Chapter 65 – After the Drastic Drop in Food Standards
Luo Xun handed a towel to Yan Fei, who accepted it with a tired nod and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
“We really burned through a lot today,” Luo Xun said, glancing at the nearly flattened crystal-core pouches in the other two ability users’ hands. Each had started the day with seventy crystals—a two-day supply under normal circumstances—but now there were barely any left.
Yan Fei nodded wearily. “Mm. I’m taking a nap this afternoon.”
Even he was reaching his limit. Today’s work required maintaining mental focus for long stretches without rest—far more exhausting than their usual mindless, repetitive labor.
“Yan Fei, I’ve had these pieces loaded onto the truck. Once we get back, we’ll drop them off at your vehicle on the way,” the captain said cheerfully, pointing at several soldiers who were carrying large iron plates and metal rods.
“Alright. Thank you for taking care of that, Captain,” Yan Fei nodded in gratitude.
The captain patted him on the shoulder with a grin. “We’ll be leaving a little later today. Once Team Two arrives, I’ll brief them on how to build the outer wall using this new method. You three can just get on the truck and rest.”
Though there was always a bit of rivalry and comparison between squads, when it came to the safety of ability users, the captain still made sure to explain things clearly.
Knowing full well that both Yan Fei and Luo Xun weren’t the kind to show off—and since they weren’t technically under his command—the captain told them to rest while he stayed behind with another metal-type ability user. When Team Two’s vehicle arrived, he had that ability user explain the new wall-construction technique to their three metal users. Once the handover was complete, he boarded the truck and returned to the inner base camp with his own team.
Team Two appreciated the information and their thoughtfulness, but after about ten minutes of trying the new method, their three metal-type ability users were already struggling.
“This method requires us to stay mentally focused for long periods,” one of them explained to the captain, exhausted. “It uses up at least twice as much power as usual. We’ll burn through our crystal cores before the afternoon’s even over!”
The morning and afternoon teams were different to begin with. The morning team only had two metal users, but both had higher base abilities and worked faster. Because of that, the superiors had assigned them shorter shifts, but they were still expected to produce the same output as the three-person afternoon team—if not, then close.
Naturally, that didn’t sit well with the morning group. Sure, their efficiency was higher, but there were only two of them, and they worked shorter hours. Being forced to achieve the same output as a larger team was frustrating.
Luckily, Yan Fei’s arrival had helped ease that imbalance.
But after he joined, the afternoon team’s overall speed noticeably dropped again. To make up for it, Team Two’s captain extended their work hours slightly. Yan Fei also held back deliberately—if he went all out, the afternoon crew would’ve collapsed trying to keep up.
Still, the new “metal conduction” method of wall construction, which relied heavily on mental strength, was too draining for Team Two’s members to sustain over long periods.
The captain rubbed his temples. “So, what do you think we should do instead?”
The three looked at each other uncertainly before one of them ventured, “Maybe… we should just go back to the original plan? Using ropes to lower people down?”
Before heading out, they had already received instructions from the base suggesting that ability users could be lowered by rope to work on the wall, with vehicles and extra soldiers stationed outside for protection. The base didn’t know that Team One, for safety reasons, had ignored that directive.
The captain hesitated, glancing toward the outside of the wall. One of the ability users stepped forward. “Captain, the area outside the wall was already cleared once this morning. There aren’t many zombies left. And the ones under our section were all taken out by Team One. It shouldn’t be too dangerous if we go down.”
After thinking it over, the captain clenched his jaw and nodded. “Alright. Each of you assign someone to handle the ropes! If anything goes wrong, pull them up immediately. The rest will stay on guard or pass materials down the wall!”
By now, some of the rescue vehicles had already returned, and the zombies near the base gates had been mostly cleared. Lowering people down to work wasn’t much of a risk anymore—and if anything happened, they could haul them up right away and resume once things were safe again.
—
The truck stopped not far from the military camp. Soon after, a smaller, battered van pulled up beside it. A few soldiers got out, carried some metal plates over, loaded them onto the van, and then drove it back to a nearby parking area. A short while later, two young men climbed back into the truck to return to the camp.
After exchanging a few words with the captain and the others, Luo Xun and Yan Fei headed toward Canteen No. 4—Canteen No. 3 was always packed, and since they’d come back late and been delayed on the road, there probably wasn’t much food left there. Canteen No. 4 at least might still have something decent.
