Chapter 50 — A New Job
Those jewel-like items found in the heads of stronger and faster zombies were named crystal cores. Rumors spread that they could enhance an ability user’s power. After military tests with volunteers, it was confirmed that these cores could indeed replenish the mental energy consumed by using abilities.
However, whether these cores had side effects, other unknown properties, or if overuse could cause people to lose their sanity and turn into zombies—none of that was clear yet. Scientists and experts at the base’s research division were working intensively to study them.
For now, the mission of soldiers deployed outside was simple: whenever they encountered zombies that might contain crystal cores, they were to eliminate them immediately and bring back the cores.
“Sir! Two of the privately-owned vehicles that joined the convoy later have broken down!”
Without changing his expression, the commander gave his order: “Leave one maintenance vehicle. The rest, keep moving.”
Their convoy was massive, attracting countless zombies by scent along the way—they had to hurry back to the Southwest Base. Among them were many rescued key personnel, and they carried back two crucial pieces of intelligence:
One, the three destroyed bases fell because their water sources were contaminated by the zombie virus. Two, The number of zombies with crystal cores in their heads had skyrocketed—as if overnight, the slow-moving ordinary zombies had nearly vanished. From now on, humanity would be facing evolved, high-level zombies.
***
An entire day passed, and all the tiles were now solidly fixed in place—firm and flawless.
Luo Xun looked around the two rooms in satisfaction and nodded approvingly before pointing at the ceiling with enthusiasm, “Ceiling panels—let’s install them!”
“How are we supposed to do that?”
Li Tie and the others gathered around the renovation manual they had scavenged from a construction market. Thanks to this guide, they’d already managed to finish three apartments’ walls and two floors in just a short time.
After studying the steps, they first tried it in the kitchen. Once it worked, everyone cheered and split up their tasks: Luo Xun and Yan Fei went to handle the bathroom ceiling, He Qiankun helped Zhang Su with tiling, while Li Tie’s group of four split into two teams to work on Room 1601’s ceiling.
Fortunately, Luo Xun had prepared plenty of spare materials—enough leftover tiles from the two units to cover Zhang Su’s bathroom. The kitchen could be patched up later with plaster and paint.
Yan Fei didn’t leave Luo Xun to help the others; partly because he didn’t like being apart from him, but also because he’d overused his powers yesterday morning and had to rest the entire afternoon. He planned to help with windows later in the evening when he could sleep right after.
Helping with those two apartments’ windows had another important benefit—it gave Yan Fei a chance to train his metal ability. Working with metal daily like modeling clay was boring, but using it for something practical like construction was far more fulfilling.
And besides, this helped strengthen relationships with the neighbors and improve their own security. A win-win situation.
Li Tie’s group would soon be earning a stable income working with the base’s technical department, while Zhang Su—being a medical talent—would also have access to decent resources. Helping them now could pay off later in many ways, and it wasn’t a bad deal for Yan Fei at all.
Yan Fei had calculated everything meticulously. Luo Xun didn’t fully understand why he was so willing to help, but when it came to safety, Luo Xun was the most cautious person alive. If their neighbors’ homes were secure, their own safety level increased too.
With a metal ability user, Luo Xun didn’t even have to hammer nails himself. Yan Fei could simply wave his hand and fuse the boards at the seams. Within half a day, the bathroom ceilings were completed—faster even than Li Tie’s group.
Just as they finished, they heard noise in the hallway. Stepping out, they saw Lieutenant Ding standing behind the metal barrier, tapping the grid curiously.
When he saw them, he exclaimed, “You guys made this?!” Yesterday there had been solid steel plates blocking the doors—now it was half-solid, half-mesh, and each “bar” was thick enough to resist even a steel saw.
He Qiankun scratched his head sheepishly, glancing toward Yan Fei.
Not just him—everyone else subconsciously looked at Yan Fei too.
Luo Xun sighed silently. These kids were good-hearted but far too honest.
Yan Fei, having already confirmed that the base didn’t discriminate against ability users and that he wasn’t the only metal-type around, didn’t bother hiding his power. He walked up to the door, pressed his hand against it—and instantly, the metal melted open into a man-sized passage.
