Chapter 264
Before leaving, Zhou Qi took a good rest.
After days of non-stop trading and cultivating Star-chain Fruit, his body had reached its limits, and he slept straight through until the next noon.
Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun were conducting business in the yard.
Without Zhou Qi’s special ability to hasten the growth of Star-chain Fruit, it was naturally impossible for it to bloom and bear fruit as quickly as before. So, the Self-Defense Force members began venturing out again to search for books, daily necessities, and other items to trade for food.
These items, Tang Sheng and his wife were still accepting.
However, after becoming employees, they gained a clearer understanding of the point pricing for various goods, so they adjusted the previous trade prices.
“Wait a minute, these things used to be worth five compressed biscuits, why are they only worth three now?”
“I don’t want wheat or brown rice, I just want compressed biscuits!”
The price adjustments naturally caused some dissatisfaction, and some people started arguing right on the spot, even encouraging others to join in the dispute. Then, under everyone’s watch, all those who were openly arguing vanished from the scene.
When they reappeared, they were already more than 50 meters away from the grocery store.
Tang Sheng also adjusted the volume of his mask and then said loudly, “The Peace Commerce Association’s pricing is as such. Those who cannot accept it, please leave, do not disturb others!”
Despite Tang Sheng usually being very easy-going, with a pillow on his head that looked quite comical, once he became serious, people were reminded of the times he and Tang Xueyun fought together.
The disturbance in the yard quickly died down.
The survivors, who had relaxed during this period of peace and stability, finally remembered that the apocalypse was still ongoing. They didn’t have many choices, or rather, they had no real options at all.
The fact that the Peace Commerce Association still had food to trade was something they should be grateful for. No one had the right to be picky.
Moreover, once dissatisfaction with the Peace Commerce Association escalated into malice, they would be sent away by the Guardian Barrier. This made everyone immediately realize the situation and dared not complain further.
As a result, order was quickly restored, and the trading efficiency of Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun improved again.
To be honest, this complete seller’s market was quite enjoyable.
The couple had run a grocery store for more than ten years and had encountered all kinds of customers. The ones they disliked the most were those who argued pointlessly.
In the past, they could only endure, but now, they could simply say “no!”
Of course, Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun still tried to keep their prices as low as possible. After spending months in the harsh world, they understood that survival was the key, and it was better to sell at a lower profit and allow more people to live.
Zhou Qi observed for a while and, seeing that they were handling all the unexpected situations with ease, he didn’t intervene and instead flew directly into the air.
The people on the ground quickly noticed him.
“It’s Lord Dark Moon! What is he going to do?”
“Sigh, why does everyone in the Peace Commerce Association wear masks? I really want to know what Lord Dark Moon looks like. From his voice, he sounds so handsome!”
With the base’s safety now guaranteed, the atmosphere was much more relaxed than before.
Zhou Qi ignored the voices below and flew straight toward the outskirts of the base.
A week had passed, and the place where he had eliminated over a hundred mutant creatures hadn’t seen new ones approach. However, mutants from other directions had started gathering.
Zhou Qi flew toward the front line and began a new round of clearing.
As flames rose in the distance, many people climbed to the tops of buildings to watch from afar and cheer for him.
Zhou Qi furrowed his brow, paused for a moment, and sent a message to Tang Sheng.
Soon, Mo Chengfei led the members of the Self-Defense Force down the street, beginning to organize people to build “walls.”
It was impossible to build a solid wall in a short time, but they could collect iron fences, anti-theft nets, and other materials to connect them, which would still allow the Guardian Barrier to expand.
Since most of the buildings on the street were closely packed together, they just needed to close the gaps to form a natural “wall.”
Although Mo Chengfei and the others didn’t understand the principle, after testing it, they found that the transparent Guardian Barrier could indeed be expanded, and they eagerly got to work.
With over ten thousand people in the base, labor was in surplus, and once everyone had a clear goal, they quickly started working, creating a bustling scene.
After clearing a few more mutant creatures, Zhou Qi looked at the base and nodded in approval.
After solving the survival crisis, the next issue was housing. The current area of the base was very crowded with the thousands of people living there.