“All done?” Luo Xun asked in a low voice.
Yan Fei nodded and gave a weary smile. “Used up another crystal core. Looks like that nap I wanted this afternoon isn’t happening.” The metal plates were technically base property—the captain had given them to him off the record. Even though the source could be explained, Yan Fei didn’t want unnecessary trouble. So after loading them into the van, he had immediately “plated” the metal onto the truck bed and inner panels—just like he’d done last time after a scavenging trip, embedding metal sheets into the car body to save space, reinforce the vehicle, and have spare material for weapons in an emergency.
When the two of them finally reached Canteen No. 4, they took a quick look around and muttered under their breath. “The dishes don’t look great today… feels like there’s less meat.”
Most of the people eating in the camp canteens were men, and nothing was more popular—or more effective for replenishing strength—than meat. So, for everyone, the measure of a good canteen was simple: the chef’s skill, and how much meat there was.
But after spending three days off for the New Year, the two of them immediately noticed that Canteen No. 4’s menu had changed—the main ingredients were now mostly long-lasting vegetables. It was starting to look more and more like the notoriously stingy Canteen No. 5.
Still, free food was free food.
They each grabbed two dishes and a steamed bun, four different side dishes in total—enough to mix and match for dinner.
As Luo Xun tucked his meal box into his backpack, he muttered quietly, “Do you think the army’s running low on meat too?”
Yan Fei raised an eyebrow slightly. “Could be.” Then he looked up at Luo Xun and asked, “Do you think our base even has pigs, cows, or sheep left?”
Luo Xun was stunned for a moment before frowning. “…That’s hard to say. After all, those things can turn into zombies too…”
Both of them had seen mutated zombie dogs outside the base — and their ferocity was far more terrifying than that of ordinary zombies. Even if the base had once raised some livestock or poultry, it was likely that, faced with such danger, those animals wouldn’t have survived for long…
“I remember that the braised beef we got at Cafeteria No. 3 always tasted exactly the same every time…” Yan Fei slung his backpack over one shoulder. “That stuff is probably pre-apocalypse military canned food, right?”
That would explain why the flavor was identical every time, without the slightest variation.
Realization dawned on Luo Xun, and he patted his head before giving Yan Fei a wry smile. “I think pretty soon we won’t even be able to eat meat in the base anymore — even Cafeteria No. 3. The meat we’ve been eating probably expired long ago.”
Those canned meat rations in military stores could usually last about three years if sealed properly, and even beyond that could still be eaten for another couple of years. The base must have had a reason for being so generous before, but now… perhaps even the military’s own meat supplies were running low.
Yan Fei’s lips curved faintly as he looked toward the depths of the camp. “Don’t you remember? Right before the New Year, a lot of big shots arrived at the base.”
New arrivals always brought new voices — and if those people held any influence, they were bound to affect how the original powers operated.
“We just need to keep an eye on the cafeterias over the next few weeks, and we’ll be able to guess what’s coming.”
Sure enough, their worries soon became reality. First, meat became increasingly scarce in Cafeterias 4 and 5. Before long, even the meals at Cafeteria 3 declined sharply in quality.
What pained them most was that Cafeteria 3’s signature dishes — potstickers, wontons, noodles — began disappearing one by one each day. Even plain white rice became harder to come by; if you arrived a little late, all you could get was one of the base’s giant steamed buns.
At this point, the only thing still reliably available were the instant noodles from the small stalls — flavorless except for the seasoning packets, yet they had become everyone’s go-to option whenever they wanted to “change things up.”
When they got home and discussed it with Li Tie and the others, they found that everyone had noticed the same thing. Even Zhang Su, who was privileged enough to eat at Cafeteria 2, nodded in agreement after hearing them out.
“Cafeteria 2 is the same,” he said. “All the more complicated dishes have been cut, and there’s less meat and oil in everything. But over there, almost no one complains out loud.”
“Why not?” Luo Xun asked.
People who could eat in Cafeteria 2 were all of higher standing in the military. Could it be that their self-discipline was so high they just ignored material shortages?
