Chapter 424: Uses of Abilities
Lu Weiyi looked confused, so Zhuang Mingxu elaborated, “That gives us enough time to push a few of our teams into the S-Class range—strengthen ourselves further. That way, they’ll think twice before trying anything sneaky.”
“Got it. I’ll notify each team later. Maximum ten people per team. Should I have them pay for the nuclei in advance?” Ning Yuan asked, then inquired about arrangements for Li Qing’s group.
“Let Xiaoyi take them to Pingjin City to hunt zombies,” Zhuang Mingxu suggested. Since it’d all be their own people, it would be easier to bring back zombies without causing trouble.
After breakfast, everyone got busy. Lin Yimu and Zhuang Mingxu took Lu Weiyi to the South Island, where many warehouses and factories had already been built to store coal.
Lu Weiyi transferred the collected coal into the buildings one by one. The warehouses were packed full.
“This should last us two to three years,” he said.
“We still need to hurry though—it’s someone else’s territory we’re taking from,” Zhuang Mingxu said, excitement balanced with caution. “This time, when you go out, try to capture some water-type zombies. We’ll assign them to the base’s water stations. That way, we can free up a bunch of water-type ability users. Maybe they can even use their powers to wash coal directly and solve wastewater issues at the same time.”
“…” Lin Yimu thought the two of them were absolutely crazy. Thinking about who’d be the first test subject—probably Ning Yuan—he silently mourned for him.
Still, when he saw the tools and vehicles recovered from Qin Xing’s side, he wiped away a tear of emotion for his old comrade amid the excitement.
“This is a letter he asked me to give you,” said a fellow soldier, visibly moved. The lineup of vehicles nearby only lifted Lu Weiyi’s spirits higher—and gave him a pang of guilt. He quickly handed the letter to Lin Yimu.
Lin Yimu carefully opened and read the letter twice, eyes turning red. Noticing Lu Weiyi’s questioning look, he explained, “He’s asking me to take care of the soldiers he sent over.”
“Arrange it however you think best, as long as it doesn’t involve leaking any sensitive base information,” Lu Weiyi said. He was happy to grant this favor.
After sorting out the materials, Lu Weiyi felt like he’d completed another big task.
Zhuang Mingxu wanted to take advantage of the good weather to quickly make coal briquettes for the base to use in winter. Lin Yimu had experience with that, and the two discussed the required materials.
Lu Weiyi, bored, wandered around the West Island.
With the reputation of the base leader, he could go anywhere like it was his own backyard. Some soldiers on duty even offered to guide him.
Lu Weiyi waved them off and hadn’t even made it halfway around before spotting Luo Feifei being escorted toward North Island. That reminded him—Lu Xiao only had one healer, and it was her.
“Where are you going?” Lu Weiyi called out to them.
“Reporting, Captain: General Lin said Healer Xu isn’t feeling well today, so Healer Luo is helping cover at the hospital,” said Lin Mo and Liu Yang from Squad Three, who were clearly acting as her guards.
“I’m heading back too. I’ll go with you.” Lu Weiyi joined them and, noticing Luo Feifei seemed nervous, said, “These two are here to keep you safe. Healers are rare in our base—whenever one goes out, we assign escorts. If you need anything, just tell them.”
“Thank you, Base Commander Lu,” Luo Feifei replied politely. “But… at the capital base, General Lu doesn’t have any other healers under him. So about me…”
“When can you upgrade?”
“I’m just one step away—could happen anytime!” Luo Feifei replied eagerly.
“Alright, then help Xu Yi cover the hospital today. After your shift, once they escort you back to West Island, come find me. Let’s try to make the upgrade happen tonight.”
“Thank you! Thank you, Base Commander Lu!”
At the bridge connecting the islands, the four parted ways. Lu Weiyi, thinking about how ordinary people upgraded, waved Lin Mo over and handed him a backpack.
“These are enhancement serums made in the lab. Make sure she drinks them all before the end of her shift.”
“It might feel a bit uncomfortable, that’s completely normal.”
Lin Mo opened the bag, glanced inside, and didn’t ask a single question. He neatly packed it away.
“Be careful not to let anyone touch it. This stuff hasn’t been officially deployed yet,” Lu Weiyi reminded.
“Don’t worry, Captain. No one will get close to it,” Lin Mo promised.
The four parted ways, and Lu Weiyi turned back toward Central Island. It was just past ten in the morning, and Xi Shi was already picking vegetables to prepare lunch.
Qin Nian was playing in the courtyard, surrounded by three wolves about a meter tall—Zhuang Wukong, Xiaobai, and Master—who had been brought back earlier. They moved out of the toddler’s way whenever he stumbled or used their tails to catch him when he was about to fall, acting completely like babysitters.
Yin Jin was helping tidy up. He looked up occasionally and, seeing that Qin Nian wasn’t afraid at all, figured this scene had played out many times before.
“Brother Xi, where are those two?” Lu Weiyi asked.
