Author: mio

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

The survivors immediately broke into smiles, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from their hearts.

After settling these people, Jiang Ci made another trip to the hospital. The survivors with minor injuries had already been bandaged up and were sitting obediently in the hospital lobby, waiting for Jiang Ci to pick them up.

The cold weather had led to many cases of the flu, so the hospital was still bustling with people coming and going.

Once the survivors had collected their medications, Jiang Ci led them back to the base.

Hu Xue was still wrapped in the cotton coat Jiang Ci had given her. Although the bullet had been removed from her leg, she still couldn’t put much weight on it and was relying on a borrowed crutch from the hospital.

Standing in front of the base’s residential building, she felt a surge of emotions. She had no family left in the base, so the idea of staying here permanently began to take root in her mind.

Huang Dian, who was holding his son who had already taken his medicine, approached Jiang Ci to discuss the possibility of permanent residence. Seeing someone take the initiative and noticing the gradually dwindling number of available rooms, the survivors quickly gathered around to express their intentions.

In the end, it took another half a day to finally settle all these matters.

Jiang Ci felt as if she were floating while walking back. It seemed she needed to cut down on staying up late in the future.

*

After Huang Dian had processed the identity cards for him and his son, he chose a room at the end of the corridor.

As soon as they entered the room, his son, who had been nestling weakly in his arms, soon started squirming so he could jump down. The boy let out an exclamation in amazement and ran from one room to another.

“Dad, is this really going to be our home from now on? Just the two of us? We don’t have to live with other people anymore?”

Listening to his son’s continuous questions, Huang Dian, a man of 1.9 meters, nearly started to shed tears. He turned his head to hide himself from his son to wipe a tear from the corner of his eye before replying, “Yes, this will be our home from now on.”

Huang Doudou’s eyes lit up. Although his face was still pale, he looked much better than the near-death state he was in yesterday.

Huang Dian finally felt a sense of relief. After putting away his belongings, he went out to exchange his crystal core for points and then headed to the local agricultural store to buy something to nourish his son’s body.

Huang Doudou was still in a weak state and had just been momentarily excited for a while. Now that he was settled in bed by Huang Dian, he soon fell into a deep sleep.

The survivors carried their crystal cores with them, hidden in concealed places. Although they had been robbed of many things by that group, they still managed to keep some crystal cores for themselves.

After exchanging a third-level crystal core, he went to the agricultural market to buy a chicken and some dried goods like dates and wolfberries. Although he hadn’t cooked since the apocalypse, he had seen his mother and wife do it before, so he roughly knew what he needed to buy.

He then bought some essential daily necessities. Passing by a supermarket, he saw the small cakes inside and went in to buy one.

Carrying bags of various sizes in his hands, he realised had just spent all of the available points he had exchanged for. It had to be said, things here were indeed very cheap.

Walking back to the residential building, Huang Dian noticed the greenery he hadn’t paid attention to before. He didn’t know what species they were, but they were still lush and vibrant in this weather. Some survivors were sweeping the fallen snow off them while chatting and laughing, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.

Huang Dian felt a sense of peace he had never experienced before. Some survivors greeted him warmly, and he nodded back with a smile.

Returning home, he chopped the chicken into pieces and put them into the pot with various ingredients to stew. When the familiar aroma began to waft into his nose and he stood in the kitchen, looking at the snowy scene outside the window, his tears suddenly began to fall uncontrollably.

*

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Jiang Ci slept straight through the day until five o’clock the next morning. After a full night’s sleep, she felt refreshed and clear-headed, with the only issue being that she was now famished.

However, before she could go out, she saw the meal that had been kept warm in a small electric rice cooker on the table. It seemed like Song Jinchuan had prepared this for her.

After dinner, the system informed Jiang Ci of something that made her particularly happy: after all her relentless efforts, the hotpot restaurant had finally reached its highest level. Its ultimate form was a six-story, classically styled Chinese hotpot restaurant in the real world.

There was a main hall, private rooms upstairs, a rotating hotpot area, a skewer hotpot section, and on the newly added sixth floor, there were additional rest areas, including a nail salon, a movie-watching zone, and lounges.

Jiang Ci used her points to add a convenience store on the sixth floor in the real world, turning the place into a fully equipped shopping mall, her aim being to make people never want to leave once they arrived.

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Ci had been here for over a year—almost two years—though only about a month had passed in reality. During this time, she had still received calls from her parents, their earnest words bringing tears to her eyes more than once.

Now that the hotpot restaurant was secured, the system generously gave Jiang Ci a few days off to return to the real world and take over the restaurant.

It had become a common occurrence for Jiang Ci to leave for a few days to complete tasks, and both the restaurant staff and the survivors at the base had grown accustomed to it.

Jiang Ci temporarily handed over these trivial matters to Song Jinchuan. He was meticulous and thorough in his work, so she felt at ease when entrusting these matters to him.

Upon learning that Jiang Ci would be leaving for several days, Song Jinchuan felt a surge of reluctance, though he showed no outward sign of it. Instead, he began to prepare many things for her to take back.

Although he didn’t know where Jiang Ci went when she left by herself, he had a vague sense that she would no longer be in this world. Every time she left, he felt a pang of anxiety, fearing she might not return.

Jiang Ci packed all the items she had prepared for her parents and relatives into her space, then turned to Song Jinchuan and said, “I’ll leave things to you during this time. I’ll make sure to bring back some local specialties for you!”

Song Jinchuan smiled and gently reminded her, “Alright, take care and make sure to come back… soon.”

Jiang Ci smiled back at him, then turned and headed to her room.

As she was about to open the door, she inexplicably turned to glance back. Song Jinchuan stood in the snow, his figure looking somewhat lonely. For so long, the two of them had been almost inseparable, with Song Jinchuan always quietly by her side. For some reason, she felt a soft lump stir in her heart.

That sudden impulse made her turn and walk back to Song Jinchuan.

Song Jinchuan looked puzzled, but before he could ask what was wrong, he felt her hug him gently. He froze in place, and by the time he regained his composure, Jiang Ci was already gone.

Jiang Ci was completely unaware of the emotional bomb she had left behind. Upon returning to the real world, she headed straight to the address of the hotpot restaurant she now owned.

She had already taken the property deed out of her space and glanced at it. All the information had been filled in. As her eyes moved down and saw her name on the deed, Jiang Ci’s eyes welled up with tears.

The hotpot restaurant, previously covered with construction cloth, had now been unveiled, revealing the six-story building to the public.

Its design blended well with the surrounding museums and other tourist attractions. When Jiang Ci arrived, a few people were standing at the entrance taking photos, asking passersby what tourist spot this was. Upon learning it was privately owned, many seemed disappointed.

From the outside, it truly was a beautiful sight.

Seeing so many people at the front door, Jiang Ci decided to go around to the back entrance. Just like the small courtyard where she currently lived, the hotpot restaurant also had a backyard. The yard contained a vegetable patch, a few fruit trees, several rooms, a kitchen, a storage room, and other facilities.

[This is a reward for you, Host. Thanks to you, the energy collection on this planet has been the fastest out of all. Other planets haven’t even reached half of our progress.] The system’s voice sounded pleased, as if it had already been praised by its superiors.

The crystal cores, referred to as “energy” by the system, were fragments scattered across various planets and were part of the cause of the apocalypse.

Therefore, the main planet where the system originated would dispatch various systems and hosts to help collect these energy fragments.

As Jiang Ci and the system grew closer, she had pieced together bits and pieces of information from it, at least it was enough for her to understand the truth.

“Thank you,” Jiang Ci expressed her gratitude sincerely. “This way, I can bring my parents here to live with me.”

She thought of her parents’ increasingly gray hair, her father’s constant complaints of back pain when moving goods, and her mother’s wrist, which could no longer bear any strain and caused her to break into a cold sweat whenever she tried to after the accident.

The supermarket they had opened in the past was for survival, but now that she had grown up and had a system account with a balance in the tens of billions, there was no need for them to work so hard anymore.

Jiang Ci placed her belongings in the small courtyard and then went to check out the front of the shop.

It was identical to the shop she had owned in the apocalypse, except for the sixth floor, which Jiang Ci had completely transformed into a small shopping mall with various entertainment-oriented shops.

After enjoying a meal downstairs, customers could go upstairs to play, with a whole day not being enough to experience everything the store had to offer. There were also a few hotels conveniently located nearby.

Jiang Ci exchanged some of her points for money. The shop still needed interior decorations, plants, raw materials, and she also needed to start hiring staff. She also planned to buy a car to drive back and pick up her parents.

After calculating all of this, she realized she might have to stay here for nearly a month.

The system was also generous, stating that if there were no special events, Jiang Ci could take a few extra days off to handle things here before returning.

Feeling reassured, Jiang Ci began exchanging her points. After the exchange, her bank account instantly received a sum of money. The system assured her that the source of this money would be perfectly legitimate and would not raise any suspicions.

She went directly to a luxury car dealership and picked out a comfortable and cost efficient sedan.

Although she hadn’t driven much in the real world, she had already become quite skilled at driving buses during the apocalypse. She had obtained her driver’s license after graduating from university, and only now did it finally come in handy in the real world.

After familiarizing herself with the car, Jiang Ci drove it to handle the shop’s paperwork. Although she had the property and land deeds, she still needed health permits and other certifications to open a hotpot restaurant.

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the translator has nothing to add ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Soon, a small base appeared before their eyes.

*

CONTENT WARNING
attempted sexual assault in this chapter.

if you’d like to skip the above section, please start reading from **end of content warning section** ◡̈

Hu Xue ran desperately through the snow. Despite tears streaking her face, she had no time to wipe them away, only occasionally sparing some time to glance back at the people following her.

Two tall and burly survivors behind her let out lewd laughs, their crude taunts pushing Hu Xue’s fear to its peak.

Her right leg had been wounded by a bullet, and now, dragging her injured leg, she couldn’t run too fast. The people behind her seemed to be toying with her, like a cat with a mouse.

The sounds of weapons and screams were everywhere. Hu Xue felt the cold wind whistling through the crude mask on her face, making it hard to breathe.

She swung the long knife in her hand with all her might, hoping to deter the men following her, but it was to no avail. Due to her injury and the pain, her strength was much weaker than before, and they easily dodged her attacks.

She was forced into a dead end and finally carried and thrown into a room.

The men chuckled as they approached her, trying to strip off the animal skins she wore. No matter how fiercely she struggled, they still pinned her limbs down firmly.

Hu Xue’s heart was filled with despair. Just then, the man on top of her, his pants already half off, suddenly stiffened and was kicked away.

Before Hu Xue could look up, she was wrapped in a warm cotton coat, with a gentle female voice following after it, “It’s okay, it’s okay, he didn’t touch you.”

Hu Xue’s tightly drawn psychological defenses shattered in an instant, and she broke down in tears under Jiang Ci’s comfort.

**end of content warning section**

Jiang Ci hadn’t expected to witness such a cruel scene upon arrival. The apocalypse had torn away the veil of humanity, revealing its most vile and filthy core.

“Song Jinchuan, leave none of them alive,” Jiang Ci’s voice was cold.

Song Jinchuan caught a glimpse of the situation inside the room with his peripheral vision and politely refrained from entering. Upon hearing Jiang Ci’s instructions, he turned and left without hesitation.

As his teammates would say, Song Jinchuan had now become a sharp sword in Jiang Ci’s hands, striking wherever she pointed.

Jiang Ci comforted Hu Xue, helped her into the bus, and gave her a cup of warm water before continuing to rescue others in different locations.

The scene here was gruesome. As Jiang Ci ran, she kicked something and looked down to see a human head. A thin layer of freshly fallen snow had now been sprayed with dark red bloodstains.

Jiang Ci closed her eyes for a moment, then continued forward.

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Just then, a bullet whizzed past her, embedding itself in the snow ahead and emitting a wisp of white smoke.

If it weren’t for the protection of her system, that bullet would have struck her body directly.

Jiang Ci turned her head and saw several men standing not far behind her. When they caught sight of her face, their eyes lit up, and they began to approach her with lecherous grins, openly discussing the idea of capturing Jiang Ci for their amusement.

In their words, there was not an ounce of respect for women, treating them as mere playthings.

They didn’t even consider why their bullet had missed, simply chalking it up to a slip of the hand.