Zhang Su gave a dry laugh and spread his hands. “Most of the people who eat there are technical staff — doctors like me, scientists, researchers, scholars. Most of them don’t live by physical labor. Even before the apocalypse, they didn’t care much about what they ate or drank. Once they get busy, they forget about food entirely. I heard a few male orderlies complaining about the meals the other day, and when I mentioned it to the chief surgeon I was with, he asked me to confirm — he couldn’t even remember what he’d eaten for lunch.”
Everyone fell silent.
…Was this the difference between mental and physical laborers?
“Also,” Zhang Su continued, wearing that familiar half-smile of his, “there are quite a few young nurses in our department. Most of them barely eat any meat — they’ve been practically vegetarian for years. Who’s going to notice if the meat disappears?”
Before anyone could respond, Wang Duo — who had been sitting beside him serving tea and water all evening — suddenly jolted as if shocked, his face turning red as he stared dreamily at Zhang Su’s profile, looking ready to drool.
“Exactly!” he blurted. “Those women are so annoying — they gossip all day and do nothing else… Ahem, Brother Zhang, you must be tired from work today, right? Let me give you a shoulder massage!”
Luo Xun turned away, raising a hand to block his view. He couldn’t bear to watch anymore. This guy’s dignity score has gone negative, he thought. He’s even more well-trained than our little one at home!
These days, just one raise of Zhang Su’s eyebrow and Wang Duo would instantly know what he wanted — a drink, a towel, a massage…
Yan Fei pretended not to see the fawning “servant and queen” duo in front of them and instead asked quietly, “Tired eyes?”
Luo Xun shook his head, lips twitching. “Why can’t our little one be trained this well?”
Yan Fei glanced at the pair, instantly understanding his meaning. “Because we actually care about ours.”
Li Tie and the others all turned away as well, faces twisted as though suffering from a toothache. They would have loved to throw that shameless guy out right now — weren’t they supposed to be discussing serious business?
“I heard the base is getting ready to start growing crops,” Han Li cut in quickly, trying to protect his eyes from any further damage.
“Yeah, yeah — we heard the cooks talking about it in the cafeteria!” He Qiankun eagerly raised his hand.
“They’re planting in those few plots inside the base?” Luo Xun asked quickly.
Li Tie shook his head. “We’re not sure, we just overheard a bit.”
Rubbing his chin, Luo Xun pondered, “We’ve been busy with the outer wall and saw quite a few survivors arriving lately. If the base only plants crops on those small plots inside… it might not be enough to feed everyone.”
“What else can they do? It’s not like we can go outside to farm, right?” Wu Xin shuddered, turning to look at Li Tie. “If zombies wander near the fields and contaminate the crops, what then? Let’s just grow our own food at home. The weather’s been getting warmer lately anyway!”
“Yeah, in a few more days the house will be completely aired out.” Li Tie’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Luo Xun and Yan Fei. “We’ve saved quite a few points already. We even asked our section head recently — they said they can exchange some metal materials for us!”
Yan Fei smiled and nodded. “Alright, once you get the materials, I’ll lay down the underfloor heating pipes in your room first.”
“And us, and us!” Wang Duo, who had been hanging around Zhang Su like a loyal puppy, suddenly raised his hand and shouted.
“Sure,” Yan Fei replied, glancing at the two. “But you’d better think about what to lay over the pipes. We don’t have enough floorboards for three rooms.”
When they’d gone out scavenging last time, they’d brought back some wooden flooring, but not enough to cover three entire rooms. Setting aside enough for Zhang Su’s bedroom wasn’t an issue, but for everyone else… it definitely wouldn’t be enough.
Wang Duo lowered his head, thinking hard, a little troubled. Zhang Su, however, suddenly asked, “Can we use metal as flooring?”
Luo Xun blinked, glanced at Yan Fei, then said, “That’s not impossible. But we’re worried the metal might carry sound too easily. Still, if there’s nothing else, metal flooring will do.”
Yan Fei rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Using metal should be fine. But if you want better sound insulation, you’ll need to get more of it and make the floor thicker. I’ll also have to check if the steel bars in your wall foundations need reinforcement — we don’t want the weight to be too much.”
