My Cherry Will Explode in the Apocalypse – CH68

Chapter 68: Changes at the Base

Both Su Ruizhe and Zhan Yun agreed with the military’s decisions. After all, the base’s existing supplies were limited, and as the number of survivors continued to grow, the burden on the base was increasing as well. If things went on like this, the stored food would be enough to last at most a year or so. The abnormally high temperatures had caused severe drought, making it difficult for crops of any kind to survive. Relying solely on wood-type ability users to stimulate growth with their abilities—producing that small amount of crops each day—was simply nowhere near enough to meet the needs of the entire base.

Encouraging survivors to actively leave the base to kill zombies and search for supplies was currently the best solution.

But how could they get survivors to willingly step outside the base and face those terrifying zombies?

The base’s leadership was not foolish. They understood the principle that haste makes waste. First, they announced the new type of bullet recently developed by the base’s research center, capable of dealing fatal damage to zombies. Then they began expanding the base’s City Guard, no longer requiring prior shooting experience or exceptional physical strength. Priority was given to those who had performed well in base jobs, and women were also recruited.

The City Guard was issued firearms, and after using the new bullets, clearing zombies indeed became much easier. In the past, zombies had to be shot in the head to be killed. People unfamiliar with firearms or with poor aim often had to fire several shots before landing a hit. Now, however, hitting any part of a zombie’s body was enough to cause fatal damage. On average, two or three shots could easily take down a zombie.

Moreover, the base encouraged City Guard members to search for supplies while clearing zombies. Each person only needed to hand over one-tenth of whatever they found to the base, keeping the rest for themselves. This immediately drew even more applicants. The City Guard quickly reached capacity, since firearms and the new bullets were also in short supply and had to be prioritized for the military first.

With the City Guard taking the lead, survivors began to feel tempted as well—especially ability users. They spontaneously formed small teams and, like the City Guard, went out of the city to search for supplies. There were quite a few small cities near the Southern Base, and making a trip usually yielded some gains.

However, most survivors were still taking a wait-and-see approach. The outside world was simply too dangerous. Without guns or abilities, getting injured would spell disaster.

At this point, the base announced the research center’s findings that “certain trace elements found in plants can help those scratched by zombies resist mutation and increase the likelihood of awakening abilities,” and opened exchanges for certain special medicines. In reality, these “special medicines” were just concentrated fruit juice. Exchanging for a small bottle cost only two work points. The price wasn’t expensive, considering how difficult it was to find fresh fruits and vegetables under the current weather conditions.

Later on, the number of ability users in the base really did begin to increase gradually. This both strengthened the base and greatly alleviated the shortage of supplies.

Zhan Yun and his group also went out of the city every day, though not to collect supplies. Instead, they went to use their abilities more often and hone their combat skills. Whenever the base encountered particularly difficult missions, they were always willing to lend a hand. In return, the base never treated them unfairly. The relationship was mutually beneficial and very harmonious.

Gradually, people began setting up stalls along the main street in the center of the base. When going out on scavenging runs, the amount of supplies that could be found was unpredictable. Sometimes, things they themselves didn’t need might be useful to others. Once buyer and seller agreed on a price, they could trade directly, which was very convenient.

With the appearance of these street stalls, the base slowly became livelier. Trade drove development, and since this was beneficial to the base, the higher-ups were naturally happy to see it. They simply designated an area as a free-trade zone, where people could exchange whatever they wanted. An enforcement team was assigned to patrol the area, so no one dared to cause trouble there.

The vacuum cleaner that Zheng Jiahe had been longing for was picked up while wandering around the trading zone, bought from a stall for just five work points.

The stall owner was a slightly chubby middle-aged man named Qian Fugui. Just like his name suggested, he really was good at doing business. He was even willing to spend work points at the administration center to get a card reader, which was far more convenient than bartering with physical goods. In the entire trading zone, his stall was the only one that accepted work-point card transactions. Many familiar stall owners would come to borrow his machine, naturally giving him a little something in return. As a result, his stall was the largest and did the best business in the whole area.

Qian Fugui not only sold things, he also bought them—anything he thought might be useful.

When Su Ruizhe noticed that there were even some children’s toys at the stall, he thought of buying some for Yu Dongdong and casually picked out a few items. While paying, he happened to see that inside the drawer of a battered old desk—who knew where Qian Fugui had scavenged it from—there were more than a dozen low-grade crystal cores.

“Boss, where did you get these?” Su Ruizhe asked.

Qian Fugui was very good at reading people. Su Ruizhe and the others were clean, with complexions and spirits far better than most. When buying the vacuum cleaner earlier, they hadn’t even tried to haggle. He was certain these people were anything but ordinary, and he was more than happy to build a good relationship with them. So he answered honestly, “I got these from the City Guard. They picked them out of zombies’ heads while clearing them out. They didn’t know what they were for, so they sold them to me.”

