Chapter 35 Arrived at the Base - Healing Ability

The Chaoyang base appears to have been a factory, one of the larger factories in the area, covering several thousand acres. It included buildings for workers to live in, a canteen, and workplaces.

Many of the buildings are already in place and do not need to be rebuilt, which is why the founders of Chaoyang Base chose to build their base here.

It doesn't require much effort to rebuild.

The biggest change to the factory is probably the outer wall. The wall looks much higher and thicker. When there were only ordinary zombies, the wall was barely enough. After all, those zombies would just stupidly run into the wall. Although they don't feel pain, they are not an impenetrable fortress. A sufficiently sturdy wall can completely withstand them.

But then, super-powered zombies appeared. With their superpowers, the zombies could easily destroy the walls.

Therefore, the base organized people to raise and thicken the walls. In addition, every two hundred meters, there were superhumans patrolling 24 hours a day, which greatly ensured safety.

At the entrance of the base, there were some people with superpowers guarding the area, and everyone who came had to undergo some tests.

"We need to make sure you're not infected with the zombie virus, and the abilities of those with superpowers also need to be tested," Zhang He explained while waiting in line.

Cheng Zhiyu frowned slightly as he watched the blood being drawn not far away, silently asking the system in his mind, "System, will there be any problems with the blood draw?"

The system responded quite quickly this time: "[Host, please rest assured, it won't.]"

Cheng Zhiyu was relieved to hear this, and then he heard Xiao Hei's voice in his ear: "Don't worry, they won't find anything."

He realized that Xiao Hei had noticed his emotions.

He felt a warmth in his heart and squeezed Little Black's paw: "Mmm."

Little Black tried to pull its claws out, but couldn't, so it just let it go.

Although it wouldn't reveal anything, Cheng Zhiyu was wary of blood tests, so after thinking for a moment, he asked the system to perform a check.

Cheng Zhiyu: "If something happens to me, you'll be implicated to some extent, won't you?"

The system, which had originally intended to say something, replied: "...Okay."

Soon they lined up and got to the front. The system didn't detect anything wrong when they were having their blood drawn, and neither did Xiao Hei. Cheng Zhiyu was relieved.

He was holding a dog, and quite a few people were looking at him, but Cheng Zhiyu remained indifferent, pretending not to see them.

Next is the ability detection. There is currently no effective detection method, so they need to use their abilities on-site, with someone nearby making the judgment.

They also categorized the superpowered individuals into levels. Zhang He went for the test first. He was an earth-type user and painstakingly constructed a small earthen wall. The soil looked somewhat loose and not very sturdy. In the end, he was classified as level one.

Surprisingly, Wu Mengting discovered that her opponent was a level two fire-type.

As for Tian Qiao, she is a level 2 ice-type.

Tian Manman had been instructed to slightly conceal her superpower, which was detected as a level two speed-type ability.

It seems the base doesn't have any effective testing equipment yet; at least it can't be seen that Tian Manman is dual-type, while the opponent is speed-type and strength-type, and the strength-type ability is also quite strong.

Cheng Zhiyu, on the other hand, entered the base as an ordinary person.

This group of people looked unremarkable. Although level two ability users were considered quite powerful, they were not uncommon. As everyone knows, ability users of the same level cannot deal with zombies of the same level.

Even a level 2 superhuman can only run away when encountering a level 2 zombie.

Completely unaware, the most capable among them were actually Cheng Zhiyu and Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei's lightning bolts have become much thicker recently. Cheng Zhiyu estimated that the opponent was at least level three, or even close to level four. Moreover, Xiao Hei is a dual-elemental character.

As for Cheng Zhiyu, Xiao Er and Xiao Tie are already at level three. It seems that the system's criteria for judging plants are similar to those of the base for judging ability users.

Zhang He was somewhat surprised to hear that Cheng Zhiyu did not have any special abilities, after all, based on their interactions over the past few days, the other two were clearly centered around him.

Cheng Zhiyu, on the other hand, felt that it was best to keep a low profile and didn't want to reveal too much.

Next, you'll need to get a card. