Chapter 199

Chapter 199

Da Jun had lost a lot of weight; his once burly and robust frame was now withered. Xiao Liu was even worse off, emaciated to the point of looking like he might collapse at any moment.

Both were covered in dust, wearing identical vests, hunched over as they trudged forward in line with cloudy, vacant eyes to collect their supplies.

With the extreme heat, only ordinary people were allowed to stay indoors, while the Superpowered conscripts still had to work. Though their daily work hours had been shortened, it was still grueling.

Da Jun was the first to notice Jiang Nian and Tang Ji standing behind the distribution perimeter, dressed in uniforms and holding guns. His expression shifted before he elbowed Xiao Liu, who was in front of him.

The two looked up simultaneously, their eyes filled with smoldering resentment and a flicker of regret, but the emotions quickly faded back into numbness.

They were now worlds apart from Jiang Nian. Any strong emotions they harbored would only make them look pathetic in his eyes.

Better to focus on surviving. Maybe one day they’d be called to join a military mission—either to redeem themselves through merit or die quick as grunts.

According to those transferred from other bases, South City Base’s treatment of Superpowered criminals was the most humane. Even discipline was expected, and they wouldn’t just drag people off for lab experiments.

Soon, the two shuffled forward in their shackles, took a package of supplies, shot a blank look at Jiang Nian and Tang Ji, and left.

Jiang Nian remained unmoved. Unlike those tricked by Xia Weiwei, these two had known exactly what they were doing. They deserved this fate.

"..."

By the time the ration duty was finished, it was already past 5 p.m., just in time to head home for dinner before preparing for the night patrol.

Tang Ji got behind the wheel while Jiang Nian put on sunglasses and scanned the streets. This would be their routine for the next week.

*Ring ring—*

The sudden sound of an unfamiliar call cut through the silence.

Jiang Nian pulled out his phone, checked the screen for a moment, then answered.

"Who is this?"

Perhaps his tone was too cold, because the line was silent for a beat before a timid but eager voice replied:

"Brother Nian... it’s Xiao Ya. My Superpower has leveled up... My teacher said I could call you directly."

"Xiao Ya..."

Jiang Nian’s voice warmed, a smile forming.

"Congratulations on your breakthrough. I’ve been a bit busy lately, so I can’t visit you for now."

Xiao Ya: "It’s okay, it’s okay! I just wanted to tell you... I did it."

"Yeah, that's huge..."

"..."

Beside him, Tang Ji eavesdropped casually as he drove.

He knew about Xiao Ya. While working shifts at the research institute, he’d seen many underage Superpowered criminals—some remorseful, some unrepentant, some too broken to fix.

After witnessing so much, the initial outrage and pity faded, leaving only a heavy-hearted feeling.

Xiao Ya's Superpower is quite formidable, and she has adapted well to the adaptation training, making her a major asset in the future.

As Chu Yi mentioned, some national facilities and stockpiles are buried underground or in other specialized locations, guarded by specialized teams since the apocalypse began. Moving them is a huge hassle.

For instance, when an intact, uncontaminated, and undamaged precision equipment lab is discovered, it cannot be dismantled—the entire room must be moved.

In such cases, once Xiao Ya’s Superpower reaches advanced levels, it will prove instrumental.

Additionally, the professor specializing in brain-evolution Superpowers has recently confirmed, through relevant Superpower attribute data, that core transfers are viable.

However, after transplantation into a new host, the core's energy won’t fully carry over.

The core gets permanently weakened to adapt to the new host, weakening both the Superpower's effects and utility—there’s no way to recover it.

The extent of degradation depends on the new host’s compatibility and mental resilience.

The more times a Superpower Core is transplanted, the more severe the irreversible degradation becomes, diminishing its effects and utility until they vanish entirely.

In other words, the original host is ideal—Superpower Cores can be inherited, but there’s a limit.

This characteristic applies to the vast majority of Superpower Cores, with the only known exception being the Medium Crystal Core.

After all, its attribute functions as a reusable conduit, rendering it unaffected.

Because of this, the professor advises that even if core transplantation technology matures in the future, natural-born Superpowered individuals should avoid casually replacing their own Superpowers.

Those without Superpowers, however, can undergo screening and receive core transplants to enhance themselves.

Currently, only a handful of Southern Base insiders are aware of this conclusion. The findings will be made public only after the professor completes the first core transplantation surgery and finalizes the summary, clearly outlining the pros and cons.

At that point, people will be left to make their own choices.

...

In early August, temperatures soared to 65 degrees Celsius.

People died every day in the Southern City Base, but order remained relatively stable. As long as people didn’t do something stupid, the base could ensure survival for most.

In contrast, smaller bases and independent shelters outside began requesting aid from official authorities and major bases.

Those that had already established alliances with major bases—such as the Z and S Bases—would naturally receive assistance, with Base S certain to lend support.

For those without such partnerships, the authorities would assign rescue missions to major bases based on actual circumstances.

The Southern City Base also received numerous aid requests and high-level rescue directives.

Just as Jiang Nian assumed they would remain assisting within the base until the extreme heat subsided—

Days later, Cheng Jing and Yang Kai were summoned by Department Head Wang and returned with a base’s internal map copy.

Returning to his dorm late at night after work, Jiang Nian found Cheng Jing had prepared him a late-night meal and informed him that their squad had been assigned an emergency rescue op.

The destination was a prison built on a mountain—Guan Shan Prison.

According to the map’s route, traveling from the Southern City Base to Guan Shan Prison would take approximately three days.

Guan Shan Prison’s situation was somewhat unique:

Before the apocalypse, it housed many high-profile criminals. After the catastrophe, survivors led by a Superpowered individual transformed it into a shelter.

The leaders are all criminals, which is why the Guanshan Prison shelter has never dealt with official authorities.

After the chaos broke out, the authorities were too overwhelmed to intervene, and the situation has persisted until now.

This time, Guanshan Prison asked for help directly, reporting that the shelter currently maintains stable order with a thousand survivors, most of whom are ordinary people, including many children.

This is because they took in a school bus carrying students and many people fleeing the chaos during the chaotic period.

On the surface, it seems legit, but Department Head Wang suspects there’s more to the story, which is why he sent their team.

After all, they’re dealing with a shelter led by a group of hardened criminals—you’d have to be crazy not to assume the worst.

They control all the prison’s resources, including but not limited to firearms, ammunition, and various supplies. Even if they suffered heavy losses during the chaos, they still have plenty of resources stockpiled.

As for taking in ordinary people and students, it’s best to only half-believe such claims and not get misled.