Chapter 266
The bright winter sunlight illuminated the three masked figures cloaked in robes, casting a shimmering glow on the massive RV behind them.
For some reason, the pregnant women and elderly sitting on the ground slowly began to forget their fear.
Although they had just been inside a room moments ago, they now found themselves in this unfamiliar and cold place, the three robed figures gave them an impression that was far from that of a cult.
“Don’t linger, head to your new home!”
Finally, at the urging of Twilight, the elderly and pregnant women helped each other to stand up.
They looked at one another, unconsciously gathering together, their gazes falling on Dark Moon. In this strange place, he was the only familiar figure.
“Go ahead. Someone will meet you.”
Upon hearing Dark Moon speak, the group finally began walking toward the end of the road, looking back reluctantly.
It wasn’t until the three figures and the large RV disappeared from view that they stopped, confused and helpless.
“Dark Moon Boss?”
“Twilight… Twilight Sir?”
They tried calling out, but there was no response. In this desolate wilderness, the only sound they heard was the howling wind.
“Is this really an alien planet?” a pregnant woman asked, her eyes red.
“Does the God of Commerce really exist? Is it a scam?”
“My wounds have healed!”
“I haven’t bathed since the apocalypse, but now I’m clean, no smell at all!”
“Could this be some kind of supernatural ability?”
“What kind of ability could move us here so instantly?”
As she spoke, the others began discussing, though it was hard to believe, being in this environment made everyone feel a little warmer as they huddled together. It wasn’t as frightening anymore.
“So, what now? It’s so cold here!”
Although Twilight had given them a Peace Coin for warmth, it was so small that it wasn’t enough to make them feel comfortable.
“Let’s go, didn’t Dark Moon say someone will meet us ahead?”
An old man, the one who had returned at the last moment, took the lead, heading in the direction Twilight had pointed. His real name was Wei Jianguo, but everyone called him Old Wei.
Walking on the paved road, breathing in the dry but fresh air, Old Wei felt he had made the right choice.
Since the apocalypse, he hadn’t breathed in such fresh air.
The mutated species always emitted a strong foul stench, especially after they died. If you touched any of their mucus, it could kill you.
Even though a base had been established, resources were still scarce, and people didn’t have water to wash. They had to squeeze together because there was no place to stay.
The smell was unbearable.
In such harsh conditions, even dying felt suffocating.
With Old Wei leading the way, others began following him. After all, the people willing to follow Dark Moon to the new world were naturally adventurous.
Some, however, chose to go in the opposite direction, but soon they encountered an air wall.
Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi had not truly left; they had merely switched the RV to a “closed shop” mode.
Due to the guardian barrier, this old man could not go in the other direction unless he climbed over the fence. However, when he reached out to touch it and felt the minus twenty or thirty degrees Celsius temperature outside, he quickly pulled his hand back.
With no other option, he turned and joined the main group.
As the group began moving toward their new home, Tang Yu’an, who had already removed his mask, let out a sigh of relief.
He and Zhou Qi had taken off their gear, packed up the robot, and set the RV to auto-drive, continuing toward Flame Dragon Fortress.
They then set up the shadow umbrella again, flying behind the group to observe.
Though there was no danger inside the guardian barrier, this group of people, except for Li Yu and a few obstetricians, consisted mainly of elderly and pregnant women.
It was a high-risk group, and if something went wrong, it would be problematic.
Their movement was slow, and before they had even walked a hundred meters, the sound of wheels on the road reached them.
Everyone quickly moved aside, staring at a bus labeled “Home Line 1.”
They were shocked.
Li Yu was quick to react, standing in the middle of the road and waving his hand.
This must be the person Dark Moon had mentioned, coming to meet them, right?
The bus driver, Shu Gen, noticed the group from afar. Although more people had been seen on the road, a group like this was still rare.
Noticing that most of them were elderly and pregnant women, he couldn’t help but pay close attention.
When he saw Li Yu in the middle of the road stopping the bus, the auto-driving system quickly brought it to a halt.
Shu Gen opened the door and leaned out to ask, “Are you all looking to ride?”
Since the rules of this road didn’t allow theft or harm to others, Shu Gen could freely offer kindness to strangers without fearing trouble.
However, this group of elderly and pregnant women, who had appeared from nowhere, gave him a strange feeling.
“Young man, hello, do you know Dark Moon?”
Being called “young man” for the first time, Shu Gen felt a bit curious. But upon hearing the question, he straightened his back.
“Did you say, ‘Sir Dark Moon’?”
At this, the group’s faces lit up with joy.
“Are you here to pick us up, sent by Dark Moon… Dark Moon?” asked the first elderly person to speak to Shu Gen.
“No, I haven’t received any task,” Shu Gen scratched his head, then quickly stepped aside. “You all should get on the bus, it’s cold outside. Don’t freeze!”
“Thank you, young man.”
Once everyone was on the bus, they felt the warmth and sighed with relief.
