Chapter 183: Collecting Jade Stones
“Okay,” Lu Xi said awkwardly, scratching his nose.
“How long until your upgrade?” Both Wu Yue and Bai Miao, who awakened later than him, had already reached B Level. Although mental abilities were slower, Lu Xi’s progress seemed too slow.
Lu Xi, looking like a student who had been caught slacking, nervously said, “I think…” He looked at Lu Weiyi’s clear, emotionless eyes and sighed, “Not yet.”
Lu Weiyi helplessly ruffled his head and sighed inwardly, thinking he wasn’t cut out for combat abilities. “It’s okay, as long as you know some combat skills. Focus on your research.”
“Yeah, yeah. Can I place some small equipment on the truck for research in the next few days?” Lu Xi immediately perked up when research was mentioned.
“Sure,” Lu Weiyi said, heading toward the truck. “What equipment do you need? I’ll get it for you. If you can’t manage it yourself, ask someone for help.”
“Got it, thanks, bro!” Lu Xi said cheerfully.
Not familiar with the area and hauling two trucks full of supplies, the group hadn’t stopped long before trouble came looking for them. Liu Rui used a half-human-high fire dragon to intimidate the people near their spot, ensuring things went smoothly.
The result of this peaceful encounter was that a group of promoters arrived. Before long, the news of their jade stone trade spread throughout the refugee area near the base, and several people with connections started passing information into the base.
That night, people came with jade stones to exchange for goods. Lu Xi was busy with his research, while the others had no idea about jade stones. The only ones who understood them were Zhuang Mingxu and Lu Weiyi.
During the day, Lu Weiyi was either driving or scouting the road. After the events with Antonio that night, he would also keep a portion of his mental energy focused on staying alert while sleeping. In just a few days, he had visibly lost weight.
“You go sleep, I’ll keep watch,” Zhuang Mingxu said, sitting in a wheelchair, neatly dressed. He and Zhuang Ai Yi were the only ones who hadn’t been injured on the journey.
“But…” Lu Weiyi still wasn’t at ease.
“With the little stutter just now, no one will dare cause trouble. Besides, we’re all nearby, nothing will happen,” Xiong Jie said, directing Zhuang Ai Yi. “Hurry, take your little daddy to bed. If he keeps going, he’ll wear himself out.”
“Little daddy.” Zhuang Ai Yi obediently took Lu Weiyi’s hand, looking up at him with pleading eyes, making it hard to resist.
“Go ahead, we’ll stay on guard tonight. Nothing will happen,” Wu Yue said, standing by Zhuang Mingxu.
“Alright,” Lu Weiyi said, feeling exhausted. He had been using his abilities non-stop, even though he was A Level. He needed to keep replenishing his energy to ensure he wouldn’t be attacked by mutated animals or zombies. His mental state was stretched thin. “Call me if anything happens.”
“Got it,” Zhuang Mingxu nodded as Zhuang Ai Yi led him into the tent.
“This kid has lost weight in just a few days. I’ll make some nutritious food and put it in the space, so we’re not eating just dry buns all the time,” Xi Shi said, heading to the makeshift kitchen.
Many of them had to eat bread and crackers, their buns turning into dry snacks.
“Hey, how’s the bite on your leg? Still working around?” Xiong Jie hurriedly followed.
“It’s fine, it’s already scabbed over. It doesn’t hurt at all,” Xi Shi said with a strong voice.
*
Ning Yuan, Xu Sa, and Antonio followed He Ping into the base, where they were taken by Xiaomei and arranged to stay within the Peace Squad’s living area. For safety, the three shared one room.
He Ping gave them a lot of consideration. Aside from lacking food, the bedding and supplies were all solid.
“Brothers, I’ll stay in the room next door. If you need anything, feel free to call me. Of course, you can also call me if there’s no trouble,” Xiaomei said seriously after seeing their strength.
“Can we walk around the base? After dinner, we’d like to stretch our legs,” Ning Yuan asked with a smile.
“…Of course you can, but it’s already dark now and everyone’s resting at home. There’s nothing much to see outside. The only place to stroll around in the base is the trading market, and that’s only active during the day and afternoon. Do you want to go?” asked Yaomei.
“Of course. Just in time to see if there’s anything we need,” Ning Yuan said.
“Then let’s do it tomorrow. Who knows, maybe you’ll even promote yourselves at the market. I know the place well—how about I be your guide?” Yaomei volunteered.
“Having a pretty lady with us sounds perfect,” Ning Yuan replied. “By the way, did Sister Ping mention anything about how to help us spread the word? We’re not staying long, so if the promotion doesn’t work, this whole trip would’ve been for nothing.”
“I’ll ask when I get back and let you know tomorrow,” Yaomei said.