“They’re in their room with Xia Qiao for morning classes—literacy and math. In the afternoon they head to West Island for physical training,” Xi Shi replied with a smile. “Our Aiyi and Taotao are so smart—they get perfect scores on every practice test.”
Lu Weiyi had no idea about any of this and felt awkward. But Xi Shi gave him an easy way out: “You and Mingxu are busy, I’ve got things handled. Xia Qiao is very responsible—he even made a great study plan for the two of them.”
“Thanks for all your hard work, Brother Xi. So, what’s for lunch?”
“How about cold noodles? Handmade and chewy. I’ll pair them with a few cold side dishes. I also soaked some marinated seafood yesterday—it should be flavorful by now,” Xi Shi said enthusiastically.
“Sounds great.” Lu Weiyi stepped forward to help wash cucumbers. “Is it too much work cooking for so many people here? Should we get someone to help out with meals?”
Xiong Jie now managed the earth-element users for base construction, earning 30 crystal nuclei a day—more than enough to hire kitchen help for Xi Shi. But Xi Shi still chose to stay busy cooking.
“No need. I’ve got nothing else to do most of the day. It’s just breakfast and dinner when everyone’s home. You all are often out, and most of the time at lunch it’s just two or three of us. Not hard at all,” Xi Shi waved off the suggestion.
Thinking about how often they were away on missions, Lu Weiyi didn’t press the matter. Instead, he told him to speak up if it became too much. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that the curtains in Li Zhuang’s second-floor room were still drawn. “Is Li Zhuang in his room?”
“Xiao Xu is sleeping,” Xi Shi replied vaguely.
Lu Weiyi raised an eyebrow. Thinking of that A-level healer, his imagination started to run wild—wondering how to best make use of his “skills.”
Yin Jin, seeing this, whispered to Xi Shi, “Xiao Xu doesn’t know he’s probably doomed.”
Xi Shi covered his mouth and chuckled. “Artists always think differently.”
That evening, after Lu Weiyi helped Luo Feifei successfully upgrade, Ning Yuan efficiently collected the crystal nuclei from the squads and began preparing for departure.
Lu Weiyi also quickly picked out soldiers who had previously followed him and led them to Pingjin City.
He was there to train team members and capture powered zombies. Even though he had the ability disruptor, he didn’t use it—instead forcing them to fight with everything they had.
After two relentless months, three of the four base squad leaders successfully upgraded. Only Zheng Jun, who started off weaker, remained.
Meanwhile, all the team leaders who had gone out with Ning Yuan managed to upgrade—but they now owed the base a mountain of crystal nuclei.
When a national report tallied the number of S-class power users, their base had produced 22 out of the total 25.
Their rising fame brought in a surge of people seeking to join. By winter, the base population had reached 100,000—with over 30,000 being powered users, more than ten times last year’s number.
With the growing population, management became more complex. Squad One’s duties were redistributed.
Only Li Dongsheng and Bai Miao retained fixed positions. Gu Qingyue, who had no special circumstances, no longer went on missions. He was assigned to oversee the base’s drinking water supply.
Xiong Jie remained busy with construction. The influx of people meant new houses, roads, and underground pipes—all keeping him completely swamped.
Wu Yue was transferred to the government and helped establish the Powered User Guild, responsible for managing the growing number of powered teams. Teams with newly minted S-class users began to form the backbone of the guild.
As temperatures dropped, it signaled the approach of another winter lockdown. Even with a large population, they were still limited to what was planted in early spring.
Life remained tight, but unlike last year, when they barely avoided starvation, this year they could at least guarantee everyone was fed and warm.
The population boom started diversifying the base’s economy. Last year, the base had to grow cotton and make clothes themselves. This year, powered users bought seeds and fast-tracked growth themselves, greatly easing the base’s burden.
When winter supplies were distributed, it happened on a snowy day—just like last year. On the plaza in front of the government building, ordinary citizens went about life so peacefully that they almost forgot the dangers beyond the walls. They chatted with each other, faces lit with smiles.
At the same time, the government building was preparing to host a Powered User Assembly.
Lu Weiyi, with Li Qing and Li Yan, was hurrying there. Passersby made way as they went. A group of playful children ran by and one of them crashed into Lu Weiyi’s leg, landing on his butt and looking up dazedly with flushed, frostbitten cheeks.
“Did that hurt?” Lu Weiyi picked the child up and brushed the snow off his bottom.
“B-b-ba…” The bundled-up child giggled and pointed, “Base… Commander…”
Lu Weiyi took a closer look and realized it was Little Bao, the son of Dong Hongyuan. He had dropped off baby formula a few times for their family before.
The boy was just over a year old and had only recently learned to walk. His father spoiled him, and despite everyone else being skinny as rails, Little Bao was plump and rosy.
As Lu Weiyi held him, Dong Hongyuan’s voice sounded nearby: “Base Commander.”
“Mm.” Lu Weiyi reached out and touched Little Bao’s cheek. Even though people had begun adapting to the cold, children’s delicate skin still showed signs of frostbite. “Yin Jin has some frostbite cream for kids—go pick some up from him.”
