Chapter 327
At the entrance of the grocery store.
With such a small house, and since Tang Yu’an didn’t bother to lower his voice, both Tang Sheng and Zhou Qi naturally heard everything.
Tang Sheng couldn’t help but glance sideways at Zhou Qi.
This young man, usually so calm and composed—someone who exuded presence even when wearing a cold expression—was now blushing furiously. He finally looked like a young man his age.
If it had been under normal circumstances, Tang Sheng might’ve found this amusing.
But thinking that Zhou Qi was acting like this because of his own son made Tang Sheng feel… complicated.
How had these two kids ended up walking this path?
On the other side of the shelf, Tang Yu’an was still rambling on. But when Tang Xueyun realized Zhou Qi and Tang Sheng were right at the door, she unceremoniously cut him off.
“That’s enough. I get it.”
Tang Yu’an pouted, dissatisfied. “But I’m not done yet…”
“Regardless, dating at a young age is still wrong,” Tang Xueyun said. “Even if you’re legally an adult, you still need our approval to date.”
“What? Even after I’m an adult?” Tang Yu’an cried out. “Mom, I’ve grown up! You can’t be so controlling!”
Tang Xueyun looked at him with a complicated expression.
“I know you’ve grown up—but I just can’t do it!”
“In my mind, it’s only been half a year. You were just starting middle school, had just finished your first monthly exam—and now you’re an adult? Telling me you’re going to be with another boy?”
“Tang Yu’an, I’m telling you—I can’t accept that!”
“If you think your dad and I don’t matter, then go ahead and be with your little Brother Qi.”
With that, Tang Xueyun abruptly stood up.
Tang Yu’an clearly saw her red eyes and was suddenly flustered. “Mom…”
But she didn’t respond. She wiped the corner of her eye, trying to hide it, then walked toward the store’s entrance. After casting just one look at Zhou Qi, she left without another word.
Tang Yu’an chased to the door, watching his mother leave without looking back, his heart filled with panic and helplessness.
“Sigh, I’ll go check on her,” Tang Sheng sighed and turned to leave as well.
Zhou Qi took Tang Yu’an’s hand and gently patted it.
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help but pout.
“Brother Qi, Mom and Dad are against us being together… and Mom even cried…”
Zhou Qi had anticipated this. In fact, the reaction from Tang’s parents was already far gentler than he had expected.
Zhou Qi stroked the top of Tang Yu’an’s head and said softly, “It was just too sudden for them. They’re only reacting like this because they care about us.”
With Zhou Qi’s gentle comfort, Tang Yu’an quickly calmed down.
“So what should we do?” he asked.
“Let’s give them some time,” Zhou Qi said after a pause. “We’ll stay in the original world for now, be by Uncle Tang and Auntie Tang’s side, and avoid leaving unless necessary.”
“Will that really help?”
“Just like Auntie Tang said—she still sees us as kids. Even after reuniting, we’ve been running all over the place and haven’t given them a chance to get to know the people we are now.”
Zhou Qi continued, “If we spend more time with them, maybe one day they’ll come to accept us.”
Tang Yu’an was convinced.
“Alright! Let’s do that!” he said. “We’ll stay in the original world, and then figure out how to go back home!”
The current small city wasn’t their hometown. They still had to return to Southern Town—the place where they grew up.
Then Tang Yu’an mumbled, “What a pity… I thought after talking to Mom and Dad, we could finally kiss…”
“Cough cough—”
Zhou Qi choked immediately, the blush returning to his face even redder than before.
At that moment, a little head popped out from behind the shelf.
“Brother, I want a kiss too!” Tang Yuxin said.
“Shoo, shoo, little kids shouldn’t be asking for kisses!” Tang Yu’an waved his hand.
Tang Yuxin was immediately indignant. “You’re only three years older than me!”
“It’s eight years now,” Tang Yu’an corrected.
“I don’t care! It’s still just three!”
The siblings bickered back and forth, while Zhou Qi on the side… his face was red enough to cook an egg.
So not only Uncle Tang and Auntie Tang… but even Yuxin heard everything they said?
… (//o///o//)
Later, Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi returned to the original world with Tang Yuxin.
They no longer mentioned being in a relationship. But their affection and closeness, and that unique tacit understanding they shared, still revealed itself through every word and action.
Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun… for now, chose not to interfere.
A few days later, the three-person team of Chen Jianjiang finally messaged Tang Sheng—they were preparing to return from their trip to Desolate City Haven.
During these days, the three hadn’t just stayed at the homestead—they had taken the bus to Mount Jufeng and Linhai Town, visiting nearly every reachable area.
They also spoke with the first batch of pregnant women and elderly who had been brought here. Physically and mentally, most of them had fully recovered—just like before the apocalypse.
