Translation review

Paragraph 1

Changed

Before

The next day, a faint light began to show at dawn.

After

The next day, morning light was faint.

Paragraph 3

Changed

Before

The air was thick with the raw smell of soil and sweat.

After

The air was thick with the rank smell of soil and sweat.

Paragraph 4

Changed

Before

Zhang Wu paced in front of the formation with his hands clasped behind his back.

After

Zhang Wu clasped his hands behind his back and walked slowly past the formation.

Paragraph 5

Changed

Before

His gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, sweeping over every face—some nervous, some resolute.

After

His gaze was sharp as an eagle's, sweeping carefully over each face—some tense, some resolute.

Paragraph 6

Changed

Before

He didn’t waste his breath on pressure-inducing platitudes. This collapsing world was pressure enough.

After

He didn't waste words on pressure-inducing nonsense. This collapsed world itself was already pressure enough.

Paragraph 7

Changed

Before

“The rules were made clear enough yesterday.” Zhang Wu stopped. His voice wasn’t loud, yet it reached every person’s ears clearly.

After

"The rules were made very clear yesterday." Zhang Wu stopped. His voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

Paragraph 8

Changed

Before

“The Core Operations Department receives the best treatment, but it also bears the greatest risk.”

After

"The Core Operations Department gets the highest treatment, but it also has to take the greatest risks."

Paragraph 9

Changed

Before

“Every time you go out might be your last.”

After

"Every time you go out, it could be your last."

Paragraph 10

Changed

Before

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the entire field.

After

He paused, his gaze sweeping the field.

Paragraph 11

Changed

Before

“If anyone here feels this deal isn’t worth it, thinks you’re getting a raw deal, or feels you don’t have the guts, you can step out of line right now and switch to another post.”

After

"If anyone here thinks this deal isn't worth it, thinks they're getting the short end, or thinks they don't have the guts, you can step out of line right now and switch to a different post."

Paragraph 12

Changed

Before

“Leave now, and no one will laugh at you.”

After

"Leave now, and no one will laugh at you."

Paragraph 13

Changed

Before

“But if you stay and later drop the ball during training or operations, that’s a violation of discipline.”

After

"But if you stay now and drop the ball in training or operations later, that's a violation of discipline."

Paragraph 14

Changed

Before

“You all know the consequences of violating discipline, don’t you?”

After

"You should all know the consequences of a violation, right?"

Paragraph 15

Changed

Before

“Crystal clear!”

After

"Understood!"

Paragraph 16

Changed

Before

A perfectly unified answer rang out immediately.

After

A neat, uniform answer rang out immediately.

Paragraph 17

Changed

Before

The past few days of drilling and getting used to one another had had some effect—at least their voices were much more in sync.

After

These past days of adjusting to one another and training had indeed shown some results—at least the voices were a lot more uniform now.

Paragraph 18

Changed

Before

After yesterday’s reorganization and screening, the Operations Department now had fifty-four people in total.

After

After yesterday's reorganization and screening, the Operations Department now had a total of fifty-four people.

Paragraph 19

Changed

Before

They were split into two action groups of twenty-seven each, led by Zhang Wu and Lin Yue, respectively.

After

It was divided into two Operations Groups, twenty-seven in each, with Zhang Wu and Lin Yue serving as group leaders.

Paragraph 20

Changed

Before

Each group was further divided into three nine-man action squads, each with its own squad leader.

After

Each group was further split into three nine-person action squads, each with its own squad leader.

Paragraph 21

Changed

Before

This was the shelter’s main force for future expansion beyond its walls.

After

This was the main force for the shelter's future outward expansion.

Paragraph 22

Changed

Before

But today, the Operations Department’s task was neither training nor going outside.

After

However, today the Operations Department's task was not training or going outside.

Paragraph 23

Changed

Before

It was to help the production team’s technicians carry parts to the surface and assemble drones.

After

It was to assist the Production Team's technical workers in hauling parts up to the surface and assembling the drones.

Paragraph 25

Changed

Before

“Seriously, why is this stuff underground?” Zhang Wu and one of his teammates carried a heavy metal crate out from the lift platform of the underground base, panting with exhaustion.

After

"Hold on, why is this stuff even underground?" Zhang Wu and another team member carried a heavy metal box between them out of the underground base's lift platform, panting from exhaustion.

