PSW - Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Yu Yinan looked at the base leader. In the terms she offered, she had consistently used the word "you" in the plural, even offering to give Yu Yinan a vice-base leader position as well.
To speak to this extent was the very definition of sincerity.
The other leaders remained silent, merely putting away their notepads and looking over with anticipation. Clearly, these terms were something they had all agreed upon after discussion.
"This… I'm sorry, this is too important. I might need to discuss it with Jiejie," Zheng Yi said, as if overwhelmed by the favor. She waved her hands frantically, then turned back to look at Yu Yinan, anxiously grabbing her hand and shrinking behind her.
"And-and Jiejie and I don't really know anything about managing a base, or development. We… we… I can't be a good base leader…" Zheng Yi's voice grew increasingly timid and soft.
"It's okay, don't feel too burdened. This is the highest and final offer we unanimously decided on, and it's also a sign of our sincerity," Feng Shuxian said earnestly. They hadn't tried to haggle or draw things out with Zheng Yi; they had directly presented the best they could offer for their consideration. "If you're willing, whether it's base leader or vice-leader, we will carefully teach you everything and complete the handover. In the future, we leaders will also assist you from the side."
"Don't be so quick to refuse. I've just given you a choice," Feng Shuxian said seriously. "If you stay, you'll have to make it rain for the base once a day, regardless of whether it's a high-temperature period. Of course, you'll be free the rest of the time; we won't restrict you in any way. If you become the base leader, you'll certainly have to take on the responsibilities of one, at the very least feeding everyone in this base."
"There's still plenty of time, you can think it over slowly. Even if you refuse…" Feng Shuxian paused, her tone softening as she tried to radiate goodwill, "…it's okay. Our attitude towards you is friendly, kind, and we hope to win you over. Even if you don't want to stay, we hope to maintain a friendly relationship with you and look forward to our next cooperation."
Zheng Yi didn't speak. Her eyes met Feng Shuxian's for a moment before she dodged away, weak and frightened, hiding behind Yu Yinan.
Did I scare her? Feng Shuxian felt a bit chagrined. Her attitude should have been friendly enough.
"I'm sorry, we… will give you an answer after we've considered it. Thank you for your trust, thank you all." Yu Yinan stepped forward, her attitude equally sincere. She held Zheng Yi's hand, her expression softening. "We understand how generous your offer is, and we also know how much sincerity is behind it. Thank you."
She was about to bow, but Feng Shuxian stopped her before she could bend down.
"Don't be like that, it's too formal. If you don't mind, just call me Auntie Feng," Feng Shuxian said with a smile, holding her back. "I'm already thirty-seven this year."
Yu Yinan was momentarily taken aback. It was Zheng Yi who looked at her and softly said, "Feng Jiejie."
"Then I won't be polite and will call you Feng Jie." Yu Yinan's face felt hot as she said this, and her hands nervously wanted to grab something. Luckily, Zheng Yi was beside her, holding her hand. "I'm twenty-five this year, and my sister is nineteen."
"Only nineteen," Feng Shuxian murmured, slightly stunned, then smiled. "Before the apocalypse, were you a university student?"
"Yes, I was studying in Genbin."
"Genbin University? That's a pretty good school."
After this bit of small talk, the atmosphere completely relaxed. Feng Shuxian and the others didn't keep them any longer and let them go back to rest.
Recruitment… it was to be expected.
But Yu Yinan hadn't expected them to offer such terms. They didn't know Zheng Yi's true strength, or even her own.
Friendly, sincere, and frank. For the leaders of a base to possess these three qualities was already incredibly rare.
Yu Yinan thought of that alley, of the dead elderly people and the others who had died of heatstroke and illness, of how they were abandoned, hung on the wall, and drained of their last drop of blood…
They, too, had made such a choice.
For the base's development? For the survival of the majority? Thinking about it that way, their offer… wasn't so strange after all.
"Zheng Yi, will you stay?" Yu Yinan was unsure. Although she didn't know how many faith points Zheng Yi had earned from her previous acts of salvation, it surely wasn't as much as she had in these past two days. Staying here would mean a stable and abundant income every month, and as the base continued to develop, this number would only grow. Under Zheng Yi's "guidance," the people of the base might even become more devout. Yu Yinan wouldn't be surprised if the total monthly earnings exceeded thirty thousand.
"We haven't been to Chuanyang yet."
[Are you really not staying?! With your ability, with your methods, isn't this the start of your plan to domesticate humanity?] Zero One was shocked. Zheng Yi had talked about domesticating all of humanity before! How could she now… wait? It was a Saint Growth System, what nonsense was it spouting! How could it agree with Zheng Yi's idea of domesticating humanity! No matter how many Saint Points it brought, that was wrong!
[No, no, no, I didn't say anything.] Zero One desperately wanted to retract its previous words. For the first time, it was glad Zheng Yi didn't like to pay it any mind.
