Chapter 340: Chapter 335: Apocalypse Sisters
Li Lewei walked beside Ying Yiming, her mind unsettled as she looked at the neat and orderly streets. Although it was her first visit, she had read descriptions of how Hu Province Base’s internal power divisions led to chaos within, and it definitely should not look better than Jiang Province Base, let alone how it appeared now.
The people on the streets did not become like zombies just because it was the apocalypse. Even ordinary people without superpowers were dressed cleanly, and children were playing and laughing with each other, showing no signs of malnutrition from hunger. To the uninformed, this place could pass for a small town before the apocalypse!
The deeper they went, the greater the shock everyone felt. Not only was the food ample inside this base and the clothing clean, but the management was also incredibly orderly. Moreover, they realized that the people here sincerely maintained the base. Though they were reluctant to admit it, deep down Ying Yiming and his companions felt that this place was stronger than Jiang Province Base.
Why was this so? Jiang Province Base should have had the advantage in terms of geographical location and resource supply!
"Let’s go have a meal first." Arriving in front of a restaurant, Ying Yiming led everyone inside, and they could smell the delicious scent of food before even reaching the entrance.
"Stir-fried pork with chili peppers, Mao Blood Stew, Spicy Chicken, scrambled eggs with tomatoes..." The guide was right, Hu Province Base indeed had a supply of vegetables and fruits, and the prices were relatively affordable.
In the past, to showcase her superiority, Li Lewei would not provide fruits and vegetables to Jiang Province Base unlimitedly. Even as her teammates for several months, they had seldom enjoyed such foods. But now, just a few Crystal Cores allowed them to have a feast; everyone except Li Lewei showed a drooling desire.
"We’ll take this, this, and this—all in double portions, a bucket of rice, a basin of noodles, and two chilled watermelons to finish." Ying Yiming and his teammates quickly ordered their dishes.
The waiter understood their famished look all too well, as every newcomer to the base was the same. He carefully took note of their orders and asked with a smile, "The base has just harvested a batch of cucumbers and green beans; would you like to try some?"
"Then add a smashed cucumber and stir-fried green beans with pork."
"Alright, please wait a moment, the dishes will be ready shortly."
The service at the restaurant was swift; within half an hour, the table was piled with dishes. The crispy and appetizing smashed cucumbers, flavorful stir-fried pork with chili, sweet and sour scrambled eggs with tomatoes... And the chilled watermelon was so refreshing that it soothed their bodies and minds with every bite.
It was the first time since the apocalypse that they ate so heartily; it was almost no different from before the end of the world, no wonder the business was so good here!
Li Lewei, while eating the sumptuous food, felt like she was chewing wax. If these fruits and vegetables could be cultivated on a large scale, would her superpower still be as valued as before? No, she still had an advantage. She was the only one in the apocalypse who could cure the Zombie Virus.
"Hey, Old Li, how come we haven’t seen you in so long? What task kept you away for such a time?" A conversation from the neighboring table interrupted Li Lewei’s train of thought.
"Don’t get me started. I was careless and got scratched by a zombie cat this time. Thankfully I had Medicine on me, or else I would’ve been finished," Old Li spoke with lingering fear, and hurriedly took a sip of liquor to warm himself up. "My wife was worried I wouldn’t recover well and insisted on keeping me home until I was fully recuperated."
"Your wife’s concern is for your own good. Come on, let’s drink to that. From now on, be more careful on missions. If you get injured, you’ll have to go without alcohol and meat for a while."
"For the sake of a little drink, we gotta take care of ourselves, right? Come on, drink up!"
"But we’re a lot luckier than people from other bases. I’ve heard that only our base has the medicine to fight the Zombie Virus. Doctor Ye is really a savior. If she hadn’t researched all that stuff, could we be as relaxed as we are now?"
"Exactly, if it weren’t for Doctor Ye, I’d have turned into one of those thoughtless Zombies outside by now."
Listening to the conversation at the next table, Ying Yiming and the others exchanged looks. Was there really a medicine against the Zombie Virus at Hu Province Base?
Li Lewei felt like she was going to collapse. Why did it seem like everything this base developed was targeted against her? They solved the problem with plant cultivation and now had an antiviral medicine; so what advantage did her superpower still hold?
Who exactly is Ye Dong’s sister? The book never mentioned any of this. Could it be that Ye Qiu is also a book transverser like herself, or a reborn one?
Li Lewei was more inclined to believe that Ye Qiu had been reborn. Her heart was filled with unease. If things were as she speculated, could she still snatch Ying Yiming away from under Ye Qiu’s watchful eye?
No, that couldn’t be right. Ying Yiming is the male protagonist in the book; he’s omnipotent in this world. Ye Qiu couldn’t influence his decisions. As long as she relied on Ying Yiming, she would ultimately emerge as the final winner.
"Captain?" Zhao Guanghua and Luo Yong looked at Ying Yiming. They couldn’t wait to verify the news they heard. They also wanted to resolve the hidden dangers in their bodies caused by absorbing energy from the Crystal Core as soon as possible.
"Let’s head over to the administration hall right now." He also wanted to see the medicine that could handle the riotous elements and the Zombie Virus. If both these things were real, could this still be called an apocalypse?
At the same time, he was eager to meet this legendary Doctor Ye Qiuye. If she was really as formidable as they said, then did he still need to find Dr. Yang?
The administration hall was a renovated gymnasium, covering a vast area. People were bustling about, some accepting tasks, some exchanging rewards, and many like Ying Yiming and his group came to gather information about the base and purchase new medicinal formulas.
Despite the busyness, there was no sense of disorder. The Guard Team maintained order and nobody dared cause any trouble here. In the center of the hall hung three portraits, of two leaders, Duan Kai and Ye Dong, and Doctor Ye Qiuye, who was called the savior by the base’s residents. Underneath the photographs were introductions about the three of them. The people of the base respected them from the bottom of their hearts.
"Even a small place has started feudal bureaucracy?" Luo Yong furrowed his brow.
"Be quiet." Ying Yiming gave him a glance and then began reading the introductions about the three with seriousness. The more he read, the more intrigued he became. They seemed even younger than him; why were they so impressive? Thunder system and Ice power? He wondered who amongst them was more powerful than himself, and there was this Doctor Ye Qiuye – was she really an ordinary person?
Seeing Ying Yiming looking at the photographs, Li Lewei thought he was fascinated by Ye Dong and couldn’t help but question herself. Were the male and female protagonists really destined to be together? No, she didn’t believe it. She was a mere cannon fodder female side character, yet hadn’t she survived? So Ying Yiming and Ye Dong need not necessarily end up together.