Chapter 98

Chapter 98

As Cheng Zhiyu drove out of the base again in the small car, he noticed that a section of the outer perimeter of the base now had several tents.

Children played near the tents, watched over by a beaming Granny.

Granny’s complexion had improved significantly. She was on her own and couldn’t handle heavy labor.

The only thing she could do was watch the children.

Earlier, when everyone had discussed moving to the area marked out around the perimeter of the base,

Granny had stayed silent, feeling uneasy. If they moved to the outer perimeter, these children might no longer need her care, and she would likely lose her way to support herself.

So, during those days, she had saved the food she received for watching the children, reluctant to eat it, thinking that she could make it last a few more days in the future.

As for returning to her old base, she hadn’t even considered it. For one, she couldn’t make the journey back alone, and for another, that place held painful memories.

Her grandson hadn’t come back from a mission there.

But to her surprise, when this group was moving, they invited her to come along and continue looking after the children.

Granny was surprised. "That place is very safe. Why would you need me to watch them?"

Someone replied, "It’s safe, yes, but what if a child gets too mischievous and runs off and gets lost?"

Granny didn’t respond, knowing it was just an excuse. What child who had survived this long in the apocalypse wasn’t well-behaved and practical?

Another added, "Besides, we’re busy working all day. How can we watch them all the time? They still need to eat, after all."

Hearing this, Granny thought it made sense.

Almost everyone who was young enough and capable of working, regardless of gender, had taken on jobs, since pay was based on task completion.

Some women were even more capable than the men.

Indeed, Granny was the only one left to watch the children.

So, she went with them. By looking after the children, she saved up some food and no longer had to crowd in with others—she rented her own tent.

Filled with gratitude, she took excellent care of the children. When one child’s clothes tore, she got hold of a needle and thread from the base and fixed them up while keeping an eye on the kids.

Cheng Zhiyu stopped not far away and watched curiously, surprised to see Granny sewing with white thread that didn’t match the color of the clothing at all.

At first, Cheng Zhiyu wondered if the repair would look ugly.

But before long, Granny had sewn a realistic-looking rabbit onto the garment.

She used the original color of the fabric for the eyes. If not for the bright white color of the thread, it would have looked even better.

Cheng Zhiyu was astonished.

This Granny must have been a skilled craftsperson before the apocalypse.

As he watched, he couldn’t help but move closer. Granny was startled and looked nervously at the two tall, sturdy men. "What are you doing here?"

Cheng Zhiyu came to his senses and smiled apologetically. "Granny, we’re from the base. I was so captivated by the little rabbit you sewed that I got distracted."

Hearing that he was from the base, Granny relaxed. It made sense—this was Small River Base territory, and aside from people from the base, no one else could come here.

Recently, Small River Base’s patrol teams had been making daily rounds. Those with bad intentions were driven away, while only people like them were allowed in.

But Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo were dressed nicely and seemed healthy, clearly not refugees.

They had to be from the base.

Granny had a good opinion of Small River Base’s people. Everyone here was kind, without the aggression that had become common after the apocalypse.

She smiled. "It’s nothing. The child needed the clothes urgently, and this was the only set. I’ve even made the needle point rough."

Cheng Zhiyu was surprised. After chatting with Granny for a bit, he learned that she had been an embroiderer before the apocalypse, with many paying a lot for her work. However, as she grew older and her eyesight weakened, she rarely worked anymore and mostly taught apprentices.

A highly skilled craftsperson!

Cheng Zhiyu worked up the nerve to ask, "Granny, are you still taking apprentices?"

Granny looked at Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo in surprise.

Well… the one speaking had a gentle look, but he still didn’t seem like someone who could become an embroiderer.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled. "Not me, but the girls in the base."

Granny said, "After the apocalypse, no one seems to care about this skill anymore. If I can hand it down, it would be a good thing."

Cheng Zhiyu understood her meaning and said with a smile, "We won’t have you teach for free. Would you like to join the base?"

Granny’s fingers trembled. "But… isn’t the base not accepting people right now?"

