Chapter 260
MR168845 Dimension.
In the morning, Tang Sheng watched his wife walk down from the attic and couldn’t help but ask, “Any news?”
Tang Xueyun shook her head, her mood gloomy as she sat down on the sofa.
It had been nearly 10 days since they should have received the drifting bottle, and they were starting to grow anxious.
Though they had received the body-strengthening pills and two more drifting bottles, and didn’t feel short on supplies, the delay in news made them worry about the two kids.
“They might have encountered some trouble and got delayed while out?” Tang Sheng suggested.
Tang Xueyun bit her lip, her concern stemming from the possibility that the kids had gone out. The apocalypse was so dangerous—could An An and Xiao Qi handle it?
“Don’t overthink it. The kids are stronger than we are now. Let’s be patient a little longer,” Tang Sheng said. “Let’s eat, then go out and hunt monsters.”
A month and a half had passed, and the effects of the deaths of the two high-level mutated beasts had gradually faded.
Their small base had now attracted many mutated beasts that were scattered around the towns.
More and more mutated beasts appeared outside the base’s defensive line.
The self-defense team had to deal with these invading mutated beasts every day, with casualties mounting. If the defense line was breached, this hard-earned base would be destroyed in an instant.
Tang Sheng and his wife couldn’t sit still anymore, so they went out to fight monsters every day.
After Tang Xueyun finished eating, she put on her combat suit, grabbed her equipment, and reminded their daughter to do her homework at home. She then left the magical tent, opened the vehicle door, and got out of the truck.
A few idle children were squatting a few meters away. When they saw them, they couldn’t help but cheer.
“Pillow Superhero! Super Strength Heroine!”
Hearing the nickname, Tang Sheng and his wife couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, though the masks on their faces alleviated the awkwardness.
They closed the vehicle door and quickly headed toward the outskirts of the base.
Watching them leap between buildings, the children cheered again.
Soon, Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun arrived at the first battlefield.
Seeing the self-defense team fighting against the mutated beasts, Tang Sheng quickly shouted:
“Mutated beasts standing still get meat!”
As soon as he said this, the mutated beasts that had been entangled with the self-defense team stopped attacking, were pushed back a few steps by the team, and immediately became furious.
However, the mutated beast had no chance to retaliate because…
Tang Sheng jumped between it and the self-defense team, then—he lay down directly.
A protective shield automatically activated.
At the same time, Tang Xueyun kicked the rushing mutated beast flying, then landed two meters away from Tang Sheng.
Though they didn’t physically touch, she was still protected by the shield because…
A cloth strap on her wrist connected to Tang Sheng’s hand, making her part of him in the system’s judgment!
Moreover, the shield’s radius expanded to encompass both of their heights!
This was a tactic they had developed after many days of fighting.
Seeing Tang Sheng lie down, the self-defense team members immediately ran over and grabbed the boss’s hand, making them part of his shield’s protection too, thus increasing the shield’s range!
Tang Xueyun swung her sickle, cutting down mutated beasts within the shield one by one.
After eating the body-strengthening pill, her strength grew even more, and her senses were significantly enhanced.
With the added boost from the magic shoes, she now fought with incredible power.
Within the shield, physical damage was reduced by 100%, psychic damage by 70%, and with her battle suit providing protection, her ferocity in battle not only resulted in remarkable victories but also minimized injuries as much as possible.
The self-defense team members watching from behind the shield couldn’t help but gaze in awe.
With these two powerhouses holding the line, it was truly reassuring!
Finally, after Tang Xueyun defeated the tenth mutated beast, no more dared approach.
These mutated beasts were weaker in level, but their numbers were enough to guarantee that, for the next three to four days, no other mutated beasts would approach this direction.
Tang Xueyun felt exhausted and looked at Tang Sheng.
Tang Sheng quickly pushed aside the self-defense team members who were grabbing at his arm, ran over, and scooped up Tang Xueyun.
Tang Xueyun was covered in the gooey remnants of the mutated beasts.
Tang Sheng didn’t mind and immediately jumped back to the base with her in his arms. Once inside the truck, he closed the door and entered the magical tent again.