Expanding outward to reclaim lost ground and first solving the housing problem was the key, and then they could focus on developing production.
Otherwise, relying solely on “scavenging” wasn’t a sustainable solution.
Zhou Qi continued to clear the surrounding mutants. Lacking Tang Yu’an’s map, he had to rely on his spiritual sense to locate the mutants.
Fortunately, the aura of the mutants was so strong that it was hard to ignore.
But… there were just too many of them.
Zhou Qi had lost count of how many he had eliminated, but there must have been over a thousand at least. However, their numbers hadn’t decreased by much.
Given the population density of their country before the apocalypse, such numbers were understandable.
Because of such a high infection rate, even though the mutants didn’t have contagiousness in the beginning, it was what caused society to collapse so quickly.
Zhou Qi stopped when his abilities were exhausted and flew back into the air.
Looking down at the war-torn town, he couldn’t help but gaze into the distance. That was the small town where he and An’an had grown up. Now… it was probably destroyed too?
He suddenly felt a bit fortunate that the world they had crossed into was a natural disaster type of apocalypse, and it had already been years since the catastrophe.
Otherwise, fighting these disgusting monsters every day and witnessing so many people die would have truly driven him to the brink of collapse.
After resting for a while, Zhou Qi flew back to the base.
There were still over ten thousand survivors in this small town. Based on proportions, the original population was probably hundreds of thousands.
Even if only one-third turned into mutants, that would still be over a hundred thousand mutants. And now, they were starting to breed. This was something Zhou Qi alone couldn’t handle.
The following matters would have to be dealt with by the Self-Defense Force.
They had to build their new home themselves.
However, with the Guardian Barrier and material support, Zhou Qi believed that it was only a matter of time.
He returned to the area where infected individuals were isolated. Today, a few more people had been infected while searching for exchange items.
Zhou Qi used Fire Spirit Bugs to clear the parasitic eggs for them and then found Mo Chengfei.
“I wonder what instructions Lord Dark Moon has?” Mo Chengfei said respectfully, his tone filled with caution.
Although he had only been here for less than a week, Lord Dark Moon’s prestige in the base had already far surpassed him and the Pillow Hero couple.
As soon as he gave the order, Mo Chengfei felt that he might have to step aside.
“I’m about to leave here,” Zhou Qi said.
Mo Chengfei was stunned, his heart not filled with joy but with panic. “Have we done something wrong? Why are you leaving?”
“I have more important matters,” Zhou Qi replied. “I’ve cleared the mutants around the base. You need to finish building the fence and inform every member not to leave the fenced area.”
“You can gradually expand the fence outward to gain more space. With the protection of the Guardian Barrier, at least you won’t need to worry about mutant infection.”
“Besides me, no one in the Peace Commerce Association can deal with the mutants. So, after I leave, you need to be extra cautious.”
Although Zhou Qi’s tone was calm, even indifferent, Mo Chengfei was on the verge of tears.
“Okay, okay. Is there anything else?” he asked.
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and then suggested, “The Peace Commerce Association’s trading should continue, so it’s best if you have something that can steadily produce and become your pillar industry.”
With that, Zhou Qi left.
Mo Chengfei stared at his departing figure, lost in thought.
He never expected that in the apocalypse, they would have to focus on production and build a pillar industry. This was so different from what he had imagined!
Zhou Qi returned to Shop No. 13, washed up, and then called Tang Sheng over.
“This is the weapons and equipment I brought this time, I forgot to give it to you.”
Zhou Qi took out a superpower cargo container from his personal warehouse. He opened it to reveal the rune-engraved equipment inside, all of which had been made with the help of Tuls.
“There will be more in the future. You can use this batch first.”
Tang Sheng nodded but hesitated a little, saying, “With the Guardian Barrier, we might not need it.”
After all, now that the mutant creatures have become contagious, he and Tang Xueyun didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. However…
“I wonder if the parasites of mutant creatures count as physical attacks?”
If they do, they wouldn’t need to worry about being parasitized when going out to eliminate mutant creatures.
“Yes, people with special abilities have a lower chance of being parasitized, so you don’t need to worry too much. But it’s better not to go out and take risks. Staying within the Guardian Barrier and using ranged attacks would be more appropriate.”
