—his target had always been Zhu Zheng and Blizzard City's leadership. Attacking Zhang Yi in Tianhai City would be both futile and risky, likely exposing his location. Zhang Yi guessed he'd probably lay low as before, waiting for another chance to overthrow Zhu Zheng. But that had little to do with him now.

...

"Investigation confirms that former Reincarnation Squad members, led by captain Gao Changkong, betrayed the people and their ideals, colluding with Ronin from Neon Nation to inflict severe damage upon the Jiangnan Region!"

"However, under Commander Zhu Zheng's leadership, the united Jiangnan Region foiled their conspiracy to split the region and seize power!"

"Throughout this operation, Celestial Hound Squad leader, codenamed [Chaos], displayed exceptional courage by spearheading efforts to defeat both the Moon of Corrosion and pirate forces."

"He promptly returned to Blizzard City and personally repelled the traitorous former Reincarnation Squad members."

"Comrade Chaos's ideological consciousness sets an example for the masses. Special commendation is hereby issued."

"All Jiangnan Region citizens must immediately report any information regarding Reincarnation Squad members to authorities. Failure to report will be treated as complicity."

This was the morning news broadcast. Zhang Yi ate breakfast in his room while watching the report. The incident had been too significant to conceal, becoming common knowledge throughout the city. But Zhu Zheng's propaganda department wasn't idle—with Gao Changkong fallen, they needed a new hero to reassure the public. Thus Zhang Yi, the outsider with extraordinary abilities and remarkable achievements, became the perfect candidate—a grassroots underdog rising to prominence, fulfilling commoners' fantasies.

Seeing the situation stabilized, Zhang Yi decided to bid Zhu Zheng farewell and return to Tianhai City for some well-deserved rest. When he left his villa, the guards outside saluted him respectfully. The Yan Yun Guard soldiers gazed at him with fiery admiration—the look reserved for heroes.

As soon as he stepped outside, excited screams erupted from beyond the fence. Zhang Yi turned to see crowds gathered—men and women alike shouting his codename [Chaos]. Among them were beautiful young ladies, charming married women, and sons of high-ranking officials. Only A-zone elites' family members could appear here. Notably, no one was taking photos—regional regulations prohibited photographing special department personnel to prevent intelligence leaks. After the Reincarnation Squad incident, such restrictions tightened further, even making Zhang Yi's real name classified information.

Zhang Yi smiled and waved, triggering another wave of ecstatic screams. He couldn't help recalling Gao Changkong's former popularity.

"Well now I've become an idol," he mused. In these apocalyptic times, people indeed needed idols for spiritual solace.

"I need to visit headquarters," Zhang Yi told a guard, who promptly arranged his assigned vehicle. Boarding the car, Zhang Yi headed toward the new command center.

Author's Note