Chapter 398: Qin Jin’s Parents
He had forgotten—his little lover had dared to flirt with him right under his mafia father’s nose. He wouldn’t be scared of something like this.
After Gu Qingji rested for a good while, Antonio escorted the two of them out, and also updated Lu Weiyi on what had happened.
Compared to Gu Qingyue, Gu Qingji recovered quickly. Within two days, he looked completely normal again and even took the initiative to ask Lu Weiyi if there was anything he could do.
“No, the doctor said you two should rest for a few days. You’re on leave for now,” Lu Weiyi said while surveying the ice formation on the ocean surface with Ning Yuan. The biting wind made them shout to be heard.
“What’s Liu Rui so busy with every day?” Gu Qingyue had noticed since returning that while Li Zhuang, Xiong Jie, and Wu Yue were working on base housing, and Antonio was buried in lab work, Liu Rui seemed to vanish daily. It felt like he was the only one doing nothing.
Knowing that resources were scarce, he proactively asked Zhuang Mingxu if there was anything he could do. Zhuang had told him to speak to Lu Weiyi.
“He’s… heating,” Ning Yuan searched for the right word.
“…?” Gu Qingji didn’t follow.
“At the base’s orphanage. They need heating. We’re short on firewood and charcoal,” Ning Yuan tried to keep a straight face as Gu Qingji looked at him in disbelief.
Everyone could guess who came up with that idea.
“We don’t have any wood-ability users in the base right now. If you’re really that free, you could help Bai Miao with the civilians. He has people building manual spinning machines and organizing folks to spin thread. Or…”
“You could check in with Brother Mu. His team’s sorting the salvaged supplies from the ruins. Or go with Li Dongsheng to help grow food,” Lu Weiyi offered a few options before asking Ning Yuan, “Based on the reports, what’s the thinnest part of the ice sheet?”
“About ten centimeters. At night, it can reach thirty centimeters. Careful walking is okay, but any heavy movement could break it.”
“That should be enough. Starting tomorrow, gather all the water-ability users. We’ll start building the ice wall.”
“With how thin it is now, it’ll be hard even for us to walk on it.” Ning Yuan estimated based on last year’s temperatures that if enemies were to attack, they’d wait until it got colder. Doing this now was a strain.
“Better to prepare in advance than be caught off guard,” Lu Weiyi stared out at the icy surface. Sea creatures occasionally poked through to breathe. The further out into the deep sea, the thinner the ice—too weak for a defensive ice wall.
“And we can always speed it up. The sooner we finish, the sooner we hibernate.”
But in the face of unknown danger, people must learn to prepare for the worst—let alone when there is already news of it.
The next day, Ning Yuan gathered all water-type ability users in the base—over a thousand in total. Using their powers, they constructed a small ice mountain encircling the entire island. The ice formation stood over thirty meters tall, with nearly twenty meters rising above sea level. Its steep slopes extended outward, making it impossible for anyone to walk into the base.
Once the ice wall was complete, four tanks were transported onto it to guard the coastal directions. Base military personnel patrolled continuously.
Upon witnessing the scene, the squads in the base also guessed that something was up. Perhaps after some discussion, everyone tacitly agreed to stop going out.
Seeing the squad return list in the report, Lu Weiyi was in an excellent mood. “I thought some teams would try to hide outside and not come back.”
“There were only a few of them. If we really wanted to settle accounts, it’s not like we couldn’t find them. Besides, with the whole base on full alert and weapon testing going on for so long, it’s not just for show—they naturally know what to do,” Zhuang Mingxu put his things away and stretched his back.
“Communication has been steadily recovering lately. The daily contact window with the outside is longer than before. Based on the data they’ve reported, if nothing goes wrong, full restoration might come by next spring.”
Now that the base is relatively stable and Lu Weiyi has taken on some of the responsibilities, Zhuang Mingxu has a lot less stress.
“That’s great. Any news from Tang Bai? Has he said when he’ll come?” Lu Weiyi reached out to poke Qin Nian’s cheek.
“No. Jiang Ning said there’s no rush—probably they’ll send someone to scout first.” At that, Zhuang Mingxu laughed. “Yesterday, Xu Wen delivered a batch of crystal cores—five thousand in total. Said it was Tang Bai’s way of thanking us for taking care of his wife and daughter.”
Lu Weiyi chuckled, “And you accepted them?”
“Yeah. Even if he didn’t send them, we’d still take care of them, but accepting the gift puts his mind at ease. When I had someone deliver formula to Dong Baobao, I also sent a few cans to him, along with thick children’s clothing and other winter essentials.”
“Alright, then…”
“Mingxu, it’s Old Xiong!”
Lu Weiyi was mid-sentence when Zhuang Mingxu’s walkie-talkie crackled to life with Xiong Jie’s voice.
Given that Xiong Jie was in charge of ice wall defense today, the two exchanged a look and both fell silent. “Copy. Go ahead.”
“An elderly couple just arrived claiming to be your friend’s parents. They’ve come to seek refuge.”
“What are their names?” Zhuang Mingxu raised his eyebrows.
“Qin Jin.”
Clatter— Before Zhuang Mingxu could reply, the vegetable-washing basin was knocked over by Yin Jin.
