The Reborn Otaku’s Code of Practice for the Apocalypse – CH137

Chapter 137 — New Policy

It wasn’t strange that Captain Wang hadn’t considered that Luo Xun and Yan Fei’s crystal cores had just been freshly obtained. These days, even ability users from the New City rarely went outside the base anymore—so how could Luo Xun’s group possibly bring back so many? In Wang’s view, either they already had a stockpile at home and simply hadn’t brought it all out last time, or they had recently traded some of their own supplies for these cores.

Naturally, the couple didn’t explain the source of their crystals. After completing the exchange, they went downstairs to trade for other necessities—sand-type cores for Xiao Xinran, which they still had to get from their usual exchange window, as well as batteries and gasoline. If they planned to go out again, having backup batteries at home was essential.

After finishing those exchanges, Luo Xun remembered the seeds he had wanted earlier. Last time, things had been rushed and he had forgotten about it.

“Non-mutated barley or oats?” The staff member hesitated before quietly explaining, “It’s not that we won’t trade them—it’s just that… normal seeds aren’t allowed to be sold anymore. We simply don’t have any here.”

This staff member had been specifically instructed by Captain Wang and had worked with them several times before, so he didn’t brush them off.

The two exchanged a surprised glance. “So normal seeds are no longer available for sale?”

The man nodded and lowered his voice. “If you really need them, your best bet is to find someone from the greenhouse planting base—the people responsible for cultivation and seed distribution. Of course, the price will be high. Whether it’s worth it is up to you.”

Yan Fei caught the implication and asked quietly, “Do you know anyone? Don’t worry—we don’t need much. As long as they’re normal seeds that can grow, that’s enough. Price isn’t an issue.”

As he spoke, he slipped the man some points. If they didn’t secure these seeds now and start cultivating them, they might never get another chance in the future.

Sure enough, after receiving the benefit, the man told them to wait. About fifteen minutes later, he returned and led them out of the base through a back exit to a secluded corner, where they met two other people.

The sellers only had barley and oat seeds—twenty seeds per packet. They couldn’t provide more. The price was steep: one packet cost two level-two crystal cores, or two packets for fifty level-one cores.

Luo Xun and Yan Fei exchanged a silent look. After carefully checking the seeds and confirming they seemed fine, Luo Xun took out two level-two cores—originally intended to exchange for Xiao Xinran’s sand-type cores.

Fortunately, they had brought extra today. Otherwise, after trading for metal-type cores, they would have been completely out of stock.

Their planting racks at home weren’t even full yet, so the first thing they did upon returning was place all forty seeds into the nursery to germinate. The sooner they sprouted, the sooner they could harvest—after all, there was no guarantee they would be able to find non-mutated seeds again in the future.

They rested properly for a full day afterward, organizing supplies and processing harvested fruits and vegetables. Early on the morning of December 1st, around eight o’clock, Luo Xun, still half-asleep and heading to the bathroom, noticed his phone flashing. When he opened it, several messages popped up.

“What is it?” Yan Fei propped himself up on one arm and asked.

“It’s about the new policy for leaving the base… and what our team has to submit this month…” Luo Xun’s mouth twitched as he handed the phone over. “Take a look. I’m going to the bathroom.”

After reading it carefully, Yan Fei understood Luo Xun’s reaction. He would have had the same expression.

Their team had never upgraded its level or completed tasks to raise its ranking—mainly because upgrading meant higher monthly requirements, and they were reluctant to part with their crystal cores.

The message they received that morning contained detailed requirements: each team had to either submit materials or complete tasks every month to maintain or upgrade their level. Only the team leader received this information. Other members only got updates about new policies.

Now, teams of five or more could leave the base without taking on any tasks. However, upon returning, everyone had to pay an entry fee of five crystal cores. If they had completed tasks, they would submit them at the newly established task hall instead of at the gate.

There were also announcements about new goods available within the base.

By the time Luo Xun came back from washing up, he was more awake. “Finished reading?”

Yan Fei nodded with a smile. “Yeah. Good thing we didn’t rush to upgrade our team.”

“Our team is still at the lowest F-level,” Luo Xun said, frowning. “And now they’re requiring us to submit either three quilts sized 1.8 by 2 meters, or seven jin of cotton, or forty meters of cloth, or a hundred jin of grain…”

Yan Fei shook his head with a laugh. “If the base really enforces this, I doubt many teams can survive.”

“The only feasible option for us is this one—five hundred level-one cores or ten level-two cores,” Luo Xun said as he sat beside him.

“Let’s gather everyone.”

Li Tie and the others had already gone to work, leaving only the ability users and Luo Xun, the team leader, at home.

After reading the message, Xu Mei and the others all inhaled sharply, their expressions full of anger. “This is outright robbery!”

Five hundred level-one cores plus ten level-two cores—equivalent to over five hundred level-one cores. Was that even something a normal team could afford every month?

And this was just the requirement for the lowest-tier team. No one could imagine how A- or B-level teams were supposed to manage.

“Since we no longer need to register team information to leave the base,” Xu Mei suggested, “should we just disband the team altogether?”

“Probably not.”

The one who spoke wasn’t Luo Xun, but Zhang Su—sitting off to the side, yawning, with faint red marks still visible on his neck, making it obvious just how “hardworking” someone had been the night before.

“Why not?”

Zhang Su pointed downward. “Aside from their place—no, actually, aside from the place we’re all living in—every other unit is registered under the team’s name. If we go cancel the team this morning, I guarantee someone will come collect the property this afternoon.”