“A metal-type ability user!” Lieutenant Ding was startled, then quickly understood. No wonder these people used solid iron to barricade their doors. It was actually a brilliant defense measure.
Smiling, he looked Yan Fei up and down. Previously, they had assumed there were only strength or elemental users here—now that there was a metal user, it made sense why they had placed the volatile Zhang Su in this building. With someone like Yan Fei around, even if Zhang Su lost control, someone could restrain him. Hopefully… without casualties.
“I’m here to notify you,” Lieutenant Ding said, turning to Li Tie’s group. “Tomorrow morning, the base will begin constructing the communication network. We’re trying to establish internal data links to support future operations. You five need to report to the military camp at 8 a.m. sharp.”
He handed them a printed notice. They were lucky—since not all the top experts had arrived from the Southwest Base yet, they’d been given this early opportunity. If they could get the hang of it before more experienced technicians came, their jobs would be secure.
Then Lieutenant Ding turned back to Yan Fei, “You’re a metal-type, right? The base urgently needs people to help build the perimeter walls. You’ve seen the situation outside—the outer wall was built by metal users, but we don’t have enough of them. We need people like you!”
Yan Fei’s scalp prickled—being “needed” never felt so stressful.
Fortunately, after getting a good look at Yan Fei’s dangerously attractive face, Lieutenant Ding instinctively decided he was as difficult to handle as Zhang Su—beautiful people were always trouble, after all. He quickly added, “Don’t worry, your pay will be much higher than usual. You’ll also get some extra benefits—you can even make requests, and we’ll try to accommodate them.”
Luo Xun’s eyes lit up. “Aside from points, could we get metal materials as part of the reward? Preferably stainless steel or high-purity copper.”
Lieutenant Ding blinked. He remembered Luo Xun was Yan Fei’s ‘cousin,’ so he had authority to ask. After thinking a moment, he said, “I can apply for that. It’s true the base’s metal stock is tight right now because of construction, but giving out a small amount of purified metal shouldn’t be a problem.”
Yan Fei suddenly added, “If metal is in short supply, I’ll take those things from the mutated zombies instead—the ones with enhanced speed and strength.”
“Things inside zombie heads?” Lieutenant Ding frowned, surprised. He hadn’t personally seen them, but he’d heard of the so-called “evolved zombies.” Could it be those crystal cores? “That will also need approval, but I’ll try to request it.”
Usually, workers asked for blankets, coal, or cooking pots—not… zombie brain crystals.
Before leaving, Lieutenant Ding smiled and gestured at the door. “By the way, when I came up, I almost thought your entrance had turned into a birdcage.”
“Birdcage…” Everyone’s mouths twitched.
Han Li raised a hand sheepishly. “It used to be all bars, but Brother Luo said it looked like a prison, so Yan-ge changed it. Uh… now it’s a birdcage.”
So their great metal door had evolved—from solid steel plate, to prison bars, to a birdcage.
Lieutenant Ding didn’t stay long. After confirming everyone on the floor was alive and healthy—and that they’d found a new ability user who could contribute to base construction—he left in high spirits.
He hadn’t needed to visit in person, but since they’d just housed a “time bomb” like Zhang Su here, he came to make sure things were safe. Not only were they fine, but he’d even discovered a new metal user. Two birds with one stone!
Before going, he reminded everyone, “Don’t just reinforce the doors—remember to close your windows, especially when you’re out working. There’ve already been dozens of burglaries in the base. We’re short on manpower to handle it, so stay alert.”
It wasn’t just simple burglary — the base had also seen a number of missing-person cases and even murders with bodies dumped, but due to a severe manpower shortage and the overly complex mix of residents, there was no way to properly investigate everything for now.
Wu Xin shuddered, repeating in disbelief, “Dozens of households?”
They could understand if it were just a dozen, but dozens? The base wasn’t even that big yet!
Lieutenant Ding gave a weary smile. “Those of us still on duty try to patrol as often as possible. If anything happens, just shout for help. Even loud yelling is fine. Alright, I’ll get going.”
After Yan Fei restored the door, he turned to Li Tie and the others. “Let’s finish your window protections first.”