His actions were swift and fluid, and he didn’t speak to anyone during the process.
Everyone knew that despite their quirky appearance, these two were cool-headed and high-ranking, so they respectfully didn’t disturb them.
After they disappeared, the small base erupted in cheers.
Ten mutated beasts was considered a great victory for them!
In the magical tent.
After Tang Xueyun finished her bath, she tiredly walked to the sofa and lay down. Tang Sheng gave her a foot massage, and Tang Yuxin ran over to massage her hands.
“The number of monsters seems to be increasing,” Tang Xueyun said.
Since mutations didn’t spread, theoretically, the number of mutated beasts should be decreasing. But the mutated beasts attacking the base had been increasing steadily.
Tang Xueyun thought of the two high-level mutated beasts that had reproduced and became concerned.
“What’s coming will come, overthinking won’t help,” Tang Sheng said. “Close your eyes and rest for a bit.”
Tang Xueyun followed his advice and closed her eyes. The next moment, she found herself back in the familiar Dream Sea.
When she opened her eyes, she was holding a drifting bottle.
“An An and Xiao Qi sent a message!” she said happily, quickly opening the drifting bottle. When she heard the message from Tang Yu’an, she froze.
“What’s wrong?” Tang Sheng noticed something was off.
Tang Xueyun shook her head, then, her expression turned serious as she poured out the lightbrain from the bottle and began playing the holographic recording.
Hearing Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi’s plan in the recording, Tang Sheng was also stunned.
Tang Xueyun’s hand holding the drifting bottle trembled. After taking several deep breaths, she carefully removed the spatial bag from the bottle.
“Is… is Xiao Qi really inside?” Tang Sheng stammered.
Tang Xueyun untied the strap of the spatial bag and glanced inside, her tears immediately falling.
“Xiao Qi… It really is Xiao Qi…”
Tang Sheng also saw Zhou Qi, now petrified, inside the spiritual storage bag.
Thinking about how this child had crossed over to this dimension in such a way and had been in the bag for nearly 20 days, his heart tightened.
“This is too risky!”
“What should we do now?” Tang Xueyun trembled. “Should we take him out?”
Tang Sheng thought for a moment and shook his head. “No, if he bumps or gets hurt, Xiao Qi will be injured.”
This was the first time they encountered such a situation, so they were too afraid to take any extra actions, fearing that doing more might make things worse.
So, they left the spatial bag open and placed it on the coffee table.
The little black ball jumped beside the bag and curiously peered inside, and Tang Yuxin couldn’t help but lean in to take a look.
“This statue, could it really be Brother Qi?”
“From the video your brother sent, it should be.”
However, until the next day, there was no movement in the spatial bag. Zhou Qi’s petrified form remained still inside.
When Tang Sheng and his wife returned from hunting monsters, it was still the same.
Tang Xueyun was extremely anxious and couldn’t sleep that night, so she simply stayed by the spatial bag, calling out to Zhou Qi repeatedly.
Zhou Qi had grown up under her watch, and though there was no blood relation, she had long treated him as her own son.
“Xiao Qi, wake up… Please wake up!”
Inside the spiritual storage bag.
Zhou Qi’s consciousness was hazy, already incredibly weak. A prolonged sleep was very dangerous.
Though he had set his watch to ring after 20 days, whether he would hear it after such a long time was uncertain.
As his consciousness was about to slip into complete darkness, he heard a soft female voice.
“Xiao Qi… Xiao Qi… wake up! Wake up!”
Who is it? Is it… Mom?
When this thought appeared, Zhou Qi’s consciousness immediately became clear.
“Ayun, it’s very late… Shouldn’t you sleep for a bit?” Tang Sheng looked at Tang Xueyun, who had been holding the spatial bag and calling out for almost ten hours since morning, and couldn’t help but feel worried.
Seeing Tang Xueyun’s dazed expression, Tang Sheng felt as though he was looking at her when she had just lost her son.
“You should sleep first. I’ll wait a little longer.”
