Chapter 250

Chapter 250

By the end of March, the zombie horde threats in North City and S Base had been completely resolved.

Subsequently, the "zombie horde outbreak period" also passed under the suppression of heavy firepower, returning to normal. As long as the hordes weren’t densely concentrated, dealing with them became much less difficult.

However, the internal conflicts in S Base were still ongoing, and Department Head Wang and others had yet to return.

As the largest base in the country, both its management authority and survivor protection policies were critically important, involving too many factors. To prevent such large-scale "infighting" from happening again in the future, the resolution process was bound to be complicated.

The others weren’t worried and focused on managing the base.

South City Base was purchasing zombie cores at high prices, allowing capable Superpowered teams to obtain ample supplies by eliminating zombies. This led to an increasingly severe wealth divide within the base—an unavoidable trend.

Fortunately, by mid-April, South City Base opened access for civilians to purchase soil enhancers and crop seeds, while also offering "humanitarian" preferential policies to struggling ordinary survivors.

Those with usable land could now improve soil quality and start farming with the agents.

Although the first-generation improvement agents weren’t perfect—restricting crop variety—it was still better than nothing.

From then on, the ways of surviving for survivors underwent another shift.

Additionally, due to the base’s planned expansion, newly designated agricultural and industrial zones began leasing plots, keeping the rental costs for farmland within a reasonable range.

The base’s expansion provided more job opportunities for ordinary survivors:

Building walls, clearing land, transportation, errands, and short- or long-term infrastructure employment, among others.

Meanwhile, Superpowered individuals would take on more challenging tasks at the specialized bounty guild, creating clear roles.

This way, everyone could post or accept suitable tasks within the base in exchange for points or supplies—life was tough, but manageable.

...

Jiang Nian’s farm had been fully Purified, and the collected fertile soil was put to good use. He hired over a dozen professionals skilled in planting and animal husbandry as full-time workers, including both Superpowered and ordinary individuals.

Aside from naturally cultivated plots, Jiang Nian specifically reserved half an acre for Huang Qian to use her Superpower to accelerate the growth of "quick-harvest crops."

Of course, Huang Qian wasn’t the only plant-affinity Superpowered individual in the base. With improved land and seeds available, fresh fruits and vegetables soon appeared in abundance on the base’s commercial streets.

If plants could be grown, animal husbandry naturally followed. Yang Kai had already arranged for the research institute’s greenhouse to provide livestock offspring.

The "Nian Nian Abundance" farm was officially fully operational.

Before Jiang Wenwen returned, Jiang Nian temporarily took charge of all farm matters himself, often sneaking in moments of relaxation to enjoy the peaceful farm life. As long as he stayed within the base, the chaos outside had nothing to do with him—and he figured he’d earned it.

Department Head Wang also kept his word, assigning a dedicated patrol team to guard the farm at night.

Frankly, being part of such a quasi-official group had its perks. There was no fear of sabotage or behind-the-scenes schemes, and with enough manpower, they didn’t have to handle everything personally.

Jiang Nian loved this arrangement—laying out plans as a hands-off boss and plowing the earned points back into expanding their assets.

Following the base’s construction policies, they distributed these assets under everyone’s names.

Their team now had plots in both the newly zoned farm and factory districts.

During the midday break,

as usual, Jiang Nian was laying out food brought back from the canteen while Cheng Jing whipped up something extra for them in the kitchen.

Though they work apart during the day now, they still have three meals together most of the time. Breakfast is laid-back, lunch is packed and eaten back at the dorm, and after work in the evening, they go to their parents' place for dinner.

"Ding—"

His phone buzzed with a message. Jiang Nian, having just set the table, took out his phone to check. It was from Jiang Wenwen, with only three words:

'He’s dead.'

Jiang Nian went still for a second, then it hit him who she meant—Professor Xia was dead.

At the same time, Cheng Jing’s phone rang in the kitchen. It was Liang Yunhao calling about the same matter. Cheng Jing carried out the dishes, switching his phone to speaker and placing it on the table.

They ate while listening.

Compared to Jiang Wenwen’s overly brief message to Jiang Nian, Liang Yunhao’s explanation was much clearer and more detailed:

The whole thing blew open. The higher-ups who’d tried to cover for Professor Xia and his accomplices were forced to back down under pressure from the Four-City Base and the authorities.

Seeing no way out, Professor Xia and his group locked themselves inside their private lab, torched the place, and blew themselves up.

With their deaths, the entire lab—led by Professor Xia—was destroyed, along with all the critical research data. The S Base took a huge hit.

"..."

"That’s the gist of it. The cleanup’s mostly done, and the internal affairs of the S Base are mostly settled. Professor Xia never once thought he was wrong."

Liang Yunhao sighed, then added:

"Hey Cheng, tell Jiang Nian to hold off on calling Wenwen for now. Give her space. If there’s anything, they can talk face-to-face when she returns to the South City Base."

Cheng Jing glanced at Jiang Nian and replied,

"Got it. Wrap things up and head back soon."

Hearing this, Jiang Nian sent Jiang Wenwen a message—'Take care of yourself'—before quietly setting his phone aside.

It made sense. If Jiang Wenwen had wanted to talk, her message wouldn’t have been just three words. She’d never minced words with him.

Whether she was grieving or resentful, no one could really get what Jiang Wenwen was feeling right now. The best thing was to respect her need to process things on her own.

"Alright, we’ll hurry."

Liang Yunhao agreed, exchanged a few more casual words, and hung up.

"Going down stubborn was probably part of Professor Xia’s plan."

Jiang Nian felt a twinge of sadness. Somehow, he was relieved Jiang Wenwen hadn’t been the one to kill Professor Xia.

He still figured a girl’s heart was softer. Without experiencing the life-and-death trials he had, killing her own dad would’ve messed her up for good—a psychological barrier that would haunt her for life.

Cheng Jing placed food in his bowl.

"Dig in. No more stressing over this mess. Wenwen’s tough. She’ll be alright with Yunhao around."

Truthfully, he had been worried that the data left behind after Professor Xia’s capture might pose a threat to Jiang Nian. This clean sweep was for the best.

"Mm."

Jiang Nian nodded, managing a small smile.

"We're taking Teacher Gao out for patrol around the base this afternoon, so we'll probably be back late. Jing, you can just wait for me at our parents' place."

"No, you come back on time. Don't even think about tearing around on your bike again."

Cheng Jing saw right through him and refused without hesitation, cutting off any excuses before he could make them:

"The camper we customized is almost ready. There'll be plenty of chances to let loose later, and I’ll be with you—you can do whatever you want. But right now, I’m too busy. Behave yourself, or I won’t be able to focus on work."

"..."

Jiang Nian could never resist this commanding yet tender approach. His heart softened, and so did his words:

"Fine, fine, okay, okay. I’ll come back on time and have fun with you."