Chapter 246
Old Li’s instant noodles had just been listed on the trading zone when, within three seconds, someone bought them.
A few minutes later, a new message popped up in the public chat of the message board.
[Little Noisy]: Wuwu, instant noodles are so delicious T^T
Old Li couldn’t help but smile.
It seemed he wasn’t the only old-timer here.
He tidied up the table and stuffed all the instant noodles he had just exchanged into the cupboard.
Even though he had now achieved “instant noodle freedom,” after years of living with scarce supplies, he was still accustomed to being frugal.
But just before closing the cabinet door, he hesitated for a moment, then took out a pack and, humming a lighthearted tune, leisurely left Room 501.
Soon, he arrived on the 8th floor.
Granny Guo was surprised to see Old Li visiting, but then he took out something from behind him—something she was very familiar with.
“You still recognize this?” Old Li asked.
Granny Guo’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Instant noodles! These are instant noodles!”
She took the package from Old Li and examined it. The packaging looked brand new, but she couldn’t find a production date.
“Where did you pick this up?”
Old Li chuckled. “I didn’t pick it up. This is a new product soon to be available in the marketplace—I brought it for you to try.”
“The Merchant God’s sect even sells instant noodles?” Granny Guo looked at him in surprise.
Old Li nodded but didn’t explain further.
After all, even he couldn’t fully understand where the Merchant God’s goods came from or how they could provide so many high-tech items…
Perhaps it truly was a blessing from the gods.
“The packaging is made from biodegradable material. If you don’t need it, just bury it in the soil,” he explained.
Granny Guo was surprised that even the packaging was so advanced—this was different from what she remembered before the Apocalypse.
She didn’t ask further and happily paid for the noodles. After seeing Old Li off, she brought the noodles inside.
Her roommate, Lin Lu, was drawn in by the aroma of the noodles. “Granny Guo, what are you eating? It smells so good!”
She walked out from the room, her large pregnant belly leading the way.
Lin Lu was far along in her pregnancy. Starting tomorrow, she would move to the maternity ward to wait for delivery.
No matter the era, childbirth was always a life-or-death ordeal for women. However, ever since arriving at the settlement, Lin Lu had been eating and sleeping well. Not only had she gained some weight, but her overall health had improved significantly.
She wasn’t afraid of giving birth. In fact, she was eager to finally “unload the cargo.”
Granny Guo shared half a bowl of noodles with her and explained, “These are instant noodles. You can buy them from Room 501 in the future.”
While instant noodles were often seen as something that smelled better than they tasted, that was only true for people accustomed to a variety of rich foods.
For someone like Lin Lu, who had grown up in the wastelands where food was bland and seasoning was a luxury, the flavorful soup of instant noodles was an overwhelming delight to her taste buds.
“Wuwu, this is too delicious!”
She sniffled as she ate. “Once I have my baby, I’m going to get a job at the factory and eat instant noodles every day!”
Granny Guo glanced at her and advised, “If you trust me, then take my advice: at least rest for half a month after childbirth before doing any hard labor.”
Before the apocalypse, women were expected to rest for at least a month after giving birth, but in the wastelands, such luxuries were often impossible.
“If you don’t take care of yourself after childbirth, you’ll regret it when you’re older.”
Lin Lu opened her mouth, wanting to say that she wasn’t even sure if she’d live to old age—so why bother worrying about it? Enjoying life while she could was more important.
But in the end, she swallowed her words.
Because things were different now.
Looking at how the settlement was improving day by day, thinking about the past three months, she realized she could no longer live just one day at a time.
She wanted to see what the future would bring.
“Granny, do you think… the Merchant God will truly bless us?” Lin Lu suddenly asked.
Granny Guo paused slightly.
There were more and more people in the settlement who had begun to believe in the Merchant God… but perhaps that wasn’t a bad thing.
She nodded. “Yes.”
Lin Lu couldn’t help but smile.
Then, she heard Granny Guo say, “After you have your baby, stay here with me. Just like now—help me take care of the plants and purify water, and I’ll pay you.”
Lin Lu looked at her, her eyes growing misty.
Granny Guo handed her a handkerchief. “I really do need your help. You don’t need to feel burdened by it.”
But instead of stopping, Lin Lu’s tears flowed even harder.
Ever since she came to this settlement, she felt like she was living in a dream. If possible, she hoped this place would last forever, so she would never have to wake up.
She hoped the Merchant God could hear her prayers and continue protecting the settlement.
For that, she was willing to become the most devoted believer.
*
Elsewhere, Tang Yuan and Zhou Qi had finally completed renovations on the communal dormitory building.