As the men approached, Jiang Ci didn’t flee like other survivors. Instead, she let out a cold laugh as black mist began to swirl at her fingertips.

“An ability user, huh? She’s all yours, Brother Dong,” one of them said, seemingly unfazed by the black mist in Jiang Ci’s hand. Instead, they pushed forward another man from their group.

This man, called Brother Dong by them, was bald. Despite the freezing weather, he was shirtless, his upper body covered in strange black tattoos.

His hawk-like eyes locked onto Jiang Ci as if she were now reduced to just his prey.

A flicker of excitement passed through Jiang Ci’s eyes. It had been a long time since she encountered an ability user she could freely devour. Her small black orb was still so tiny—she needed to collect more abilities.

The man opposite her casually flicked his wrist, and his arm began to liquefy, solidifying into a sharp, black sword.

His movements were casual, yet they radiated a lethal intent. Although Jiang Ci was some distance away, she could still faintly sense a hint of danger as well as the scorching heat.

“Just give up, little beauty. We’ll be gentle,” the survivors continued to laugh, seemingly convinced that as long as Brother Dong made his move, the person before them would inevitably fall into their hands.

Jiang Ci didn’t waste her words. Her hands moved swiftly, and soon, the black mist expanded into a large cloud.

It wasn’t until the man at the forefront was devoured that their laughter finally died. They struggled to escape, but Jiang Ci wouldn’t give them any chance to.

Even the seemingly formidable Brother Dong could only swing his sword futilely as half his body was consumed before he was completely devoured.

At this moment, the survivors watching from the bus window couldn’t help but gasp in awe. They hadn’t expected the person who had saved them to be so powerful.

Moreover, upon closer inspection, these men were the same ones who had robbed them of their food and weapons. They remembered how formidable the enemy’s weapons and ability users had been.

But in Jiang Ci’s hands, they were like dough, utterly powerless to resist.

The survivors’ eyes lit up with hope.

Not only Jiang Ci, but the flames from Song Jinchuan’s side also nearly dyed half the sky red. Hui Hui and her three cubs were especially thrilled, as it had been a long time since they last fought. Vines, black iron, and flames danced continuously in the air, leaving the opponents utterly defenseless.

With their combined strength, they quickly eradicated all the intruders who had invaded the base. Jiang Ci collected a total of eight beads, while some of the ability users were reduced to ashes by Song Jinchuan’s flames, which she found somewhat regrettable.

The rescued survivors boarded the vehicles, which were now packed to the brim, with people sitting both upstairs and downstairs.

Only when they found themselves in a warm and comfortable environment, holding cups of hot water, did the survivors finally feel as if they had come back to life.

Half of the base’s gates and buildings had been destroyed, making it impossible for them to move back in immediately.

After some deliberation by the former base leader and discussions among everyone, it was decided that they would return to Jiang Ci’s base with her.

“Boss Jiang, we’ll only be staying temporarily. Once the weather warms up, we’ll leave,” the base leader said earnestly.

Jiang Ci nodded, “That’s fine, as long as the crystal cores are provided, everything can be arranged.”

The survivors she had eliminated had carried their belongings with them, and Jiang Ci had confiscated quite a few crystal cores from those people. It seemed they had robbed many survivors. She also took all their supplies, animal hides, and weapons, planning to upgrade the weapons for the patrol team in the courtyard later.

This journey had been quite fruitful, and Jiang Ci felt that the saying “good deeds bring good rewards” still held some truth.

After this brief delay, the vehicles continued their journey. Since the back seats and even the floor were now filled with survivors, Jiang Ci took Hui Hui and her family to sit in the front passenger seat.

She took out the beads she had acquired that day and rubbed them in her hands, pondering how she should use these ability orbs in order to maximize their potential.

It wasn’t until the next morning that the vehicles finally arrived at Gourmet City. The survivors, still immersed in their dreams, were awakened by the sound of voices. When they opened their eyes, they were stunned by the people and buildings outside that they were rendered speechless for a while.

Despite it being the same apocalypse, how come this place seemed completely different from the outside world?

The survivors were captivated by the scenery outside the window, pressing their faces against the glass, completely dazzled by the sight.

The vehicles stopped at the entrance of Gourmet City, “We’re here, let’s get off.”

Jiang Ci yawned. She had wanted to take turns driving with Song Jinchuan during the night, but he refused, so she had to keep talking to him to prevent him from falling asleep while driving.

But now she still couldn’t sleep yet, as there were still so many people to settle.

Jiang Ci took the survivors who had suffered frostbite and those who were injured to the hospital. Lu Dongmei was surprised to see the large group behind her and quickly asked what had happened.

After Jiang Ci briefly explained, Lu Dongmei immediately notified the medical staff in the hospital to come and assist.

Before long, everyone had received medical treatment.

The remaining survivors, along with Jiang Ci, headed to the base. As they gazed at the beautiful and clean base, a thought soon emerged in their minds—perhaps they could stay here forever.

There wasn’t much snow accumulated inside the base, and without Jiang Ci having to give orders, the survivors had proactively taken it upon themselves to clear the snow, maintaining the base’s pristine condition. They had always cherished their living environment.

As they walked further in, the survivors realized that their earlier astonishment was nothing compared to what they saw now. The base had fully equipped facilities, including but not limited to supermarkets, vegetable and meat shops, making daily life incredibly convenient, almost as if they had returned to the pre-apocalyptic era.

While they were overjoyed, they also felt a sense of unease, fearing that living here might require a significant amount of crystal cores. When they passed by the supermarkets and agricultural shops, they noticed the price tags inside. However, the prices weren’t listed in the familiar crystal cores but in something called “points.” What were these points? The survivors were utterly confused in this moment.

Since they would be living here for several months, Jiang Ci took the time to explain the concept of points and crystal cores to them.

With this explanation, they quickly understood. Reflecting on the prices they had just seen, they realized they were indeed affordable; even considered to be quite cheap by post-apocalyptic standards. The crystal cores they had on them were more than enough to sustain them here for a while.

Jiang Ci then mentioned the rent, which was unbelievably low.

“If you’ve decided to stay, I’ll take you to get your ID cards. There aren’t many rules here, but causing trouble, fighting, or any kind of disturbance is strictly prohibited,” Jiang Ci’s tone turned serious. “If you break any of these rules, don’t blame me for kicking you out in this freezing weather.”

These survivors had witnessed Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan’s combat prowess firsthand. They had no doubt that if they caused trouble, Jiang Ci wouldn’t hesitate to show them no mercy.

“Boss Jiang, we…” A few of the survivors hesitated for a moment, exchanging glances with their friends before stepping forward to say, “Can we stay here permanently? Don’t worry, we’ll follow the rules and hand over the crystal cores as required.”

“Of course,” Jiang Ci didn’t refuse. Taking in one survivor was the same as taking in a hundred. After all, these weren’t just survivors, they were her potential labor force.

---

the translator has nothing to add ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

Hui Hui and her three babies were placed in the back seat, so Jiang Ci also moved from the front passenger seat to the back to stay with them.

The newborn Xiao Honghong’s head had a jade-like luster to it, feeling both warm and comfortable to the touch, like a natural hand warmer.

Seeing that there was no one beside him, Song Jinchuan pursed his lips, and the smile that had just appeared on his face gradually faded away. He started the vehicle, still feeling a bit down.

This time, the base was in the north. From the system, they learned that it was a small base. Supplies were slow to arrive, and the roads were difficult to traverse, almost trapping them in the base, isolating them from the outside world.

After leaving the base, the car switched to snow mode, with the tires gripping the ground to ensure that they wouldn’t slip, even on icy surfaces.

C City was a city in the south, so it would take some time to reach this city in the north.

Along the way, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan rested for a while and had a meal before continuing to drive.

By evening, they finally arrived at the small base in the north.

At this point, the red dot on Jiang Ci’s map was blinking rapidly. Not daring to delay any longer, the two quickly put away the bus and hurried into the base.

Other bases would periodically clear the snow covering their grounds, but the snow in front of this base had piled up quite thickly, indicating that it hadn’t been cleared for some time.

Most of the houses were already buried in the snow, with only some of the higher floors still peaking out to the outside world.

The system detected that the remaining survivors were hiding in those higher floors, with the remaining supplies also concentrated there.

Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan found the path increasingly difficult to traverse, so they had to exchange for a pair of boots that allowed them to move effortlessly through the snow.

The magic of these boots was that they could stand on the snow without sinking, making it as if they were walking on flat ground.

Song Jinchuan also changed into the boots with Jiang Ci. By now, he was no longer surprised by the strange things Jiang Ci occasionally produced.

With these boots, their speed increased significantly.

Both of them carried bulging backpacks. Song Jinchuan carried Hui Hui and Xiao Lulu, while Jiang Ci’s backpack held Xiao Heihei and Xiao Honghong.

The sides of the backpacks had breathing holes, and from time to time, their little heads would pop out, only to slowly retreat back inside upon feeling the cold air outside.

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Meanwhile, in the high-rise building, the survivors were huddled together, shivering, covered with all the thick quilts and clothes they could find in the house.

But it didn’t help much. The survivors could feel the warmth in their bodies gradually fading, and their consciousness was slowly blurring.

“Dad, I’m so cold, so hungry,” Huang Dian held his son Huang Doudou in his arms, a wave of sorrow welling up in his heart. His voice was choked with emotion, “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid. Dad is here. No matter what, Dad will be with you.”

Huang Doudou was the youngest child in the room, his face pale from the cold, a sight that tugged at the heartstrings.

Their food supply had been declared exhausted several days ago, and rescue efforts were still nowhere in sight. They knew that most survivors were still struggling to fend for themselves, let alone having the capacity to deliver relief.

They had finally endured the apocalypse for ten years, yet they never expected to meet their end here this year.

Huang Dian watched as his son’s breathing grew weaker in his arms, a tear sliding down the corner of his eye.

Just as everyone was about to give up, a faint noise suddenly came from outside, followed by the distinct sound of snow being cleared, the sound especially noticeable in the quiet room.

“Who is it? Is it a mutated beast?” The survivors’ voices trembled.

The sound grew closer and soon reached their door.

Then, a voice came from outside, “Is this the place? The door is completely frozen. Song Jinchuan, try using your fire ability. No, no, no, Xiao Honghong, I didn’t mean for you to spit fire. Please don’t blow this place up.”

The voice was clear and melodious, clearly not belonging to the mutated beast they had feared. The survivors’ hearts, which had just settled, began to stir with a glimmer of hope. Could it be that someone had come to rescue them?

Huang Dian, who was still holding his son, stood up immediately and took a few steps forward in excitement.

A wave of warmth seeped through the door, and soon, the biting cold inside the room seemed to ease slightly.

The door slowly opened, revealing Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan standing outside.

It had taken them considerable effort to reach this building. The surrounding snow was thick, completely sealing the entrance and windows. The two had to clear the snow outside for quite some time before they could even enter.

As soon as the door was pushed open, Jiang Ci saw a group of people huddled together, seemingly barely alive. The temperature inside seemed to be slightly higher than outside, but only by a little. The windows had cracked from the cold, and unlike other bases, they hadn’t reinforced their defenses, leaving them vulnerable to the freezing wind.

Jiang Ci instructed Song Jinchuan to conjure a fireball and suspend it in the middle of the room. Soon, the room began to warm up.

The survivors, who had been shivering from the cold, gradually recovered. Their minds, frozen by the extreme cold, slowly began to function again.

So, it was true—someone had come to rescue them.

Jiang Ci noticed the boy in Huang Dian’s arms, whose breathing was faint. She immediately took out a cup of still-warm milk from her space and handed it to Huang Dian, instructing him to feed it to the child.

Huang Dian finally snapped out of his daze and took the warm milk, murmuring his thanks before placing the straw into Huang Doudou’s mouth.

Perhaps driven by an instinctive craving for food, the semi-conscious Huang Doudou began to sip the milk from Huang Dian’s hand.

Jiang Ci distributed a bottle of warm milk to each survivor in the room. This was a new product recently launched by the food processing factory. Thanks to the special design of the bottle, the milk could stay warm for several hours.

It had quickly become a favorite among survivors. By carrying the milk with them, they could still enjoy a warm drink despite it being noon or evening.