"You’re a talent. You’d get special treatment." Cheng Zhiyu smiled. "Before the apocalypse, many cities had programs to bring in talent."

Granny was very willing. She was thrilled but glanced reluctantly at the children nearby. "It’s just… I have to watch these children."

Cheng Zhiyu said, "You can still watch them, but you could also do it inside the base."

Granny immediately nodded. "Okay, okay. I agree."

Afterward, Cheng Zhiyu arranged for someone to get Granny registered. The base would naturally pay her for teaching apprentices, and the pay was pretty good.

Among those who became her apprentices were even Superhumans, whose focus, eyesight, and steady hands made them naturally gifted embroiderers.

Granny was delighted. Before the apocalypse, she had taught apprentices hoping to pass down her craft, but unfortunately…

Now, she finally could.

During the day, she watched the children while guiding her apprentices. The apprentices were diligent. When it was time to cook for the children, they urged Granny to rest and did it themselves.

After dark, when the children’s parents returned, the apprentices took Granny into the base.

"Our base has a night market in the evenings. It’s really lively," an apprentice said.

Granny said that an old woman like her shouldn’t be going to a night market, but she smiled as she said it.

She had already come to see these apprentices as her own children.

Over time, Granny’s outlook improved a lot. She seemed younger and full of life.

Later, the earliest group of workers also started joining Small River Base, no longer needing to live in tents outside.

But new folks were moving into those tents, and their numbers continued to grow.

The first batch of buildings in the base was completed, and the foot traffic in Small River Base grew larger. A commercial district had even sprung up on the outskirts of the territory, attracting not only those seeking refuge but also visitors who came to check the place out. Some even sourced supplies here to resell in their own bases.

Three years later, Small River Base had expanded to a population of 50,000, reaching the scale of a medium-sized base.

During this time, Chaoyang Base had cleaned house at its research institute and brought in new researchers. They developed the Chaoyang Vaccine using Vaccine 2.0, which was effective for three months.

However, six months later, Small River Base developed Vaccine 3.0, which offered protection for a full year, making waves again.

The reputation of Small River Base had become legendary.

Major bases traded for mutant seeds here, and over the three years, they'd achieved large-scale cultivation, ensuring that everyone could get enough to eat.

The living standards for base residents also improved significantly, and they finally reached a point where they needed regular workers.

As a result, some bases discovered, much to their dismay, that their own labor force was insufficient—many had left without them noticing.

Previously, they had looked down on these people and didn’t care about their departure. Now, they found themselves short-staffed and began recruiting again.

However, some people preferred renting housing on the outskirts of Small River Base, waiting for the day the base would recruit, rather than joining these other bases.

Even without joining Small River Base, there were things to do here. They could set up small businesses, and people from other bases often came to buy goods.

Why would they want to work their tails off in these recruiting bases?

The outskirts of Small River Base were also very safe. Word was that there was a guardian beast nearby, and mutants didn’t dare approach.

As for zombies, people weren’t really afraid of them anymore. In fact, their eyes would light up at the sight of zombies—the crystal cores in their heads were money!

Just by digging out a crystal core, they could get seed money and potentially strike it rich in Small River Base.

Perhaps even zombies never expected they would end up like this.

As zombies became fewer and fewer, high-level zombies were mostly eliminated, and it became even harder for low-level zombies to advance.

Thus, high-level zombies were now a rare sight.

When a group of people spotted a zombie, they would eye it like hawks.

Eventually, the zombie’s crystal core ended up in the hands of one person.

The others glared at him fiercely: "You’re so sneaky! That should have been mine."

The one who got the crystal core smirked, looking pleased with himself: "We all relied on our own skills. How does that make me sneaky? If you don’t have the skills, don't try to be something you're not."

The others retorted: "You asking for a fight?"

The one with the crystal core replied: "Looking for a fight? You think I’m afraid of you? Let’s fight if you dare!"

The others shot back: "Bring it on! I’ll knock your lights out!"

The group went back and forth, trading insults, but no one actually threw a punch. In the end, they glared at each other angrily and went their separate ways, still pissed.