Each floor had been divided into four rows of small single rooms, with seven rooms per row. With four floors in total, the building could accommodate 112 households.
As for the first floor, Tang Yuan had decided not to divide it into rooms but instead leave it open as a common area.
Currently, the settlement had 169 residents in total, including 7 staff members, 53 children, and 109 adult residents.
With the growing population, the old common room on the fifth floor had become too small.
Whenever they held movie nights, people had to squeeze in, and even then, there wasn’t enough space, with some people crowding at the door.
The room also served as a discussion space for supernatural ability users, but with the increasing number of participants, it was no longer sufficient.
Because among the 109 adult residents, 75 were supernatural ability users.
Encouraged by the settlement’s policies and the influence of others, more and more ability users were joining discussions and sharing knowledge.
They no longer kept their abilities to themselves but actively participated in exchanges. While there hadn’t been any major breakthroughs yet, the open atmosphere was promising.
After all, the more ideas were debated, the closer they got to the truth.
Zhou Qi rarely visited the discussion room himself, but he always reviewed the meeting notes. Since his abilities spanned multiple disciplines, listening to different perspectives was more beneficial than researching alone.
“We’ll move the common room to the first floor of the communal dormitory,” Zhou Qi said. “The old room will be fully converted into a space for ability-user discussions.”
Tang Yuan nodded, then added, “Sister Lin’s physics and chemistry study group also needs a space.”
“Then we’ll give her the room next door.”
“Sounds good!”
They then went to the first floor and began setting up the new common room—adding lighting, laying down tiles and carpets, and placing iron basins filled with warming stones…
By the time they finished, it was already evening.
Zhou Qi went to prepare dinner, while Tang Yuan casually opened the map to check the surroundings.
He noticed that the group of people with children they had encountered at the gate in the morning had already descended the mountain.
He was about to worry when he noticed something else.
Huh? The construction team’s perimeter fence had already reached the base of Jufeng Mountain?
Tang Yu’an ran to the kitchen to find Zhou Qi.
“Brother Qi, let’s take the bus tomorrow to pick up the construction team! And while we’re at it, let’s officially start the bus plan!”
“Okay.” Zhou Qi agreed.
However, that meant they needed to hire another employee to manage the bus.
Even though there might not be many passengers in the beginning, the bus had great potential, and it was bound to develop in the future.
“Do you have a candidate in mind?” Zhou Qi asked.
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and said, “What do you think about Uncle Shu Gen?”
Shu Gen was one of the earliest residents. He was hardworking, had a great personality, and was well-liked in the community. Even though he had no abilities, he had still managed to earn quite a few Peace Coins with his intelligence.
Zhou Qi also thought Shu Gen was a good choice. “Should we ask Grandpa Li for his opinion?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Tang Yu’an sent a message to Old Li. He didn’t object but suggested they wait a bit before recommending him.
“If he’s going to be the ticket seller, he should go through an evaluation first,” Old Li said.
Since the bus service was brand new, there wouldn’t be many passengers at the start. Whether Shu Gen could endure the slow phase and attract enough riders would be a test of his abilities.
Even though the two young men were confident in the bus model, Old Li still wanted to give them a reality check.
“It’s best to charge Peace Coins for bus fares for easier management, but at the current pace, it’ll take time for Peace Coins to be widely accepted.”
Besides, just like how Old Li rarely exchanged points for water now that the settlement had an abundance of resources, the residents of Desolate City and Jufeng Mountain might prefer walking over taking the bus.
Life in the wasteland was slow-paced, and speeding things up required time for people to adjust.
“I think we can give him a one-month trial period to see if he’s suitable,” Old Li suggested. “From now on, every official hire in the settlement should go through this process.”
Otherwise, if there were too many employees like Lin Zhen and Lan Lin, who were “not doing their actual jobs,” they’d never have enough manpower, no matter how many people they hired.
Hearing Old Li complain about Lin Zhen and the others, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
Right now, Lin Zhen was completely immersed in scientific research and rarely helped with settlement affairs. But since her research had produced valuable results and the settlement rewarded her for it, even though she earned fewer points from work, it didn’t affect her lifestyle at all.
In fact, the paid posts she shared on the forum had even earned her some extra points.
Both Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi supported her research, but it did take up one of the employee slots in Store No. 1, making manpower scarce.
Luckily, the recent store upgrade had increased the employee quota by five, so they didn’t need to consider reassigning her just yet.
As for Old Li’s suggestion of setting a probation period, both Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi agreed.