According to their findings, these people didn’t arrive via teleportation array. They were brought to the road by a divine envoy named Dark Moon, then blessed by another envoy named Twilight, who directed them to take the bus to the settlement.
Yes, due to the strong religious atmosphere in the settlement, Chen Jianjiang and the others had also learned about this organization called the Church of the God of Commerce.
And the Peace Commerce Guild they were familiar with was apparently part of this church.
What shocked them most was that this new settlement didn’t seem to be located on Earth at all, but rather… on another planet.
Whether from the testimonies of the pregnant women and elderly, or from what they gathered from the residents—everything pointed to this conclusion.
It was incredible!
So what exactly was the Church of the God of Commerce?
Did they come from Earth to establish a new home on this planet, or did they discover Earth, and send divine envoys there to develop it?
At that moment, the once down-to-earth “Pillow Man” and “Superstrength Lady” suddenly became shrouded in mystery.
But regardless, based on the Church’s teachings, principles, and the tangible good they had done—Chen Jianjiang and the others found it quite to their liking.
They held no ill will toward the church, though they didn’t plan on joining either.
This wasn’t their country—not even their planet—so what the locals believed in had nothing to do with them.
And while the church’s powers were amazing, they themselves had lived through the apocalypse, seen mutated creatures, and awakened abilities.
Perhaps in the future, when their own nation develops further, their scientists and experts will also be able to research and replicate these methods.
For now, the most important thing was to establish a good relationship with the God of Commerce Church and leverage their power to end the apocalypse in their own world as quickly as possible!
Thus, they documented everything truthfully and then returned to Earth with this invaluable information.
“Golden Radiance Divine Envoy, does the God of Commerce truly exist?”
Before leaving the grocery store in the north of the city, Chen Jianjiang asked Tang Sheng.
Zhou Qi had already prepared an answer for Tang Sheng.
“If you believe, then it exists. If you don’t, then it doesn’t,” he said. “But whether you believe in the God of Commerce or not, the doctrine of our church remains unchanged.”
“To make the world prosperous and strong, to promote thriving commerce and trade, and to ensure there is no famine or starvation—that is our pursuit.”
Chen Jianjiang couldn’t help but smile.
“Believe me, that is also what every Chinese person strives for.”
Then he and his group departed.
That same afternoon, the Northern City Refuge brought a selected group of pregnant women to the grocery store, where they exchanged points at the vending machine for teleportation cards, and were then led by Chen Jianjiang to the Desolate City Haven.
Of course, due to the sudden surge in the number of people, the Desolate City Haven wasn’t taking them in entirely for free.
Old Li put forward a condition: in exchange, Chen Jianjiang would have to send another group of… “simple-minded”—no, talented individuals.
Roughly a two-for-one ratio. These talents would need to comply with the Haven’s assignments, but the basics of food and lodging would be covered—they wouldn’t be mistreated.
Honestly, for the Northern Refuge, this wasn’t a burden at all; in fact, it lightened their load.
After all, their tens of thousands of survivors were still surviving on aid, and it would take time to resume production. Even if seeds were planted now, it would be months before any harvest.
Moreover, the Haven didn’t restrict these people’s freedom. After completing daily tasks, they could use the teleportation array to return—
Granted, it required points, but the teleportation fee was inexpensive—just 20 points’ worth of Peace Coins for a round trip. As long as they worked diligently, they could definitely afford it.
And when Chen Jianjiang and his group returned, they discovered an even more astonishing fact:
The two planets had different time flows! They had stayed in Desolate City Haven for a week, but only a little over two days had passed on Earth.
The refuge could absolutely send more surplus laborers—especially those with families—to the other world. This would not only ease the burden on the shelter, but also allow these civilians to enjoy better living conditions and later give back to their families.
Everyone came from the pre-apocalypse world and wasn’t opposed to work. The only issue was that there weren’t enough appropriate positions available.
Given the chance, no one would refuse to go.
So after further negotiation with Old Li, the refuge organized another group—prioritizing those with families. The refuge loaned them funds to buy teleportation cards and sent them to work at the settlement.
Since this group was brought in at Chen Jianjiang’s request, they didn’t receive free food and lodging, but were treated like regular residents.
Even so, compared to locals from the wasteland, these newcomers—despite lacking supernatural powers and having slightly weaker stamina due to long-term malnutrition—were much more competitive.
They were diligent, resilient, and educated, offering valuable insights for the Home’s development.
And with the settlement growing rapidly, it could absorb as many new people as needed.
Besides Desolate City Haven, places like Jufeng Mountain, Lin Hai Town, Grassland Ranch, Flame Dragon Settlement, Red Bee Town, and Purple Sky Fortress could all create countless job opportunities—there was no shortage of work.
