Chapter 216: Anjiang Base
“Then we’ll trouble you,” Xu Sa said.
“No trouble at all, please come in,” Chen Guozhong replied.
The group entered the base without anyone checking their numbers, collecting supplies, or even screening for infection, which left Zhuang Mingxu a little confused.
Inside the base were multiple layers of high walls. After passing through four gates and nearly thirty minutes of driving, they arrived at where Lin Minghong lived.
Lin Minghong looked young—not someone you’d expect to have two daughters. He was tall, handsome, and had a noble appearance. It wasn’t surprising people coveted him. He was already waiting at the villa entrance. Upon seeing them, he rushed forward.
“Daddy!” Lin Jiao cried as she ran into his arms.
“Jiao Jiao,” Lin Minghong held his daughter tightly, patting her back, comforting her. “You’re home, that’s what matters. I’ll make sure justice is served. Don’t cry.”
“Daddy, you didn’t marry that awful woman, did you?” Lin Jiao asked tearfully.
“You and Yingying went missing—how could I think about marriage? Don’t worry, I won’t get married again. Having you two is enough,” Lin Minghong’s eyes were red; clearly, he had worried for a long time.
Lu Weiyi’s group got out of the car. Lin Minghong immediately released his daughter, told her to wash up, and quickly walked over. He bowed deeply to the group. “Thank you for your great kindness. Yingying already told me—if it weren’t for you, who knows what might have happened to my daughters.”
“Mayor Lin, there’s no need to be so formal,” Ning Yuan said, stepping forward. “It was fate that brought us together.”
“Fate and grace both. I’ve had a meal prepared. It’s simple, but I hope you won’t mind,” Lin Minghong said, inviting them into the villa.
He was a skillful communicator, and soon they were chatting comfortably. Lin Minghong was indeed a righteous leader who had built the base from the ground up.
Backed by his and his wife’s powerful families, he had taken full control of the base’s operations—this was why Lin Ying was confident they could retaliate.
As for the Dragon-Tiger Squad, they were only a mid-level team within the Anjiang Base. There were dozens of similar squads, so they weren’t particularly powerful. Their only advantage was a connection between their captain and the family that had kidnapped Lin Jiao and Lin Ying, which gave them government backing and allowed them to rise.
After this incident, it was unlikely they would escape retribution. A civilian who could take full control of a base in the post-apocalyptic world clearly didn’t rely on smooth talk alone.
“By the way, Brother Lin,” Ning Yuan asked during the meal after a few drinks, “when we came in, I noticed the base doesn’t charge supplies for residency? And I didn’t see any refugee areas outside the city either?”
When they entered the second gate, Lin Ying had already found someone she knew and directly led them inside. Upon returning later, she paid closer attention and noticed that the people who came in with them only underwent inspections and registration — they didn’t have to hand over any supplies either.
“The base really doesn’t require people to hand over supplies. As long as someone registers and obtains a new base identity, they’re allowed entry,” Lin Minghong explained thoroughly. “However, the class divisions here are quite strict. The core area of the base is where the management and the top-tier ability user factions live. The second tier is for those who have abundant supplies or powerful abilities. The third tier is generally where the various squads live. The fourth tier is for ordinary citizens — those with weak abilities or little to no supplies.”
He continued, “The base relies on everyone to function. There are assigned daily tasks. Whoever gets the task does it — unless in special cases, a family member can substitute. Anyone trying to slack off will be punished severely.”
“That’s impressive. This is the first place I’ve seen where you can enter without handing over supplies,” Ning Yuan said, raising his glass to toast Lin Minghong.
Zhuang Mingxu, on the other hand, was considering whether this system could be applied to their future base.
After the meal, Lin Minghong arranged for them to stay in a villa nearby — just about 100 meters away. If anything happened, a shout would be enough to alert the others.
The villa was fully furnished, even equipped with heating. It was extremely thoughtful.
Since they were already inside, Zhuang Mingxu suggested they collect some supplies while here. With Lin Minghong’s backing, it should be fairly easy. Lu Weiyi had no objections, and Xu Sa immediately went to find Chen Guozhong, who agreed without hesitation.
“Last night, the base arrested quite a few people,” Li Zhuang mentioned during breakfast.
He had been on night watch and, from the sound of it, had done a bit of exploring.
“They took down the Dragon-Tiger Squad and that woman’s family?” Xu Sa asked, biting into a steamed bun. “I didn’t ask yesterday — who exactly is that woman? Who dares to kidnap someone just for a forced marriage?”
“Her family was wealthy, and after the apocalypse, they had an abundance of supplies. Rumor has it Lin Minghong wouldn’t have been able to stabilize his position in the beginning without their material support. Because of that, her family gained a position in the management ranks,” Ning Yuan explained.
Everyone looked toward him. Wu Yue asked, “When did you have time to gather intel?” Since entering the base, they had all been together — no one had seen him go out or talk to anyone.