After downing a glass of milk, the famished survivors instantly felt comforted from head to toe.

Huang Doudou also regained some energy, no longer looking like he was barely clinging to life, ready to breathe his last at any moment. Instead, he now had a bit of strength, and his pale cheeks were now tinged with a warm flush.

Once everyone had some food in their stomachs, Jiang Ci started preparing the hotpot.

The white rice was directly taken from a few of her shops. Worried it might not be enough, she nearly emptied all the prepared stock from the current store.

The mushroom soup base, along with various meats and vegetables, filled the room not only with warmth akin to spring but also with the aroma of food.

In about an hour, the survivors felt themselves gradually coming back to life. They still had varying degrees of frostbite, and Jiang Ci planned to take them back for treatment, as professional matters should be handled by professionals.

While Jiang Ci was cooking, Song Jinchuan went to help bring over all the surviving survivors, and they all crowded into this room.

After the meal was ready, each person received a bowl of vegetables and a bowl of rice. Since they hadn’t eaten for several days, Jiang Ci didn’t give them much, intending for their stomachs to slowly adjust to the situation.

The food was scalding hot, and the survivors trembled as they took it, tears streaming down their faces as they ate the delicious meal bite by bite, finally feeling like they had narrowly escaped death.

Jiang Ci didn’t say much; she wasn’t good at comforting people, so she simply stayed quietly by their side.

It took several hours for the survivors to finally regain enough strength to walk.

Jiang Ci then led them out of the building. The bus, which was driven by Song Jinchuan, was already waiting downstairs. The survivors descended, barely feeling the cold wind outside before they were seated in the bus with the heater on.

The transition was so natural that the survivors hadn’t even realized it.

Wrapped in their cotton coats, they felt a slight warmth in the vehicle. Dazed, they wondered if they had already frozen to death and if all this was just a posthumous illusion.

Since Xiao Honghong kept trying to peek out of the backpack, seemingly eager, Jiang Ci let it spit a fireball onto the snow. The fireball was then sent far away by Song Jinchuan’s wind ability, exploding and leaving a large, terrifying crater.

After spitting out a fireball for fun, Xiao Honghong seemed very happy, shaking its head and contently staying in the backpack.

“How did you end up in such a sorry state? You should have known about the severe cold weather, right? Didn’t you prepare some supplies?” Jiang Ci asked, puzzled, once everyone seemed a bit more spirited.

“We did prepare a lot and were well-equipped to withstand the cold, but we encountered a group of people who specifically loot supplies in severe cold weather. They had a lot of weapons, some quite lethal. They’re not foolish enough to target large bases, so they go after small ones like ours. Many of our people died, and most of our supplies were stolen,” Huang Dian, now extremely grateful to Jiang Ci for saving his son, answered truthfully as soon as the question was asked.

“So there are even people like that!” Jiang Ci exclaimed, immediately feeling naive for saying so. There are always bad people in society, and those who take advantage of disasters are even more numerous.

The survivors hung their heads in despair, some already weeping aloud, mourning the loss of family or friends in this man-made catastrophe.

They had endured for ten years, not perishing at the hands of monsters or natural disasters, only to die at the hands of their own kind. How could this not chill the heart?

Jiang Ci also fell silent. Just then, she suddenly heard a distinct gunshot, followed by a series of weapon sounds.

Were there survivors battling mutated beasts? Jiang Ci glanced in the direction of the noise, only to see a haze of smoke and swirling snow.

After a moment of contemplation, she instructed Song Jinchuan to turn the vehicle around and investigate.

The commotion was significant. If there were indeed some mutated beasts or zombies they couldn’t handle, she could always lend them a hand.

Song Jinchuan always obeyed Jiang Ci’s words without question. The survivors in the vehicle owed their lives to her, so naturally, they didn’t object either.

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the translator has nothing to add ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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“They knew you were coming back today and have been waiting at the base entrance since early in the morning. Do you want to go see them now?” Xie Ling asked.

Xie Ling was one of the managers of the base that had been appointed by Jiang Ci. She would consolidate the information given to her before relaying it to Jiang Ci, as Jiang Ci had too many things to do and couldn’t always be on site in the base.

“Alright, let’s go see them. Which city’s base are they from?”

“They’re from a base in the north of the country. The snowstorms there are even worse than they are here, and many of the bases in that region have been affected. Apparently the snow there can be almost as tall as a person.”

They continued to speak as they walked toward the base entrance.

Not too far away, Jiang Ci saw a group of people standing at the base entrance, holding steamed buns or fried dough sticks and soy milk, eating while chatting with those around them.

“That’s them, Boss Jiang,” Xie Ling said.

Jiang Ci nodded and walked over. The people who had been eating looked up in surprise as Jiang Ci stopped in front of them, not expecting the legendary Boss Jiang to be someone so young.

“You wanted to join my base?” Jiang Ci glanced around at the group, most of whom were between their teens and forties.

Fu Lin, the spokesperson among their group of survivors, stepped forward and said, “That’s right, Boss Jiang. We’ve all come from a base in the north. The heavy snow caused it to collapse, so we thought of seeking refuge with you.”

After speaking, the survivors looked at Jiang Ci with hopeful eyes.

“Sure, but joining us means you’ll have to work,” Jiang Ci replied. The cotton factory was running smoothly now, and Jiang Ci planned to expand it, even considering adding another factory. So she still needed more survivors to join.

“Don’t worry, Boss Jiang. We’ve got plenty of strength.”

“That’s right. We can do any kind of work. Back in my hometown, I worked in the fields. I’ve got a lot of strength.”

As they spoke, the group walked into the base, with Xie Ling accompanying them, acting as Jiang Ci’s spokesperson, introducing the various buildings in the base.

When they saw the brand-new, neatly arranged residential buildings, the survivors couldn’t help but feel excited. They had heard about the good conditions in Gourmet City and had heard many rumors, but seeing it with their own eyes still stirred up a wave of emotion within them.

Fu Yue and Fu Lin exchanged a glance, both seeing the joy in each other’s eyes. They would finally have a real home of their own.

The survivors began registering with Jiang Ci, obtaining their ID cards, and selecting their rooms before settling in. With the recent influx of survivors seeking refuge, the residential buildings were gradually filling up, becoming particularly lively during the busy commuting period.

As the survivors moved about, they felt as though they had traveled back in time by a decade. Both Fu Yue and Fu Lin were momentarily moved to tears.

After settling the survivors, Jiang Ci returned to her own courtyard, too exhausted to speak. She collapsed onto her pillow and fell asleep immediately.

She hadn’t slept the night before, and after handling so many tasks upon her return, she couldn’t hold on any longer and fell asleep as soon as she lay down.

She didn’t even have the mind to close the door. Song Jinchuan, who had been following her, noticed that Jiang Ci was already sound asleep. He entered the room, covered her with the blanket, turned on the air conditioner, and then quietly left, closing the door behind him.

Jiang Ci slept straight through the day until evening. When she woke up, the snow outside was still falling gently, the golden sunset casting a beautiful golden hue over the snow laden ground.

Jiang Ci hugged her blanket, feeling an unusual sense of peace, savoring this quiet moment until a knock sounded at the door.

She opened the door to find Song Jinchuan carrying a tray of food.

Since the weather had turned cold, they had moved their dining area from the pavilion in the courtyard to one of their rooms—either Song Jinchuan’s or Jiang Ci’s.

After entering, Song Jinchuan skillfully arranged the table and chairs, first feeding Hui Hui and her family, then setting out the meals for the two of them.

By this time, Jiang Ci had finished washing up and sat down at the table to eat. Life had been like this for the past few months, and Jiang Ci had already grown quite accustomed to it.

After the meal, the snow outside continued to fall, showing signs of getting heavier.

Jiang Ci had originally thought about planting some fruit trees in the yard, but seeing that the snowstorm wasn’t going to stop anytime soon, she decided to wait until the weather warmed up a bit.

Song Jinchuan poured her a glass of water, and the two of them held their warm drinks while watching the snow, chatting idly.

At that moment, a crisp cracking sound reached their ears.

Jiang Ci thought something had broken, but when she turned her head, she saw the little one that had been stubbornly refusing to emerge from the cracked shell next to Hui Hui finally poke its head out.

Jiang Ci’s eyes lit up immediately, “The little one is finally out!”

She and Song Jinchuan crouched by the eggshell, watching as the little tortoise inside slowly broke through the surrounding shell, eventually emerging completely.

“Wow, it’s actually red!” Jiang Ci was somewhat surprised. After Xiao Lulu and Xiao Heihei, now there was a Xiao Honghong. If there had been more than three tortoise eggs, they probably could have even formed a rainbow.

Song Jinchuan squatted beside Jiang Ci, also amazed by the differently colored little tortoises.

Following Jiang Ci’s naming convention, it was naturally named Xiao Honghong.

Xiao Honghong’s special ability was to spit fireballs, though its fireballs seemed to be different from ordinary fire abilities—it seemed to condense all its energy into a single fireball.

When it spat out its first fireball, Song Jinchuan, upon sensing the immense energy within it, quickly threw it into the nearby pond at top speed.

The water in the pond boiled over and exploded in an instant, sending a column of water shooting up several meters high, startling the nearby survivors and killing all the fish in Jiang Ci’s pond. Even Song Jinchuan, who also had fire abilities, was humbled by this display of power.

Jiang Ci cooked the dead fish and fed them to Hui Hui.

Now, with such a formidable display of power right after birth, who knows how big the fireballs it made would be when it grew up.

Jiang Ci handed the somewhat mischievous Xiao Honghong over to Hui Hui for proper discipline, instructing it not to spit fireballs again until it could control its abilities, or else her well-kept yard might be blown to pieces by it.

While Hui Hui was busy educating the youngest, Lu Dongmei and the others successfully produced the first detoxification pills.

When Jiang Ci went to the hospital, upon seeing that Lu Dongmei and the other traditional Chinese medicine practitioners had dark circles so dark that they almost reached their chins, she knew they must have stayed up all night to make the pill.

Jiang Ci had always admired their spirit of exploration in medicine.

“We’ve already tested the medicine ourselves, and the results are excellent. Boss Jiang, the formula you provided is truly good,” Lu Dongmei said with a smile.

Jiang Ci nodded, “The news has already been spread, so it’ll be very busy these next few days. You’ll have to work a bit harder.”

“As long as it can eliminate the toxins in everyone’s bodies, this little hardship is nothing,” Lu Dongmei replied cheerfully.

They had all seen survivors who had been tortured to death by the deadly toxins, emaciated to the point of being skin and bones, almost looking like walking skeletons.

To ensure everyone knew about this, Jiang Ci spent points to have the system broadcast the advertisements in every city, just like last time.

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

So, on that day, all the survivors witnessed another miraculous scene near their bases.

Two zombies sat opposite each other.

“Have you heard? A hospital in C City’s Gourmet City has produced detoxification pills.”

“The effect is amazing. Take one pill, and your back won’t ache, your legs won’t hurt—you’ll even be able to climb eight floors in one go!”

“That’s the detoxification pill produced by A Hospital—definitely trustworthy.”

Finally, the two zombies simultaneously gave a thumbs-up to the side while smiling at the survivors.

Both of their thumbs had already lost their flesh, leaving only their gleaming white bones behind, which looked quite horrifying, leaving the survivors utterly speechless.

They even wanted to see what was going on in the Boss’s head. How could every advertisement be so bizarre and terrifying?

However, after the initial shock, they latched on to the detoxification pills mentioned by the zombies.

They were well aware of the issues within their bodies. In this post-apocalyptic world, no matter how careful you are, you inevitably inhale varying amounts of toxins as the air and water contain significant amounts of it. With resources scarce, complete purification is impossible.

The younger ones haven’t yet shown symptoms, but the older survivors are starting to experience various problems, with some even bedridden.

Thus, the survivors, clad in thick animal hides, began flocking to Gourmet City to purchase the detoxification pills.

Gourmet City entered its peak period, with the hotel fully booked and many survivors spending crystal cores to stay at the neighboring base.

Many survivors ended up not wanting to leave and eventually joined the base or found jobs at Gourmet City, moving into the employee dormitories.

Jiang Ci was also extremely busy, running around non-stop. She and Song Jinchuan started working separately, going wherever they were needed, like versatile cogs in a machine.