Paragraph 26

Changed

Before

Zhang Wu complained to the air, “At least the ammunition center has a loading port that connects directly to the surface. This pile of parts alone is going to work somebody to death.”

After

Zhang Wu complained to the air: "At least the Ammunition Center has a feed port directly connected to the surface. This pile of parts—just hauling them alone would kill a man."

Paragraph 27

Changed

Before

Ling Yu’s electronic voice came from the ID card in his pocket.

After

Ling Yu's electronic voice came from the ID card in Zhang Wu's pocket.

Paragraph 28

Changed

Before

[No helping it—this stuff was underground to begin with.]

After

[Can't be helped. It was underground to begin with.]

Paragraph 29

Changed

Before

[Yesterday, I finally cracked the system defenses of a long-sealed area in Zone B, and that’s where I found these.]

After

[Yesterday, I finally broke through the system defenses of a long-sealed area in Zone B, and that's when I found these.]

Paragraph 30

Changed

Before

“How convenient.” Zhang Wu set the crate down steadily and wiped away his sweat, a note of negotiation in his voice.

After

"What a coincidence, huh?" Zhang Wu set the box down steadily, wiped his sweat, and spoke with a hint of negotiation in his tone.

Paragraph 31

Changed

Before

“Zhuangsheng, I’m just saying—our inspections of the power station haven’t exactly been meticulous.”

After

"Zhuangsheng, I mean—our inspection of the power station wasn't exactly meticulous."

Paragraph 32

Changed

Before

“If any more good stuff ‘spawns’ out of some obscure corner in the future, it’ll be a pleasant surprise for all of us!”

After

"If some good stuff 'spawns' in some out-of-the-way corner in the future, that'll be a pleasant surprise for all of us!"

Paragraph 33

Changed

Before

“Of course, preferably something we don’t have to carry.”

After

"Of course, the kind that doesn't need hauling is the best."

Paragraph 35

Changed

Before

Dude, this makes me look like an idiot!

After

Bro, the way you're saying that makes me look really dumb!

Paragraph 36

Changed

Before

Ling Yu was momentarily speechless. So much for the tacit understanding they were supposed to have!

After

For a moment, Ling Yu was speechless. What happened to the tacit understanding they were supposed to have?

Paragraph 38

Changed

Before

Ling Yu’s electronic voice betrayed no emotion. [After this, I’ll search the entire power station more carefully than you all do.]

After

Ling Yu's electronic voice betrayed no emotion: [From now on, I'll search the entire power station even more carefully than all of you.]

Paragraph 39

Changed

Before

“Then I’ll leave it to you.” Zhang Wu smiled in satisfaction.

After

"Then I'll leave it to you." Zhang Wu smiled in satisfaction.

Paragraph 40

Changed

Before

He straightened and looked around.

After

He straightened up and looked around.

Paragraph 41

Changed

Before

On the open ground outside the lift platform, crates of parts, large and small, had already piled up, and the Operations Department members were still hauling more out, trip after trip.

After

On the open ground outside the lift platform, parts boxes of all sizes had already piled up, and the Operations Group members were still hauling them out, trip after trip.

Paragraph 42

Changed

Before

On the other side, the production team’s technicians had gathered around a three-dimensional holographic blueprint projected by a Sentinel Robot and begun the initial assembly work.

After

On the other side, the Production Team's technical workers were gathered around a three-dimensional holographic blueprint projected by a Sentinel Robot, beginning the initial assembly work.

Paragraph 43

Changed

Before

The process was grueling, but everyone wore excited smiles.

After

Though the process was hard, everyone wore excited smiles.

Paragraph 44

Changed

Before

In the apocalypse, aside from food, nothing soothed the heart like weapons—let alone weapons that looked this badass!

After

In the apocalypse, besides food, nothing comforted people like weapons—let alone weapons that looked this awesome!

Paragraph 45

Changed

Before

The Core Operations Department members especially felt this way. Though they had some psychological expectations about how dangerous their future work would be, that didn’t mean they weren’t afraid.

After

Especially these members of the Core Operations Department. Although they had formed some psychological expectations about the dangers of future work, that didn't mean they weren't afraid.

Paragraph 46

Changed

Before

But now, looking at these precise parts gleaming with metallic luster, that fear was rapidly being replaced by soaring fighting spirit.

After

But now, looking at these precision parts gleaming with metallic luster before them, that fear was rapidly being replaced by soaring fighting spirit.