Tang Xueyun had been unable to sleep since last night. Until Zhou Qi woke up, she couldn’t close her eyes.
As soon as she closed them, her mind was filled with images of their home being destroyed by meteors, thinking all three kids had died under the rubble.
Tang Sheng sighed and coaxed their daughter to sleep, before returning to sit by Tang Xueyun’s side to wait with her.
“Tang Auntie…”
Just as the sky was about to brighten, Tang Xueyun, in a daze, heard a voice.
She froze, looked down, and saw a familiar yet strange figure inside the spatial bag, looking up.
“Xiao Qi?”
“Yes, Tang Auntie, Uncle Tang.”
Zhou Qi, who had just been freed from his petrified state, looked up at Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun outside the bag, his face showing an expression of relief.
They had spent three years in another world, but only half a year had passed here. However, he clearly saw that Tang Xueyun and Tang Sheng had aged considerably, their hair turning much grayer.
This half-year must have been excruciating for them.
Zhou Qi stepped out of the storage bag, looking at the familiar magical tent and nodded.
He first calmed Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun’s emotions, then looked at the message board.
The moment he was freed from the petrification, he sent a message to Tang Yu’an to let him know he was safe. He also saw the messages Tang Yu’an had left for him during this time.
He read through them carefully and saw that Tang Yu’an had stayed safely at the Desolate City Haven, and other than missing and worrying about him, he hadn’t been injured or encountered any accidents. Zhou Qi sighed in relief.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Grandma Guo made rock candy starfruit for me today. I saved some for you, let’s eat together when you come back.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Brother Qi, I miss you… You’re okay, right?
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Brother Qi, good night.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Brother Qi…
Looking at the messages from the young boy, Zhou Qi couldn’t help but smile, a warm feeling spreading in his chest.
However, when he looked up at Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun, this feeling was interrupted, replaced by guilt and unease.
Tang Xueyun didn’t know what he was thinking. Seeing that he had finished, she immediately took his hand and said, “Xiao Qi, you’ve grown…” She gently patted Zhou Qi’s hand, feeling his warmth, finally confirming that this child had truly returned to them.
Although he had grown into a handsome young man, no longer the child he used to be.
“Is An An okay?”
“He’s fine. I’ve let him know I’m safe,” Zhou Qi said. “I can also recruit you now. You can also talk to him through the employee forum.”
Zhou Qi looked at Tang Sheng, using the branch manager’s recruiting authority for the first time.
[Do you wish to recruit “Tang Sheng” as an employee at “Peace Grocery Store 1”?]
Zhou Qi clicked “Yes,” but…
[Detected that “Tang Sheng” and “Peace Grocery Store 1” are in different dimensions, and there is no cross-dimensional teleportation array between them. Recruitment not possible.]
Seeing this message, Zhou Qi’s expression became serious.
Meanwhile, Tang Yu’an also received this notification.
[Private message from friend]
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Did you fail to recruit Dad, Brother Qi?
[Handsome Zhou]: Yes…
Just as Zhou Qi was thinking about how to comfort him, he saw the boy’s message pop up again.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Brother Qi, I just gave you permission to build a branch. See if it works?
Zhou Qi was taken aback.
[Handsome Zhou]: Upgrade reward?
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Yup!
At the same time, Zhou Qi saw a new panel pop up.
[Your friend “Eastern Sweet Tang” is requesting a voice call. Do you wish to answer?]
Zhou Qi froze and quickly accepted the call.
“Brother Qi!”
When Tang Yu’an’s voice suddenly rang in his ears, Zhou Qi felt his heart skip a beat. He took a deep breath and tried to suppress his emotions.
“An An,” he called softly.
Though the flow of time wasn’t perfectly synchronized between the two dimensions, causing delays, real-time voice communication across dimensions became increasingly precious as the distance between them grew.
“Is this also part of the upgrade reward?”
“Yeah!”
Over the past 20 days, Tang Yu’an had successfully leveled up to LV25.
Every five levels marked a big breakthrough, and this time’s reward didn’t disappoint Tang Yu’an.
