55. Reopening

After the cooperation was finalized, Su Ya led Fu Yunong and the others on a tour of the base. Ru Feng had other things to do, so after seeing them off at the gate of the government office, she returned to her study to attend to her work.

The most urgent task right now is to organize manpower to collect crystal cores. Summer is coming soon; last summer, more than half of the people in Cloud Peak City died from heat and starvation.

If you want to expand, you first need to survive.

Cloud Peak City is built on a cliff, where the wind howls, but fortunately the thick city walls block most of the wind.

Standing on the city wall, Fu Yunong looked down at the bottomless cliff and sighed, "It must have been difficult to build this place back then."

Suya nodded and said with emotion, "Yes, we were ostracized by other forces and had no choice but to choose this place. It was all thanks to our city lord leading everyone that we managed to hold up the base from the cracks."

Upon hearing this, the group was immediately filled with respect. Ru Feng always seemed so composed and at ease; they never imagined that she had also fought her way out of dire straits.

As they walked and looked around, Fu Yunong's gaze suddenly stopped when they passed a street: at the end of the street, there was an SUV parked, and a man with a buzz cut was leaning back in his seat, smoking, with one leg dangling from the car window.

"How is he still alive?" Huangfu Jinrang frowned.

Fu Yunong was also puzzled. Old Man Yin and his son were dead, Huang Chen was dead, Sun Hui was dead, and even the Watchers base had been completely divided up. How could this scourge still be alive?

"Miss Fu, what's wrong?" Su Ya followed her gaze and asked softly, "Is there something wrong with that person?"

Fu Yunong looked away, curled her lips into a smile, and said nothing.

Seeing this, Su Ya didn't ask any more questions, but quietly memorized the man's appearance.

After touring the base, Su Ya led the group to a secluded courtyard. "Everyone, this place is a gift from our Cloud Peak City. No matter when, this will always be your home."

These words were pleasing to the ear, and Fu Yunong and the others smiled. After Su Ya gave a brief introduction to the facilities in the courtyard, she left first.

As soon as the courtyard gate closed, Lin Songsong immediately came over, "Sisters, tell me what you saw? We've been so bored in this space."

Her height was too conspicuous, making it inconvenient for her to blend into the survivor group, so she could only stay in the space and wait.

Fu Yunong sat down on the sofa and spoke first, "The Qinglong Base is really funny. Their people in charge act like emperors, and they have to make people kneel and kowtow when they go out."

Xiao Linfang clicked her tongue, "No wonder I heard their city lord never shows his face, he's afraid of being beaten up. The Xuanwu Base is also outrageous, those high-ranking officials look like a cult, they don't treat ordinary people like human beings at all."

Lin Songsong quickly said, "We can't cooperate with people like that."

“Of course.” Fu Yunong nodded.

Shi Dong continued, "We didn't go to the White Tiger Base. It has a connection with the Azure Dragon Base; they're practically inseparable. There was no need to go."

On the other side, Zhao Lei was angrily throwing his cigarette butt on the ground and grinding it with his foot.

He's been having a rough time lately. He chose Cloud Peak City because he heard there were lots of women there, and he thought he'd be able to thrive there, but he never expected so many rules. As a superhuman, he's constantly running into obstacles here.

A wise bird chooses its tree to perch on, and he was thinking that it was time to change his allegiance; women were all short-sighted and couldn't keep a talent like him. But before he could put his plan into action, someone came to his door, saying that someone from above had come to invite him.

Zhao Lei's heart skipped a beat, sensing that something bad was about to happen. On the way with the guards, he seized an opportunity to slip away, only to be pierced through the chest by a beam of light.

He fell heavily to the ground, his vision gradually blurring. In the last moment before he closed his eyes, he seemed to see a woman smiling gently at him.

The conscientious supermarket is open for business again!

The news swept through this desolate, lawless wasteland like the wind.

Lu Zhan carried half a bag of scrap metal he had collected back home, and in the distance he caught a glimpse of the dazzling neon sign.

He paused for a moment, then, after confirming it wasn't his imagination, he threw down the scrap metal and scrambled over.

"My dear ladies! I'm so glad to see you all!" Lu Zhan ran up to them, tears streaming down his face. "I've missed you all so much!"

Since Fu Yunong and the others disappeared, their lives have plummeted. Supplies have dwindled, and they were on the verge of returning to the days when they barely had enough to eat. Only now that this sign has been put up do they see a way out.

Seeing his excited expression, Huangfu Jinrang shook his head. "Why don't you go and join the base? It's only a day or two's walk from here. The weather is getting warmer now, so you won't freeze to death on the road."

Shi Dong listened from the side, thinking to himself, "Silly girl."

Sure enough, Lu Zhan wiped his face and sighed heavily, "It's not that easy..."

He said that when the base used to recruit people, they had to provide supplies first. Back then, they had nothing and couldn't get in at all. Later, they heard that ordinary people who entered the base could only be cannon fodder, rushing to the front to search for supplies, and dying one after another in the mouths of zombies. So they were even more afraid to go.