“What’s wrong?” Lu Weiyi put the child down and asked in a low voice.
“Nothing—I lost my grip,” Yin Jin replied.
“They’re my brother’s parents. I’ll go meet them personally.” Zhuang Mingxu quickly grabbed his car keys and was ready to leave.
“I’ll go.”
“You don’t know them.”
“Then…”
“I’ve got my coat on already,” Zhuang Mingxu said as he jumped into the car and drove off. His urgency was plain to see.
“You okay?” Lu Weiyi noticed Yin Jin’s stunned expression and helped him mop up the spilled water.
Yin Jin shook his head, glanced out the window, then quickly returned to normal.
*
After the base was established, Zhuang Mingxu had been contacting other bases, trying to locate everyone’s relatives. His good friend Qin Jin was no exception.
But there had been no news—until now. Learning that Qin Jin’s parents had arrived brought indescribable joy.
When Zhuang Mingxu reached the wall, Xiong Jie had already brought the elderly couple up. With them were Eric and Qin Yu, looking stunning in a bright red down jacket.
The two had left with a scouting team long ago, and there had been no word since. Antonio had said they were likely still alive, maybe even building their own base.
No one asked further. No one expected them to return now. But a quick glance showed that only one person from their original group remained. “You’re back?”
“They’re all dead,” Eric said bluntly. “Can we stay here a few days to recover?”
“Of course. Your old place is still available,” Zhuang Mingxu gestured for them to enter, then hurried toward the elderly couple wrapped tightly in layers. He asked tentatively, “Uncle Qin?”
“Mingxu.” The old man pulled down his patched scarf, revealing a weathered face. He looked past Zhuang Mingxu and asked, “Is Qin Jin here with you? His mother is sick.”
Zhuang Mingxu pressed his lips together and didn’t answer directly. “Let’s get you to the base first. We’ll have a doctor check on Auntie.”
Hearing that, the old man understood. His face showed clear disappointment, but he composed himself and helped his unconscious wife into the car.
“Want a lift?” Zhuang Mingxu asked Eric.
“Thanks.” Eric and the other two squeezed into the vehicle.
Not long after, they arrived at the base hospital. Zhuang Mingxu got out first, carrying the elderly lady. He looked at Eric and said, “A healing-type ability user is on duty today. You three can get treated too.”
Even through their heavy clothing, Zhuang Mingxu could smell the blood on them.
Without waiting for a response, he led the elderly couple inside.
*
The hospital operated on shifts in winter. Only a few surgeons were on duty, and healing ability users worked once every three days. Today happened to be Xu Yi’s shift.
Before they even reached Xu Yi’s office, the sweet smell of roasted sweet potatoes wafted through the hallway. Zhuang Mingxu knocked and entered, finding Xu Yi lying on a bed, dozing comfortably. Beside him, Li Zhuang was flipping sweet potatoes on a charcoal stove.
“What are you doing here?” Zhuang Mingxu asked as he placed the old lady on the bed. He turned to Xu Yi and said, “Help me check this patient.”
“Just came here to relax for a bi—”
“Brother Zhuangzhuang~” A sweet voice interrupted Li Zhuang. He quickly flipped a sweet potato and handed one over.
Qin Yu accepted it happily. “Thanks, brother!”
“You’re hurt?” Li Zhuang noticed the scars on her face, partially hidden by her hair. She had always cared a lot about her looks.
“Yeah, the zombies outside are really fierce,” Qin Yu said to herself as she peeled the skin off, her delicate voice unaffected. She took a bite, her beautiful eyes narrowing into slits.
Meanwhile, Xu Yi had already treated the elderly woman’s wounds, but she hadn’t woken up yet. “The injuries are healing, but she has a bit of a fever. And given her age…”
Xu Yi didn’t say it so bluntly. “There are some illnesses common to elderly people. My ability can only heal wounds, not cure diseases. Maybe you should go to the hospital and see if there’s anything they can do?”
“Okay,” Zhuang Mingxu promptly paid the contribution points and led the elderly toward where the doctors were.
“Big brother, what’s this?” Qin Yu curiously looked at the device in his hand.
“It’s for payment,” Xu Yi explained.
“But I don’t have any,” Qin Yu pouted and looked at Li Zhuang. “Brother Zhuang, I’m injured.”
“Then use a crystal core,” Li Zhuang said.
“Isn’t a gentleman supposed to say he’ll pay for me?” Qin Yu immediately changed her expression and gave him a glare.
“Me? A gentleman?” Li Zhuang sounded puzzled.
“…damn,” Qin Yu was speechless, then asked Xu Yi, “How do I pay with crystal cores?”
“That depends on the severity of the injury and the extent of the recovery you want,” Xu Yi showed her the fee schedule and took a roasted sweet potato that Li Zhuang had peeled halfway and handed over.
Qin Yu grumbled about how expensive it was, yet without hesitation, she started to undress.
She took off her sweater, revealing a body wrapped in bandages underneath. Just by the area covered, it was clear the injuries were serious—especially since fresh blood stained some of the bandages.
But not a hint of pain showed on her face. She even discussed casually with him whether healing abilities could remove scars, and if it was possible to remove the old scars on her body as well.
