Chapter 93

Chapter 93

As the sun dipped westward, people began returning to their dorms one after another. Jiang Nian headed back to the central district.

His teammates weren’t at the base, so he couldn’t go overboard.

Though the South City Base had a high safety rating, that didn’t mean one could act without restraint—especially now that there were so many Supers with all sorts of weird powers. Better safe than sorry.

Just as he parked downstairs, he ran into Li Liang, who was just off work and heading upstairs. Jiang Nian greeted him first:

"Li Liang."

"Brother Nian, hey!"

Li Liang beamed, then pointed upstairs.

"I was just about to go up and look for you. Since Brother Cheng and the others aren’t around, skip cooking for yourself these days. Come eat with us—my dad specifically asked me to invite you."

They were around the same age and got along well, especially since Jiang Nian was particularly easygoing and loyal to those he was close with.

"Sure, then I won’t stand on ceremony."

Jiang Nian replied cheerfully. If he were alone, he’d just slap together something quick anyway. Eating with others was always more fun and lively.

The two chatted as they walked upstairs together.

"Li Liang, wait here for a bit..."

When they reached the third floor, Jiang Nian unlocked his door and quickly grabbed a fresh-frozen chicken and some vegetables from the large freezer, handing them over.

"I’ve been running around all day and I’m covered in sweat. I want to take a shower and stuff. Take these up first and get them ready."

They were friends and neighbors living just a floor apart—no need to stand on ceremony. Besides, Li Liang and his family never asked about his stash, which made their interactions easy and comfortable.

"That’s a lot..."

Li Liang accepted the items surprised, but Jiang Nian’s look cut off his polite protest. He simply nodded.

"Alright, I’ll head up first then. Thanks, Brother Nian."

A fat chicken weighing at least five or six pounds—what was supposed to be a simple meal had now turned into a lavish feast.

Jiang Nian waved him off.

"Go on. Uncle Li’s cooking is amazing—I’m already looking forward to it."

He still had plenty of such fresh-frozen chickens in his storage ring. Bringing ingredients was just part of the ritual of joining a meal.

If it weren’t for group gatherings at the base, he’d never have known that the tough-looking Uncle Li was actually a home chef with seriously good culinary skills.

After Li Liang left with the groceries, Jiang Nian polished off two Longlong popsicles to cool off before heading to the shower.

If Brother Jing were home, he’d definitely scold him for eating too much ice, maybe even confiscate them and lecture him earnestly about the harms of overindulging in cold treats during hot weather.

Sometimes Jiang Nian felt like he was still a rebellious teenager, while Brother Jing played the role of a mother hen—nitpicking everything in his life.

"..."

Soaking leisurely in the bathtub, letting his mind wander, Jiang Nian didn’t budge until he was completely relaxed.

By the time he tidied up and went upstairs, dinner was almost ready.

Instead of four, there were now five people for dinner.

Li Shuhui had brought back a girl with a baby face named Liang Xiaoyan after work. They were the same age and had been college classmates.

Liang Xiaoyan was also a superpowered individual, with the ability to warp space to deform objects in a small area.

Li Shuhui had bumped into her while helping with outsider registration at the base entrance today. Since they had been close in college, she agreed when Liang asked to come over.

After quick introductions, Jiang Nian made small talk before heading into the kitchen to help.

Li Liang was setting up the table and chairs, his face blank as the two girls chatted cheerfully.

Li Kaiyun, busy at the stove, glanced at the living room when Jiang Nian entered and shut the kitchen door quietly. He lowered his voice,

"Sorry, Nian. I didn’t know Xiaohui would bring someone back. That girl doesn’t think things through."

Since the apocalypse, many things had changed. Dropping by unannounced was risky for everyone now.

Jiang Nian waved it off with a smile,

"It’s fine, Uncle. Can’t blame her for being excited to see a friend."

He understood—or rather, he didn’t mind. As long as Li Shuhui stayed sharp and wasn’t too trusting, it was fine.

