Chapter 406: Launching the Purification Crystal Core
“How’s Qingji doing?” Lu Weiyi asked.
Gu Qingyue forced a smile. “Still not awake. The doctors… can’t really explain it either. Maybe… maybe he just doesn’t want to wake up.”
His voice carried a hint of panic, with none of the drive and determination he’d shown when they first met.
Lu Weiyi remembered how, at the beginning of the apocalypse, Gu Qingyue was the first person to leave the safety of the residential area and, with trembling hands, attack a zombie—just to find his brother hundreds of miles away.
“He’ll get better,” Lu Weiyi said, struggling to get out of Zhuang Mingxu’s arms. The lingering effects of anesthesia made his legs weak, so Zhuang Mingxu held him up as he firmly grasped Gu Qingyue’s hand and gave his solemn promise.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already contacted the capital base. They’re gathering a team of neurologists to come,” Zhuang Mingxu added.
“Thank you, thank you.” Gu Qingyue’s voice was hoarse as he stepped forward and hugged Lu Weiyi. “If you’re alive, you should live happily. I finally understand that now—as long as someone is alive, nothing else matters.”
“Mhm, things will get better.”
As the sea ice around the base began to melt, the once-silent base awakened after a long winter.
The cold wind faded, ice walls were dismantled, and the hidden docks saw sunlight again.
With thick cotton coats no longer needed outdoors, the entire base held a long-overdue celebration.
At the central square near the government buildings, people gathered from all over the base. Hundreds of large pots simmered with food, the aroma filling the air.
Lu Weiyi, whose hair had just started to grow back and still looked awkward, stood on the stage wearing a hat. Beside him stood Zhuang Mingxu and several other department heads.
The microphone was tapped twice, and the surrounding buzz of voices fell silent.
“This is a celebration long overdue,” Lu Weiyi began. “In the second winter after the apocalypse began, our base, with just 20,000 people, fought off 510,000 zombies. Though we lost nine ability users in the process, we won a decisive victory!”
“This is not only a success for our base, but proof that zombies are not an invincible enemy to humanity. This is a beginning—a historic starting point.”
“I’m proud that every single person in our base contributed to this battle. Not a single deserter. I proved with my actions that I stand with you all, and you’ve returned that promise to me with your own actions.”
“Today, we celebrate—celebrate surviving a catastrophe, and celebrate another year of life in the apocalypse. I hope that in every year to come, we will survive safely, until humanity finally defeats the zombies and reclaims the cities we’ve lost.”
“Defeat the zombies! Reclaim our cities!”
“Defeat the zombies! Reclaim our cities!”
…
The thunderous chant rang in everyone’s ears. It might’ve seemed a little silly, but when everyone joined in, it stirred a deep, heroic spirit.
“Starting tomorrow, we begin a new year for the base. Life and work will return to normal. Enjoy this last half-day of rest—everyone, eat to your heart’s content!” Zhuang Mingxu gestured to the steaming pots around the square. “The base will keep you full.”
“Long live the Base Chief!”
“Haha, long live the Base Chief!”
Amid the joking cheers, Zhuang Mingxu invited a few people to the nearest pot.
“This is pork, cabbage, and vermicelli stew—with kelp, fish balls, shrimp balls. All standard meat, lab-tested and confirmed to be low in mutation—completely safe to eat,” Zhuang Mingxu explained, scooping a full bowl and handing it to Xu Chu. “Can you handle spicy? This pot has chili in it.”
“I can.” Xu Chu took the bowl and tried to offer it to Lu Weiyi, who declined.
“Let us eat—we ability users get meat all the time. You guys rarely get the chance,” Zhuang Mingxu said, handing out more bowls and telling the ability users to help themselves at other pots.
A few of them sat right on the steps of the stage, slurping away and chatting about upcoming plans, not caring at all about appearances. This kind of casual scene never would’ve happened before the apocalypse—but now, it made them feel more connected to the people below.
The square was lively and filled with laughter. A few crates of liquor were even brought out, and people took swigs to savor the rare treat.
“I haven’t had a drop in over a year,” someone said, savoring a small sip of cheap liquor that used to cost only five yuan a bottle—carefully nursed now by Xu Chu.
“Same here.”
“How about you, Chief Zhuang?”
“I wouldn’t dare,” someone joked. “With you being our sober leader, we wouldn’t dare drink too much either!”
“Haha, it’s not that serious,” Zhuang Mingxu laughed, drawing chuckles from the group. “Thing is, tobacco and alcohol are luxury items now. Most of the stock gets traded with other bases for seeds or machinery. Our base is small—we can’t afford to waste anything.”
“It’s thanks to you and the Chief leading the squads that we’ve come this far. You’ve worked hard for all of us,” someone toasted Zhuang Mingxu.
