The Max-Level Boss Just Wants to Be a Slacker [Apocalypse] – CH21

Chapter 21: Shanhe Base

With these seeds, they now had an additional reserve of food.

Because Cheng Cheng had joined them, everyone in the group lived much better during the rest of the journey.

After his ability recovered, he could stimulate the growth of quite a lot of fruits and vegetables every day. If the others wanted some, they could exchange supplies with him.

After more than ten days like this, they finally reached their destination—the Shanhe Base. Some people were so overjoyed they even burst into tears.

The Shanhe Base was now considered one of the larger bases established after the apocalypse, housing many human survivors.

Before entering the base, everyone had to undergo careful inspection to make sure they didn’t have any wounds from zombie bites. After that, they would be quarantined for half a day before being allowed inside.

But those rules were meant for ordinary people.

Here, the treatment of ability users and ordinary people was very different. There were two lines to enter the base: one for regular people and one for ability users.

Just by looking at the attitudes of the staff receiving them, the difference was obvious.

Mo Xiu’s group had nearly twenty people, which counted as a fairly large team, so everyone lined up as instructed by the staff.

Looking around at the surroundings—both unfamiliar and strangely familiar—Mo Xiu felt no sense of nostalgia.

In his previous life, it was here that he lost his life.

Although in this life he only wanted to live comfortably like a carefree slacker, some people still had debts to pay.

Without deliberately hiding his strength, Mo Xiu directly chose the ability users’ entrance. On one hand, there were too many people in his group to hide it anyway.

On the other hand, the status of an ability user would make life much more convenient for him and Mo Qi here.

Cheng Cheng, Lu Pingwan, and the previously unnoticed earth-type ability user from their team followed behind him.

When the inspectors at the gate realized that four people in this group of survivors actually possessed abilities, their attitude became even more respectful.

They carefully asked about their powers. When they learned that Mo Xiu possessed both lightning and wind abilities, the way they looked at him immediately changed.

Ability users were already rare. Those with dual abilities were even rarer.

Earth and water abilities were common enough, but Mo Xiu’s highly offensive lightning ability—and Cheng Cheng’s rare and extremely useful plant ability—were enough to attract serious attention.

The staff member immediately reported their situation upward. Soon, several important figures from the base hurried toward the entrance.

Compared to ordinary people, the number of ability users was extremely small, so Mo Xiu’s group finished their inspection quickly. They didn’t even need to undergo the half-day quarantine before being allowed to leave.

However, Mo Xiu didn’t leave. Together with Lu Pingwan and Cheng Cheng, he waited for Mo Qi to come out.

When someone approached, the young man casually glanced over—and realized he actually recognized the leader.

The man was named Feng Wenkang, the person responsible for managing and arranging new arrivals at the base.

Feng Wenkang was a middle-aged man in his forties who always wore a Zhongshan suit and had no abilities.

It was said that he could hold such an important position in the base because he had been very tactful at the beginning and had contributed a large stockpile of supplies.

Although he tended to judge people based on their status and could be somewhat snobbish, he hadn’t actually done anything truly malicious.

At least in Mo Xiu’s previous life, when he had been framed by others, this man hadn’t kicked him while he was down. So there was no personal enmity between them.

“Welcome. I didn’t expect our base to gain several more ability users all at once. Are you all together?” Feng Wenkang asked with a smiling squint.

Mo Xiu understood his meaning. If they were together, the base would prioritize them and arrange housing close to one another.

So Mo Xiu nodded, pointing to Lu Pingwan and Cheng Cheng to indicate they were in the same group. Then his gaze returned to Mo Qi inside the quarantine room.

Feng Wenkang knew very well that with Mo Xiu’s abilities, he would surely become someone that various factions would try to recruit in the future. Building a good relationship early would definitely be beneficial.

Seeing who Mo Xiu was waiting for, he said a few words to one of the staff. Soon after, Mo Qi was brought out.

“He’s already been checked. There are no new wounds on him. He can leave with you now.”

After that, Feng Wenkang personally led them to the residence the base had arranged for them.

It was a comfortable apartment located near the central area of the base, with two units per floor.

The apartment was spacious and well-furnished. Even in normal times, it would have been considered a good place to live.

In his previous life, Mo Xiu had also been arranged to live in such an apartment at first. But back then, the people in his team had clung to him and drained him, and he hadn’t known how to refuse them.

In order to take care of them, he had lowered his own living standards so they could live more comfortably.

Looking back now, all that kindness had truly been wasted.

Mo Xiu and Mo Qi naturally lived together. Since each apartment had multiple rooms, Cheng Cheng and Lu Pingwan also stayed together for mutual support and safety.

The two units were directly across from each other, making it convenient if anything happened.

Seeing that Mo Xiu and the others were satisfied with the residence, Feng Wenkang said a few polite words, told them they could come to him if they needed anything, and then left.