"Right!" Yu Yinan nodded seriously. "But if we decide to leave, will they really just let us go and say goodbye?"
"That's not for us to worry about." Zheng Yi stretched. That was for those people to worry about.
How they acted then would determine the future or ending they would face.
That was true. Yu Yinan looked at Zheng Yi. She… seemed fearless, omnipotent. Even with her thousand faces, she brought Yu Yinan an unparalleled sense of security.
"After we get to Chuanyang and see the ocean, where will we go?" Yu Yinan asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Since Zheng Yi said she wouldn't stay, Yu Yinan wouldn't consider it at all. She had never been to Chuanyang, nor had she ever seen the sea.
Long-distance travel… was a luxury for her.
The sea in pictures, online, in videos… must be different from experiencing it in person, from seeing it with her own eyes, right? They said the sea breeze was salty and fishy, and the seawater was salty and bitter. Hmm, after those two rains, maybe the seawater would have a different effect. Maybe the taste had changed.
Yu Yinan imagined it. She leaned against Zheng Yi, imagining the sea, imagining the future.
Her future. To think there would be a day so full of anticipation, so full of wonder.
"We'll take a look at the situation in the sea." If the seawater was controllable, and with Stamina Recovery Pills, it wouldn't matter if the consumption was a bit high. Zheng Yi also wanted to see what the creatures in the sea had become. If she could catch a few, eating them or dissecting them for observation would be fine.
As for crossing the ocean from Chuanyang to other countries… she'd forget it. No matter how many Saint Points she had, it wasn't worth wasting Stamina Pills like that.
"We'll come back and take a look then." They could also go back to Humanity's Light Shelter for a look. If possible, Zheng Yi also wanted to return to that small camp. She wondered if the leader was still alive. If she had time, she'd go chop off his other little finger to make it symmetrical.
"Okay," Yu Yinan agreed with a smile. She and Zheng Yi thought about their next steps, about the future. And in that planned future, Zheng Yi hadn't left her behind; Zheng Yi had tacitly included her. This made Yu Yinan even happier.
"Sugui Mountain in Pujie, we can go to that mutated forest again," Zheng Yi said. "The disappearing zombie horde and mutated beasts—if we find any traces, we should check it out."
Things that other ability users avoided at all costs were what piqued Zheng Yi's interest.
"Okay!" Yu Yinan's ability had improved a lot now. She should be able to have a decent deterrent effect against mutated plants. Although she was still far from turning her flames into ultra-high-temperature plasma, her control over temperature was already very proficient.
And there were the meteor fragments Chi Heqing had mentioned. Zero One said there might be one in the southeast of Ling Country. Zheng Yi was naturally interested in the "origin" of the apocalypse.
Eating one ice cube after another, Zheng Yi got up and looked down from the window. In the residential area, not many people were out at high noon, and no one would rashly approach the building where Feng Shuxian was to find them.
Perhaps, when the high-temperature period was almost over, those people would come out for a walk? To try and capture her?
These days were, after all, a bit boring.
With the beginner-level personal storage space ability, Zheng Yi could start cooking even in this house. Her senses were sharp; if anyone approached, she could throw everything into her storage space. The smell in the air could be dispersed with her ability, and Yu Yinan could immediately raise the room temperature back up from the coolness of the ice, leaving no trace.
With plenty of Saint Points, their daily meals became much more lavish. Rice? Noodles? Dumplings? Wontons? Buns? Vermicelli? Rice noodles? All sorts of staple foods, free to choose. The seasonal vegetables that cost one Saint Point per bunch could also be eaten to their heart's content. Since it didn't involve encapsulation or abilities, the food in the system store was quite cheap and affordable in comparison.
As soon as Zheng Yi had this thought, she spent six Saint Points at dinner time to buy a roasted chicken and a box of fried chicken. For the staple, Zheng Yi took out a few bags of soda crackers from her backpack and placed them on the metal stool.
"?!" Heaven knew how shocked Yu Yinan was to see all this. The green vegetables before, the dumplings later—Yu Yinan thought those were already different enough. But she never imagined that Zheng Yi's ability could directly conjure up a real roasted chicken and fried chicken! The fried chicken even had sauce sprinkled all over it!
When she took the disposable gloves, Yu Yinan was in a daze. In that instant, countless questions and curiosities surged up, only to be forcibly suppressed by her. In the end, she could only look at Zheng Yi with moist, deeply moved eyes. "This… is too extravagant…"
"Does creating these things with your ability really… really not consume too much energy?" Yu Yinan felt this must be related to those "faith points," since Zheng Yi had never been so extravagant before. "Actually, you can just eat it yourself. I'm fine with crackers." Creating her portion must be an unnecessary burden for Zheng Yi, right?
Zheng Yi glanced at Yu Yinan, picked up the fried chicken box, and placed it directly on Yu Yinan's lap. "Hurry up and eat."
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