The detoxification pills weren’t a one-time solution. Doctors would diagnose and then prescribe the pills based on the amount of toxins in their body.

These past few days, Lu Dongmei and her team were the busiest. The clinic was packed from morning till night. Jiang Ci even brought them meals, but Lu Dongmei and the others didn’t have time to talk, only managing to give her a grateful smile amidst the bustle.

Despite the rush, Jiang Ci’s staff grew significantly, and the neighboring base added several hundred people, expanding rapidly.

This frenzy gradually subsided after a month. Most survivors had received treatment and had spent a month eating, drinking, and having fun here before reluctantly boarding trains back to their own bases.

It was at this time that Jiang Ci received an urgent mission: survivors at a small base were on the verge of freezing to death, and Jiang Ci needed to bring them warmth.

The map was flashing red, indicating the urgency of the situation. Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan quickly and efficiently packed their things, then took three little tortoises and Hui Hui with them.

Hui Hui hadn’t been on a mission with her in a while, so this time she brought the whole family along for some fun, while also letting the long-suppressed Xiao Honghong spit out a few fireballs.

Nowadays, they always travel by bus. When the survivors heard the roar of the engine and saw the eye-catching bus that stood out in the post-apocalyptic environment, they knew that Boss Jiang was heading out again.

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the translator has nothing to add ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Fu Lin handed Fu Yue a beef bun. As she took a small bite, the steam from the bun rose in the cold air, carrying with it the aroma of the food.

At that moment, the meaning of happiness seemed to condense into a tangible form.

The chatter in the carriage seemed to quiet down as everyone began to eat heartily, filling their bellies until they were both full and warm.

“So this is how people in C City live. How blissful.”

Since they were quite far from C City—almost halfway across the country—despite the fact that they had rarely met any survivors who had personally been to Gourmet City, they had still heard many stories about the place.

They had originally expected the journey to take several days, but to their surprise, they arrived within C City’s borders just a few hours later.

As soon as they entered C City, they sensed a different kind of atmosphere compared to other cities; it felt livelier than any other place they had been to. From the moment they entered the city, they began to see survivors here and there, and the number of people boarding at these stations was significantly higher than at previous stops.

The train quickly became lively. Seeing that Fu Yue and her group were new faces, some people warmly approached them, asking where they had come from.

When they heard that the snow in the north could be as tall as a person, the survivors who had always lived in the south were left with their mouths gaping.

Seeing their reactions, Fu Yue and her brother, Fu Lin, couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Soon, the train arrived at its final destination, Gourmet City. Here, there were even more survivors. As they stepped out of the station, they were greeted by a bustling scene reminiscent of a pre-apocalypse market.

The buildings and shops before them were sights unseen since the apocalypse, and the base on the other side looked as beautiful as a newly built community.

Fu Yue felt as if her eyes were almost overwhelmed with the sight before her.

“Look at how tall that building is,” said Fu Lin, who despite being usually composed, now seemed like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden¹, gazing up at the towering building, unable to close his mouth for a long time.

“A hotel? There’s even a hotel here,” another one of the survivors exclaimed.

Upon hearing this, passing survivors even stopped to comment, “The outside might not look the best, but the inside is definitely still luxurious. I stayed there before, and wow, it was so comfortable. When I returned to my own base, it felt like a doghouse in comparison!”

Fu Yue and the others couldn’t help but laugh. The atmosphere here was so relaxed and joyful that Fu Yue had lost count of how many times she had laughed since arriving.

They had wanted to ask Jiang Ci if they could join the base but were informed that she wasn’t currently at Gourmet City and would only return the next day.

Fu Yue and Fu Lin looked at the building before them, both feeling tempted. They exchanged glances and said, “How about we stay at the hotel for a night?”

The siblings quickly agreed and went to ask other survivors in the base. Some decided to join them for a night at the hotel, while others chose to stay at different bases for the night.

Uncertain about the hotel’s pricing, the siblings first checked the number of crystal cores in their bags before heading over.

As soon as they entered Gourmet City, the aroma of various foods wafted over, making Fu Yue swallow hard.

Seeing his sister’s reaction, Fu Lin chuckled, “We’ll grab something to eat later. I saw that there was beer and barbecue somewhere—I haven’t had that in almost ten years.”

Fu Yue nodded eagerly. After just spending a short time here, she had already started to exhibit some of her original liveliness that had existed before the apocalypse.

The group made their way through the bustling crowd and soon arrived at the hotel.

The luxurious and grand decor immediately struck them, and Fu Yue couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

They glanced down at their animal hide clothing and suddenly felt too self-conscious to step onto the gleaming floor.

At that moment, a uniformed survivor emerged from the hotel and greeted them, “Welcome, are you here to stay?”

Fu Yue nodded, “Yes, we’d like to stay.”

The employee noticed their hesitation and their constant glancing between the floor and their clothes, but his expression remained unchanged. He smiled warmly and said, “Please come in. You can check in at the front desk.”

Having walked through the snow, they left a trail of footprints as they entered the hotel, making them feel a bit embarrassed.

“Don’t worry about it. We have staff to clean up,” the employee reassured them.

With the employee’s gentle encouragement, Fu Yue, Fu Lin, and the others didn’t feel looked down upon. Instead, they genuinely felt a sense of being welcomed.

The hotel lobby downstairs was spacious, and the crystal chandelier made the entire area bright and warm. Standing there made it seem as if the survivors could forget about the apocalypse, the monsters outside, and the deaths they had witnessed.

Fu Yue looked up, feeling slightly disorientated. For a moment, she couldn’t tell where she was.

As she and her brother approached the front desk, a beautiful girl behind the counter smiled at them and asked, “What type of room would you like? We currently have family rooms, single rooms, and double rooms. Here’s the price list. The hotel just opened, so there’s a discount for staying a month.”

Fu Yue checked the price list and was surprised to find that the rates were much lower than they had expected. The most expensive family room cost only three third-level crystal cores, and staying for a month required just six fourth-level crystal cores. Given the exchange rates here, it was indeed very affordable.

“Does anyone book for a month?” Fu Lin asked curiously.

“Quite a few people do,” the staff member said with a smile. “Everyone wants to take advantage of the discounts during this opening month, so the remaining rooms and room types are already limited.”

Indeed, no matter the era, people tend to feel a sense of urgency upon hearing such words.

“My sister and I will take a family room,” Fu Lin quickly placed the crystal cores on the table. “For two nights.”

The staff member nodded and began processing their check-in by scanning their faces. Survivors who hadn’t registered for identity cards at the base could still check in at the hotel using facial recognition. Jiang Ci found this system very convenient, but the system informed her that this was a technology already phased out on their planet.

After the two had settled their room, the lobby gradually filled with more survivors—some checking in, others coming down from their rooms.

After bidding farewell to their companions from the base, they took the elevator up to their rooms.

Fu Yue and Fu Lin’s room was on the 23rd floor. One side of the elevator was made of glass, offering a clear view of the outside scenery.

Fu Yue pressed her face against the window, watching as the landscape below shrank until the survivors on the ground appeared as small as ants.

She had only seen such a sight before the apocalypse. Having not witnessed it for years, she couldn’t help but feel a wave of nostalgia.

Soon, the elevator arrived at the 23rd floor. As the doors opened, they were greeted by a carpeted floor that looked both luxurious and soft, with warm yellow ceiling lights overhead.

Their room number was 2308. Walking down the corridor, their room was on the right side. Since the family rooms were spacious, there weren’t many rooms on this floor.

Upon opening the door, they were met with a spacious living room, complete with a sofa, TV, and everything one could need. Adjacent to it was a large bathroom with a bathtub.

There were two bedrooms, one larger and one smaller, located at the north and south ends of the suite. Fu Lin gave the larger bedroom to his sister, as it had its own ensuite bathroom, making it more convenient for her.

Fu Yue wandered around the living room before returning to her bedroom. Inside, there was a large bed and floor-to-ceiling windows. Standing by the window, she could see the snowflakes drifting down.

After spending some time in the room, the siblings went downstairs to eat. The Gourmet City offered an overwhelming variety of options, and recently, even a dessert cart had been added, specializing in warm, sweet treats that were perfect for the winter.

Fu Yue hadn’t had anything so sweet in a long time. Before the apocalypse, she used to love going out for desserts with her friends during her student days. Desserts always had a way of lifting her spirits.

She bought a cup of osmanthus sweet wine, while Fu Lin, as usual, opted for something less sweet and went to the neighboring barbecue stall for skewers and beer.

After getting their favorite foods, they joined the queue at the hotpot restaurant for a hearty meal.

The two of them ate until their stomachs were round and ended up walking out of the hotpot restaurant while supporting their waists.

Fu Yue looked up, snowflakes falling between her brows, her heart calm yet somewhat moved.

*

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Jiang Ci rushed back to Gourmet City early the next morning. She had gone out to complete a mission, and the system had said that as long as this mission was completed, the formula for the detoxification pill could be unlocked.

Most survivors in this world had some level of toxins in their bodies, and as a result of this, their lives naturally wouldn’t be as long as they could’ve been. She had heard that by the age of forty, their bodies would begin to deteriorate. When Jiang Ci had previously helped Auntie Zhao clear the remaining toxins from her body, she had also checked Zhao Mengqi and Zhao Mengtian. Sure enough, they also had varying levels of toxins in their bodies. Just as this thought occurred to Jiang Ci, the system issued a mission.

When she saw the mission reward, Jiang Ci truly felt as if the system understood her. So, she went out with Song Jinchuan overnight to complete the mission, and only after finishing it did she rush back to Gourmet City.

The moment she got the formula, Jiang Ci handed it over to Lu Dongmei.

When Lu Dongmei saw the ingredients, her eyes lit up. The combination was incredibly ingenious, with excellent detoxification effects and no side effects.

“You’ll have to work hard. For now, focus on producing these detoxification pills. I’ll spread the word and have the survivors come here to buy them.”

Lu Dongmei nodded, her eyes slightly red with emotion. “Thank you, Boss Jiang, for your contribution to us.”

Jiang Ci waved her hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. But with the increase in people catching colds lately, you’ll have to work even harder.”

“It’s not hard. Although everyone is busy, they’re happy. After the apocalypse, our hands haven’t even been able to touch medicinal herbs. Instead, we picked up weapons to kill those monsters. To the point where we’ve almost forgotten the vows we made when we entered this profession. Now, it’s you who has helped us find meaning in life again,” Lu Dongmei said sincerely.

Jiang Ci scratched her cheek. “You’re flattering me too much. Alright, alright, I’ll leave this list to you.”

With that, she hurriedly left, unable to bear such heavy praise.

As soon as she stepped out, Xie Ling came looking for her, saying that some survivors from another base had recently come, wanting to join their base.

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the translator has nothing to add ◡̈

1. From Dream of the Red Chamber. Describes the character Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden for the first time and is used to mock her as a country bumpkin. Used in modern Chinese to describe someone, usually a simple unsophisticated person, who is overwhelmed by new experiences and luxurious surroundings. ↩︎

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as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Upon hearing this, Jiang Ci furrowed her brows slightly. The snowstorm over the past few days had indeed been quite severe, but she hadn’t expected it to be able to cause such damage to the buildings in other bases.

Although she heard such incidents had occurred in previous years, the probability of them happening was actually quite low.

“Were there any casualties?” Jiang Ci asked.

The survivor nodded solemnly, “Yes, after the buildings collapsed, the base leaders organized rescue efforts. Seven or eight people died in the base, while dozens were injured.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ci felt a pang of sorrow in her heart. Those had been living, breathing lives.

Seeing that there were both elderly and children among the survivors, Jiang Ci quickly led them into the base, helped them complete the necessary procedures, and then helped them to select their own house.

Once inside, when everyone felt the tangible sense of warmth, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. Although they had been able to come here thanks to Jiang Ci’s train, they had also been anxious because, as Xie Ling and others had mentioned, Jiang Ci had initially been reluctant to accept them, finding the idea of establishing her own base too troublesome.

But now, the weight in their hearts had finally lifted.

After settling them in, waves of survivors continued to arrive, mostly from the nearby base.

Jiang Ci had been busy all day, primarily receiving survivors who had come seeking refuge from various places.