"I’ll talk to her later," Li Kaiyun said sternly, his expression hardened.

"Yeah."

Jiang Nian nodded with a smile. Ever since moving to the base, everyone had been living comfortably, making it easy to let their guard down about potential dangers. A little warning couldn’t hurt. After a pause, he asked casually,

"By the way, Uncle, did you call Li Cheng? He could join us after work."

"No need. He’s on duty till midnight."

"Oh, alright."

"..."

Before long, the kitchen door opened again, and the delicious smell instantly filled the room.

Uncle Li was cutting the poached chicken while Jiang Nian brought out the other dishes.

Li Liang hurried over to help.

Poached chicken, braised eggplant, meatball and glass noodles, stir-fried greens, blistered chili peppers, and seaweed soup.

Six dishes in total. Once everything was on the table, Uncle Li called everyone to the table,

"Come, come, let’s eat."

"No way, you even have poached chicken... and eggplant and greens... Oh my god, this is incredible! This chicken looks fresh—where’d you find it?"

Liang Xiaoyan dropped into her seat, beaming, her baby face making it cute instead of over-the-top.

Seated beside her, Li Shuhui automatically looked at her father and brother.

"Well..."

Li Liang was about to say it was given by Jiang Nian, but Li Kaiyun cut in first:

"Lately, there’ve been a lot of outsiders at the base. If you find the right deal, you can exchange things cheaply with points. We just got lucky today."

He said, lowering his head and using clean serving chopsticks to place a large chicken leg on Jiang Nian’s plate, ignoring Liang Xiaoyan’s probing gaze.

This was saved just for Jiang Nian—the only one.

"Thanks, Uncle Li."

Jiang Nian grinned, beaming with happiness.

Ever since receiving his help, every time they gathered for a meal at the base, Uncle Li would always set aside the best portion for him alone—a treat even Li Liang and Li Shuhui didn’t get.

"Yeah, the base has been getting busier lately. More people mean more goods..."

Li Liang, catching on, forced a laugh and discreetly shot Jiang Nian an apologetic look.

He’d messed up just then. His cousin and Cheng Jing had reminded him before—things were different now—better to lay low and avoid revealing too much to outsiders, especially since Jiang Nian didn’t have any superpowers.

Though Liang Xiaoyan was his sister’s classmate, that’s all she was to them. Whether she was intentionally or unintentionally fishing for information, there was no need to mention that the chicken came from Jiang Nian.

"So that’s how it is... Lucky me, huh? Heh..."

Liang Xiaoyan nodded in understanding after hearing Uncle Li’s words. Now that she thought about it, she had also exchanged supplies for points with her friends before.

Once Uncle Li urged everyone to eat, she dug right in, immediately grabbing a large chicken wing. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d tasted chicken.

Aside from the chicken, the other dishes were just as hearty.

And with all the spices, even the vegetables and fruits Huang Qian had grown with her superpowers tasted no different from regular ones once cooked.

"This is so good it’s almost criminal!"

Liang Xiaoyan kept praising between mouthfuls as she devoured the food.

Being able to eat like this in the apocalypse showed just how well-off Li Shuhui’s family was—practically the wealthy elite of the base.

This feast was envy-inducing.

Unlike her, who had to scrounge like a beggar before awakening her superpowers—or worse, trade her body.

Even now, as a Superpowered with a team, supplies were still tight.

And for people like them, with no connections or relatives in the base, they were stuck in the outer district dorms. If only they could live in the central zone...

Too bad. Even if Li Shuhui wanted to help, the most she could do was get her moved from the outer to the inner district—not the center. And it would only apply to her alone.

But she had friends too. Besides, the inner district was accessible with enough points. Once they earned enough, they could go there themselves, so she didn’t want to owe a favor that wasn’t all that significant anyway.

The apocalypse had taught her many things. In short:

The world was cold, and people’s hearts were unkind. Nothing was ever fair.