Chapter 381: Seafood Barbecue
Lu Weiyi looked at the supplies Wu Yue had just finished inventorying from Lu Xiao’s transport. Speaking honestly, he said, “As you can see, our base has limited manpower. Even if we invest more people, the output still wouldn’t be enough to supply the entire Capital base.”
“Just get as much as you can, no need for a monopoly,” Lu Xiao said nonchalantly.
“Alright, I’ll tell Zhuang Mingxu later and see how he wants to allocate people. Also, Uncle, are there still many unmodified original plant species left at the Capital base? I’d like to collect more. Do you think seafood and salt could be traded for them? These are the most valuable resources we have right now.”
“I heard you guys mention reclaiming a lot of land just now, so I was wondering—are you trying to use original cultivation methods to avoid a future seed supply crisis?” Lu Xiao didn’t answer directly.
“Yes,” Lu Weiyi nodded. He had mentioned the idea to Lu Xiao during a previous visit to the Capital base, and Lu Xiao had since started stockpiling food supplies.
“But the yield is still quite low. At your reported rate of 300 jin per mu of land, how much can you actually harvest in a year without eating or drinking?”
“We don’t have any agricultural experts at the base right now, so we can’t develop seeds better suited for the current climate. We can only let the seeds adapt naturally, which is a lot slower than artificial intervention. But for now, we have no better option.”
Lu Xiao thought for a moment about the Capital base’s situation. “When I get back, I’ll help you see if there are still any experts in that field. The division between ability users and ordinary people is quite stark now. The ability-user teams have no problem getting by, but regular folks are still hovering at the edge of starvation.”
“With the rapid evolution of zombies, everyone’s focus has shifted to power upgrades and research. Agriculture really isn’t getting much attention. Maybe I can help you find a few old experts to come over.”
“That would be perfect. Our base has a whole set of benefits for researchers and their families. As long as they can produce results, we’re very flexible with treatment and compensation.”
“Compensation aside, just the level of security you offer is attractive enough. I’ll have someone spread the word after I return. But—are you sure you’re okay with not turning away ordinary people?”
From what Lu Xiao knew, most bases were now run by ability users, and even if they didn’t interfere in regular people’s lives, the gap between the two was huge.
“For now, it’s not a problem. Anyone who comes is put to work reclaiming land. North Island has less than half developed. West Island, where the army is stationed, has developed less than one-fifth of its 4–5 square kilometers. The remaining East and South islands are still untouched. In terms of land, we have enough.”
Lu Xiao listened to him speak confidently and with clear planning—he was noticeably more mature than the last time they met. He couldn’t help but admire Zhuang Mingxu’s mentorship. Even under the pressure of the environment, it was obvious that without proper guidance, someone like Lu Weiyi—who only had strong powers but lacked social skills—wouldn’t have come this far.
At the very least, Zhuang Mingxu hadn’t let this base leader turn into a mere weapon or figurehead. He had genuinely involved him in management.
“Alright, I’ll let people promote it. But about your base’s defenses…” Lu Xiao paused, as if unsure whether he should say this directly to Lu Weiyi. After a moment, he said plainly, “I mean against living threats. This kind of secure fortress… tends to attract envy.”
“Our base just developed several individual-use crystal-core rocket launchers. A few days ago, I led a team to conduct trials at sea,” Lu Weiyi didn’t elaborate on the results, but a sly smile appeared on his face. “Let’s just say we got a nice batch of free supplies.”
“Haha, sounds like the trip back from Cangnan was well worth it.”
“Not bad. I’ll send one launcher with you when you leave. Production’s a bit slow right now, and we’re worried about the coastline freezing during the cold season, so all available units are going into base defense. Once we have the capacity next year, I’ll send you more.”
“That’s great. The crystal-core gun you gave me last time really saved us during a run-in with an S-class zombie. Without it, a lot of my team would’ve died. Unfortunately, it broke after a few uses. I had a metal-type ability user patch it up, and now it can still be used a couple more times in a pinch.”
“I’ll prepare a few more for you.”
After chatting for a while longer, Lu Weiyi brought Lu Xiao to Lu Xi’s room. “The guest rooms in the villa are a bit small, and Lu Xi is stationed in the lab most of the time now. You’ve been traveling all night, so rest first. We’ll talk more this evening.”
“Alright, I’ll grab a nap first,” Lu Xiao yawned and closed the door.
Meanwhile, Lu Weiyi didn’t have time to rest. He turned and headed for North Island—Lu Xiao had brought a team of professionals in petroleum exploration and processing.
This was clearly aimed at the crude oil reserves on Oil Island. Maybe Zhuang Mingxu was hoping to assess whether there was still extractable oil underground.