Onlookers were used to seeing this. They weren’t unwilling to fight—it was just that fighting was prohibited in Small River Base’s territory. They were all plotting, deliberately provoking each other, hoping to trick someone into throwing the first punch and getting them kicked out of the base’s territory.

Small River Base not only forbade fighting, but the aforementioned guardian beast also hated fights. If anyone started a fight, it would immediately appear and toss anyone who started trouble out of the territory. Those who fought would be banned for good from Small River Base’s territory.

Although everyone thought this rule was too strict, there was no getting around it. If they wanted to be here, they had to follow the rules.

However, for those who disliked conflicts, this was undoubtedly a great place.

With its development, Small River Base now was starting to look almost like a pre-apocalypse city.

——

Cheng Zhiyu signed his name on the last document and stretched with a satisfied groan.

"Done?" Cheng Mo came over and handed him a glass of water.

Cheng Zhiyu indeed felt his mouth was a bit dry. He drank half the glass and felt much better, nodding, "Yeah, done."

Cheng Mo said, sounding concerned, "You’ve been so busy lately, working overtime every day."

Cheng Zhiyu sighed helplessly, "No other choice. I need to get everything arranged in advance so I can head to your hometown with peace of mind."

Cheng Mo smiled, "Yeah, we agreed to hold a wedding before leaving. How about I handle the arrangements?"

Cheng Zhiyu really didn’t have the energy to handle it himself, so he nodded.

Cheng Mo took his hand, and the two strolled leisurely along the base’s streets, in no hurry to return home.

It was already past 10 p.m., but the streets were still bustling with people, all wearing smiles. The gloom of the apocalypse seemed to have faded.

Now, communication networks had been established between major bases, allowing ordinary people to communicate with those in other bases.

The internet had been restored, and the first thing everyone did was try to find their loved ones.

To facilitate this, the authorities set up a dedicated forum where people could post photos of their missing relatives.

Surprisingly, this forum actually helped many reunite with their families.

Lately, joyful laughter from reunited families could be heard everywhere.

After returning home, Cheng Mo enthusiastically brought up planning the wedding with Cheng Zhiyu’s parents.

Cheng Zhiyu said, "Mom, Dad, Cheng Mo doesn't know our customs. Could you help him out when the time comes?"

He and Cheng Mo had already agreed to hold the wedding according to local customs here, and then again according to the customs of Cheng Mo’s hometown when they arrived there.

Yes, two weddings.

Cheng Mo was adamant about having two ceremonies: "Of course we need two weddings—one in each place. That way, both sides will know about our relationship."

Cheng Zhiyu actually felt it didn’t matter whether others knew or not—as long as they were happy.

But Cheng Mo didn't agree: "I want everyone to know that you are mine."

Cheng Zhiyu looked at him.

Cheng Mo added, "And I am yours."

Since Cheng Mo felt it was necessary, they would do it.

Over the years, Cheng Zhiyu’s parents had accepted their relationship. Well, mainly Cheng’s father had accepted it—Cheng’s mother had always been supportive.

So, when the two mentioned holding a wedding, the whole family was on board.

From the older generation’s perspective, a wedding was non-negotiable.

Cheng’s mother said happily, "That’s wonderful! Don't you worry, your father and I will make sure it's done right."

After that, Cheng Mo took charge of the arrangements.

He realized that the preparations here seemed much more complicated than in his own place.

Why "seemed"? Because he had only attended weddings before, never organized one.

First, they needed to find a venue for the wedding, which was directly arranged at an official hotel.

Then came the wedding attire.

Cheng's mom said, "You two have no experience with this. Normally, outfits should be booked ahead of time, but given the urgency, off-the-rack works too."

The base also sold ready-made clothes. Previously, Cheng Zhiyu had arranged for someone to learn from granny, and they had since completed their training. They opened a shop selling embroidered items, including clothing.

Cheng Zhiyu quite liked the clothes here—they were very distinctive, each piece custom-made, as every item was unique.

