Chapter 254

Chapter 254

After enduring the polar night, zombie hordes, and various upheavals, the apocalyptic disaster entered a new period of stability.

Over the past year, most exposed food, clothing, and supplies had already been scavenged.

As a result, the authorities announced the opening of the final reserve supply warehouses.

These warehouses, unknown to the general public, were built underground or in remote, secured locations, guarded by dedicated military and armed organizations.

The conditions for opening these special reserve warehouses were strict, which was cruel for those who had already perished in the apocalypse due to lack of supplies.

Upon the announcement, many people took to moral grandstanding, condemning the authorities as cold-blooded and heartless for not releasing the supplies sooner.

The authorities did not engage much. After evaluation, they distributed the remaining supplies proportionally based on each base’s size and survivor count, overseen by the guarding military and official organizations.

The next phase of the plan was as follows:

All bases and shelters nationwide must rebuild basic production systems before the reserve supplies are exhausted. Then, each would expand as a stronghold, eventually connecting to reclaim land tainted by the apocalypse.

Even now, the authorities’ goal remained unchanged: to declare the end of the apocalypse within five years at most.

It was said that progress had been made in experiments involving the extraction and conversion of purification energy using mediums.

As long as purification energy could be extracted from Jiang Nian for widespread use, large-scale purification would soon be possible.

A professor specializing in cerebral-evolution Superpowered abilities speculated that once soil quality was largely purified and improved, the climate would gradually return to normal, ending the droughts. At that point, the national seed reserve would be opened.

As for other aspects, with the increasing number of artificial Superpowered individuals, overall human combat strength had improved. Zombie-clearing missions were mostly assigned to Superpowered armies, while ordinary people focused on restoring various productions within the bases as instructed.

It would be a grueling, long-term effort.

"..."

For the distribution of the nation’s final reserve supplies, official Superpowered individuals with storage spaces became the main couriers.

Chu Yi began making frequent trips again, accompanied by Xiao Ya and Tang Ji. In special cases, the 017 Squad and Gao Xuyang would join as well.

As humans adapted and grew stronger, the zombies did too.

Professors and experts from various bases warned those going outside that zombies might undergo further mutations. Even if their numbers decreased in the future, they still had to stay alert.

Meanwhile, the final expansion plan for the Southern City Base was approved:

First, a new outer layer of protective walls would be constructed, doubling the base’s footprint.

In other words, once the walls were completed, the Southern City Base would be twice its current size, surpassing the S Base to become the largest human shelter in the country.

Within the new protective walls, zones would be divided into industrial, agricultural, and residential areas, along with a hospital for zombie virus infections and a fully accredited school.

The industrial zone would further split into civil and military production.

Though this was merely an expansion plan, just building the walls would take ages, making immediate progress unlikely.

Nevertheless, Department Head Wang formally notified Cheng Jing and others that if they wished to venture into military industry, they could begin preparations, giving them first dibs.

Rebuilding civilization was a centuries-long project. After discussing with his teammates, Cheng Jing chose to get involved and go with the flow.

September 1, 2038—two years to the day since the apocalypse hit—Jiang Nian and the others relocated.

The large courtyard promised by Department Head Wang was fully constructed and tidied up, directly named the 17 Compound.

Since they kept making changes during construction, the final layout wasn't exactly what they'd first imagined:

The entire compound was much larger than originally envisioned, divided into 12 smaller courtyards arranged in a circle.

It had a kinda Chinese courtyard vibe, with an outer perimeter wall and each with its own fenced-off space within.

The central area was a spacious communal zone, redesigned according to the team’s preferences into a leisure area and vegetable plots, including a water feature, a small storage shed, and a dedicated pet house for Xiaoqi.

Though the limited resources made it somewhat rough, it had that rugged, end-of-the-world charm.

Of the 12 courtyards, seven were allocated to members of the 017 Squad, one to Cheng Jing’s parents and younger brother, and one to Uncle Li’s family.

The remaining three got snatched up by Li Cheng, Tang Ji, Chu Yi, and Liang Yunhao—who bickered over the phone like kids until the distribution was settled.