“I asked a few questions while taking Lin Ying into the base,” Ning Yuan shrugged. “From what the girl said, her family probably thought they could throw their weight around just because they had supplies. Lin Minghong was already unhappy with them, just didn’t have an excuse. Well, now the excuse came knocking. Not sure what he did with them though.”
“They were taken to some place that looked like an underground room — about a hundred people, all wearing handcuffs,” Li Zhuang said, pausing for a moment. “I suspect they might have something here that can suppress abilities.”
“What did you see?” Lu Weiyi immediately asked, concerned — that kind of thing could be dangerous.
“The people were uninjured, just a little disheveled. The handcuffs looked pretty standard, but no one resisted. After being taken in, they never came back out,” Li Zhuang said.
“Could they have… gone voluntarily?” Xu Sa asked.
“Volunteers wouldn’t be handcuffed,” Wu Yue replied.
“And the one leading them was Chen Guozhong,” Li Zhuang added.
“Anjiang City is a provincial capital, home to many universities and research institutions. Lin Minghong doesn’t seem like someone shortsighted. It’s been over half a year since the apocalypse — it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s developed something,” Zhuang Mingxu said.
“Then maybe we should…” Antonio hinted.
“…I really can’t bring myself to do something like that after they treated us so well,” Ning Yuan said, pausing mid-sentence.
Just then, Chen Guozhong’s voice was heard outside. Bai Miao, who was closest to the door, opened it. Chen Guozhong stood outside with over a dozen people, all holding various items.
“These are the jade pieces we could gather on short notice. Because jade is now linked to spatial use, some people refuse to part with it even if they have it. These were all from our own stores, and the quality is top-tier,” Chen Guozhong said after stepping inside, then instructed people to deliver the items.
“As for livestock, we really don’t have any. Honestly, seeing how few you have in your trucks, I was tempted to ask if we could trade for a few. As for meat, there’s really none to spare. Even the management teams of various squads don’t get meat every day. We’ve gathered some spices and put them on the truck outside. Let me know if there’s anything else you need. Honestly, you all should stay a few more days — give us a chance to show some proper hospitality.”
“So many things… it’s really too much trouble for you, Uncle Zhong. How about I give you rice and flour in exchange for all this?” Ning Yuan said, having spotted a small cargo truck parked just outside the villa. It wasn’t so much that it raised eyebrows, but not so little that it seemed stingy — the perfect amount.
“No need. These are all gifts. You saved the girls — this is the least Lin Ji-chang could do to show his gratitude. Please don’t refuse,” said Chen Guozhong.
“Well…” Ning Yuan looked toward Lu Weiyi.
Chen Guozhong could tell this quiet young man was probably the leader. Though surprised, he didn’t let it show. “Young Master Lu, there’s really no need to be polite. These gifts are sincere.”
Zhuang Mingxu nodded at Lu Weiyi and muttered a few words quietly.
Lu Weiyi said, “Then we’ll accept them. In return, we’ll leave something for you too.” With that, he walked toward the yard.
“No need, no need. We can’t let you…” Chen Guozhong stopped mid-sentence when he saw Lu Weiyi pull out a glass tank over two meters long from the truck — with several live fish inside.
“Is that… fish?” he asked, looking at the largest fish, which was over a meter long, clearly stunned.
Ning Yuan quickly explained, “These are mutant freshwater fish. They breed extremely fast. So far, they haven’t shown any abilities, but they do have crystal cores. We traded for them at another base — didn’t get many.”
It looked like there were only four fish, but their reproductive ability was truly impressive. After Lu Weiyi placed them on the sunny side of the space, he didn’t even notice any reaction from the space at first. Given that he had been busy repairing it recently, he forgot all about it. It wasn’t until he was organizing things again that he noticed the container, which hadn’t been crowded before, was now so full the fish couldn’t even move. What was more surprising was that even though Lu Weiyi had cut off their food supply for some time, they hadn’t died—proof of their tenacious vitality.
“This… we meant to thank you, but now we’ve ended up receiving something from you again.” Chen Guozhong knew there was no way to refuse the gift, especially since the base didn’t have anything like this.
“It’s nothing. Isn’t this exactly the time when we should be exchanging what we have?” Ning Yuan said politely. “Just place it in the water of a water-type ability user. The temperature should be about the same as for regular fish. We’re still figuring it out ourselves, so we can’t offer much advice.”
“It’s already incredibly valuable. I’ll go arrange for it right away. When are you planning to leave? I’ll see you off,” said Chen Guozhong, pulling a few sheets of paper from his coat pocket.
“Oh, right! I almost forgot. These are maps I had people hand-draw last night. They’re based on actual travel and adjusted to better reflect current geography. The areas marked in red are dangerous zombies. Green markers indicate mutated plants. Use them as a reference.”
“Got it. Thanks a lot,” Ning Yuan said, handing the maps to Lu Weiyi. “We’ll pack up after breakfast and probably leave around nine.”
“Alright, I’ll head back then. Take a rest, and I’ll come back to see you off later,” Chen Guozhong said.