Mo Xiu understood that Feng Wenkang had only been sent to probe their situation. After some time, once their strength was assessed, someone would surely come to recruit them.

The credit system in Shanhe Base was not yet fully established, so most transactions still relied on barter.

Since it was still early, the four of them went out together to exchange for some daily necessities.

However, Mo Xiu hadn’t expected fate to be so ironic.

Not long after they entered the trading market, he saw several of the enemies who had hunted him in his previous life.

Xu Liang—the second-in-command of Shanhe Base—wore rimless glasses and had a gentle, smiling appearance. He possessed a fire-type ability.

Along with him were his two lackeys, Ren Zha and Bian Tai.

Xu Liang’s fire ability was highly offensive, and at this stage his level was probably already approaching Level Three.

The other two weren’t strong—both were only Level One ability users—but because they served under Xu Liang, they often threw their weight around.

Unfortunately, Mo Xiu’s own strength had not yet recovered to the peak level of his previous life. For now, he couldn’t act rashly.

In his previous life, it was only after spending some time in Shanhe Base and encountering a series of fortunate opportunities that his power had risen rapidly until he eventually became the strongest ability user in the base.

So with his current strength, he still couldn’t deal with Xu Liang.

But the other trash…

His gaze subtly swept toward Ren Zha and Bian Tai.

In his previous life, both of them had been among those who hunted him down.

Especially Ren Zha.

His ability enhanced the five senses—essentially granting him abilities like clairvoyance and super hearing, perfect for tracking.

Once his power leveled up, it became an incredible tool for pursuit, and it had caused Mo Xiu no small amount of suffering back then.

Just as he was thinking about it, Mo Xiu suddenly felt Xu Liang’s gaze sweep toward him in the distance.

Fortunately, he reacted quickly and immediately hid behind a nearby large tree.

Ren Zha and Bian Tai noticed Xu Liang frowning while staring in a certain direction. Curious, they looked over as well but saw nothing.

“Brother Xu, what were you looking at just now?” they asked.

Xu Liang shook his head.

He had felt as if someone had been staring at him, which gave him an uneasy feeling. But when he looked up, there had been nothing there. In the end, he simply assumed he had been overly sensitive.

With those three around, Mo Xiu lost any interest in taking Mo Qi around to explore the market.

After quickly exchanging for the items they needed, he brought everyone back.

Mo Qi paid attention to the new environment and found it different from what he had imagined.

Although there were far more humans here, for some reason the place still gave him a chaotic, unpleasant feeling.

That night, the four of them ate a simple dinner together before separating.

Only Mo Xiu and Mo Qi remained in the room.

After days of traveling and rough living, they finally had the chance to wash up properly.

Putting on clean pajamas, Mo Qi felt much more comfortable.

Since the environment here was relatively safe and the apartment had multiple rooms, Mo Xiu suggested that they could sleep separately. After all, they had shared a bed before only because circumstances forced them to.

But Mo Qi immediately refused.

Was he joking?

If he separated from Mo Xiu, how was he supposed to continue cultivating quickly?

Without this naturally gifted “human furnace,” where would he get such efficient progress?

Seeing the man’s unwilling expression, Mo Xiu finally gave in helplessly.

The two of them fell asleep together in the same bed.

However, Mo Xiu seemed far more silent than usual that night.

Mo Qi, who was extremely perceptive, sensed that something was weighing on his mind and paid closer attention.

Sure enough, in the middle of the night, when everything was quiet, Mo Qi noticed Mo Xiu getting up and quietly leaving.

Although Mo Qi’s movements weren’t very convenient, he still remembered that before coming here, Mo Xiu had told him their purpose in coming to Shanhe Base was to kill several people.

So sneaking out this late at night definitely involved risk.

Thinking this, Mo Qi endured the headache that came with it and extended his spiritual sense, following Mo Xiu just in case.

Just as he had expected, Mo Xiu infiltrated Xu Liang’s territory.

The target he had chosen was Ren Zha—the same man they had encountered in the market earlier that day.

At this stage, Ren Zha’s ability level was still low, so it was unlikely he would detect him.

After spending years in Shanhe Base in his previous life, Mo Xiu was extremely familiar with its terrain and layout. Naturally, he knew exactly where Ren Zha lived.

Unlike Bian Tai, who indulged in nightlife and women, Ren Zha wasn’t interested in lust. He preferred tangible benefits and was far more calculating.

Aside from following Xu Liang, he rarely stayed elsewhere overnight.

That was why Mo Xiu chose to target him first.

The guards here weren’t particularly strict, making Mo Xiu’s operation easy.

He quickly climbed up to the second floor and slipped into Ren Zha’s room through the window.

Then, moving with lightning speed, he drew the dagger at his waist—

—and in a single swift motion, slit the throat of the sleeping man in bed.

Author’s Note:

Mo Xiu: First blood.

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