At the same time, he glanced at the shacks behind him and said, "Now, most of the people here are sick and don't have many days left to live, so they just accept their fate."

After saying that, he patted his chest and said in a more assertive tone, "As for me, Lao Lu, I'm used to wandering around outside all my life and can't stand the rules and regulations in the base."

Fu Yunong smiled, "Then I have some work to do, do you want to do it?"

Lu Zhan suddenly changed the subject, "Fight! We'll follow your lead!"

The group was both amused and exasperated; this person had changed his mind remarkably quickly.

“Find some people to keep watch for us.” Fu Yunong pointed around. “Place one person every mile, spreading outwards. If you encounter anything unusual, send a signal.”

They didn't want to suffer the same fate of being targeted last time.

She specifically emphasized, "You need to be careful, have sharp eyes, and it doesn't matter if it's a man or a woman."

Lu Zhan laughed, "Alright! From now on, we'll all work for these ladies!"

Fu Yunong glanced at him and said, "It depends on how you perform."

"I guarantee you'll all be satisfied!" Lu Zhan patted his chest and assured them, then hesitated for a moment, "So, is the reward still one white steamed bun per person every day? I'm practically drooling with envy!"

Fu Yunong waved his hand, "Two for each person, and more if you do a good job."

"Two?!" Lu Zhan's eyes widened, his face flushed with excitement. After thanking them repeatedly, he turned and ran towards the shed, shouting as he ran, "Stop lying down! Get up and get to work!"

In less than half a day, Lu Zhan had brought over several survivors with relatively good physical condition, and they were all full of energy.

Fu Yunong briefly explained the signaling method, and the group immediately dispersed and went to their posts in different directions.

The sentries had barely been set up when a few survivors began to follow the neon signs.

The transactions at the conscientious supermarket resumed smoothly once again.

Supermarkets never stay in one place for long; they stay for a maximum of five days before moving on to the next human gathering point.

Lu Zhan somehow managed to find two nearly broken-down old cars, removed the seats, and each car could fit more than ten people.

Fortunately, the RV wasn't fast, and occasionally the survivors would stop to exchange supplies by the roadside, so the land forces were able to catch up with them.

Thanks to the large bases taking the lead in collecting crystal cores, more and more survivors are starting to actively collect them, and trading is much smoother than before. As long as the other party has crystal cores, no matter how many, they will be accepted.

Within a few days, this group of people had already developed a tacit understanding.

As soon as the RV came to a stop, they spontaneously took action: some went to level the site, some went to set up the trading shed, some maintained order, and the rest dispersed to stand guard at the highest points of the surrounding ruins according to their previous assignments.

With them around, Hua Hua could just sleep peacefully to the side.

After a while, these people, who used to dream of eating white flour steamed buns, started to get tired of them.

After finishing work that day, Lu Zhan rubbed his hands together and approached Fu Yunong, saying somewhat embarrassedly, "Grandma, can we talk about something? We all want to pool our wages for today and exchange them for some canned food, rice, or something to treat ourselves."

Fu Yunong was counting the crystal cores from that day when she heard this, and nodded, "Okay."

They work very hard, so this request can be met. Occasionally, she would give them a little treat from the discounted items in her online store, such as a few cigarettes or a pack of chewing gum, which would always make them happy for a while.

As soon as Lu Zhan heard her agree, he immediately went to excitedly share the news with his comrades.

The days passed in an orderly fashion.

During this period, Cloud Peak City came to exchange supplies twice. In addition to basic supplies such as food and medicine, they also focused on purchasing firearms, ammunition, explosives, and solar generators, with the quantities on the list increasing each time.

Looking at the list, the group knew perfectly well that Cloud Peak City was probably about to make a big move.

They were waiting for news from Cloud Peak City, but unexpectedly, just as they settled down next to an abandoned factory, an emergency signal came from the sentry post.

Lu Zhan rushed over to report, "Grandma, it was...it was people from the White Tiger Base! Little Chen just had a brief encounter with them, and...he was killed!"

The group exchanged glances, their faces growing serious.

"You all step back," Fu Yunong instructed.

Half an hour later, a convoy of black cars drove up, with a flag bearing a white tiger totem hanging on the hood of the lead car.

Before the car had even come to a complete stop, several soldiers in black uniforms jumped out, their guns pointed directly at them.

Fu Yunong scoffed. "The big base is really something else. They've got guns like they're being sold wholesale."

The car door opened, and a burly man stepped out.

He glanced at the "Conscience Supermarket" sign, then looked at the group and sneered, "I heard you can exchange anything here?"

Before Fu Yunong could speak, Shi Dong suddenly nudged her arm and gestured with his chin towards the distance.

Fu Yunong looked up and saw a large group of people surging towards the hillside not far away, with the outlines of vehicles visible amidst the rising dust.

Alright, now they don't need to step in.

The man also noticed the commotion and looked closely.

Cloud Peak City?