Paragraph 50

Changed

Before

The former Field Squad 3, led by Shen Yan—now the shelter’s Security and Sanitation Management Team—was carrying out its own work.

After

The former Field Squad No. 3, led by Shen Yan—now the shelter's Security and Sanitation Management Squad—was also carrying out their work.

Paragraph 51

Changed

Before

The zombies that had been killed with headshots on the road were loaded onto the truck one by one by team members, then hauled away for burning.

After

Zombies on the road that had been killed with headshots were loaded one by one onto the truck by the squad members and hauled away to be burned.

Paragraph 52

Changed

Before

Bloodstains and bits of flesh were covered with quicklime. The whole process was practiced and swift.

After

Bloodstains and shreds of flesh were covered with quicklime. The whole process was practiced and swift.

Paragraph 53

Changed

Before

Su Wan’s experiments had already proven that even after a zombie “died,” the cellular tissue in its body retained the potential to redifferentiate and evolve into even stranger forms under specific conditions.

After

Su Wan's experiments had already proven that even after zombies "died," the cellular tissue in their bodies still retained the potential to re-differentiate and evolve into stranger forms under specific conditions.

Paragraph 54

Changed

Before

Both the Abyssal Centipede and the huge white unknown monster they had passed in midair had displayed behavior consistent with preying on zombies.

After

And both the Abyssal Centipede and that huge white unknown monster that had brushed past in midair had displayed behavior of preying on zombies.

Paragraph 55

Changed

Before

Though it was still unknown whether the evolution of mutant zombies was related to this, clearing away these “corpses” could never hurt.

After

Although it was still unknown whether the evolution of mutated zombies was related to this, cleaning up these "corpses" was definitely the right move.

Paragraph 56

Changed

Before

“Bang!”

After

"Bang!"

Paragraph 57

Changed

Before

With a crisp gunshot, a wandering zombie drawn over by the engine noise collapsed in the distance.

After

At a crisp gunshot, a wandering zombie in the distance that had been attracted by the engine sound dropped on the spot.

Paragraph 58

Changed

Before

Two team members immediately came forward and dragged the body away with practiced ease.

After

Two squad members immediately stepped forward and skillfully dragged the body away.

Paragraph 59

Changed

Before

[Good shooting.] An electronic synthesized voice of praise came from Sentinel-2’s speaker.

After

[Nice shooting.] From Sentinel-2's speaker came an electronic synthesized voice of praise.

Paragraph 60

Changed

Before

“Not bad. I guess my talent in this area is passable.” Shen Yan lowered the assault rifle in her hands and looked at the robot beside her. “The zombies around here are just about cleared out. Next, we’ll string up some netting by the woods and set up regular patrols.”

After

"Not bad. I feel my talent in this area is passable." Shen Yan lowered the assault rifle in her hands and looked at the robot beside her.

Paragraph 61

Changed

Before

[According to the latest drone scans, the wandering infected within a five-kilometer radius of the power station have basically all been cleared out.]

After

"The zombies around here are mostly cleared. Next, we just need to string a net by the woods and send people on regular patrols."

Paragraph 62

Changed

Before

[Thank you for your outstanding contributions to the shelter’s safety. The corresponding Energy Points and Honor Value have been credited to everyone’s ID cards.]

After

[According to the latest drone scan results, the wandering infected within a five-kilometer radius of the power station have been essentially eliminated.]

Paragraph 63

Changed

Before

“No need for thanks.” Shen Yan turned and looked toward the towering silhouettes of the cooling towers in the distance. “We’re just defending our own home.”

After

[Thank you for your outstanding contributions to the shelter's safety. The corresponding energy points and honor points have been distributed to everyone's ID cards.]

Paragraph 64

Changed

Before

This was their only stronghold in this changed world—or perhaps the starting point of their counterattack.

After

"No need to thank us." Shen Yan turned her head and looked toward the towering outline of the cooling tower in the distance. "We're just protecting our own home."

Paragraph 65

Changed

Before

“Zhuangsheng,” Shen Yan said suddenly, her tone casual. “Do you have the book My University in your database?”

After

This was their only stronghold in this mutated world—or rather... the starting point of their counterattack.

Paragraph 66

Changed

Before

[What’s wrong? Is there some problem with that book?]

After

My daily routine is doing chores and reading, and also being with a strange uncle...

