The Mingyue team agreed to cooperate with Gao Chu and followed them to the Thunder Base. However, after getting off the vehicle, they were greeted by a barren mountain.
The mountain was not large, about three to four hundred meters in altitude and about five li in circumference. Not a single building or person was in sight.
Perhaps due to the extreme weather of the past few days, the vegetation and trees on the mountain had all withered, appearing dry and lifeless.
"This is your Thunder Base? It's certainly thunderous, but I don't see a base."
Upon seeing the scene before him, Bu Zhi mocked Gao Chu. This place was not even as good as the small two-story building they had in Jiangcheng. At least there was a house to shelter from the wind and rain, and they wouldn't have to sleep in the wilderness.
"Is your base inside the mountain?"
Gong Que, an earth-element ability user, sensed that although the barren mountain looked ordinary from the outside, it was hollow inside. He asked uncertainly.
"You guessed right. Welcome to Thunder Base! Yu Cheng, open the door and let our distinguished guests have a look around our base."
Gao Chu had been keeping them in suspense, but since Gong Que had seen through it, he directly raised his hands in a welcoming gesture.
Wo Yu Cheng walked behind a large boulder at the foot of the mountain. After doing something unknown, the boulder, the size of a house, actually moved aside.
It revealed a passage wide enough for four cars to drive abreast. Moreover, there was electricity inside, and the passage was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
"Gentlemen, please!
This was originally my teacher's laboratory. He disliked the hustle and bustle of the city. Before the apocalypse, he hollowed out this mountain and built a laboratory inside to focus on his research without being disturbed.
After the apocalypse began, my teacher was killed. I then turned this place into Thunder Base. Please feel free to look around."
Gao Chu enthusiastically invited the Mingyue team in. As they entered, the boulder at the entrance moved back into place. Ji Shiyou frowned.
Following the smooth marble floor, everyone walked forward with Gao Chu.
The base should have an independent power and ventilation system. Despite being inside the mountain, they didn't feel stuffy at all.
Furthermore, because it was a laboratory before, the environmental requirements were very high, making it more comfortable than the outside.
The layout of the entire Thunder Base followed the original laboratory's design.
Past the passage was the living area, which included the places where researchers used to rest and entertain themselves.
However, the shelves in the supermarket and other places providing food and daily necessities were now empty. Food was likely distributed uniformly by the base now.
Beyond the living area was the work area, filled with various precision instruments. Shi Henian went mad upon seeing them.
To escape Qingying, he had not brought any instruments with him when he fled the Vermilion Bird Base.
Now that he heard the Vermilion Bird Base was destroyed, his precious instruments were surely gone.
This laboratory belonged to Dr. You Hen, and all the instruments were arguably the most advanced in the world.
Looking at these instruments, Shi Henian was filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred.
"You've all traveled a long way and must be tired. Yu Cheng, arrange for everyone's food and lodging.
Captain Mingyue, I've just returned to the base and have some matters to attend to.
We can discuss the Water of Life tomorrow, alright?"
At the end of the work area, there was another door, tightly shut.
As the Mingyue team was about to walk towards it, Gao Chu stopped them and instructed Wo Yu Cheng to take them to rest.
The group wisely stopped, as it was someone else's territory, and they were merely in a cooperative relationship.
It was normal for Gao Chu to be wary of them, and they were no different.
Wo Yu Cheng first led the Mingyue team to the cafeteria and into a private room, then went to the kitchen to arrange for food.
It was breakfast time, and breakfast was being distributed in the cafeteria. Mingyue saw two windows set up for breakfast distribution.
One line was quite long, with about a thousand people. They were all ordinary people without abilities, looking sallow and listless.
Each person received a dark, egg-sized flatbread from the window and carefully put it away as if it were a treasure, then hurried away.
The people queuing at the other window had a much better mental state, clearly ability users.
They received porridge, steamed buns, and pickles. They ate them directly at the cafeteria tables without rushing to leave.
Moreover, if one portion wasn't enough, they could get more from the window. The food distributors were also relatively polite to them, unlike the other window where they were rude and spoke coldly to the ordinary people.
"This is the apocalypse. It's clearly divided by class. Those ordinary people are too pitiful, only getting a flatbread for breakfast."
Sitting in the private room, looking at the ordinary people's eager eyes for the flatbread, Tian Chang sighed.
Since the apocalypse began, they had followed Mingyue, and Mingyue had never mistreated them regarding food.
They even ate better than before the apocalypse. They had grown accustomed to it. Seeing the scene before them, she finally realized how precious food was in the apocalypse.
"That's not breakfast; it's their food for the entire day. In the base, ordinary people can only receive food once a day.
That flatbread is their entire food for the day. There are now thousands of people in the base, and food is already tight. Living space is also limited.
Most of these ordinary people were originally researchers in the laboratory, and it's not good to just turn them away.
The boss came up with a plan to reduce the food rations for ordinary people. This way, they would starve to death or become unable to bear it and leave the base.
Then we can recruit more ability users and strengthen the base's power.
As for ability users, the base provides them with three meals a day, as the base's development relies on ability users."
Wo Yu Cheng entered with several people carrying trays. Hearing Tian Chang's lament, he explained to her.
"You are too much! Ordinary people are also lives, why treat them differently?"
Hearing Wo Yu Cheng's words, Tian Chang's face turned pale with anger, and she stood up to argue.
"Little sister, this is the apocalypse. What equality are you talking about? In the apocalypse, human lives are the least valuable."
Ignoring Tian Chang's attitude, Wo Yu Cheng placed the food from the trays on the table.
It was a plate of pickles, two large plates of white steamed buns, and a pot of porridge. There was also a plate of canned fish and luncheon meat, which seemed to be specially added to entertain the Mingyue team.
"Brother Wo, you're an ability user too, right? How did you join Thunder Base? I see Gao Chu trusts you a lot."
Mingyue stopped Tian Chang, who was about to retort, and pulled her back to her seat. She then gave Ji Shiyou a look.
Ji Shiyou immediately understood and changed the subject.
"Me? I'm a wood-element ability user. I was originally part of the laboratory, an electrician.
When the apocalypse began, I was almost killed by zombies. The boss saved me. After awakening my abilities, I followed him."
While serving porridge to everyone, Wo Yu Cheng answered Ji Shiyou's question but only in a simple manner, without elaborating.
"You bunch of black-hearted scoundrels! You harmed Dr. You, usurped his position, and now you're trying to drive us to our deaths. You will face retribution!"
Just as Ji Shiyou was about to ask more questions to learn more about Thunder Base, a man's angry shouts came from outside the private room.
Wo Yu Cheng flashed out of the private room. Mingyue and the others exchanged glances and followed him out.