“Grandpa, you can evaluate a few more candidates,” Tang Yu’an said. “If you find someone suitable, let us know, and we’ll recommend them to the Divine Envoy.”
After all, Old Li was the one managing the settlement daily, so he had a better sense of who would be a good fit.
Old Li looked at him in surprise.
“Are you sure you want to give me such a big responsibility?” he asked seriously.
Tang Yu’an was about to say yes, but Zhou Qi gently pulled him back.
Zhou Qi smiled and said, “Grandpa, we’re only recommending them to the Divine Envoy. The final decision is still in his hands.”
Old Li gave him a deep look, then nodded. “I understand. I won’t let you down.”
With that, they ended the call.
Tang Yu’an stared at the now-black screen and belatedly asked, “Brother Qi, do you think Grandpa… has figured something out?”
Zhou Qi patted his head. “No matter what he’s realized, Grandpa Li is someone we can trust.”
Besides, they were strong enough now.
Even if someone discovered they were mysterious merchants, so what? As long as they had the power to back it up, there was no need to be afraid.
Tang Yu’an nodded. “Yeah! If we can’t even trust Grandpa, then there really aren’t many people in this world we can trust.”
That night, after retrieving their floating message bottles, they sent a video call request to Gu Qianli.
Strangely, this time, Gu Qianli didn’t answer immediately. It was a long wait—so long that Tang Yu’an almost gave up—before his image finally appeared on the screen.
Seeing Gu Qianli’s state, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but worry. “Teacher Gu! Are you okay?”
Gu Qianli looked disheveled, his hairpin was askew, and instead of his usual little hut, a hazy red mist was visible behind him.
“I’m fine,” Gu Qianli reassured him.
While exploring earlier, he had accidentally fallen into a pit and passed out. Luckily, Tang Yu’an’s call woke him up.
“Thank you.”
He spoke sincerely before asking, “Did you need something?”
Tang Yu’an hesitated. “Should we wait until you’re back home?”
Gu Qianli shook his head. “No need.”
Since video calls weren’t free and they only got one per day, he knew the boy wouldn’t contact him unless it was important. There was no need to waste this opportunity.
“It’s nothing urgent…” Tang Yu’an scratched his head. “We just want to buy another Spirit Storage Bag.”
Their store upgrade had given them an extra floating bottle, so they needed another bag to transport goods.
Gu Qianli looked troubled. “I haven’t found any recently…”
Suddenly, he paused and looked down.
When he shifted his foot earlier, he seemed to have stepped on something.
This piece…?
Gu Qianli crouched down, dug a little with his shovel, and to his surprise, unearthed a Spirit Storage Bag. He scanned it with his spiritual sense and found it was still intact and usable.
He stared at it in a daze before looking up at Tang Yu’an. “I… I found one…”
“Really?” Tang Yu’an was overjoyed. “That’s great!”
Gu Qianli was still in disbelief. He was, of course, happy, but it also felt surreal.
He rarely found valuable items. While the ancient battlefield he explored had many relics, most were weathered beyond use due to the passage of time.
Most of his explorations ended up fruitless.
Last time, when he found a Spirit Storage Bag, he already considered himself lucky. And since then, he hadn’t found anything useful.
Today, not only did he fall into a pit and get knocked out, but if Tang Yu’an hadn’t called, who knew how long he would have been unconscious?
And yet, under these circumstances, he found another Spirit Storage Bag.
“I’ll give it to you when I get back,” Gu Qianli said after quickly regaining his composure. “Same price as last time, is that okay?”
“Of course!” Tang Yu’an nodded. “You should head home and take care of your wounds.”
Gu Qianli nodded. Once the video call ended, he looked down at the dusty Spirit Storage Bag in his hands and shook his head.
Just as he was about to store it away, something caught his eye.
He paused, then cast a glowing spell.
Under the light, a plant with purple leaves appeared in the pit.
His eyes lit up.
It was a wild spiritual herb!
Was today his lucky day? What incredible luck!
Gu Qianli quickly and carefully dug up the plant. Since his “Flora, Fauna, Fish, and Insects” system allowed his storage space to hold living beings, he stored the herb away.
Retrieving his bamboo pole, he leaped out of the pit and disappeared into the night.
In the red mist, spiritual power was greatly suppressed. After casting only two spells, he had already consumed a significant amount of energy.
To conserve his strength for any potential dangers, he could only support himself with the bamboo staff, limping along the marked route on the map back to his cabin.
As soon as he caught a faint glimpse of the cabin’s outline, the last bit of willpower keeping him upright dissipated.
His body, already long past the point of exhaustion, finally gave out. He became dizzy again and collapsed.