As the last person sat down, Shu Gen closed the door and looked back at the strange strangers inside.
They were all polite, but not in a submissive way—instead, there was an aura of politeness?
No matter their age, whether elderly, pregnant women, or the few young and strong ones, they all gave him warm smiles as they passed by.
Even in the current desolate world, such behavior was rare.
This group of people had faces that hadn’t been bullied—at least, that’s what it seemed like to Shu Gen.
He scratched his head, feeling somewhat intrigued, and sat down in his own spot. The bus continued to move forward.
Under the intelligent mode, the bus route was fixed. First, it would go to Lin Hai Town, then return to the Flame Dragon Fortress before heading to Home.
“This is the high-tech alien vehicle?” someone commented.
Alien? What’s that?
Shu Gen looked at the group, puzzled, and asked, “Did you all come from a fortress? What did you mean when you said Dark Moon sent someone to pick you up?”
“From a fortress? What does that mean?”
“Dark Moon brought us here, saying we could live and work in the new world’s home…”
“Oh, so you’re heading to the Haven! Why didn’t you say so earlier?” Shu Gen replied. “We’ll first go to Lin Hai Town, then to the Haven!”
Then, he saw a new message pop up in the shop channel.
[Message Board (Shop Channel)]
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Grandpa, I just received a task saying a group of pregnant women and elderly people are coming to our settlement, and we need to take good care of them. @Chang Qing
[Chang Qing]: When? How many people?
[Cang Ren]: I’ve picked them up! There are 39 people in total!
Shu Gen hurriedly responded in the channel.
[Cang Ren]: I encountered them on the way to Lin Hai Town. They seem to have been brought by Lord Dark Moon.
[Cang Ren]: There are 16 pregnant women, 19 elderly people, and the remaining four are neither young nor old, and they are not pregnant.
[Fish in Water]: Lord Dark Moon? Where? Where is he?
[Changqing]: Have these people met Lord Dark Moon?
[Cang Ren]: Let me ask.
Cang Ren looked back at the elderly man who had spoken to him earlier and asked, “Old man, you said that Lord Dark Moon brought you here, does that mean you’ve met Lord Dark Moon?”
The old man nodded. “Not just Dark Moon, but also Twilight.”
“Right! And there was also a person with a silver mask,” said the young pregnant woman sitting behind him.
Shu Gen gasped, “You even met Lord Twilight and Lord Silver Light?”
“Yes, Lord Twilight not only blessed us but also gave us this!” The young woman took out a Peace Coin. “It was warm outside, but now it has turned cold again.”
“Oh, this is a Peace Coin, worth 10-unit,” Shu Gen said. “It has the ability to regulate temperature—when it’s cold outside, it warms you up; when it’s hot inside the vehicle, it cools you down.”
“This is actually currency?”
“Yes, with this, you can buy things in the settlements along this road.”
Shu Gen was multitasking, answering while sending this surprising news in the channel.
[Pan Shi]: The three divine envoys appeared at the same time!
[Yingrihe (A Lian)]: I’ll arrange accommodations for them. Should pregnant women and elderly people be separated? @Eastern Sweet Tang, @Changqing
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Just arrange it as usual.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: According to the task description, they seem to have special abilities. [Changqing]: Abilities, not powers?
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: That’s how it’s described, though I don’t know if they have powers. [Changqing]: Hmm, Cang Ren, you bring them back first.
[Cang Ren]: Understood!
At this point, the young woman asked again, “We still don’t know how to address you.”
“I’m Shu Gen!”
“Hello, I’m Li Suqin.”
Li Suqin smiled and introduced herself, then pointed to the man beside her. “This is my husband, his name is Li Zi.”
Cang Ren nodded. “You have nice names.”
Though, his own name wasn’t anything special, but his title was impressive!
He secretly felt proud, just as Li Suqin asked, “Are you also from the Commerce God Church?”
“Yes,” Shu Gen nodded. “All the settlements along this road belong to the Commerce God Church, though there are few apostles truly accepted by the God of Commerce.”
“Is Lord Dark Moon an apostle?” Li Suqin asked.
Shu Gen shook his head. “Twilight, Silver Light, and Dark Moon are all divine envoys. Those who can communicate directly with the deity are the most esteemed in the Commerce God Church, besides the God of Commerce!”
“They have a special title among us.”
The people in the vehicle exchanged glances. They hadn’t expected Dark Moon’s status to be so high!
Li Suqin then asked, “What special title?”
“Mysterious Merchant!” Cang Ren said, his eyes sparkling.
What he was saying was no longer a secret, so it was fine to tell them.
Though the title didn’t sound very grand, everyone still smiled in realization and admiration.
“So that’s how it is. Thank you for telling us.”
The atmosphere in the vehicle grew warmer as the group exchanged conversation. The mood became more relaxed.
After all, they’d only been in the post-apocalypse for a few months, and with the self-defense team helping, things had been good. If not for the near “cannibal” incident, the atmosphere of the self-defense team would have been quite positive.