Zhou Qi gave him a few strategies based on waiting for opportunities, which made Tang Sheng’s eyes light up.
“These weapons are still useful!”
Weapons like the Swift Feather and Flying Scythe can be used for ranged attacks.
“Let’s try it out!” Tang Sheng said, “I’m thinking of hiring Grandpa Lin as an employee, what do you think?”
Zhou Qi nodded, “Grandpa Lin is indeed a good candidate.”
He’s only in his sixties, still strong, and staying at shop number 13 for business would be a relatively light job as long as the hours are managed.
“Then it’s settled! With some help, I can focus on other things.”
The base was in its early stages, and now that Zhou Qi was in charge of the Peace Commerce Associate here, he had to work hard to develop the base.
Tang Sheng quickly went to get busy, and Zhou Qi thought for a moment before calling Tang Yu’an via voice message.
“Brother Qi, when are you coming back?” Tang Yu’an asked eagerly.
“Probably tonight,” Zhou Qi replied, “I’m thinking of taking a group of people with me.”
With the Drift Bottle Accelerator, as long as they place the bottle back in the Dream Sea, they would immediately arrive, making the journey much safer than before.
They could knock people out, petrify them, and then transfer them to the new home once they arrived.
Unfortunately, the space in the personal warehouse is stricter when it comes to sentient beings than the Drift Bottle. Even if they’re petrified, they can’t be stored in the warehouse, which makes things more complicated.
“Taking a group of people?” Tang Yu’an asked. “Who do you plan to bring?”
In terms of quality, the people in the base were definitely more skilled than the residents of the Desolate City Haven. Each person could probably be a teacher at the settlement.
The steel factories and cement plants at Desolate City are still at a low technological level, so people with expertise in those areas could also be sent there.
Then there are doctors and nurses. Although they now have antibiotics, most of them don’t dare to use them because they don’t understand the relevant knowledge.
The obstetrics and gynecology department has been set up, but it still needs improvement…
To build a better home, various talents are definitely essential. Keeping them in the current base would be a waste of resources.
Tang Yu’an nodded repeatedly but had difficulty choosing who to take. After all, the Storage Spirit Bag has limited space, and it can’t carry the superpower cargo container.
“How many people can we bring back?” Tang Yu’an asked.
Zhou Qi looked at the space in the Storage Spirit Bag and said, “A maximum of thirty people.”
Tang Yu’an thought for a moment and then said, “Let’s prioritize bringing pregnant women, and then obstetricians and nurses with delivery experience.”
Now that the Guardian Barrier is in place, everyone’s safety is guaranteed, though they will have to live simply. Once the base grows and the teleportation array is set up, talent exchanges can happen later.
Zhou Qi expected this choice from Tang Yu’an and agreed with it.
“What if there aren’t that many pregnant women?”
“Then bring the elderly.”
Tang Yu’an respected the elderly who had survived so long in the apocalypse. They have unique survival wisdom.
Once they arrive at Desolate City, apart from physical labor, they can do other light work.
Zhou Qi nodded. There are fewer pregnant women in the base, but many elderly. He had interacted with some of them during recent trades.
He would consult with Uncle Tang and others about the limited spots and would prefer to take people who could be of use back to the Wasteland.
“So, does this mean my parents and Xinxin can also come this way?”
“One person must stay behind.”
Yes, one person needs to remain behind to place the Drift Bottle in the Dream Sea. Since Tang Xueyun had been hired as an employee, this person became Tang Yuxin.
“Then let’s leave my parents behind to stay with Xinxin.”
Tang Yu’an gave up on the idea. Xinxin is still so young, and she needs her parents more than he does.
“However, bringing these people to Desolate City might expose our secret…” Tang Yu’an suddenly thought of another problem and said.
Zhou Qi thought for a moment and said, “Let the God of Commerce handle it.”
He had always been walking around under the identity of Dark Moon. Even if he brought these people to Desolate City, no one would realize anything.
Tang Yu’an immediately became interested.
“Are we going to start acting mysterious again?” He rubbed his hands, excited. “What’s your plan?”