Even Lanhu Town’s exchange team had grown from a few dozen people to several hundred—yet still, it wasn’t enough!
As for Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi, while they spent most of their time with their parents, they still occasionally left.
Due to the time difference between dimensions, the domestic robots from the other world quickly finished making the new batch of Purple Thousand-Layer powder in just a few days.
When Zhou Qi returned with the powder, he brought back even better news:
The Northern Refuge had made contact with the outside world!
This was thanks to the equipment Tang Yu’an had given them—acquired through trade from Kosona’s dimension.
Just as they had speculated, their country hadn’t completely fallen. It was just that many meteorites had landed in China, leaving numerous severely devastated areas, so the recovery was slow.
Moreover, two or three months ago, the mutant species began another reproductive cycle, devastating even the areas that had already been reclaimed.
Even so, the nation had never given up.
Once contact was reestablished, the highest commander of the Northern Refuge, Liang Jin, personally traveled south to meet Tang Sheng and his wife.
They hoped to purchase aircraft and more Purple Thousand-Layer powder to rendezvous with the national rescue team and deliver the precious powder to them.
Tang Sheng and his wife didn’t immediately agree—they first consulted Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi via the message board.
[Message Board – Family Channel]
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: No problem, I’ll give them ten aircraft!
[Pillow Superhero]: They probably can’t afford them?
[Handsome Zhou]: Uncle Tang, have them sign a technical talent agreement. Since they’ve connected with the nation, that agreement will now have official backing.
They’re not lacking in resources anymore—the real shortage is technical talent.
Although the settlement is thriving, basic water and power infrastructure isn’t even built yet, let alone communication networks.
Rather than sourcing from high-tech dimensions like Kosona’s—where the gap is too wide for wastelanders to catch up—why not bring in people from their original world, whose tech level is just right?
Tang Sheng followed Tang Yu’an and Zhou Qi’s suggestion and relayed it to Liang Jin.
He had only been a small shop owner and didn’t know much, so he didn’t dare say too much in front of Liang Jin.
But since he wore a mask and carried the identity of an alien divine envoy—and casually offered ten advanced aircraft—he appeared even more unfathomable in Liang Jin’s eyes.
Before they came, they had hoped to merely buy the same kind of aircraft Tang Sheng and his wife had flown.
Both sides were very satisfied with the deal.
However, Liang Jin had another request.
“You want to build a teleportation array outside?” Tang Sheng looked puzzled. “At the moment, I’m the only one who can do that.”
It wasn’t that he was unwilling to go, but the journey was long—what if his identity was exposed? He couldn’t just wear a mask forever without eating or drinking, right?
[Message Board – Family Channel]
[Superstrength Heroine]: What if we use a magical tent?
While the tent itself can’t move with someone inside, the vehicle carrying the tent can be moved without issue.
Tang Sheng could stay inside the magic tent. He only needs to come out when necessary, which would preserve his mysterious identity.
After all, this team is going to be traveling a long way—even with the Purple Thousand-Layer powder, there’s still danger. It’s best they have an escort.
[Handsome Zhou]: Uncle Tang, I’ll go with you.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: I’ll go too!
[Handsome Zhou]: You stay here and keep Auntie company.
[Eastern Sweet Tang]: Fine then…
Watching their conversation, Tang Xueyun, who was wearing a mask, couldn’t help but curve her lips slightly into a smile, but it quickly faded into a trace of melancholy.
She had to admit, Xiao Qi was indeed very clever—no wonder An’an liked him.
But… could she really accept them being together?
While Tang Xueyun was lost in thought, Tang Sheng had already finished discussing the plan with Liang Jin. They would set out the next day, carrying the spark of hope to reach more people.
Liang Jin’s team took the ten aircrafts and, overnight, coated them with paint mixed with Zi Qiancheng powder to prevent parasitic infection by the mutated creatures.
By the next day, when they came to pick up Tang Sheng, they noticed a new figure standing beside him.
Judging by the mask color, it was likely the Dark Moon divine envoy.
After exchanging greetings, everyone boarded the aircraft. Liang Jin had originally hoped to use the trip as an opportunity to learn more about alien knowledge from the two divine envoys, but then…
As soon as they entered the cabin, the two took out a simple-looking tent and set it up in a corner. After nodding politely to the others, they both entered the magical tent.
The tent didn’t look big enough to fit two people…
Once the aircraft was in the air, a curious soldier quietly approached the tent and peeked inside—only to find it completely empty!
He hurriedly reported it to Liang Jin.
Liang Jin was puzzled and circled the tent a few times before shaking his head. “They probably teleported out, right?”
After all, they had mastered teleportation arrays. It wouldn’t be strange if they could teleport directly from inside a tent.