Now, with new hope for the future, laughter filled the vehicle.
Shu Gen looked at the group more and more curiously. Overall, though, he liked them. They were kind and warm, and their speech was pleasant, making him feel comfortable and, unknowingly, a smile appeared on his face.
On top of the vehicle, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi also relaxed.
They felt like they’d returned to the world before the catastrophe.
This was the way people should treat each other!
Perhaps these 39 people, who came from the same world as them, could bring new change to the Desolate City Gacen and inject new life into it with their talents and knowledge?
“Brother Qi, do you think our world has really become the post-apocalyptic world?” Tang Yu’an asked.
Since he hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, he still couldn’t quite believe it.
Zhou Qi was silent for a moment before nodding.
“At least we saved some people, and we left behind a spark,” he said. “As long as people are alive, even ruins can be rebuilt.”
Just like what they had done in this world.
“Mm!”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “We will work hard in business and upgrading, striving to help Mom and Dad more!”
“Mom and Dad said there’s a shelter across the river in their town. I was thinking about whether we should airdrop some supplies for them?”
There were flying vehicles, and now Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun were employees, so they could directly exchange for use.
Zhou Qi nodded.
The bridge to the other side had been blown up, and even if the survivors in the shelter had eliminated the mutated creatures, they were facing a food shortage.
If things continued, they wouldn’t last much longer, so an airdrop seemed like a good support option.
They acted quickly, sending a message to Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun.
Tang Yu’an also created a channel and added them to make communication more convenient.
[Pillow Hero]: You’re right, I’ll arrange it as soon as possible!
[Mighty Heroine]: Not sure about the situation on the other side, it’d be great if we could get in touch with them…
[Pillow Hero]: When we drop the supplies, should we go over and take a look? Can I open a branch there?
Tang Yu’an checked his father’s level and found that he had already reached M18.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: You need Lv21 to open the protection barrier.
[Pillow Hero]: Not long now.
[Pillow Hero]: By the way, son, do you need stainless steel spoons and bowls over there?
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: We could use some, why?
[Pillow Hero]: Oh, nothing, the self-defense team found a warehouse of stainless steel products.
Yes, even though Zhou Qi had told Mo Chengfei to think of pillar industries before he left, “scavenging” was not a long-term solution.
But Mo Chengfei’s team had “found” a stainless steel products factory, with hundreds of tons of stock, giving them another lifeline.
So Tang Sheng was confident they would upgrade to Lv21 in no time.
Tang Yu’an also praised the idea, planning to put it in the super-powered container and then transfer it over, even if it wasn’t used right away, they could store it in the warehouse!
While they were communicating, the bus had unknowingly arrived at Desolate City Haven.
Old Li and the others were waiting at the entrance. As soon as they saw the elderly and pregnant women getting off the bus, he immediately sensed something unusual.
For a moment, it felt like they had returned to the world before the disaster.
“Hello, you’re Old Li, right?” An elderly man, with a full head of white hair but a bright spirit, walked over with a smile and extended his hand.
The people standing next to Old Li exchanged glances, unsure why this elderly man was suddenly reaching out to him.
Only Old Li hesitated before raising his right hand, which was then grasped by the old man with both hands.
“Please take care of us from now on!”
Old Li awkwardly withdrew his hand, but looking at the other man’s warm smile, he couldn’t bring himself to frown.
“Come in, your accommodations have been arranged.”
“Okay, okay, thank you so much!”
Old Li looked at the others, all of whom were wearing cheerful smiles, completely unlike the workers who had arrived at Jufeng Mountain for the first time, whose faces were filled with caution and fear. He couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
Where did Dark Moon find such a group of naive and sweet people?
He shook his head, deciding to investigate further later, then led the group into Desolate City Haven.
Seeing them complete the handover smoothly, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, who had been hiding in the shadows, quietly left.
Compared to a month ago, the blue-hued trees in the garden had grown much more lush, looking vibrant and full of life.
The beautiful blue leaves, shimmering with a jade-like glow under the sunlight, appeared particularly dreamy.
They walked under the trees, with umbrellas in hand, as Tang Yu’an introduced the changes to the garden and talked about the things he had been working on during this time.
Zhou Qi quietly listened to him, his gaze fixed on Tang Yu’an’s lively face. No matter how much he listened, or how much he looked, it still wasn’t enough.
Unconsciously, they reached a secluded corner.
Tang Yu’an suddenly stopped talking.
He widened his eyes and stared ahead, seemingly forgetting about the shadow umbrella, and abruptly pulled Zhou Qi behind a blue-hued tree.
The two of them peeked their heads out from behind the tree, holding the umbrella together.
Not far away, under a tree, a figure sat in a wheelchair, with dark green hair spilling over his shoulders.
Mo Yu was sitting in the wheelchair, with Ai Lu crouching in front of him.
The green-haired youth gently cupped Ai Lu’s face with both hands, lowered his head, and carefully kissed him.