He clinked glasses and sipped a little. “As long as you all don’t let us down, it’s worth it. This year, we work together again and take the base to the next level.”
“Together as one!”
The group of leaders raised their glasses. After a round of toasts, Zhuang Mingxu led Lu Weiyi to where the ability users were gathered.
“Chief Lu, Chief Zhuang,” someone greeted them.
“How’s the food today?”
“Delicious—you can tell this pot used hot pot seasoning. Real beef tallow too, absolutely top-notch,” Yu Mengchu said first.
“Haha, you’ve got a sharp tongue. Your Chief Lu’s uncle visited from the capital base and brought a few mutated animals. I had the fat rendered into hot pot broth—perfect for a warm winter feast.”
“Well then, thank you, Chief Lu!”
After some polite chatter, Zhuang Mingxu said, “I mainly came to thank you all for your contributions in the last battle.”
“It’s what we should do. You and Chief Lu led from the front—we’d never stoop to cowardice or running away when things got tough.”
“Yes, we’re all from the same base. We hope that under your and Chief Lu’s leadership, our base continues to improve.”
“We will definitely live up to your trust,” Zhuang Mingxu replied in a formal tone. “Second, starting tomorrow, the external travel gates of the base will reopen. You can choose your own time to go out, but stay alert. Given our past conflict with the Pingjin Base, there’s no guarantee they won’t retaliate.”
Everyone’s expressions turned serious. Before, they had been fearless because the base had SS- and S-class ability users watching over them. But now that they would be venturing out on their own, the difference in strength was painfully clear.
“Don’t worry too much. Just stay alert on the road. If anything seems wrong…”
Everyone looked up at Zhuang Mingxu, only to hear him say solemnly, “Run immediately.”
Some couldn’t help but laugh.
“Don’t laugh,” Zhuang Mingxu said seriously. “Our ability users are still weaker compared to those from the Pingjin Base. Even though they lost many, their numbers are still far greater. It’s normal if you’re not a match during an encounter. Your priority is to survive. If you can find out which squad they’re from, the base will handle the rest when you return.”
His tone turned firm. “As long as you haven’t committed serious wrongdoing, Half Moon Bay Base will always be your solid backing.”
A backing—a word deeply ingrained in the Chinese psyche. Ever since the nation’s rise, they had fought for a place in the world. Whether it was wartime evacuations, peacekeeping missions, or disaster response, the country had always strived to protect its people.
Even if that country no longer existed, continuing this belief was what kept its spirit alive.
“With your words, what is there to fear?” someone said. Members from several squads immediately began asking about upcoming base plans.
As the conversation shifted topics, Ye Jia finally couldn’t hold back and asked quietly, “Chief Lu, about that thing in our base…”
He rubbed his fingers together as a hint.
Lu Weiyi didn’t understand at first.
Zhuang Mingxu, however, smiled at the impatient young man and said, “I know everyone’s concerned about the Purification Crystal Core. So, is it available?”
“Yes.” He answered his own question. “But with our current technology, we can’t produce them on a large scale yet. We don’t have enough to distribute to every team. We’re urging the R&D team to push full speed ahead.”
“For now, what we can promise is: if any team reports ability users needing to upgrade, the base will try to prepare a limited number of Purification Cores to help them improve.”
The surrounding crowd instantly became excited. Zhuang Mingxu raised his hand to quiet them down.
“But let me say this clearly—Purification Cores do not guarantee a successful upgrade. They only make the energy more easily absorbed by the human body. They cannot change how much zombie energy you already have stored within. Whether you succeed or not still depends on that.”
“As for methods to reduce zombie energy in the body, the research team is working hard. We believe it will be possible soon. Until then, be cautious and don’t over-rely on the Cores.”
“Also, each Purification Core has a unique ID number, only visible through special equipment. We ask everyone not to trade or circulate them. If we find out someone does…” His gaze swept the crowd. “It will be treated as betrayal of the base, and I will show no mercy.”
“This kind of good stuff—our Base Chief is thinking of us. Of course we wouldn’t bite the hand that feeds us.”
“Exactly! This is something that could save our lives when upgrading. I don’t even have enough for myself—if anyone tries to take it, I’ll take them out first.”
“Rest assured, Chief. We all know what should and shouldn’t be done.”
“I know you all care about the base. I’m just laying this out now—better a few harsh words early than pointless arguments later if problems arise,” said Zhuang Mingxu, then looked to Lu Weiyi, signaling him to continue.
“Each squad should report the names of members who are preparing to upgrade,” Lu Weiyi said, according to what he and Zhuang had previously discussed. “The base will organize a unified testing process to measure the zombie energy levels in each person’s body and help ensure you survive the upgrade process.”