Paragraph 67

Changed

Before

“Nothing.” Shen Yan shook her head and raised her gun again, locking onto a staggering figure at the edge of her vision through the scope. “It just suddenly came to mind. Feels pretty ridiculous.”

After

My daily routine is doing chores and reading, and also being with a strange uncle...

Paragraph 68

Changed

Before

“The zombie crisis broke out on my very first day of college. The classmates and teachers I never even got the chance to know turned into monsters in the blink of an eye.”

After

My daily routine is doing chores and reading, and also being with a strange uncle...

Paragraph 69

Removed

Before

She squeezed the trigger.

After

—

Paragraph 70

Removed

Before

The black speck in the distance toppled over.

After

—

Paragraph 71

Removed

Before

“When I was preparing for the college entrance exam, I never imagined my ‘college life’ would turn out this ‘exciting.’”

After

—

Paragraph 72

Removed

Before

[That’s true.]

After

—

Paragraph 73

Removed

Before

[I never imagined my first job in my AI career would be such a huge deal either.]

After

—

Paragraph 74

Removed

Before

[Heads up—you’ve startled them.]

After

—

Paragraph 75

Removed

Before

In the distance, a small horde of a dozen or so zombies, attracted by the gunfire, howled and shambled toward them.

After

—

Paragraph 76

Removed

Before

“That’s exactly what I wanted—it saves a lot of trouble.” Shen Yan smiled and raised her gun.

After

—

Paragraph 77

Removed

Before

Beside her, the team members had already fanned out with practiced ease, raising their guns to form a sparse line of defense. They no longer even needed Sentinel-2’s fire support.

After

—

Paragraph 78

Removed

Before

They were finally starting to get used to defending their home with their own hands in this end-times world.

After

—

Paragraph 79

Removed

Before

***

After

—

Paragraph 80

Removed

Before

Inside the power station, Zone C.

After

—

Paragraph 81

Removed

Before

[Mr. Zhao, are you serious?] Even Ling Yu’s electronic voice seemed to carry a note of disbelief.

After

—

Paragraph 82

Removed

Before

Electrician Zhao Haisheng shook his slightly numb fingers, a somewhat embarrassed smile on his face. “Small issue, small issue. I’ll definitely pay attention next time.”

After

—

Paragraph 83

Removed

Before

[I can’t always notice things in time.] Ling Yu’s tone turned serious. [I can’t always notice things in time, so please, you must be careful.]

After

—

Paragraph 84

Removed

Before

After a pause, Ling Yu added anyway, [It wasn’t easy surviving this disaster. Don’t get too cocky.]

After

—

Paragraph 85

Removed

Before

“Yes, yes, yes, I understand. Mr. Zhuangsheng is right to scold me.” Zhao Haisheng nodded and bowed, his attitude toward admitting fault impeccable.

After

—

Paragraph 86

Removed

Before

But watching him like that, Ling Yu felt not the slightest sense of achievement from saving someone—only admiration for this old electrician’s hint of “fierce courage.”

After

—

Paragraph 87

Removed

Before

Even the newly added electricians, who were clearly younger, wouldn’t dare pull off a stunt like that!

After

—

Paragraph 88

Removed

Before

Working on live wires over here—old pal, I really don’t know what you were thinking!

After

—

Paragraph 89

Removed

Before

So it’s true that 220 volts can’t kill a 250-grade fool, is it? But the key point is, the voltage here isn’t just 220V!

After

—

Paragraph 90

Removed

Before

[All right, be more careful from now on. And this section of the wiring needs to be reinspected.]

After

—

Paragraph 91

Removed

Before

“Got it!”

After

—

Paragraph 92

Removed

Before

***

After

—

Paragraph 93

Removed

Before

Underground base, education area.

After

—

Paragraph 94

Removed

Before

[If you don’t finish your homework, you won’t get today’s Energy Points.]

After

—

Paragraph 95

Removed

Before

[Without Energy Points, don’t even think about snacks from now on.]

After

—

Paragraph 96

Removed

Before

[Crying?]

After

—

Paragraph 97

Removed

Before

[Crying won’t help.]

After

—

Paragraph 98

Removed

Before

[And crying counts toward your homework time, too.]

After

—

Paragraph 99

Removed

Before

“Oh...” Xiao Xue, a little girl whose eyes had already welled up with tears, instantly held them back at these words.