Even though Chu Yi and Li Cheng already had their own places in the base, they still "unreasonably" muscled in anyway.

With the higher-ups turning a blind eye and Jiang Nian raising no objections, everyone ended up as one big happy household.

Meanwhile, Jiang Wenwen and Liang Yunhao arrived at the Southern City Base the same day they were moving in.

Liang Yunhao had passed the torch on his Northern City and S Base contacts to his and Yang Kai’s families, as well as the people sent by Department Head Wang. He was determined to collaborate with Cheng Jing again in the Southern City Base to make things happen.

"..."

Outside the gates of the 17 Compound, Jiang Nian and Cheng Jing smiled as they watched the two step out of their vehicle.

"Jiang Nian!"

Jiang Wenwen, her long hair tied into a high ponytail, bounded over to Jiang Nian and, while Cheng Jing exchanged greetings with Liang Yunhao, wrapped him in a bear hug:

"Jiang Nian, I’m back!"

Her voice hitched as she spoke, her nose tingling with emotion. After leaving the Southern City Base, she had received much help from Jiang Nian, along with pep talks galore during her time at S Base.

Add to that him saving her life—even without any romantic notions—Jiang Nian meant something to her.

Hearing the faint sob in her voice, Jiang Nian patted her back reassuringly:

"Welcome back, Wenwen."

As a young woman facing betrayal by her closest kin, Jiang Wenwen had remained remarkably calm and rational—something he deeply admired, yet also ached for.

Had she hesitated or softened, her fate might have mirrored his from the previous life.

After the initial greetings, Jiang Wenwen openly announced that she and Liang Yunhao were now together.

Jiang Nian blinked in surprise:

"Well, well, your taste has changed!"

Jiang Wenwen blinked mischievously:

"He has no superpower, so I can always keep him in check. He takes charge outside, but privately, he does what I tell him."

When it's the real deal, your checklist goes out the window—after all, love has always been the exception.

Ever since the revelation of the Purification Superpower and the various rumors Liang Yunhao had shared, Jiang Nian’s "goody-two-shoes act" had gone up in smoke in her eyes.

She had to admit only Cheng Jing could rein in Jiang Nian—she definitely couldn't.

"Oh, I see. Makes sense."

Jiang Nian understood and gave her a thumbs-up.

Jiang Wenwen hooked her arm through his and walked inside:

"Come on, come on, Brother Nian! Let’s go see the new house. Once we step through this door, we’re family in all but name."

Jiang Nian's smile widened:

"Alright."

Cheng Jing and Liang Yunhao followed with smiles, their earlier wariness gone.

"..."

The gate closed, and in the leisure area of Courtyard 17, three makeshift banquet tables stood, piled high with dishes and drinks.

Aside from the residents of the courtyard, Department Head Wang and Zhou Li, two senior officials, were also invited.

For Jiang Nian, everyone present today was his inner circle in the post-apocalyptic world—a tight-knit group.

From sunset to nightfall, under the bright lights of Courtyard 17, everyone sat together, sharing stories and laughter.

Even Xiao Qi was positively giddy today, weaving through the gathering.

Jiang Nian cradled his drink, listening to everyone’s conversations, occasionally turning to exchange quiet smiles with Cheng Jing beside him.

Looking back on the two years of his past life and comparing them to the scene before him, he suddenly realized how much coming back had reshaped things.

All the misfortunes of his previous life had been reversed in this one. The lingering darkness and unease in his heart had cleared, and he was content.

The days ahead were long, and there would still be many challenges and trials to face. Beyond the base’s gates lay life-or-death struggles.

But his core values would never change:

He would do his best to ensure the safety of those around him. He wouldn’t refuse to use his superpower to help humanity, nor would he succumb to emotional blackmail to become a martyr.

"End of Main Story"

Thank you all for your companionship and support. The main plot of this story ends here. Big hugs to everyone who stuck with me.

There will be some side stories later, but they won’t be daily updates—just random updates for you to enjoy at your leisure.

Please bear with any shortcomings in the writing.

Writing isn’t easy, so even if you didn’t enjoy it, I’d appreciate your kindness. If you did like it, hit that five-star button for me as encouragement.

Alright, see you in the side stories~