The two found time to try on the clothes and eventually settled on one black and one white outfit: Cheng Mo in black, Cheng Zhiyu in white.

The embroidery on them was beautiful, complementing each other, obviously meant to be worn together.

After trying them on, they both fell in love with the outfits.

Cheng Zhiyu looked in the mirror and said, "Let's go with these two sets."

Cheng Mo: "Okay."

Cheng Zhiyu pushed him lightly and whispered, "Why are you standing so close?"

Cheng Mo: "Zhi Yu, you look amazing."

Cheng Zhiyu couldn’t help smiling, coughing lightly. "Got it. Act properly."

Cheng Mo didn’t understand what "act properly" meant. He leaned closer to Cheng Zhiyu and gently kissed him on the lips.

Cheng Zhiyu’s ears immediately turned red, and he felt extremely awkward. "We’re in public, you..."

Cheng Mo said, "It’s fine. They didn’t see anything."

The shop assistants, pretending to be busy: "..."

Cheng Zhiyu glared at Cheng Mo, who eased up a little but whispered, "Zhi Yu, even your glare is beautiful."

Cheng Zhiyu: "..." Someone please get this guy out of here!

After selecting the clothes, it was time for photos.

Unfortunately, there were no specialized places that take wedding photos at the moment. Although life was gradually returning to normal, many things were still kept simple.

Cheng Zhiyu said, "Maybe we should skip the pictures."

But Cheng Mo insisted on taking wedding photos after hearing it was part of the process, arguing, "When we’re old, we can look through the photos together."

Cheng Zhiyu was at a loss for words. If an ordinary person said this, he might find it romantic, but coming from Cheng Mo...

Well, by the time they get old, it would be thousands of years later.

Was it really necessary?

"Precisely because we live so long, we’ll forget as time goes by," Cheng Mo said. "When we’re old, we’ll have forgotten the present. That’s all the more reason to take photos."

Hearing this, Cheng Zhiyu actually found it pretty convincing.

After thinking it over, he said, "Let’s get pictures with our family and friends too."

"Family is fine, but friends... we’ll still be thinking about them when we’re old," Cheng Mo said sourly.

Cheng Zhiyu patted his head. "Be good."

Cheng Mo: "...Okay."

In the end, Cheng Mo managed to find a camera and someone who knew how to use it.

The two took many photos together first, then with family and friends, and finally, a large group photo with everyone.

Cheng Zhiyu held onto a set of the photos, storing them in his space. He felt a little sad, thinking that because he shared his lifespan with Cheng Mo, by the time he grew old, his family and friends would...

Cheng Mo said, "You have me."

Cheng Zhiyu smiled. "Yeah, good thing I have you."

Nearby, Zhou Min pulled on Han Ping. "Come on, let’s take a photo too."

Han Ping glanced sheepishly at the others before posing for the photo with Zhou Min.

Han Tingting: She really had called it right back then.

After taking the wedding photos, they sent out invitations to relatives and friends.

But the number of guests still felt insufficient. With a bit of an ulterior motive, Cheng Zhiyu posted about his wedding, stating that a few people would be picked to come to the ceremony.

Those selected didn’t need to prepare anything—just show up for the wedding.

Although base residents had heard rumors about it, there had been no confirmed news. Upon hearing the announcement, they weren’t surprised but rather felt a sense of things making sense now.

People commented on the post: "Pick me, pick me! I can perform on stage."

"[Sharing for good luck] Please, pick me."

"Aw, I wanna go too. I wonder how much great food there’ll be at Captain Cheng’s wedding, haha."

"Hey, upstairs, are we still short on food now?"

"What do you know? It’s definitely going to be different."

"Unlucky me is sobbing—let me be lucky just once more!"

"Captain Cheng and Mr. Cheng Mo are a perfect match, may they be together forever!"

"Captain Cheng and Mr. Cheng Mo, sweet and inseparable for a lifetime!"

"Captain Cheng and Mr. Cheng Mo..."

"Why is everyone posting this?"

"I heard Mr. Cheng Mo really eats this stuff up. Post more, and maybe he’ll pick you."