They were starting work tomorrow, and their apartments contained plenty of valuable supplies, so naturally, they were the priority. As for Zhang Su, he was strong enough to handle himself — and since he’d be resting at home for a while, there was no rush.
Having gained experience from the day before, Yan Fei’s work on the protective railings went much faster today. Luo Xun’s apartment faced three sides outward and had a small second floor, requiring metal barriers on three exterior walls. Li Tie’s unit, however, had windows on only two sides — far easier than what they’d done in 1603 and 1604.
When the windows were done, Yan Fei still had plenty of mental energy left. He decided to transform the solid iron sheets blocking the elevator and stairway into real gates. Once finished, these gates would make loud clanging noises whenever opened — serving as a warning if anyone came upstairs. Only then did he feel satisfied.
Luo Xun helped the exhausted Yan Fei back to their room, guided him onto the sofa, and helped him take off his shoes. Then, remembering Lieutenant Ding’s words, he grew worried. “Even though working with the military to build the wall pays well, what if something happens while you’re drained from using your ability? That’s dangerous!”
It was a valid concern. Military ability users always had teams protecting them — but Yan Fei didn’t. He was an external worker. Luo Xun didn’t distrust the soldiers, but in life-or-death moments, people instinctively prioritized protecting themselves and their own.
And Yan Fei wasn’t one of “their own.”
Luo Xun quickly said, “How about… we just don’t go? We have enough food and supplies — I can totally take care of you!”
Yan Fei chuckled, lifting a tired hand to ruffle his hair gently, eyes full of warmth. “I want to go mainly to use up my ability energy every day. Don’t worry — I’ll carry the crossbow with me, and I’ll never drain my power completely.”
Each time he used up all his energy and recovered afterward, he always felt exceptionally refreshed. Although that drained, hollow feeling afterward was unpleasant, the sensation of recovery the next morning was incredible — almost like being beaten up one day and waking up completely healed the next. Oddly satisfying.
…Though describing it that way made it sound vaguely masochistic.
Luo Xun gritted his teeth, then his eyes suddenly lit up. “Then how about I go with you?”
“Huh?”
“I don’t need any pay — but if there’s danger, I can handle ordinary zombies!” Luo Xun’s eyes gleamed with determination. “As long as I bring the crossbow and spiral bolts you made, even upgraded zombies won’t be a problem!”
He wasn’t joking. His marksmanship had been honed through countless city defense battles. With a good weapon and strong enough firepower, he could easily deal with regular zombies, and even level-one or level-two zombies if he had an opening.
This was still only the first year of the apocalypse — most zombies had just evolved to level one. As long as they didn’t get surrounded, he was confident he could protect Yan Fei in small skirmishes.
Of course, much of that confidence came from Yan Fei’s custom-made metal crossbow — far more powerful and lethal than any factory-made one. If they could someday obtain specially treated bolts soaked in enhancement fluid, even level-three zombies might not be impossible targets.
Yan Fei knew Luo Xun wasn’t joking. His aim was deadly accurate. Still, even though they were just going out to build the base’s outer wall… what if something went wrong?
“The apartment still needs time to air out anyway, and our crops don’t need constant watching,” Luo Xun reasoned. “The base knows ability users can’t work too long, so your shifts won’t be as long as the others’. Even if I go with you, it won’t delay much.”
He made a strong argument. After thinking it through, Yan Fei agreed — they’d go together the next morning to see how things were.
After a short nap to recover his mental strength, Yan Fei and Luo Xun had already finished nearly all the necessary work on the adjacent apartments. Once the walls dried, they’d just need to apply a layer or two of plaster and paint before installing the heating pipes — for now, there was nothing urgent left to do.
Li Tie’s group also worked efficiently. After installing the ceiling panels, they used the leftover tiles to finish Zhang Su’s bathroom, even helping build his kitchen sink and stove before heading back, satisfied.
In the afternoon, Yan Fei felt his mental energy recover somewhat and decided to head to Unit 1602 to finish Zhang Su’s windows. Who knew if he’d have enough strength after starting work with the military tomorrow? Securing the first-floor units was a matter of safety — better to do it early.
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