[Merchant level reached LV25. The store now offers new items such as yogurt, canned meat, self-heating hotpot, kitchen knives, and electric kettles. Details can be checked at “Wholesale Market.”]
[Personal Warehouse Slots +2, total slots: 30, authorized slots +1, current authorized slots: 6.]
[New friend voice feature, details can be found at “Employee Forum.”]
[New employee branch-building function, details can be found at “Personnel.”]
[Wholesale Mall Card (20% off) +1.]
The additional warehouse slots were very useful, and it seemed that each level-up would grant +2. This was an extremely practical feature. The most crucial thing was—
“Brother Qi, I’ve placed some rock candy starfruit in the personal warehouse. Can you get it?” Tang Yu’an asked.
“Okay.”
Zhou Qi opened the personal warehouse and successfully retrieved a plate of rock candy starfruit.
Each of these starfruits was about the size of a quail egg, skewered with toothpicks and coated in a crystal-clear sugar shell, making them look especially tempting.
This meant that, even without using the Dream Drift Bottle, they could now exchange supplies!
“Uncle Tang, Aunt Tang, Xinxin, these are for you from An An.”
Zhou Qi placed the plate on the coffee table.
Seeing that Tang Yu’an still had the time and energy to make rock candy starfruit, Tang Xueyun finally felt at ease. She didn’t rush to eat but instead asked, “Do you have a way to communicate in real-time now?”
Zhou Qi nodded and explained the privileges that employees had.
“Unfortunately, for now, we can’t recruit you,” he said.
“Then how do we build this branch?” Tang Sheng asked anxiously.
Zhou Qi looked at his panel, frowning. “An An, it seems I don’t have the relevant permissions?”
“Hmm, you need to be at employee level LV20 to do it…”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qi was taken aback.
To be honest, he hadn’t focused on his employee level for quite some time because after reaching Lv15, the experience points required for each level grew exponentially.
And since the population of Desolate City Haven wasn’t large, he only started receiving more employee experience after the reopening of Jufeng Grocery Store.
Zhou Qi glanced at his personal panel.
Employee Level: LV19 (580/12600).
He let out a slight sigh of relief.
Thankfully, he was only a little over 10,000 experience points away. He remembered that the base had over 10,000 residents.
As long as the self-defense force cooperated, it wouldn’t take long for him to level up to LV20.
But soon, he furrowed his brow again because he noticed his experience bar hadn’t moved for a long time. At this time, it shouldn’t be night over at An An’s place…
Zhou Qi checked the records and realized that since he entered the Dream Sea, the experience points from his employees had stopped growing.
Hearing this, Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but say, “I just remembered! When we went to the alternate dimension before, it was the same!”
The employee points and experience points would only be settled once they returned to their home dimension.
Zhou Qi quickly took out the Safe Coin and traded with Tang Sheng.
[You have completed a profitable transaction with a new customer. Employee experience points +1.]
Thankfully, he didn’t need to return to the home dimension. Transactions in this world could still settle experience points normally.
“It seems I’ll have to level up on my own,” Zhou Qi said.
He explained the situation to Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun. With their cooperation, they managed to gain 9 experience points.
Next, Zhou Qi put on his mask, donned his cloak, and left the magic tent with Tang Sheng and his wife.
Although Zhou Qi’s personal points balance wasn’t high, with the personal warehouse as a powerful tool, he didn’t need to worry about running out of supplies for the 10,000 people in the base.
They headed straight for the highest leader of the self-defense force—Mo Chengfei.
Upon hearing their intent, Mo Chengfei said, “I’m happy to trade with you, but the outskirts of the base are currently under attack by a large number of mutated species. We’re preparing to go and rescue them!”
“Pillow Man, Super Strength Woman, we hope you can help us! The battlefield is over in the fields. Our crops are about to be destroyed!”
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qi immediately asked, “Which direction?”
Mo Chengfei pointed in a direction, and just as he did, he saw the mysterious black-masked person suddenly soar into the air and zip off in that direction.
He couldn’t help but stare, dumbfounded. What… kind of superhero is this?