After the last time, Yan Fei had gradually collected more metal materials. In the afternoons, when he and Luo Xun had some free time, they would drive around the nearby streets and pick up poorly processed scrap metal from various stalls. By now, they’d already reinforced all the walls around their own apartment. If they could gather even more, they were thinking about strengthening the entire building. After all, it wouldn’t make sense to only reinforce their own apartment and ignore the rest of the structure — if the building ever collapsed, would their top-floor unit really stay intact?
Unfortunately, this kind of good deed — both for others and for themselves — wasn’t something Yan Fei could openly talk about, let alone encourage the neighbors to contribute their own metal. The last thing he wanted was to attract unnecessary attention. So he just kept quietly working, reinforcing walls whenever he could.
Wang Duo immediately patted his chest and promised, but Zhang Su coolly asked, “And where exactly are you getting that much metal?”
Wang Duo froze mid-motion and turned to look at his old classmates and roommates.
Three of the four immediately turned their heads away, leaving only He Qiankun to meet his gaze. He grimaced and said awkwardly, “Uh… you heard when Li-head said he’d try to get us some planks, right? It should be enough for the heating pipes, but any more than that… well, it’s not easy for him to get.”
Besides, they still had to spend a good number of points to exchange for even those materials.
Wang Duo remembered that too, but… did that mean he’d have to trade points himself to get more from outside? He thought about it and decided he’d check how many points he’d saved up later tonight. Good thing meals were still covered by the base — otherwise, he’d never have been able to save anything. He still had a wife to feed, after all. Man, being a family man is tough work…
—
The quality of food continued to worsen as time went by. The only consolation was that — in the army’s cafeterias — there was still some trace of meat left. Cafeteria No. 3, for example, still kept at least one meat dish on the menu each day. The portions were small, and the amount of actual meat in it was minimal, but it was still better than what Cafeterias 4 and 5 served.
Luo Xun and Yan Fei once saw a dish in Cafeteria 4 that was advertised as being “stewed in meat broth.”
Luo Xun was pretty sure that “meat broth” was just the leftover soup from Cafeteria 3’s meat dish.
Compared to the military, ordinary survivors had it even worse. Even if they had points to spend at the exchange counters, they could only buy things like the base’s large steamed buns, pickled vegetables, or canned goods. Fresh produce was no longer available at all.
Still, the base had recently begun plowing up the surrounding farmland to prepare for the first planting of the year. Much of that land had originally been flower fields, but now all those flowers had been ripped out by the roots and replaced with crops — when food was running out, who still had the luxury to grow flowers?
Privately, many people were also trading in seeds of various plants. Back when the apocalypse had first begun, some people had picked up packets of seeds from farmers’ markets and supermarkets. The quantities were small — many were just decorative mini-tomatoes or cucumbers — but nowadays, those little seeds were precious goods that not even points could easily buy.
When Li Tie and the others went out recently, they’d managed to buy a small packet of cucumber seeds, planning to try sprouting and planting them soon.
“Li Tie said they’ll have all the materials ready by tonight. Are you planning to help them build it tonight or tomorrow afternoon?” Luo Xun asked quietly while Yan Fei was taking a break.
The metal-ability users had been working themselves to the bone lately, trying to speed up construction of the outer metal wall. The efficiency of Luo Xun’s team was decent — their mental control had improved, and the wall-building speed had become much faster than before.
“If they get the materials tonight, then we’ll do it tonight,” Yan Fei replied.
He had already adapted to this new construction method. Although it still drained his powers completely, the exhaustion that followed was now something he could handle.
He was gripping several crystal cores in his palm, absorbing them with effort to replenish his energy.
Not far away came the sound of gunfire—“bang, bang-bang!”—from the watchtower built just outside the perimeter wall. The zombies that had been gathering outside never truly stopped coming. Although the military had strengthened defenses and counterattacks since the New Year, the outer wall’s range was now too wide. For several reasons, they could only prioritize reinforcing the gates and securing the construction zones where ability users like them were working.
Luo Xun lifted his head and glanced toward the direction of the gunfire, but the tall wall blocked his view. Still, everyone knew that just beyond the wall were several armored vehicles, each manned by soldiers guarding their safety—the base couldn’t risk zombies breaching the wall and harming the ability users building it. If any managed to climb over, it would pose a huge threat to the inner base.
Thank you for reading 🙂 I hope you all liked my translations. If you enjoyed my work, please consider buying me a Ko-Fi 😉