“You’re willing to buy something you don’t even know the use of?” Su Ruizhe raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Heh heh, I’ve watched some doomsday movies and read novels too. Stuff that comes out of zombies’ heads—who knows, it might come in handy someday,” Qian Fugui said with a grin.

“Aren’t you afraid of losing money?”

“Of course I am!” Qian Fugui said, opening another drawer. Inside were gold, jade, diamonds, and other jewelry. “Back then I thought gold would be hard currency, so I stocked up on some. Who knew it’d all end up stuck in my hands? Now this stuff can’t even be traded for a loaf of bread.”

“Who says so? I’m willing to trade!” Cheng Jiao squeezed over, her eyes sparkling as she rummaged through the pile, then picked out a glittering diamond necklace. “How many work points are you willing to sell it for?”

Qian Fugui rubbed his hands together and ventured, “Two work points?”

Cheng Jiao laughed, immediately handing over her identity card, and even urged Wu Jing to pick something as well.

Wu Jing was actually tempted too. No girl disliked jewelry, and Qian Fugui’s pieces were all quite nice—so eye-catching it was hard to look away. Before the apocalypse, you wouldn’t be able to buy items like these without spending tens of thousands. Now, a few packs of biscuits or a couple of steamed buns could get you one.

“If you like it, take it. Use my card.” Zhang Shuoliang looked quiet and reserved, but he wasn’t foolish at all. Seeing his girlfriend interested, he immediately pulled out his identity card, drawing envious looks from many of the women around them.

Wu Jing smiled sweetly and chose a jade bracelet and a rose-gold necklace, spending only three work points.

Qian Fugui hadn’t expected that what he thought was unsellable stock could actually be sold. Naturally, he was overjoyed.

Among the jewelry was also a diamond ring with a very large stone. Unfortunately, Wu Jing’s fingers were a bit thick and she couldn’t wear it. With no jewelry store around to resize it, she could only put it back reluctantly.

Zhang Shuoliang took note of this. After leaving with the others, he returned alone and quietly asked Qian Fugui, “Boss, do you have any other rings?”

“Not right now, but I can get them!” Qian Fugui replied with a grin. “If you want one, once I get it, I can reserve it for you.” He had already figured out that this man and the pretty girl were a couple and that he wanted to buy a ring to please his girlfriend.

Although he didn’t have stock on hand, he was familiar with the City Guard. Asking them to keep an eye out for jewelry stores while scavenging and bring back a few rings wouldn’t be too difficult.

“Alright. I’ll transfer ten work points as a deposit. Once you find it, I’ll give you another ten,” Zhang Shuoliang said. He and Wu Jing had originally planned to return to their hometown to get married at the end of the year, but the sudden arrival of the apocalypse had ruined those plans. Before the end of the world, Zhang Shuoliang was just a fitness trainer with a modest income. They had been saving all their money for the wedding, so they didn’t even have a proper wedding ring. Now that the wedding couldn’t happen, at least they could buy the rings. He was sure Wu Jing would like it.

“Good, good, good!” Qian Fugui beamed so widely his teeth were almost falling out. Customers like Zhang Shuoliang were top-tier. He took out a small notebook and carefully recorded the finger sizes and preferred styles for both Zhang Shuoliang and Wu Jing. With so many work points involved, it was more than enough to have the City Guard boys make a special trip.

“We live at this address. Once the items arrive, just drop a note into the mailbox at the entrance,” Zhang Shuoliang added. With the base’s power supply now stable, the elevators were working normally again, and many City Guard members had moved into the mid-rise buildings as well. However, since everyone was often out on missions, the building doors were usually locked, so leaving a note in the mailbox was the easiest way to notify them.

“Alright, alright!” Qian Fugui agreed immediately.

No sooner had Zhang Shuoliang left than Zhan Yun came by as well. He wanted rings too—men’s matching rings this time—and he also paid a deposit. When Wu Jing had been trying on rings earlier, he had seen it and decided he wanted to buy a pair for his own beloved as well.

Landing two big deals in a row, Qian Fugui was ecstatic. Without wasting any time, he immediately went to find his contacts in the City Guard.

Qian Fugui was indeed efficient. After about five or six days, a note was delivered, informing Zhang Shuoliang and Zhan Yun that the items they wanted had arrived.

The two men collected the rings and brought them back to give to their loved ones. Wu Jing clung to Zhang Shuoliang, crying and laughing at the same time. Su Ruizhe didn’t cry, but his eyes were red as well. The two couples were so sweet and affectionate that they made everyone else green with envy, and the single members of the team all complained that life was unbearable.

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