An ordinary little girl?

The Command Tower—a towering structure.

It had originally been a famous local landmark, once an exhibition hall. Standing at 72 meters tall with 16 floors in total, its dark structure was accented by countless pale blue glass panels.

Around the tower were soldiers from the Defense Division, and various people in formal attire came and went through the building’s revolving doors.

When the car stopped in front of the tower, someone immediately stepped forward to open the door for Ping Chengcheng, politely inviting her to get out.

She jumped lightly down and couldn’t help but mutter, “Pretty ceremonial.”

The girl glanced down at her outfit.

She was dressed in flexible, movement-friendly athletic wear—completely out of place among the suit-wearing crowd.

Shrugging, Ping Chengcheng found it a bit funny. Even in the apocalypse, people were still clinging to formality. Wearing all that stiff formalwear—if something unexpected happened, suits would be the most useless attire imaginable.

At the revolving door of the tower, a young man spotted Ping Chengcheng. His eyes lit up, and he jogged over to her.

“Hello, I’m Wang Chao. You’re Miss Ping, right? Commander Xiao’s been waiting for you.”

“Come with me.”

The girl nodded, and Wang Chao took the lead.

They turned a corner and entered an elevator. Besides the two of them, there was a handsome middle-aged man already inside. When Wang Chao saw him, he immediately lowered his head and greeted him respectfully.

The man turned his head and looked at Ping Chengcheng. “And you are? I don’t believe we’ve met.”

Ping Chengcheng met his gaze but hadn’t replied yet when Wang Chao quickly explained:

“She’s the captain of the Third Squad under Commander Xiao’s Emergency Assault Team. She’s here to observe the meeting.”

The man nodded. “I see. I’m Pei Shoucang, head of the Logistics Department.”

Ping Chengcheng replied sweetly, “Mhm~ Hello, Director Pei.”

Pei Shoucang was a little skeptical. This little girl was a squad captain? Could she just be a pretty face?

Wait—he did remember hearing something recently. A squad from A City had entered the base. Not only had they eliminated a special infected that broke into the city, but they’d also rescued a squad leader from the intel division.

It was said that there was a girl in that squad with uncanny marksmanship.

Could it be her?

Pei Shoucang found it hard to believe. She looked so harmless. If someone told him this was just one of Xiao Lie’s whimsical indulgences, he might find that easier to accept.

Ding.

The elevator stopped at the 15th floor, and the doors opened.

The three stepped out together but soon went their separate ways. Ping Chengcheng followed Wang Chao down a corridor lined with floor-to-ceiling glass walls. From this height, the entire S City base could be seen at a glance.

They eventually entered a conference room. A long table stretched down the center, with around twenty people seated neatly on both sides. The head seat was still unoccupied.

Ping Chengcheng’s eyes immediately landed on Xiao Lie, seated second on the left-hand row. A man sat to his left with his eyes closed, seemingly resting. The seat to Xiao Lie’s right was still empty—clearly reserved for her.

“Go on,” Wang Chao said.

Without hesitation, the girl walked straight in, drawing everyone’s gaze.

She stood out starkly. Ping Chengcheng was the only female, the only one dressed casually, the only one who looked like she didn’t belong.

Someone accidentally made eye contact with her and was startled by the blood-red color of her pupils.

“Her? Seriously?” It was Huo Yan, head of the Infrastructure Division, who voiced the question.

Ping Chengcheng had already taken her seat beside Xiao Lie. He waved his hand dismissively, “She’s fine. I’ve personally verified it.”

“Her eye color is a natural genetic mutation.”

Hearing this from Xiao Lie, no one questioned it further. He was the supreme commander of the Armed Combat Division. There was no way he’d keep a mutant around.

“Let me introduce her properly. She’s the captain of the Third Squad of the Emergency Assault Team—Ping Chengcheng. That special infected who broke into the base last time? She’s the one who took it out.”

At his words, the room erupted in hushed murmurs.

Xiao Lie stood and began introducing the officials seated around the table. Ping Chengcheng actually recognized one of them: Zhao Chang, head of the Order Department—the one she’d met her first day entering the base.

“How exactly did she take it out?” asked Xin Tuo, head of the Energy Division under Logistics. His curiosity was plain.

Everyone turned to look at Ping Chengcheng—the small, harmless-looking girl. She’d handled a special infected? How?

Xiao Lie chuckled and shook his head. “According to the Emergency Assault Team’s commander, her squad is a long-range strike team. Miss Ping’s marksmanship is extremely precise. She took down the stalker with just two shots.”

“So yes, I’d say she’s fully qualified to be a squad leader.”

The murmurs grew louder this time, less restrained than before.

Despite Xiao Lie’s endorsement, some people still doubted the story. The girl’s appearance was just too misleading.

Ping Chengcheng sighed inwardly. This was one of the reasons she hated being short—taller girls appeared stronger and earned trust more easily. There wouldn’t be so many people questioning her capability.

Then again, playing the weakling could be useful too, now and then.

Suddenly, Zhao Chang stood up, laughing heartily and drawing everyone’s attention.

Xiao Lie frowned slightly. What’s this guy up to?

Zhao Chang cleared his throat. “I’ve met Miss Ping before. She was new to the base when I first saw her.”

He gave the girl a cheerful smile.

Ping Chengcheng nodded. “Yes, I remember Uncle Zhao.”

Look at that—what a polite, well-mannered girl.

Zhao Chang felt sweet inside, like his heart had been dipped in honey.

“Let me add something: Miss Ping is the real deal. Supposedly, she and her team came from A City. Does anyone remember the message we got from the A City base two days ago?”

“They reported a giant mutated creature—and a corpse horde numbering in the millions.”

!?

Ping Chengcheng’s pupils narrowed slightly.

A million-strong corpse tide… and a super-sized monster?

Good thing they’d left A City early. If they’d stayed longer, they might not have made it out alive. A million undead? That was terrifying beyond words.

And what about that massive monster? Was it a variant? One of those flesh-worm horrors?

She fell into thought.

She remembered—A City base hadn’t fallen until year three of the apocalypse. How had they managed to hold out so long in such a dangerous place?

The meeting room broke out into open uproar this time, the noise uncontrollable.

Zhao Chang raised a hand to signal quiet.

“Also, the newly-registered special infected—Egg-Layer and Stalker—were both discovered and eliminated by Miss Ping.”

Seated next to Xiao Lie, Ping Chengcheng looked quite inconspicuous due to her height.

But now—thanks to Xiao Lie and Zhao Chang’s introductions—every pair of eyes in the room turned toward this unassuming little girl.

This girl who, as it turned out, seemed to carry the makings of a legend.

Chang Xin, the Minister of News, suddenly felt a surge of inspiration. He was already drafting the next headline in his head:

“A Miracle from A City—Why Not You Too?”