Looking at the tall city walls and the ancient, tightly shut city gates before them, He Shi and her daughter felt a sense of safety and hope.
The members of the Mingyue team, however, were stunned. The Yuncheng Base before them was a standard human survival base in the apocalypse, but it was vastly different from what they had imagined.
Back then, they had been ostracized and wanted to build a human survival base of their own, where they would have a voice.
Gong Que had suggested coming to Yuncheng, describing the base that would belong to them in the future.
It was a secret military base built by the former government and later abandoned, a secret project carved into a mountain.
Inside, it was equivalent to a city with complete living facilities, capable of housing hundreds of thousands of people simultaneously.
Not like this, a city on flat ground, without even a shadow of a mountain.
"Everyone, this is our Yuncheng Base, this is the old city of Yuncheng.
Yuncheng has always been a strategically important location throughout history, so the old city walls are extremely sturdy, easy to defend and difficult to attack.
Because of its historical value, it has been repaired and restored several times and is well-preserved.
Before the apocalypse, I was sent here by my company to conduct research and prepare to transform this city into a cultural tourism destination.
As a result, I encountered the apocalypse, awakened my abilities, and then led the survivors to clear the zombies within the city, closed the city gates, and established the Yuncheng Base."
Looking at the magnificent city walls before him, Bu Ying felt a surge of accomplishment. His heart settled as he gazed at this sturdy city.
The members of the Mingyue team exchanged glances, and they all understood that they had been mistaken.
It turned out that this Yuncheng was not the Yuncheng they had in mind. They had always thought that the base occupied by Bu Ying was the one they yearned for.
The one ten miles from Yuncheng, in Yunmeng Mountain. It turned out to be a misunderstanding; Bu Ying occupied the old city of Yuncheng.
"Sister Mingyue... what about us?"
Gong Que approached Mingyue, stammering. With Bu Ying and his group around, he couldn't speak his mind clearly.
Mingyue actually understood his thoughts. Since this was not the place they wanted to go, would they still join the Yuncheng Base?
"Let's enter the city first."
Mingyue looked at her team members, not as anxious as they were, but calmly looking at the base before them.
They had only discovered that the base before them was not the one in Yunmeng Mountain, but they still didn't know if the one in Yunmeng Mountain had been occupied.
If they left now and rushed to Yunmeng Mountain, what if someone else had occupied it? They would have no place to stay in Yuncheng.
Therefore, Mingyue already had a plan: first join the Yuncheng Base.
Once they had a place to stay, they would find an opportunity to investigate Yunmeng Mountain.
Having been together for so long, they had a strong sense of tacit understanding. With just a glance, they understood Mingyue's intentions.
They all relaxed, no longer anxious, and began to carefully examine the Yuncheng Base before them.
It was indeed a magnificent city. The city walls were twenty feet high, fully capable of blocking zombie attacks, and people were patrolling back and forth on the walls.
As long as the city gates were closed, it would be isolated from the outside world. In the apocalypse, it was indeed a safe place.
Because it was rebuilt on an ancient site, the gray walls and red tiles were brightly colored.
At a glance, amidst the gray and white apocalypse, it exuded infinite vitality.
Mingyue's gaze fell upon the city gate. She saw that only half of the gate was open, with a checkpoint set up in front. Over twenty ability users were busy there.
Opposite them, a long queue had formed, consisting of survivors who had come to seek refuge at the Yuncheng Base.
Those people were all sallow and gaunt, travel-worn, with eyes full of helplessness and fear.
But looking at the sturdy city walls before them, their expressions turned to hope and longing. This was the place they yearned for.
They knew that as long as they entered this city, they would survive and would no longer have to worry about the terrifying zombies and mutated animals.
But there was no free lunch in the world. To enter this city and gain safety, there was a price to pay.
Regardless of whether they were adults or children, everyone needed to pay a medium-grade crystal core to enter the city.
Those without crystal cores could substitute with food of equivalent value.
As the apocalypse had developed to this point, the currency system had changed. Former cash, gold, and jewelry had all become worthless.
The currency now in circulation was crystal cores. Crystal cores below level three were uniformly classified as low-grade crystal cores.
Crystal cores above level three and below level five were called medium-grade crystal cores, with an exchange ratio of one to ten compared to low-grade crystal cores.
As for crystal cores above level five, they were rarely used as currency in the market and were mostly used by ability users to improve their levels.
Most of the people queuing to enter the city were ordinary people without abilities. Some drove luxury cars, and some wore designer clothes.
Among them were elites from various fields before the apocalypse, but they could not afford the entrance fee of a medium-grade crystal core, nor did they have any substitute goods.
They could only be driven away by the ability users at the gate, pleading bitterly on the side, and finally had to make do with temporary shelter under the city walls.
A large number of people without crystal cores to enter the city gathered there. Perhaps leaning against the city walls gave them a sense of security.
There were also many families who couldn't all enter the city due to insufficient crystal cores or supplies, leading to arguments and even fights over entry quotas.
Husbands and wives turned against each other, mothers and sons separated – scenes of human life unfolded at the city gate.
"Brother, why are you charging an entrance fee? Why not let everyone in to escape the zombies?"
Bu Zhi saw the tragic scenes unfolding at the city gate and couldn't bear it, complaining to his brother Bu Ying.
"Little Zhi? It's not that your brother is heartless. Charging an entrance fee is also a last resort.
This base looks large, but its capacity is limited, and food and supplies are scarce now.
The daily supply of the original residents of the base is already difficult to guarantee. If we let people in without restriction, this base will collapse.
That wouldn't be saving people, but killing them. Do you understand?"
Bu Zhi didn't quite understand his brother's words, but Mingyue understood Bu Ying's meaning.
This was the apocalypse, not a time for excessive sympathy. If a large number of refugees were allowed in, the situation within the base would be difficult to control.
Moreover, the supplies couldn't sustain so many people.
Therefore, only a portion of people could be guaranteed to survive. This was the cruelty of the apocalypse. However, she wondered if Bu Zhi's words were motivated by something else.
Did the Yuncheng Base, such a large city, truly have no ability to receive more survivors? Only by entering would they know.
With Bu Ying leading the way, Mingyue and the others naturally did not have to pay an entrance fee and entered the city directly.
Next, Bu Ying had his subordinates take He Shi and her daughter away, and he personally registered Mingyue's team before taking them to a four-story villa.
"Captain Mingyue, this villa will be my welcome gift for everyone joining the base.
Please reside here with peace of mind. You've had a tiring journey, so rest for a few days first. We'll discuss other matters later."
Bu Ying smiled, but the fawning expression he had on the road was gone, replaced by the demeanor of a host as he spoke politely to them.
He made no mention of the agreement with Mingyue that her team would be responsible for the base's logistics.
"Oh, and Little Zhi, you can move in with me. We haven't seen each other for a long time, let's have a good chat."
As Bu Ying left, he casually put his arm around Bu Zhi's shoulder and asked him to leave with him.