Safe houses.

Liam spoke casually, but his words made Jack pause halfway through his meal. His eyes lit up.

“That’s a brilliant idea. I’ll bring it up with the leader of the official organisation. It could work in other places too. If we mark off the apartments that have already been cleared and sealed, we won’t have to waste time checking everything again when distributing supplies.”

He added, “If you have any other strategies for surviving the apocalypse, tell me. I’ll pass them on to the authorities so we can avoid unnecessary losses.”

The apocalypse had arrived without warning, plunging the entire world into chaos. Countries and cities were left struggling to survive on their own.

The military was racing to establish rescue bases across the country, but such a massive operation would take time. The more people who survived until rescue arrived, the better it would be for humanity’s future. Once someone died, there was no bringing them back.

“Alright.”

Liam had already intended to share these ideas. Now that Jack was personally leading a rescue team, they could put some of his plans into action earlier than expected.

With that thought, Liam pulled out a sheet of paper and began sketching a rough plan.

“It took countless deaths to learn these lessons. Before the rescue bases are fully established, cities could be divided into sectors. A medium sized city like Melbourne could be divided into four zones: east, west, south and north.”

“The city government building, which is serving as the command centre, is already close to the centre of these zones. There’s no need to change anything. They can recruit everyone qualified to join the rescue teams and assign each squad to a particular zone. The number of survivors and the amount of supplies available in each area would determine how many supplies are distributed.”

“Mm.”

Jack rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

“That way, rescue teams won’t have to rush back and forth across the entire city. It would reduce casualties and make things easier to manage, especially when the weather turns cold.”

Liam nodded and continued.

“Exactly. Of course, it won’t work everywhere. If civilians refuse to cooperate, the whole plan could fall apart. After dividing the city into zones, the next step would be establishing shelters in each area and gathering survivors together. That would make management and supply distribution much easier.”

He paused briefly.

“But there’s a problem. People would have to reveal the supplies they’ve stockpiled privately. Those who have nothing will probably support the arrangement, but people with plenty of supplies might not be so willing.”

Jack picked up where he left off.

“As time passes, the government’s available supplies will decrease, but the rations will still have to be distributed fairly. People who have nothing may argue that those who have stockpiled supplies shouldn’t receive an equal share. But nobody wants to give up what belongs to them.”

That was simply human nature.

“Exactly. No system is perfect, but if we can maintain some order amid the chaos, more people will survive. Sometimes, even if a decision is unfair to a few people, it may still be necessary to protect the majority.”

Liam sighed after speaking. Coordinating large numbers of people had never been easy, even under normal circumstances.

“So, do you agree with the plan? We already have more than enough supplies here.”

Jack smiled. Anyone who saw their stockpile would probably be tempted to rob them.

Liam answered without hesitation.

“If you suggest it and the authorities agree to implement it, I’ll cooperate. But…”

He paused, then flashed a sly grin.

“You could use your influence to have Taihe Mingcheng and the surrounding blocks designated as a shelter zone. We can stay here while people from other areas are relocated to this neighbourhood. There aren’t too many residents here, the area hasn’t suffered too much damage, and it’s close to the main roads. That would make it easier for rescue teams to reach us.”

Most importantly, with Jack’s background in security, nobody would find it strange if he took responsibility for securing the area. They would simply need to control access to the residential complex.

Jack nodded approvingly.

He would give the proposal a try. Whether the authorities accepted it was beyond his control. All he had to do was put the idea forward.

The original residents could remain in their homes, while the people relocated into the area would have to follow the rules.

If everything went according to plan, the arrangement could work quite well.

…

The night passed peacefully.

The following morning, after breakfast, Jack and Liam went to the eighth floor first.

As expected, the couple who had knocked on their door the previous night had turned into zombies. They were wandering aimlessly through the hallway.

The moment they spotted Jack and Liam, they let out hoarse growls and charged at them.

Jack swiftly shot both zombies in the head. He then set their bodies alight, burning them to ashes before using his powers to disperse the remains.

His flames were extraordinarily hot, consuming even the foul smell of decay.

After dealing with the zombies on the eighth floor, Jack sent a message to Hannah. She soon joined them, and the three began sealing off the unoccupied apartments throughout the residential complex.

Some residents came out to investigate the noise. Once they understood what Jack and the others were doing, they immediately supported the plan.

Before long, more people had volunteered to help.

The outbreak had been underway for over half a month, and the number of people awakening Superpowers was steadily increasing.

Even in this neighbourhood, where most residents were elderly, a few people had awakened abilities. Their powers were relatively basic, mostly limited to enhanced strength, but their participation still made everyone feel safer.

Of course, these were adults who understood the dangers of the apocalypse. Even when following the lead of Superpowered individuals, they knew that their own safety ultimately depended on themselves.

As more residents joined the effort, everyone remained vigilant while looking out for one another.

Eventually, at their neighbours’ request, Jack agreed that whenever he wasn't out gathering supplies, he would help everyone clear and seal the apartments in each building.

With so many people working together, they managed to clear three entire buildings in a single day, eliminating a considerable number of zombies along the way.

The remaining buildings would have to wait until Jack’s next day off.

After the power outage, the residential complex’s keycard access systems had become useless, and the main gate had been destroyed.

Jack had to work with several strength enhanced individuals to block the basement stairwells and the first floor elevator entrances with heavy objects.

This effectively prevented zombies that had entered the basement from outside the complex from climbing upstairs.

Although the basement would inevitably become a gathering place for zombies, the threat could still be managed as long as they continued clearing it regularly.

For the three buildings they had already secured, Liam carefully recorded the number of occupied households on each floor in a notebook.

If a household was later lost, he would simply cross it off the list.

It was a straightforward but efficient way to keep track of the surviving residents.

…

The following day, when Jack returned to his rescue duties, he submitted his proposal for dividing the city into zones and securing residential areas.

With the death toll continuing to rise, it was only a matter of time before survivors would have to gather together in safer locations to weather the crisis.

After submitting the proposal, Jack turned his attention to their own preparations.

On the tenth floor, there were two unoccupied apartments. He reinforced and modified their doors and windows, intending to move his teammates in before the situation deteriorated further.

Whatever happened next, they would be able to watch each other’s backs.

Hannah would remain in her own apartment, leaving the two newly secured safehouses for the other six members of Jack’s squad.

Since all six were men, it was easy to divide them into two groups of three.

Once the safehouses were ready, the team began moving their supplies over gradually whenever they went out on missions.

The other teammates finally had the opportunity to visit Jack’s residential complex. However, Jack refused to let them visit Liam in the middle of the night just to satisfy their curiosity.

After several days of discreetly transferring their belongings, the relocation was finally complete.

All six teammates officially moved into the complex.

During the move, Jack briefly explained Liam’s doomsday dreams and his habit of stockpiling supplies to the others.

Nobody had much trouble accepting the explanation. If Superpowers existed, then dreams that predicted the future didn't seem entirely impossible either.

On the first day after the move was completed, they gathered in Liam’s apartment.

After meeting him in person, everyone unanimously agreed on one thing.