She also visited Old Cheng, who had now been discharged from the hospital. His injuries were almost healed, and he seemed quite comfortable living in the base’s house. As for the A City base, he showed no concern at all, just as he had said—the plan was already set, and now they just had to wait for it to unfold.

By the time she returned from the base, it was already dusk. Jiang Ci went to check the nursery room. Although Jiang Xing still spoke little, she seemed to be gradually integrating into the new environment, a new light shining in her eyes.

When Jiang Ci went to pick her up, Jiang Meng volunteered to take on the task of caring for Jiang Xing since she lived alone. She really liked Jiang Xing, feeling that she resembled her younger sister from before the apocalypse.

She also knew that Jiang Ci was often out and about, so Jiang Xing couldn’t spend much time with her.

Jiang Ci looked at Jiang Xing and patiently asked for her opinion, but Jiang Xing was still visibly nervous. So, Jiang Ci decided to take her back home first, planning to send her to Jiang Meng’s place once she was fully comfortable.

As they left, Jiang Xing glanced back, clearly reluctant to part with Teacher Jiang Meng.

Back home, given the cold weather, Jiang Ci, Song Jinchuan, and Jiang Xing decided to have a hotpot dinner in the yard.

Jiang Xing wanted to do something, as she had been taught at home that without working, you’d have nothing to eat.

But after looking around, she found that Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan had already taken care of everything, leaving no tasks for her to do.

Seeing her fidgeting, Jiang Ci gently pressed her into her seat, “Here, you’re still a child. At your age, eating and drinking are all you have to worry about, you don’t need to work.”

Jiang Xing pursed her lips, a deep dimple appearing at the corner of her mouth.

At that moment, the system in Jiang Ci’s mind spoke up, [Mission complete. Reward: Hotel.]

Jiang Ci looked at the 3D model of the hotel. It was a grand 28-story building with gleaming golden letters that read A Hotel.

The next day, a tall building rose from the ground. Being the tallest structure in the vicinity, it was immediately noticed by the survivors.

Everyone was amazed by the speed at which the building was constructed as well as its name—A Hotel. Did this mean they wouldn’t have to rush back overnight when visiting Gourmet City?

Some curious survivors walked inside. The lobby was adorned with dazzling decorations, and a massive crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

Even before the apocalypse, this place would have been considered a five-star hotel.

Since it wasn’t open for business yet, the survivors could only press their faces against the windows outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of the interior.

With the addition of more shops, Gourmet City had expanded significantly. Jiang Ci assigned a few employees to the hotel to get its operations up and running.

Meanwhile, the snow outside was getting thicker. Jiang Ci organized her staff to clear the snow from Gourmet City and its surroundings to reveal the ground underneath, which now looked much cleaner than before.

During today’s class, Jiang Meng led the children in using the piled-up snow to build snowmen.

The kids, dressed in warm cotton clothes and gloves, didn’t feel the cold and were having a great time.

*

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Outside the city of D City, Fu Yue emerged from a makeshift snow hut. People from several other snow huts nearby also began to come out.

Their base had been completely buried by this blizzard, leaving them with no choice but to head south with their families. Although the entire country was experiencing an extreme cold front, the south would still be slightly warmer than the north.

Their destination was C City, which many had mentioned. They had heard that there was a Gourmet City as well as a base there.

They had now been traveling for two days, but the journey was particularly difficult due to the road conditions and heavy snow.

Fu Yue took out a map and glanced at it. To reach C City, they would have to pass through several other cities. It seemed the road ahead would not be easy, but if they encountered a base along the way, they could seek shelter there temporarily.

As they continued their journey, a massive mutated beast suddenly appeared halfway. Fu Yue immediately stepped forward. As an ability user, she swiftly unleashed a bolt of lightning from her hand. The others didn’t stand around idly either, joining forces to surround and attack the formidable beast. It didn’t take long for the humans to gain the upper hand.

They extracted the crystal core, fur, and bones. Despite the cold, the survivors worked with remarkable speed.

They tried their best to avoid groups of mutated beasts and zombies, though one advantage of the cold weather was that it also limited the movements of these threats.

As night fell, they finally made it out of the city. Ahead of them was a base, and Fu Yue and her group decided to seek shelter there for the night.

The base’s gate was already closed. The group stood at the entrance and knocked. After a long while, a voice finally responded, “What is it?”

“Hello, could we stay here for the night?” Fu Yue called out loudly.

“No, no. It’s already past the time for opening the gate,” the survivor above replied impatiently, waving them off.

“Please make an exception for us. We have children with us,” another survivor standing nearby shouted through the wind.

“Hurry up and leave,” the survivor inside waved impatiently at them again, then turned and walked away, ignoring them completely.

Generally speaking, bases were quite willing to accommodate survivors, collect their crystal cores, all while doing good deeds at the same time—killing two birds with one stone. Encountering such a base could only be blamed on their bad luck.

The temperature at night was much lower than during the day. Even wearing animal hides made it hard for them to withstand the cold wind. They had to find a place to rest first.

Fu Yue felt that with every breath of cold air, her lungs would turn to ice, and the white mist she exhaled grew thicker with each breath.

The children in the group were also complaining about the cold. With no other choice, everyone had to keep moving forward.

They walked for who knows how long, and just as they were about to collapse from the cold, a faint light suddenly appeared in the distance.

Fu Yue found it strange. In her memory, there shouldn’t be a base here, so why was there light?

The group cautiously approached, and as they got closer, their eyes widened in surprise—it was actually a train station!

“Wasn’t it said that only a few cities near C City have train stations? Why is there one here?” one of the survivors asked in confusion.

But the station before them was real. They all rushed into the departure hall, instantly shielded from the snowstorm. The station was heated, and the survivors immediately felt their bodies warm up.

“This is great. Thank goodness for this station, or we would’ve frozen to death outside today,” Fu Yue’s brother, Fu Lin, said happily.

One of the survivors checked the train schedule. The last train had just departed, and the earliest one wasn’t until 6 a.m. the next morning. It seemed they’d have to spend the night here.

But with the heating and plenty of seats, no one found it too unbearable. In fact, they felt this place was more comfortable than anywhere else.

They settled down in the station, undisturbed, and slept soundly until dawn.

When Fu Yue woke up, it was just past 5 a.m. The sky outside was still dark, but the station remained brightly lit, giving everyone a sense of security.

The survivors gradually woke up, and at 6 a.m., they boarded the train heading to C City’s Gourmet City.

“The boss of Gourmet City is really something, building so many trains and tracks here. I heard Gourmet City itself is incredibly luxurious and grand.”

“That boss’s identity is quite mysterious. Many bases have tried to figure out her background, but they’ve all come up with nothing. In the end, they still all had to obediently lower their heads to go buy supplies.”

Everyone chatted excitedly, marveling at everything on the train. After all, it had been ten years since they’d seen anything like this.

Fu Yue and Fu Lin sat by the window, quietly watching the scenery pass by, though their hearts were far from calm.

Not long after they boarded the train, the scent of food reached their noses, followed by the sound of wheels rolling across the floor.

Fu Yue turned her head towards the source of the sound and saw an employee wearing the uniform of Gourmet City pushing a meal cart. Although the food on the cart was covered, wisps of steam escaped, and the aroma quickly filled the space.

The survivors had risen early and naturally hadn’t eaten breakfast. Moreover, they weren’t in the habit of having breakfast, usually relying on a single nutrient solution to last them the entire day, whether it be at noon or in the evening.

Though now, as they caught a whiff of the enticing aroma, their stomachs began to growl in unison.

“Would you like to buy some breakfast?” the employee asked with a smile. “We have buns, soy milk, and fried dough sticks.”

These foods were pre-made frozen goods from the Gourmet City’s factory, and had been simply steamed in the train’s dining car.

The variety of products from the food processing factory had increased significantly, with items like buns and soy milk powder now available as finished products. Jiang Ci had placed some of these on the train, and the response had been very positive.

Unable to resist the temptation, each survivor bought a few of each. With a single bite, the scalding buns, filled with a savory broth, warmed them from their mouth to their stomach.

---

the translator has nothing to add ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

By the light of the orange flame, the survivors could now clearly see the faces of Song Jinchuan and Jiang Ci.

“Isn’t that Boss Jiang and Captain Song?” Although Song Jinchuan had already left the Cheetah Squad a long time ago, the survivors still habitually liked to refer to him as Captain Song.

The one who recognized them was a survivor who often went on missions outside the base. He had been to C City several times, back when Gourmet City was just a lone hotpot restaurant, so he recognised Jiang Ci.

The name “Boss Jiang” was already infamous throughout the post-apocalyptic world. Most people knew that in C City, there was Gourmet City, a city where you could find everything, and whose boss’s surname was Jiang.

The survivors immediately became much more enthusiastic toward Jiang Ci since many of them had relatives or friends who had gone to Gourmet City in C City that very day to buy winter clothes and blankets.

The woman immediately fell silent. Her husband had also gone to Gourmet City to buy a down jacket for their son.

Jiang Ci didn’t continue to linger. After seeing Zhou Mengqi and her mother gather their belongings, she and Song Jinchuan left, carrying the little girl away with them.

“Mengqi, where are you going with Boss Jiang?” one of the survivors asked, noticing that Zhao Mengqi was not only carrying her mother on her back while also holding her sister’s hand, but also lugging several bags behind her, as if they were moving.

Zhao Mengqi glanced at Jiang Ci. Without Jiang Ci’s approval, she couldn’t bring herself to mention that she was going to live at the base near Gourmet City.

Jiang Ci, however, spoke openly, “She’s joining my base. You’re all welcome to come in the future.”

Her words exploded like a bomb among the survivors. Everyone knew the conditions at Gourmet City were excellent, and they all began to stir with excitement.

Meanwhile, the woman behind them was still fantasizing about how she could take advantage of her daughter moving to Gourmet City. What she didn’t know was that Jiang Ci had already blacklisted her entire family through the system.

She was even more unaware that her husband, who was still in line at Gourmet City at the time, had also been inexplicably kicked out.

Later, as people from their base gradually migrated to the base at Gourmet City, only their family remained in the increasingly empty and desolate base, shivering and huddling together for warmth.

Of course, that was a story for later.

After Jiang Ci and the others left the base, they boarded a bus. Zhao Mengqi’s younger sister, Zhao Mengtian, though somewhat introverted, was happy to have her mother and sister by her side. She spoke softly, her voice barely audible.

The little girl Jiang Ci had rescued didn’t seem to talk much. She sat obediently beside Jiang Ci, wearing a cotton coat that was much too large for her.

In reality, it was the smallest size Jiang Ci had on her, yet it still hung loosely on the girl’s small frame.

Watching the interactions between Zhao Mengqi, Zhao Mengtian, and their mother, the little girl’s face showed an obvious sign of envy.

Jiang Ci patted her head and handed her a small piece of bread, then gave another to Zhao Mengtian.

“What’s your name?” Jiang Ci asked.

The girl looked at her blankly and shook her head in confusion. After a while, she hesitantly spoke, “Dead girl? Or maybe ‘money-loser’… that’s what Mom and Dad always called me.”

Zhao Mengqi couldn’t help but turn her gaze to the little girl, her brow furrowing slightly.

“It’s okay. From now on, your name will be Jiang Xing,” Jiang Ci said after a moment of thought, hoping the girl could leave the shadows of her past behind and find happiness.

Jiang Ci felt she couldn’t bear to be too harsh on such a young child. In this apocalyptic world, she always found herself softening at the sight of them.

Watching Jiang Xing’s eyes light up, Jiang Ci sighed and patted her head again.

Sitting in the warm and comfortable bus, Zhao Mengqi’s mother watched her two daughters playfully bickering. The atmosphere was exceptionally cozy, and she couldn’t help but smile.

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

By the time the bus returned to Gourmet City in C City, it was already very late. The bus stopped directly outside the base, and Jiang Ci arranged rooms for them, letting Zhao Mengqi’s family of three settle in first. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.

As they entered the room, Jiang Ci switched on the light. Zhao Mengqi still instinctively squinted despite the light not being too harsh.

She knew the conditions at Gourmet City would be good, but she hadn’t expected them to be this good.