But even if there wasn’t, just refining the existing reserves would be enough to ease their short-term supply pressure. At the very least, they wouldn’t have to skimp on machine use anymore.
The equipment Lu Xiao brought had already been allocated to the appropriate sectors. The biggest issue was the people. Most of the new arrivals were military families. Hundreds of them sat on the ground, accompanied by soldiers from the base.
There were quiet murmurs everywhere, and tearful, emotional faces could be seen—being reunited with loved ones in the apocalypse was a rare and precious miracle.
Nearby residents watched with hopeful eyes. When they saw Lu Weiyi approach, someone bravely spoke up:
“Base Leader Lu, are those the military families from the Capital base?”
“Yes.”
“We… we have family over there too…”
“Can we… can we be searched for under the base’s name too?” A dozen people looked at him with held breaths, as if even the slightest noise might ruin their hope.
“Yes, the base has a dedicated missing persons department. You can register their pre-apocalypse information, where they lived, and which base they might be at.” Lu Weiyi pointed toward the government building. “Go ask over there, they’ll give you more specific instructions.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you so much.”
A few of them ran quickly in that direction. Lu Weiyi walked toward Zhuang Mingxu, who was standing among the crowd. The surrounding chatter gradually quieted down into silence.
Elderly men with graying hair, dazed children curiously looking around, weathered women full of vigilance, and soldiers in base military uniforms with red-rimmed eyes—each tightly held the hands of their family members, afraid that if they let go, they might lose them again in this chaotic world.
As Lu Weiyi passed, they all stood up and made way for him. Their gazes were heavy with sincere gratitude. A young man solemnly introduced him to those around, “This is our base leader from Yuebanwan. He and his team built this place and gave us hope to reunite.”
“Yes, our base leader… He’s a great man,” someone added and saluted him.
The evening glow softened his young face, a warmth distinct from the harshness of the apocalypse. It melted the hardened hearts tortured by inhumanity like an invisible breeze.
He didn’t have a commanding appearance, nor did he stand tall like a soldier. Compared to powerful ability-users, he seemed fragile—like a delicate porcelain doll meant to live behind glass, someone who should be protected.
Yet he carried the weight of an entire base.
It was a strange feeling. Many looking at him couldn’t believe it. Some even doubted whether it was right to come here, wondering how long this seemingly frail leader could sustain a base.
But Lu Weiyi didn’t seem to notice the faint suspicion in their eyes. He casually turned to look at the soldier who spoke up for him, raised his index and middle fingers to his forehead in a half-salute—still an awkward, unofficial gesture—and flashed a playful smile of youth. In a calm, even voice, he said, “The base is with you.”
“I am with the base,” the man replied.
“I am with the base!” others began to echo.
Eventually, the whole square responded in unison, a deafening roar: “I AM WITH THE BASE!!”
Standing on a high platform discussing new tasks, Zhuang Mingxu looked up at the scene, knowing that the base’s sense of unity was truly being born at this moment.
In the base, families and soldiers lived separately. The soldiers continued training and living on West Island, while their families had designated housing on North Island, in neighborhoods of three-story buildings similar to those nearby.
After signing the housing contracts, Lin Yimu led people in drawing lots for rooms. Each household was issued a full set of living supplies. In addition to the room’s basic wooden bed, cabinet, and two chairs, they received bedding to ensure they could rest as soon as they arrived.
Thanks to prior preparations, everything went smoothly. One by one, families collected supplies and headed to their new homes. Eventually, around fifty people remained.
They had no relatives and were recruited to come—light-burdened individuals who saw Lu Xiao’s recruitment notice and came looking for a way forward.
Here, besides free food and lodging, they would receive twenty basic crystal cores per month. If they didn’t need them, they could exchange them for materials—more than enough for daily living.
Once registered, they were sent to the Petroleum Island that very day.
After finishing arrangements, Lu Xiao had already woken up and was out with Zhuang Ai Yi, picking up small seafood washed ashore. The three of them walked barefoot on the sand with their pant legs rolled up, holding little buckets, listening to Zhuang Ai Yi excitedly describe various mutated sea creatures she had seen.
The sunset cast a warm glow over them, and everything around felt quiet and peaceful.
“Uncle, dinner’s ready,” Zhuang Mingxu called from the backyard.
“Coming!” Lu Xiao responded loudly, and strode toward the villa with the two kids. Along the way, Zhuang Ai Yi veered off briefly to hand over her collected seafood to Yin Jin—it wasn’t enough for a family meal, but just right for Yin Jin.
For lunch, Lu Xiao had seafood barbecue. In the evening, they had warm porridge paired with marinated seafood and a two-meter-long steamed mutated crab.