Just as he was about to hit the ground, a dark shadow flashed by. Gu Qianli only saw a blurred figure catching him before he completely lost consciousness.
*
Peace Grocery Store Attic.
“I wonder how Teacher Gu is doing?” Tang Yu’an asked worriedly.
Zhou Qi patted his head. “Think positively.”
“Mm!”
Then, Tang Yu’an proceeded with today’s lottery draw. He was really hoping for a Double Points Card so that when the Star Chain Fruit in Lan Hu Town was harvested, he could rack up a ton of points.
Unfortunately—
[Congratulations! You have obtained a ‘Wholesale Market Discount Card (40% Off)’]
“Why isn’t it a Double Points Card?” Tang Yu’an was a little disappointed.
Zhou Qi’s mouth twitched. He could only say, “Aren’t we buying a bus tomorrow? This will come in handy.”
Originally, a smart passenger bus would have cost 70,000 points. Now, with this discount card, it would only be 42,000—almost half price.
“That’s true!”
Tang Yu’an cheered up again.
Since Kang Kang was staying behind with the Lan Hu Mother Tree tonight, and he didn’t refuse the offer, there was no need to pick him up.
So, they spent another half a month in the alternate dimension before returning to their homeworld the next day.
The Drift Accelerator’s cooldown hadn’t reset yet, so they couldn’t retrieve Gu Qianli’s spirit storage bag, meaning they had to put their drift bottle plans on hold.
When they arrived at the settlement, Old Li was already waiting for them.
Standing beside him were Shu Gen and Huo Qiu.
“The first bus route for our settlement is being established. This is a historic moment—I had to witness it myself,” Old Li said with a smile.
This was a moment worth recording in history!
Hearing Old Li say this, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but feel a little excited.
“There will be more routes in the future!” he declared.
Besides buses, there would be trains and high-speed rail. Though it seemed far off now, one day, it would all come true!
Old Li nodded and placed a prepared signpost at the roadside. It read: Desolate City Settlement Station.
Tang Yu’an grinned, then opened his interface and spent 42,000 points to purchase a smart passenger bus.
This bus ran on both fuel and solar power—it could store solar energy and use fuel on cloudy days.
With 30 seats, the bus could accommodate at least 50 passengers if people stood in the aisle.
When this massive steel machine suddenly appeared out of thin air, Shu Gen and Huo Qiu were dumbfounded. But seeing how calm Old Li and the others were, they didn’t dare to question it.
Perhaps… this was simply the work of the gods!
They boarded the bus and began their journey toward Jufeng Mountain.
Even in autonomous driving mode, the bus operated safely and at high speed.
However, since there were still people walking between Wasteland City and Jufeng Mountain, the bus had to slow down and maneuver around them, causing slight delays.
Old Li turned to Shu Gen and said, “In the future, there will be designated bus lanes and pedestrian paths. You’ll also be responsible for maintaining order.”
Shu Gen nodded quickly and took note.
After avoiding a few more pedestrians, the bus picked up speed again. In just an hour and a half, they traveled from Desolate City Settlement to the foot of Jufeng Mountain, where they met the construction team.
The workers had just finished packing their things and were preparing to walk back—only to find that the bus had already arrived.
“This is way too fast…” Shu Gen muttered.
Even though he saw it with his own eyes, it still felt unreal. After all, the journey from Desolate City to Jufeng Mountain used to take at least two days!
But now, they had left in the morning and arrived before noon! How was that possible?
Huo Qiu’s eyes sparkled. He couldn’t help but ask, “Dad, what kind of ability is this? It’s amazing!”
Shu Gen opened his mouth slightly but had no answer.
Tang Yu’an, sitting nearby, came to his rescue. He said to Huo Qiu, “This isn’t an ability.”
“Then what is it?”
“It’s the power of human technology,” Tang Yu’an explained. “Even in an era without supernatural abilities, humans mastered this power and built a brilliant civilization.”
Huo Qiu stared at him in disbelief. “This car that moves on its own… is also technology?”
“That’s right,” Tang Yu’an said firmly.
“Then… how do you learn this power?” Huo Qiu’s eyes shone with eagerness.
Tang Yu’an grinned. “Of course, by studying hard!”
Huo Qiu’s expression immediately fell.
The settlement’s school had already been established, and all children over five from Jufeng Mountain had to attend.
Huo Qiu was among them.
Because of the learning foundation he built during the flood crisis—and since he was older than most—he was learning faster than the others.
However, that didn’t mean he wasn’t feeling the pressure.
After thinking for a moment, he hesitantly asked, “Can I study… without doing homework?”