After settling her mother on the bed inside the house, she walked over to Jiang Ci and stuffed her money pouch into Jiang Ci’s hands, “I’m not sure if this is enough for my mother’s medical fees and the rent. If it’s not enough, I’ll go out tomorrow to get more crystal cores.”

Jiang Ci glanced at the crystal cores in the pouch, took a few out, and returned the rest to her, “This is enough.”

Seeing Zhou Mengqi’s eyes redden slightly, as if she wanted to say something more, Jiang Ci waved her hand, “This is the market price, I’m not overcharging or undercharging. Alright, get some rest early, or the other survivors will complain about us disturbing the peace.”

With that, she and Song Jinchuan left with Jiang Xing.

Back in her own small courtyard, Jiang Ci finally relaxed. Overusing her abilities today had drained her energy, and now her eyelids were starting to feel heavy.

But she still forced herself to wash up Jiang Xing and herself. She hadn’t figured out where to place Jiang Xing yet, so for tonight, Jiang Xing would sleep in her room.

Jiang Xing was very well-behaved, seemingly just a few years old, yet capable of doing everything herself.

While Jiang Ci was running hot water for her, Jiang Xing awkwardly said, “I can just use cold water, I always use cold water at home.”

“Kids who use cold water won’t grow tall,” Jiang Ci said seriously, looking at her.

Jiang Xing nodded blankly and then obediently used the hot water.

While washing up, Jiang Ci heard a very distinct growling sound. She paused for a moment before realizing she hadn’t asked Jiang Xing if she had eaten anything.

She and Song Jinchuan had already eaten on the way, and when they went to Zhou Mengqi’s house, Zhou Mengqi’s sister and mother had just had some nutrient solution, so it had slipped her mind.

“Look at my memory, your mother probably didn’t give you anything to eat,” Jiang Ci said.

Jiang Xing pinched her fingers, “It’s fine, sister, I don’t eat at night.”

As soon as she finished speaking, another loud growl came from her stomach, as if contradicting her words.

Jiang Ci didn’t listen to her anymore and directly placed a portion of food in front of her, sternly telling her, “Kids who don’t eat won’t grow tall either.”

In the end, Jiang Xing wolfed down the food and then lay down obediently next to Jiang Ci.

At home, she was the one who bore the brunt of everything. Since the age of two, when she could walk on her own, the only thing that awaited her was endless beatings and chores.

She thought all girls were treated this way at home, until she saw other girls being cherished like treasures by their parents.

At that moment, little Jiang Xing seemed to understand that she was the only one who wasn’t loved.

So when Jiang Ci appeared before her, she could help but tightly grip onto this lifeline.

In the darkness, she tried to curl up as much as possible to avoid taking up more space, but the blanket was too warm, the scent around her too clean, and the older sister beside her was too gentle. Jiang Xing couldn’t help but quietly lean her head closer to Jiang Ci, then closed her eyes and fell asleep.

When she woke up, she realized she had somehow moved from the edge of the bed to the inner side. The blanket was tucked tightly around her, making her feel as warm as if she were soaking in hot water.

Jiang Ci was no longer by her side. Jiang Xing quickly got up from the bed and noticed that the tattered clothes she had been wearing were gone. In their place was a warm-looking down jacket and a set of thermal underwear.

After hesitating for a while, she put on the clothes. Just as she finished getting dressed, the door was pulled open from the outside. She quickly straightened up and looked at the person entering.

“Awake? Come and have breakfast,” Jiang Ci said as she walked into the room, closing the door behind her and shutting out the cold wind that was howling outside.

The weather was getting colder. The biting cold wind had blown all night, and heavy snow had fallen continuously. Jiang Ci’s room had been warmed by the air conditioner throughout the night.

Seeing Jiang Xing still standing there in a daze, Jiang Ci stepped forward to help her tidy her hair and put on a hat. After making sure Jiang Xing had finished washing up, she took her hand and led her to Song Jinchuan’s room next door.

Inside the room, a steaming bowl of congee and buns were already laid out, filling the air with the aroma of food.

After breakfast, Jiang Ci took Jiang Xing to find Jiang Meng. As the weather had turned cold, Jiang Ci no longer allowed the children to pack vegetables outdoors. Instead, she had exchanged points at the system for a dedicated nursery room. Jiang Meng was now the manager and part-time teacher of the nursery room, spending her days teaching the children, telling stories, and still joining them in packing vegetables during activity sessions.

Jiang Ci had also spent points to decorate the nursery room in colors that the children loved.

Now, several more children had been sent over by new survivors of the base to join.

Jiang Ci held Jiang Xing’s hand and said, “Stay here and play with these kids and Teacher Jiang Meng. I’ll come back to pick you up after I’m done with my work.”

Jiang Xing’s fingers trembled slightly as she held onto Jiang Ci’s hand, clearly reluctant to let go. Jiang Ci was the person she trusted and relied on the most in this place, and she wasn’t keen on staying with strangers.

Jiang Meng walked out of the classroom and crouched beside Jiang Xing. Her gentle voice quickly soothed Jiang Xing, who followed her into the classroom.

“Take care of her,” Jiang Ci said, relieved. Although she had hired many employees, her daily tasks were still overwhelming, and she couldn’t possibly take Jiang Xing everywhere with her. Entrusting her to Jiang Meng was the best solution she came up with.

“Don’t worry, Boss Jiang,” Jiang Meng replied with a smile. She was content with her current life—well-fed, warmly dressed, and doing the work she enjoyed.

Jiang Ci glanced through the window and saw that although Jiang Xing was still a bit nervous, some children had already approached her and started playing with her. Satisfied, Jiang Ci left.

After leaving the nursery, Jiang Ci headed to another base. At the entrance, she saw a family with large bags and backpacks, lingering outside the base.

Upon inquiring, she learned that they wanted to join Jiang Ci. Their base was next to Xie Ling’s, and after hearing that Xie Ling and her group had moved away and were now living well, they decided to seek a better future for themselves.

“After the heavy snowfall, many houses in our base collapsed, so we have to find another place to survive this harsh winter,” the survivor explained.

---

the translator has nothing to add ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

But this was the norm in some bases. The apocalypse had amplified all of the survivors’ innate desires, turning those who once appeared righteous on the surface into the greedy individuals they really were.

Jiang Ci watched as survivors poked their heads out of their houses upon hearing the commotion. They seemed to be suffering greatly from the harsh winter, their faces already turning blue from the cold.

Soon, they arrived at the place where Zhao Mengqi and her family lived.

Since her family consisted of two old and weak individuals with limited mobility and combat ability, she had spent a large number of crystal cores to rent a single room. Even though it was just a single room, it was just one of several partitioned spaces within a small house.

As soon as Jiang Ci stepped inside, she heard the sounds of various voices. This place had absolutely no soundproofing at all.

Zhao Mengqi walked to one of the rooms, unlocked the door with a key, and through the light streaming in from outside, a small but well-organized space could be seen inside.

“Little Qi?” A weak female voice came from inside the room.

“Sister, you’re back!” As this voice rang out, a child rushed to the door.

“Mom, I’m back,” Zhao Mengqi picked up the little girl and called out into the room, “I’ve brought guests.”

Jiang Ci could sense the sudden tension in the air and quickly spoke up, “Auntie, I’m Jiang Ci, the owner of the C City’s Gourmet City. I heard you’re not feeling well, so I came to take a look at you.”

“Boss… Boss Jiang, hello. I’m not in good health, so I apologize for not being able to greet you properly,” Mother Zhao stammered.

“It’s alright, just lie down. I’ll come over to you.” The single room was so small that it felt cramped with just two people inside. Jiang Ci had to ask Song Jinchuan to wait for her outside.

After just a couple of steps, she reached the bed. Once the door was closed, the room was plunged into pitch black darkness, with no visibility at all. Jiang Ci took out a lighting tool from her space and placed it on a nearby table. Instantly, the room was filled with a warm, soft yellow light that wasn’t harsh on the eyes but provided just enough light to see everything clearly.

It was only then that Jiang Ci got a clear look at the frail little girl in Zhao Mengqi’s arms as well as the emaciated woman lying on the bed.

Everything inside the room was clearly visible in the light. Though it was a small space, it had been well-organized, with the bedroom separated with a curtain. Despite the extremely limited area, the entire space had been utilized efficiently.

Mother Zhao looked uneasy and tried to sit up, but her body was too weak to support her. She barely managed to lift herself a little before collapsing back down again.

“It’s alright, don’t move. Just rest,” Jiang Ci said quickly, startled by the sight.

She walked over to the bedside. The woman before her was so thin that her cheeks were sunken, her complexion sallow, and her breathing was extremely faint.

“Boss Jiang, can my mother be cured?” Zhao Mengqi asked nervously, then added hastily, “I still have some crystal cores with me. Should I pay you first?”

Jiang Ci shook her head. “No rush.”

As she spoke, she extended her hand, and a white light began to swirl at her fingertips. Jiang Ci slowly closed her eyes.

That familiar scene appeared before her once again. Perhaps because she had used her healing ability several times recently, Jiang Ci noticed that the vision in front of her had become clearer. She could even seem to hear the sound of blood flowing through her veins.

Mother Zhao’s body was indeed severely depleted. Toxins had been accumulating in her system over the years, making her internal condition quite dire.

Jiang Ci increased the intensity of the white light. Under its soothing effect, she could see the withered and decayed parts of her body gradually improving.

After a while, Jiang Ci opened her eyes, a bead of sweat forming at her temple.

She hadn’t expected that it would still consume so much of her energy despite her healing ability having evolved. Mother Zhao’s condition wasn’t like those who had just been poisoned recently. In her case, the toxin had already completely attached itself to her internal organs, making the healing process extensive. This couldn’t be cured in just one session.

“How is it, Boss Jiang?” Zhao Mengqi asked anxiously and expectantly as Jiang Ci withdrew her hand.

“It can be cured,” Jiang Ci’s first words instantly lifted Zhao Mengqi’s spirits. “But it might take more than one session. I can’t stay here for long. Take your mom to Gourmet City. We’ll take my vehicle. I’ve just completed the first round of treatment, so she should be able to hold on until we get there.”

Zhao Mengqi was momentarily stunned by the latter part of the sentence. She had previously considered taking her mom to Gourmet City for treatment, but she hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.

“Honestly, if you ask me, moving to my base is also an option. The people here clearly don’t care about your wellbeing, and they’ve made your living conditions even harsher. There’s honestly no point in staying,” Jiang Ci said.

Since Xie Ling and the others had moved to Jiang Ci’s base, Jiang Ci had experienced the benefits of having her own subsidiary base. First, there were more people available. Although Jiang Ci hadn’t set strict rules, the survivors would still voluntarily hand over a small portion of their crystal cores. Second, was their loyalty. With such favorable conditions being so rare in the apocalypse, the survivors treaded with caution, fearing they might ruin the hard-earned life they now had. They were deeply loyal and grateful to Jiang Ci, who had provided them with this lifestyle.

So now, she wasn’t opposed to recruiting more people into her base.

Zhao Mengqi thought of Xie Ling, whom she had met earlier. The smile on Xie Ling’s face and her rosy cheeks seemed like genuine proof of her better life. Moreover, when Zhao Mengqi was out buying her supplies, Xie Ling had mentioned that life at the base was good, much better than before.

Zhao Mengqi didn’t hesitate much before nodding. “Alright, Boss Jiang. My family and I will move to the base. We’ll be in your care from now on.”

Jiang Ci nodded, stood up, and walked outside. Song Jinchuan was waiting at the door for her. She told him about Zhao Mengqi’s plan to move to Gourmet City. Song Jinchuan nodded, and the two of them waited outside for Zhao Mengqi to finish packing her things.

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

“Get out!” A sharp voice suddenly rang out, drawing their attention.

In the direction of the sound, they saw a thin, poorly dressed girl kneeling at the door, shivering. She occasionally slapped the door with her palm, her voice trembling from the cold, barely able to form a complete sentence, “Mom, please, I’m cold, let me in.”

Seeing this, Jiang Ci frowned deeply. She took a few steps forward and wrapped the shivering girl in a down jacket she had taken out from her space.

“I told you to get out, you jinx! You can’t even hold your brother properly! Oh, don’t cry, sweetie, it’s all that worthless girl’s fault. Should mommy beat her to death?” The tone of the woman’s voice inside the house was completely different in her first half of the sentence compared to the second half. The first half was harsh and bitter, as if the person standing outside was her enemy rather than her own daughter, yet the second half seemed to be dripping with tenderness.