"Oh, is that so? Let me try too."

Cheng Mo sneered at these comments. Pfft, as if he would... then quietly put the first few posters on the invitation list.

Cheng Zhiyu knew nothing about this.

He was looking at reports, and the number of zombies had reached a record low.

Moreover, thanks to the widespread adoption of mutated seeds, most farmland could now grow them.

People's production and daily lives were gradually returning to pre-apocalypse standards.

The apocalypse was ending.

Cheng Zhiyu smiled; he still missed life before the apocalypse quite a bit.

Now, major bases were sending teams everywhere to clear out zombies. It wouldn't be long before zombies were completely wiped out, and the apocalypse would become history.

——

Today, Small River Base was buzzing with activity. Someone asked curiously, “What's all the fuss about today? Why is it so busy?”

The person being questioned glanced at them and said, “You're not from around here, are you?”

The other scratched their head, “Yeah, how did you know?”

“Because you don't seem to know Captain Cheng is getting married,” the person said with a laugh. “Everyone knows. Lots of people were invited to the wedding, but unfortunately, I didn't get picked.”

The other person finally caught on, “Oh, I see! I'll have to see what's happening then.”

The wedding wouldn't follow old wedding traditions, and Cheng Zhiyu found those kinds of rituals pretty awkward anyway.

He just planned to say a few words and announce his marriage to Cheng Mo.

Though everything was kept low-key, the atmosphere was joyful. Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo handed out wedding sweets to everyone.

Then the feast started.

Cheng Mo: “…Something smells amazing.”

Cheng Zhiyu chuckled, “You really love food, don't you?”

Cheng Mo denied it, “No, I don't. I was just saying.”

Cheng Zhiyu: “Let's go eat.”

Cheng Mo: “I thought we weren't supposed to eat?”

Cheng Zhiyu was puzzled, “Why not?”

Cheng Mo: “I heard the bride and groom never get to eat at their own wedding banquet.”

Cheng Zhiyu finally understood, “That's because they're busy making toasts. We skipped that step. Come on, let's go eat.”

Cheng Mo was happy, “Let's go to that table.”

Cheng Zhiyu: “We've got a table to ourselves.”

He had arranged it in advance; otherwise, wherever Cheng Mo sat, no one else at that table would stand a chance of getting their fill.

——

After the wedding, the base stayed festive for a while, and several other couples held small ceremonies too.

Cheng Zhiyu had pretty much boosted the base’s marriage rate.

After the wedding, they didn’t leave immediately.

They continued taking care of base business. Over the years, Cheng Zhiyu had trained many capable people, all of whom were quite skilled.

During this time, Cheng Zhiyu needed to delegate tasks to them.

The current focus remained on planting trees, growing crops, and boosting productivity and quality of life.

Especially encouraging people to set up businesses, with the base offering preferential policies.

They also needed to strengthen cooperation with other bases. Now, other bases could also grow their own mutated seeds independently and no longer needed to buy them from Small River Base.

Cheng Zhiyu didn’t feel disappointed; instead, he thought it was a good thing.

Food security required self-sufficiency. Relying long-term on a single base was unsustainable.

Not long after, the government declared that with the zombies cleared out, the apocalypse had ended.

That day, cheers of excitement could be heard everywhere.

Next, various laws and regulations were enacted to prevent the apocalypse-era violence that occurred during the apocalypse.

Then, the major bases were no longer called bases but were reorganized into districts, each with an elected administrator.

Cheng Zhiyu didn’t participate in the election. Originally, he had taken on the role of base administrator because he had to.

Besides, from then on, he might split his time between Cheng Mo’s hometown and here, unable to settle down here for good.

In the end, the administrator of the Small River District was elected from among those Cheng Zhiyu had trained. This person was on the same page as Cheng Zhiyu, so the development of Small River Base wouldn't see major changes.

Outside the walls, it was no longer quiet and deserted but filled with laughter and joy.

They had overcome the hardships together, and the days ahead would be peaceful and prosperous.

THE END

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