“Alright, thanks, miss,” Ning Yuan said as he took out a set of cosmetics from their supplies and handed it to her.
He had specifically asked Lu Weiyi for this item before they left—it was the perfect gift for now.
Yaomei was stunned for a moment, then took it happily. “You’re welcome. I’ll head off now. See you tomorrow.”
After sending Yaomei off, the three of them washed up, ate, and went to bed early.
Not long after leaving, Yaomei went straight to the home of Tao An, the base leader.
Before the apocalypse, Tao An had been involved in organized crime, but unlike the stereotypical mob boss, he wasn’t brawny—he had a refined, almost delicate appearance.
After the apocalypse, he relied on his stockpile of weapons to establish this safety base. But as more people gathered and ability users emerged, different factions formed. Although the base was still called the “Ping’an Base,” his leadership was no longer so secure. After hearing from He Ping about the newcomers, he agreed they shouldn’t be offended.
“Brother An, Sister Ping,” Yaomei greeted.
“You gave it to them? Did they say anything?” He Ping asked.
“They just said they’d walk around the base tomorrow. I offered to go with them, and they agreed. They also asked how we plan to promote their offer,” Yaomei said.
“Among them, is there a metal-type user stronger than you? What about compared to Sun Yucheng?” Sun Yucheng was the captain of another squad in the base and the strongest among the only four metal-type users.
“Stronger than me by a long shot. He controls way more flying knives than I can,” Yaomei said a bit dejectedly, though the feeling quickly passed. “As for Sun Yucheng, based on what I saw, he seemed stronger than him too. But I’ve never seen Sun Yucheng at full power, so I can’t be sure. Tomorrow, I’ll try to find out what levels they’re at—hopefully even how they got so powerful.”
“Yeah, get as much out of them as you can, especially about the fire-type one—he seems to have leveled up. Find out how they did it. As for the jade trade matter…” Tao An paused, then continued, “Tell them we’ll inform all the major factions in the base. If no one wants to trade, that’s up to them. Just be careful not to let them get tied in with any other factions.”
“Is that… really appropriate?” He Ping hesitated.
“We’re openly telling the factions—it’s not like we’re hiding anything. What’s inappropriate about that?” Tao An said as he pulled He Ping into his lap. After thinking for a moment, he added, “Jade is something that’s either priceless or worthless. The key is whether it has some unknown use.”
“If we openly help them now, and it turns out later that jade has more value, everyone will blame us for their loss. Our squad can’t afford to become a common enemy right now.”
Thinking of their current situation, He Ping sighed. “It would be great if they were willing to align with us.”
“What are you saying?” Tao An chuckled, looking even more harmless. “If they really are as strong as you say, I’d still be cautious even if they agreed to work under us.”
After chatting for a while, Yaomei left to eat.
The next day, Yaomei showed up on time.
“Aren’t you going out to scavenge today?” Ning Yuan and the others had already eaten and were ready.
“Yesterday’s haul was good. I’ll spend the next few days helping you promote the jade exchange. Sister Ping said she’s already informed the major factions about your offer. If anyone’s interested, they’ll come to us for details,” Yaomei said.
“That’s it?” Ning Yuan exchanged glances with the other two, smirking a little.
Telling them privately like that amounted to just a word—there was no evidence of whether she actually said anything. Ning Yuan had to admit, it was a clever tactic.
“Yep,” Yaomei replied innocently, though it wasn’t clear whether the innocence was real. “Come on, I’ll show you around the trading district. At this hour, only the permanent shops run by the major factions are open—private traders aren’t out yet.”
Since they were on someone else’s turf, Ning Yuan couldn’t say much. He just smiled lightly and nodded, “Let’s go.”
It was indeed too early for much activity. Along the way, Yaomei kept trying to talk to Antonio, but whenever he didn’t want to respond, his aura was imposing, and the girl’s cheerful energy dimmed noticeably after repeated rejections.
Ning Yuan and Xu Sa found it amusing. After a while, Ning Yuan gestured for Antonio to chat with the girl while he and Xu Sa slipped away to handle other matters.
Antonio pursed his lips, clearly reluctant, but eventually asked, “What exactly do you want to know?”
Yaomei, seemingly discouraged by his cold demeanor, stopped trying to play nice and went straight to the point. “I’m a metal-type ability user. I saw you’re one too, but much stronger. I just wanted to ask—did you level up?”
“Yeah.” Antonio glanced toward Ning Yuan and Xu Sa as they quietly walked away, using the moment to distract Yaomei. “Haven’t you leveled up? What’s your current stage?”
“I haven’t. I don’t even know how long it’ll take,” Yaomei sighed. “We only get a limited number of crystal cores each day. Is it the same for you?”
“Yeah.” Though… maybe several times more than you.