Words like “beat her to death” came out of her mouth so easily, and even though they were meant to soothe the little boy inside, it still sent chills down people’s spines.

The girl in Jiang Ci’s arms had tears welling up in her eyes, her face filled with sorrow and a hint of confusion, as if she didn’t know what she had done wrong to be so hated.

Jiang Ci stepped forward and knocked on the door loudly. The sound was clearly not something a child could make, so the door soon opened from the inside, revealing an impatient face.

“Who are you?” the woman asked rudely.

“Your daughter is wearing so little despite being outside. Are you trying to freeze her to death?” Jiang Ci’s tone was equally harsh.

“What’s it to you?!” the woman’s voice was sharp. “She’s my child, I gave birth to her, so I can do whatever I want with her. Who are you to meddle in my business?”

Seeing the little girl in Jiang Ci’s arms, the woman’s face twisted with anger, “You little brat, get over here!”

Hearing this, the girl shrank back, the light in her eyes slowly dimming. She slipped out of Jiang Ci’s arms and handed the jacket back to her, “Thank you, sister, I… I have to go back now.”

As she walked back to her mother, the woman didn’t hesitate to pinch her arm harshly, “You little brat, I’ve raised you in vain! Are you going to leave with anyone who holds you? Why don’t you just go and die outside then!”

The girl lowered her head, her expression unreadable. Whether from the cold or pain, her body trembled even more violently.

Jiang Ci couldn’t stand it anymore. She grabbed the girl and wrapped her in the jacket, then kicked the woman.

Jiang Ci’s body had been enhanced, and after drinking the well water for so long, her strength had increased significantly. Her unrestrained kick sent the woman stumbling back several steps, crashing into something with a loud clatter.

Hearing her cries of pain and the child’s sobbing coming from inside, Jiang Ci paid them no mind. She simply squatted beside the little girl and asked earnestly, “Do you want to go back with your mother, or do you want to come with me?”

The little girl barely hesitated, taking a step toward Jiang Ci. “Can… can I go with you?”

Jiang Ci smiled. If the little girl had said she wanted to stay with her mother, Jiang Ci would have left without a second thought and never looked back.

“You can’t leave! You hurt someone and now you think you can just walk away like this?!” The woman’s voice was filled with venom, this time laced with a hint of pain. It seemed she had been hurt in the collision this time.

“Everyone, come and see! There’s a human trafficker here! She’s trying to kidnap my child!” The woman’s shrill voice echoed throughout the base once more.

Hearing the commotion, the survivors poked their heads out of their homes to see what was happening. When they realized it was this particular family again, some rolled their eyes and slammed their doors shut again. However, a few kind-hearted souls came over to inquire about the situation.

The woman seized the opportunity, accusing Jiang Ci of hitting her and trying to steal her daughter.

One of the survivors cautiously tugged at Jiang Ci’s sleeve. “Don’t bother with them. This family is just like this. If you get involved, she’ll just turn around and scold you.”

Jiang Ci looked down at the little girl clinging to her as if she were her last lifeline and shook her head. “I have to take this child with me no matter what.”

“If you want to take her away, then fine. Give me food, give me crystal cores, and I’ll sell her to you,” the woman pushed through the crowd, her eyes gleaming with greed.

“In your dreams,” Jiang Ci scoffed. “Look at how you’ve treated this child. In the middle of winter, you threw her out in such a thin shirt. It’s clear you didn’t want her in the first place.”

Although the survivors knew the woman often beat her child, they hadn’t realized she could be so cruel. A wave of murmurs and gasps rippled through the crowd.

They say even a tiger doesn’t eat its own cubs, but clearly, not all mothers love their children.

The woman’s eyes darted around, and she seemed be on the verge of retorting again when Song Jinchuan stepped forward. His tall frame blocked the light coming from outside, and a ball of orange flames flickered to life in his palm. The crowd fell silent instantly.

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merry christmas eve everyone! i’ll be on hiatus until the first week of 2026 jan so happy new years to u all in advance ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

---

“Mengqi?” The girl beside her called out to her again when she didn’t respond.

Zhao Mengqi snapped out of her thoughts and shook her head. “No, my mother and sister are waiting for me at home, so I need to go back quickly.”

“There’s a hospital here too, and I heard that someone who suffered from toxin accumulation from eating a mutated beast was saved by Boss Jiang. You could try bringing your mother here for a check-up,” the girl kindly reminded her.

Hearing this, Zhao Mengqi turned her head sharply, hope flashing in her eyes. Her mother’s body had already been weakened by childbirth, and when coupled with the toxins that had been accumulated inside her, her body was ultimately too weak to expel them. “Really?”

The girl nodded. “It’s true. The news has already spread everywhere. Everyone says that if you accidentally eat a mutated beast, you can go to Boss Jiang for help.”

Zhao Mengqi was so eager she wanted to bring her mother here immediately, but a cold breeze soon blew past her, quickly allowing her to regain her senses.

Ignoring the long journey, her mother’s body was so weak she couldn’t possibly withstand traveling. The most important thing for her to do now was to buy clothes and take them back first.

The wind outside was so cold it stung people’s cheeks, yet the gourmet city was bustling with activity. There were crowds everywhere, especially outside the convenience store that was selling down jackets and cotton-padded clothes, the store was absolutely packed to the brim.

Seeing this, everyone hurried over to queue, afraid they might miss out.

Zhao Mengqi hadn’t waited for  long in the crowd before she saw a group of people coming through the entrance of the gourmet city. Each of them was pushing a cart, and tied to the carts were the very down jackets, cotton-padded clothes, and quilts they had been longing for.

The survivors in the queue stared at the piles of clothes and quilts with stars in their eyes, their gazes practically glued to them.

“Mengqi?” Zhao Mengqi snapped out of her thoughts. The one calling out to her was Xie Ling. They had met during a past mission and had gone through life and death together. Their personalities were also quite similar, so they had become fast friends and had kept in touch over the years.

“What are you doing here?” Seeing a familiar friend, a faint smile appeared on Zhao Mengqi’s face.

“I moved here. You also know how our previous base leader was useless. Our whole base almost died during that epidemic, but Boss Jiang ended up saving us. After that, I brought the entire base over to join Boss Jiang.”

After all, the survivors had been living in the apocalypse for ten years now. Apart from a few lone wolf survivors, most people had taken root where they had settled, so leaving their original base was tantamount to upheaving their entire lives.

But judging by Xie Ling’s complexion and the clothes she was wearing, it was clear she was doing well, in fact, she seemed to be doing much better than before. Even the smile on her face seemed to be appearing more frequently than before.

“So the base they were talking about that joined Gourmet City was your base,” Zhao Mengqi said, finally coming to the realisation.

“That’s right. Are you here to buy down jackets and quilts? With so many people, who knows how long the queue will take? Come with me, I’ll take you through the back door,” Xie Ling offered.

Zhao Mengqi quickly declined. “No, no, don’t break the rules for me. Boss Jiang might get upset.”

“No worries, Boss Jiang said that each of us has the privilege of bringing a friend through the back door once,” Xie Ling laughed again. Zhao Mengqi noticed that Xie Ling had truly become much more cheerful now, with her smiles becoming noticeably more frequent.

Zhao Mengqi was momentarily stunned, suddenly recalling the leader of her own base. He was no longer the same person as he had been a few years ago. While the base leader usually appeared dignified, they only knew how to hide behind closed doors when trouble arose.

When this harsh winter had hit the base, the base leader and the logistics director had merely offered a symbolic amount of supplies and advised everyone to stay indoors before shutting themselves in with their families and subordinates to live a comfortable life.

Regardless of how many people froze to death or fell ill outside, their attitudes toward them were extremely dismissive. The survivors were deeply disheartened by this behaviour and had no choice but to seek out their own solutions.

Now, seeing Xie Ling with her rosy complexion and how she was already dressed in warm cotton clothes, Zhao Mengqi realized that the leaders of her base couldn’t even compare to a single finger of Boss Jiang.

She was led by Xie Ling to the back of the convenience store, where there was a small door. Inside was the store’s warehouse.

When Xie Ling entered, someone was counting the cotton clothes and blankets that had been delivered. Upon seeing Xie Ling, they greeted her.

“Sister Su, I’ve brought a friend here to buy a few things,” Xie Ling said.

The short-haired survivor in front of her nodded briskly, “Alright, then now your privilege has been used up now, I’ve kept track of it for you. Go ahead and pick what you need, and we’ll calculate the crystal cores. Remember the rules.”

Xie Ling nodded. When bringing someone here to buy things, naturally it also meant they had to abide by the rules here to avoid encountering those who would steal or act shamelessly.

She had heard before about an employee’s friend who had come here to buy things but had secretly stuffed a lot of other items into their pockets to take out. However, before they could even leave, they were caught on the spot and had both hands injured, with the employee fired as a result as well.

Xie Ling had heard that there were surveillance cameras everywhere. Although she didn’t know where they were installed, she knew that Boss Jiang could see everything that happened in Gourmet City, with it’s range even including base’s train station.

Since then, the survivors had become much more restrained, at least not daring to openly cause trouble in Gourmet City. After all, the fates of those who had been kicked out before were all grim—either dead or crippled.

Zhao Mengqi was dumbfounded by the abundance of supplies in front of her. Only after Xie Ling’s reminder did she start picking out what she needed.

She didn’t just pick out cotton clothes and blankets, but also selected a lot of daily necessities, wanting to take advantage of this opportunity to buy more so she could bring them home.

When it came time to settle the crystal cores, Zhao Mengqi was unsure how much everything would cost and felt a bit anxious about the price. Although she had brought a lot of crystal cores with her, it was also true that she had bought quite a few items that exceeded her original budget. She thought to herself that if she didn’t have enough crystal cores this time, then she would have to leave a few things behind and come back to buy them another time.

However, she didn’t expect that her pile of items wasn’t as expensive as she thought, and that she hadn’t even managed to use up half of the crystal cores she had brought.

Hearing that she lived far away, the staff at the convenience store even used a vacuum sealer to compress the cotton clothes and blankets into bags for easier transportation.

Coming out of the convenience store’s back door, Xie Ling looked at Zhao Mengqi who was still dazed and chuckled softly. When she had first moved here, she had been just like Zhao Mengqi, finding everything new and fascinating.

“Boss Jiang.” At this moment, Xie Ling’s call pulled Zhao Mengqi back from her thoughts. She looked up and saw a particularly young and beautiful girl walking over, accompanied by a tall and handsome man.

Zhao Mengqi suddenly became nervous and also greeted her, “Boss Jiang.”

“Hello, is this your friend?” Jiang Ci asked with a smile.

“Yes, I still had one of my privileges left, so I used them for my friend,” Xie Ling replied with a smile. “By the way, Boss Jiang, her mother also has toxin accumulating in her body, so I was wondering if our hospital could treat her?”

Zhao Mengqi didn’t expect Xie Ling to bring up her matter so directly, but she truly was eager to know the answer, so she just shot Xie Ling a grateful look.

Jiang Ci thought seriously for a while, “Yes, I can treat her. Did your mother come here with you?”

“No… not yet,” Zhao Mengqi’s breathing quickened. She had originally thought that Jiang Ci would be a little arrogant now that she was a highly sought after figure in the post-apocalyptic world. She hadn’t expected her to be so approachable. She steadied her mind and briefly explained her mother’s condition to Jiang Ci. When she mentioned that her mother didn’t have much time left to live, her voice started to crack.

“It just so happens that I was planning to go out to make some deliveries these couple of days. If it’s convenient with you, I can go along with you,” Jiang Ci sighed after listening to Zhao Mengqi’s story and then said, “We can drive there.”

When it came to talking about the car, Jiang Ci’s eyes lit up.

Song Jinchuan turned his head and looked at her with amusement. Only he knew that Jiang Ci was increasingly reluctant to ride her electric scooter when going out these days. To be precise, she didn’t even want to go out at all because it was too cold, with the wind feeling like knives cutting into her face.

However, the system still issued her tasks, so she had no choice but to go out to make deliveries. Coincidentally, she happened to come across Zhao Mengqi’s issue and decided to solve it all in one go. It had been a while since she last used her healing ability.