Sure enough, around noon, the golden-masked divine envoy emerged from the tent carrying a bag of steaming buns and offered them to the group.
He sat in the cabin for a while and then returned to the tent.
Another soldier secretly peeked in again—only to find the divine envoy had vanished once more.
What a mysterious power!
But soon, Liang Jin and his people no longer had time to dwell on the mysterious divine envoys because…
“Commander! A settlement has been spotted below!”
They hadn’t even been traveling for a full day when they discovered a new settlement—likely a civilian militia that had been desperately resisting.
“Commander, should we go down and rescue them?”
Looking into the hopeful eyes of his soldiers, Liang Jin frowned. But before he could make a decision, the quiet tent in the corner stirred.
The golden and dark-masked envoys stepped out.
“Go down,” said the youth in the black mask. “Even saving one is worth it.”
“Can you set up a teleportation array here?”
“I can.”
Liang Jin was pleasantly surprised. That meant they could transfer people to the small city and wouldn’t have to leave many behind to guard the site.
Just as he was about to prepare some Zi Qiancheng powder, the youth’s cold voice interrupted him.
“No need for all that trouble,” he said. “Open the hatch.”
Liang Jin was confused but still ordered the hatch to be opened. Then, to everyone’s astonishment, the youth in the black mask stepped right out of the aircraft.
“Commander, he’s flying!”
What followed was a massacre witnessed from mid-air—
A single human, unleashing dazzling and overwhelming power, slaying thousands upon thousands of mutated beasts.
Even the battle-hardened Liang Jin swallowed hard as he watched that tiny figure, like an ant from afar, wield such divine force.
Could a human really do this?
At this point, calling him a god… didn’t seem so far-fetched.
Everyone’s gaze shifted to the other divine envoy still in the cabin. He wore a black mask with yellow patterns and stood quietly, exuding an unspeakable pressure.
Sweating bullets, Tang Sheng deeply regretted joining this mission.
What are you all looking at? He couldn’t fly!
Keep staring, and the only thing he could take out… was a pillow to lie down!
Meanwhile, back at the grocery store in the southern part of the city, Tang Yu’an noticed that they had stopped moving.
Looking at the light dots on the map, it was easy to tell what they were doing.
“Looks like Dad and Brother Qi won’t be back anytime soon,” he said.
They were likely encountering more survivors along the way. With frequent stops, the journey would definitely take a while.
Tang Xueyun just shrugged and continued knitting her sweater, while Tang Yuxin quietly did her homework beside her.
Since no one responded, Tang Yu’an picked up the little dog version of Yin Bi and lay bored on the sofa.
Wang Cai lay at his feet. As for Black Pearl and Yuan Bao, they had run off to other dimensions to play again. The little phoenix, Ruby, perched on the windowsill, preening her feathers.
Tang Yu’an slowly drifted off to sleep, enjoying the peace of the moment.
At dinner, he suddenly remembered something and asked, “Mom, do we have any other relatives?”
Tang Xueyun was taken aback.
Of course, they had relatives. But after her parents passed away, they hadn’t kept much contact.
“You want to find them?”
Tang Yu’an nodded. “Can’t the Dream Drifting Bottles take you to the dreams of your closest blood relatives?”
Now that Dad, Mom, and his sister had all been recruited as employees, they could no longer receive bottles. But what about his other relatives?
Could they still receive them?
Hearing his idea, Tang Xueyun was surprised.
“If we can locate them, we could go find them directly. Not only could we save them, but we’d also get back to the town sooner.”
During their chaotic escape, both Tang Sheng and Tang Xueyun had lost their bearings and no longer knew where their hometown was or how to return.
Even though the northern shelter had reestablished contact with the outside world, since they had to hide their identities, they couldn’t ask them for help searching.
If any relatives had survived in their old hometown…
Tang Xueyun’s heart skipped a beat. She took a deep breath and nodded, “Let’s give it a try.”
“Okay! After dinner then!” Tang Yu’an grinned happily.
Tang Xueyun looked at him and smiled warmly.
That evening, the three of them used the teleportation array to reach the RV and then returned to the main grocery store through the driver’s door.
The RV’s compartment had been converted into an interdimensional teleportation chamber, and people used it constantly during the day, which was a bit inconvenient.
Tang Yu’an couldn’t help asking the system, “Is there a way to link the interdimensional teleportation array to a branch store?”
[Host must level up.]
Well, guess that’s for a future upgrade.
Tang Yu’an temporarily let it go, then went up to the attic with Tang Xueyun and tossed three unused drifting bottles into the Dream Sea.
Watching the bottles float and bob on the dream sea, he couldn’t help but wonder—would all three bottles reach the same person, or would they end up in different hands?