Yan Fei nodded as well. “This policy is clearly meant to control, suppress, and weaken the teams. The base must have prepared for this before announcing it. There’s no need for us to clash with them right now. The best approach is to head out tomorrow or the day after, gather as many crystal cores as we can, and set aside enough to cover the cost. Then we can decide whether to pay before the deadline.”

Everyone exchanged looks before slowly nodding. “Seems like that’s the only option.”

“But in this freezing weather, zombies aren’t exactly easy to hunt,” Song Lingling said, frowning. “And if we go out too often, we might end up freezing ourselves instead.”

Xu Mei nodded. “And now that this rule is out, even if people don’t agree with it, more teams will definitely go out hunting. We have to take that into account.”

Luo Xun tapped lightly on the table, thinking. After a moment, he said, “We could try traps.”

“Traps?” everyone echoed.

“Yeah. Set traps in places people don’t usually go—or wouldn’t go at all. We use our abilities together to build them. Then whenever we go out, we check those traps along the way. Of course, there’s a risk of harming passersby… but in winter, when snow covers everything, we might be able to find secluded spots to try.”

He glanced around at everyone. “We’ll still hunt normally, but we’ll also check the traps. Later, we can figure out how to make them less noticeable and safer… though that’s not easy. If they’re too obvious, someone else might take advantage. If they’re too hidden, we might accidentally trap people.”

As for going out within the next couple of days—

“We’re fine with it,” Xu Mei said after exchanging a look with Song Lingling.

Zhang Su lazily waved a hand. “No objections.”

With all the capable members in agreement, there was naturally no opposition when Li Tie and the others returned that evening.

However, they also brought back some fresh news:

“The military sent a bunch of trucks, tanks, and ability users to surround the New City early this morning! Apparently yesterday, some ability users even surrounded the military camp for hours in protest!”

Luo Xun was speechless.

In his previous life, while there had been friction between the military and ability users, it had never escalated to this level. He couldn’t even recall whether the base had changed team requirements back then, but he did remember that by the end of that year, many teams had disappeared.

Maybe the policy had changed back then too—but at that time, he had already withdrawn from combat and turned to farming, completely cut off from ability users. Not knowing was normal.

But one thing was certain—he had never heard of such intense confrontation.

Li Tie and the others went on to describe what they had seen that morning. When they arrived near the military camp, the roads were already under lockdown. After asking around, they learned there had been a conflict between the military and the ability user districts.

Outsiders didn’t know the details, only that there had been trouble the day before as well.

They had to call their superior just to get inside the camp, and only then did they hear more specifics. In short, things had been very tense these past couple of days.

Hearing this, Xu Mei and Song Lingling exchanged glances and smiled wryly. “Looks like we should wait and see how things develop.”

“But we still need to go out soon,” Luo Xun said helplessly. “At least gather more cores, just in case they really come knocking.”

Then he turned to Li Tie and the others. “About how we divide the cores we collect…”

They immediately waved it off. “Those are from your own hunting trips—of course they belong to you.”

Just like how the points and items they earned from work belonged to them.

Since they had started bringing their own meals, their meal cards had become useless. Cleverly, they began renting them out to colleagues with bigger appetites. With the one-card-one-meal rule in place, many people in the military couldn’t eat enough. Some needed extra food, others needed points—so renting cards became common.

This extra income added up.

Luo Xun smiled. “We discussed this earlier. The six of us who go out hunting will still contribute part of what we earn to the team fund. Monthly team expenses will come from there.”

After some discussion, Li Tie and the others agreed to contribute a portion of their earnings as well.

After all, while Luo Xun’s group was stronger, it wouldn’t be right for them to carry the entire team. Besides, Li Tie’s group didn’t spend much anyway—their food was homegrown, and most tools were made by Yan Fei.

“Ugh… I really don’t want to go out,” Luo Xun muttered as he returned home. In this freezing weather, he would much rather stay inside all winter.

But with the new rules, that wasn’t an option anymore.

Still—if they could gather enough cores in one trip to last the entire winter, then they could go back to staying in comfortably.

Luo Xun had already chosen their next destination: somewhere near the eastern part of the base—a bombed-out ruin that no one dared to approach.

Early the next morning, before Li Tie’s group left for work, the entire team gathered again. The house would be left in their care, along with the dog. All supplies had already been prepared.

As for mushroom solution—they had plenty stored. Gasoline had also been replenished recently.

Fortunately, Luo Xun had spent his downtime improving their sleds, solving the issue of electrically heating the water system.

They loaded everything up. This time, they brought two sleds and two vehicles—mainly for transporting fuel, mushroom solution, and weapons.

As they drove toward the gate, they noticed something unusual: there were more people inside the base, but far fewer waiting at the entrance.

After all, each person now had to pay five crystal cores to re-enter. Not everyone could afford that.

In summer, going out meant risking death by zombies. In winter, without proper gear, freezing to death was even more likely.

With this new rule, everyone understood—if it didn’t change, many teams would be forced to disband.

From the base’s perspective, there were benefits: reducing independent team power, reclaiming idle properties, and pushing more people into official work.

The downsides—protests, conflicts, and increased risk-taking—were things they were willing to accept.

In fact, the new system might even increase overall revenue. Previously, teams could minimize losses by grouping together for tasks. Now, every individual paid upon return.

From the base’s point of view, it was a profitable change.

As for the New City—eventually, they would have to yield.

Since registration was no longer required, Luo Xun’s group quickly entered the departure area. There were a few vehicles parked there, but far fewer than usual—and most were heavily modified off-road vehicles.

Compared to them, Luo Xun’s oddly modified car stood out as particularly unusual.

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