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

Zhao Mengqi went to inform her companions at the base that she would be leaving early. Her companions didn’t mind since they wanted to stay in the gourmet city to eat something before heading back. After reminding Zhao Mengqi to be careful, they quickly disappeared into the crowd. Zhao Mengqi also missed the chance to tell them that Boss Jiang would be taking her home.

When she returned to the entrance of Gourmet City, she saw a bus slowly approaching. Jiang Ci was sitting in the passenger seat, waving at her.

Zhao Mengqi boarded the bus with her belongings. The interior of the bus was as warm and comfortable as the inside of the train when she first saw it.

Jiang Ci took some of the things from her hands and placed them on the floor, “Just sit in the first row. There’s no one else on the bus anyway.”

Zhao Mengqi nodded. While on the bus, Jiang Ci asked about her mother’s condition, and she proceeded to explain in detail.

Jiang Ci mentally reviewed the situation and felt that her healing ability should be sufficient.

The journey had taken more than three days, but the return trip only took a few hours. Zhao Mengqi couldn’t help but marvel at the convenience of having a bus.

The bus stopped at the entrance and was then stored in Jiang Ci’s space. Previously, there had been instances where she had left the bus outside, which subsequently caused it to be coveted by other survivors. Jiang Ci found it troublesome, so she simply stored it in her space instead.

This base didn’t leave a good first impression on Jiang Ci. The words “dirty” and “messy” didn’t even seem to fully encapsulate the situation.

Seeing Jiang Ci frown, Zhao Mengqi felt her face burn with embarrassment. Although Gourmet City was crowded, the whole place was still clean and tidy. Not only did the survivors consciously refrain from littering, but there were also dedicated staff members responsible for cleaning up the place, nothing at all like their own base.

“I’m sorry for making you see such a joke, Boss Jiang.”

“What does this have to do with you? It’s obviously the result of poor management from the base leaders,” Jiang Ci said.

There were few people in the base. It seemed like everyone had holed themselves up in their houses for the winter. Jiang Ci looked around and noticed a few villas with their lights still on. “What’s that place over there? Are they the only ones who have electricity?”

“Those are the residences of the base leaders,” Zhao Mengqi replied, her eyes turning cold. “They not only have electricity, but also many necessary supplies are exclusive to them.”

Although resources were scarce, they weren’t completely nonexistent. However, some leaders would rather hoard the good stuff for themselves and only let a few scraps trickle down to the ordinary survivors below them.

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the translator has nothing to add ◡̈

this chapter is brought to you by mio
as translator, proofreader and editor!

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Jiang Ci had mentioned earlier that when no one was occupying the beds, he could sleep on one, but if someone needed it, he could also take the caregiver’s bed that was available.

Now, in the quiet hospital, Fan Zhipeng finally let out a sigh of relief. He fetched hot water from the bathroom to wipe the base leader’s face and hands, then quickly washed up himself before collapsing onto the bed.

He had fought his way out, protecting the base leader, and carried the unconscious man over long distances. Finally, when they neared C City, they had managed to board a train and arrived at the C City Gourmet City.

The familiar scent of the hospital filled his nostrils, bringing him an unusual sense of calm. He fell asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. The surroundings were eerily quiet, devoid of the growls of zombies or mutated beasts, with only the occasional sound of footsteps. It had been years since he’d slept so soundly.

He had a dream he dreamed of in a long time. Back then, the apocalypse had just begun, and he was just a young man of nineteen, carrying the body of his five-year-old sister, covered in blood, wandering aimlessly through the streets.

His mind was in chaos. He had just witnessed his parents being torn to shreds by zombies at their doorstep as they tried to protect him. When he rushed back to his sister’s room to take her with him, he found a zombie crouched by her bed, having already gnawed her into a bloody, unrecognizable mess. She was clearly already dead.

His hands trembled as he gripped the baseball bat. With a swing, he knocked the zombie away from his sister’s bed, grabbed her, and bolted out of the house.

Before leaving, he had taken a glance back. His mother’s head was turned toward him, her eyes, which had always been warm and smiling, were now dull and gray.

Tears welled up in his eyes, but the screams and roars outside forced him to keep moving as he dashed out of the neighborhood.

The outside world was in complete disarray. He didn’t know where to go, and he didn’t know why, in just a moment, the world that had been fine just a second ago had descended into this nightmare.

As a zombie roared and lunged at him, Fan Zhipeng even thought that it would be better to just die here instead.

But in the next second, he was rescued by a military team, led by the current leader of A City’s base.

At the time, he didn’t notice that he was the one being protected by so many people. He only felt that the leader was exceptionally kind, his words so gentle it managed to pull him back from the edge of the abyss.

After that, he began following the base leader. He had food, shelter, and a job that others envied.

The base leader not only saved him but also taught him many things, giving him so much, and shaped him into the person he would later become.

So, there was no way he could possibly betray or abandon him.

*

On the way back, Jiang Ci discussed the matter with Song Jinchuan. She felt there definitely had to be more to the story. After all, this base leader held great authority, not only in the base but across the entire nation, with his influence running deep. Without the confirmation of his death, his opponents definitely wouldn’t be able to rest easy.

Early the next morning, Jiang Ci went to the hospital to visit the old man who had never given up on the nation, both before and after the apocalypse.

The base leader’s hair seemed to have more white strands in it now. Lying in the hospital bed, his face was pale, looking as if he had aged ten years.

When Jiang Ci and the others arrived, the base leader was already awake. Alone in the room, he was staring at the white ceiling, lost in thought.

“Old Cheng,” Jiang Ci addressed him directly by his surname, Cheng.

“Boss Jiang,” Old Cheng replied with his usual calm smile, his voice gentle. “I heard what happened from Little Fan. Thanks to you this time. We might have to trouble you for a while longer.”

“It’s no trouble. Fan Zhipeng has already paid with crystal cores. You can stay here without worrying. In my territory, no one can harm you,” Jiang Ci said confidently.

“Thank you,” Old Cheng said gratefully. Acts of kindness in times of need were always remembered more vividly than those in times of plenty. He hadn’t expected that in his moment of crisis, it would be Boss Jiang who took them in.

At this moment, Fan Zhipeng also came in from outside, carrying food he had just fetched from the cafeteria.

“Boss Jiang, Brother Song,” Fan Zhipeng greeted them upon seeing the two.

In actual fact, they weren’t sure who was older between Song Jinchuan and Fan Zhipeng, but Song Jinchuan was more capable and had been with Jiang Ci for a long time, making him quite renowned among the survivors. In a world where strength was respected, such a form of address wasn’t strange at all.

When speaking of his future plans, Old Cheng’s eyes flashed with a glint of coldness, “Although I’m already an old man, I’m not so foolish as to wait for others to plot against me. I’ve left a backup plan in the base.”

Jiang Ci nodded, feeling that it was expected. After all, the other party had once been a leader of the entire nation, so how could he possibly remain so passive?

After visiting Old Cheng, Jiang Ci left first. As soon as she stepped out of the hospital, the wind outside cut into her face like a knife. She hissed in pain, and Song Jinchuan immediately took out a mask she had forgotten to bring with her that morning from his pocket and gently put it on her.

*

pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:

The rush to buy quilts and cotton clothes hadn’t subsided yet, and many survivors from other bases had also heard the news and had rushed over.

Zhao Mengqi prepared to go by herself to C City with her equipment. The sudden arrival of winter, despite their preparations, had still claimed several lives in the base due to the cold.

The base leader himself had already stocked up on all the necessary equipment, and with his gates closed, it wasn’t cold inside. Only the rest of the survivors were left to endure the bitter cold.

They had already lost hope in their base leader, and could only find a way out on their own.

So when they heard that there were cotton clothes for sale in C City’s Gourmet City, they decided to head there.

Before leaving, Zhao Mengqi put on the mutated beast skins, strapped a dagger to her waist, and carried a backpack filled with supplies.

She walked to the bed in the room and looked at the little girl sleeping soundly wrapped in mutated beast skins. Her usually cold eyes softened considerably.

“Mom, stay with my sister and try not to go out. Wait for me to come back,” Zhao Mengqi said to the woman beside her.

“Alright, be very careful. If there’s any danger, come back immediately,” the woman held her daughter with her thin hands, her face full of worry.

“Don’t worry,” Zhao Mengqi said, placing her mother’s hand back under the mutated beast skins before turning and striding out.

In the fifth year of the apocalypse, her father had unfortunately been infected and died after a mission. Her mother was already pregnant, and with the current medical conditions, abortion was unrealistic and not an option, so the child had to be born.

Not long after giving birth, her mother’s health deteriorated, and it was later discovered that it was due to toxin accumulation in her body, slowly wearing her down.

The doctors said that with the current medical conditions, there was no cure, and she could only live one day at a time.

After a good cry, Zhao Mengqi wiped her tears and continued to fight for crystal cores. No matter what, life had to go on.

But since she was still alive, she wanted her mother and sister to have a better life.

As she walked out of the base, Zhao Mengqi saw other survivors from the base, also fully equipped and seemingly ready to leave. After talking with a few of them, she found out they were all planning to go to Gourmet City in City C.

Zhao Mengqi simply decided to join them.

She was the quiet type, blending into the crowd and listening to their conversations, picking up some information about the gourmet city in C City.

She had never been to C City because there were still two people at home who needed her care. She even tried to only take on missions that were closer to home, so despite the fact that she had heard about the C City’s Gourmet City before it even became Gourmet City, she had still never been there before.

“I heard that Gourmet City in C City has expanded a lot now. I went there just a few months ago.”

“It’s not just expansion, they even built a train, though it only covers a few surrounding cities. We can hitch a ride when we get there later.”

“Wow, that’s quite a big project. And there’s the cotton clothes and down jackets they’ve been making too. When I was on a mission recently, I ran into a few survivors wearing a set of down jackets. They looked so lightweight and warm, and I was so envious of them. I heard a set like that costs five third-level crystal cores, which isn’t that expensive.”

“That’s definitely not expensive. I’ve sold moldy blankets and thick clothes for fifth-level crystal cores before, yet there were still buyers.”

“I’ve already stocked up on quite a few crystal cores. I’m thinking of buying two sets for each of my family members.”

Listening to their conversation, Zhao Mengqi gradually felt more at ease. It seemed this trip was destined to be fruitful.

The benefit of traveling with everyone was the safety factor. There were even ability users among them, and when they encountered the occasional zombies or mutated beasts, they worked together and barely suffered any injuries.

At night, they camped in a relatively safe place. After walking for three days, they finally arrived at the city that, according to the survivors, had a train.

Zhao Mengqi found it surreal. Amidst the ruins and debris, the train station stood out in stark contrast, as if it belonged to two different extremes of a spectrum.

She stood in front of the train platform. Unlike C City, which had a ticketing window and other facilities, this place only had three self-service ticket machines. After selecting her itinerary, she exchanged crystal cores to buy the tickets.

“These tickets are really cheap. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to use first-level crystal cores,” one survivor said with a laugh.

Seeing everyone start to buy tickets, Zhao Mengqi also took out some first-level crystal cores from her bag and bought a ticket. The train arrived not long after

It wasn’t just Zhao Mengqi, but everyone from the base was particularly excited. After not seeing such a mode of transportation for ten years, everything was filled with a sense of both novelty and nostalgia.

The train started moving, and naturally, it was much faster than them walking to their destination.

They reached the final station in just over two hours, whereas it would have taken them three full days to cross a city on foot.

As they stepped out of the station, Zhao Mengqi was greeted by the bustling noise of people and the scent of various types of food mixed together in the air.

She couldn’t help but take a deep breath, letting the aroma fill her lungs and linger there for a while.

“Wow, it smells amazing. I heard they have all kinds of food here. How about we grab something to eat before we go back?” the survivors discussed.

Someone who was more familiar with Zhao Mengqi asked if she wanted to eat something, but Zhao Mengqi just stood there in a daze, frozen in place.

While others first noticed the food, her eyes were immediately drawn to the hospital building in the distance.

Seeing the sign above, her fingertips trembled slightly. A hospital—there was actually such a large hospital here. Did that mean she could bring her mother here for treatment? Instead of just waiting at home for death to come?

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the translator has nothing to add ◡̈