After

—

Paragraph 100

Removed

Before

She obediently sat back down, picked up her pen, and wrote stroke by stroke in her copybook.

After

—

Paragraph 101

Removed

Before

Ling Yu could only marvel at her performance—the way she could summon tears and rein them in at will.

After

—

Paragraph 102

Removed

Before

He had been about to cave and soften, but when he learned that the homework Zhang Jing had assigned consisted merely of a few sheets of copybook practice and ten addition-and-subtraction problems within twenty, he was outraged.

After

—

Paragraph 103

Removed

Before

As someone who had fought his way out of an ocean of exam questions, he absolutely couldn’t accept that anyone could have so little homework!

After

—

Paragraph 104

Removed

Before

And even less could he accept that someone would dare not do it when there was so little!

After

—

Paragraph 105

Removed

Before

Besides these elementary school kids, under the “education” of a Sentinel that Ling Yu had specially deployed, the three underage boys who had come from Brother Dao’s convoy were also reluctantly doing their homework.

After

—

Paragraph 106

Removed

Before

Of course, they were deeply unhappy about being forced back into the classroom. They stubbornly wanted to join the Core Operations Department, feeling that only holding a gun could give them a sense of security.

After

—

Paragraph 107

Removed

Before

Ling Yu could understand their anxiety. After all, when the disaster broke out, all they had seen was the evil in people.

After

—

Paragraph 108

Removed

Before

But Ling Yu also knew very well that being precocious and being psychologically mature were never the same thing.

After

—

Paragraph 109

Removed

Before

Experiences during one’s youth could easily influence a person’s entire life.

After

—

Paragraph 110

Removed

Before

He didn’t want these children, who had fought so hard to survive, to end up with serious psychological problems.

After

—

Paragraph 111

Removed

Before

So, for these children and the shelter’s three current teachers, he had subdivided the task allocation of Energy Points and Honor Value in extra detail, keeping the focus firmly on the field of education.

After

—

Paragraph 112

Removed

Before

At most, it could include only moderate participation in the production team’s work tasks—never the killing of those humanoid monsters.

After

—

Paragraph 113

Removed

Before

***

After

—

Paragraph 114

Removed

Before

In the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun dyed the entire nuclear power station a magnificent golden hue.

After

—

Paragraph 115

Removed

Before

When the last piece of modular armor was installed, a deep hum rang out across the field.

After

—

Paragraph 116

Removed

Before

Everyone stopped what they were doing and, without prior arrangement, turned to look at the center of the field.

After

—

Paragraph 117

Removed

Before

There, a behemoth stood silently.

After

—

Paragraph 118

Removed

Before

It looked like a giant metal honeycomb made up of countless hexagons, about twenty meters long and pitch-black all over, its surface covered with intricate pipelines and heat-dissipating grilles.

After

—

Paragraph 119

Removed

Before

Dense launch ports covered its top and both sides, and behind every port, the faint shape of a compact drone was visible.

After

—

Paragraph 120

Removed

Before

“Hum—”

After

—

Paragraph 121

Removed

Before

As energy surged in, the entire “Hive” mother unit lit up.

After

—

Paragraph 122

Removed

Before

Pale blue streams of energy flowed through its internal structure, and thousands of launch ports lit up with a faint glow all at once, like stars awakened simultaneously in the night sky.

After

—

Paragraph 123

Removed

Before

“I... damn... that’s awesome!” Lin Yue tilted his head back, his mouth stretched wide enough to fit a light bulb, his Adam’s apple bobbing, but no more sound came out.

After

—

Paragraph 124

Removed

Before

Zhang Wu stood beside him, equally stunned.

After

—

Paragraph 125

Removed

Before

He hadn’t expected the thing to look this “magnificent” after assembly, either! Just looking at it, you could tell it meant business.

After

—

Paragraph 126

Removed

Before

[“Hive” Drone Combat System, assembly complete.]

After

—

Paragraph 127

Removed

Before

Ling Yu’s voice, calm and steady, reached everyone’s ears through the broadcast.

After

—

Paragraph 128

Removed

Before

[It contains five thousand “Worker Bee” miniature bombing drones and five thousand “Soldier Bee” miniature laser drones.]

After

—

Paragraph 129

Removed

Before

[Congratulations, everyone. From today onward, our firepower will climb to a brand-new level.]

After

—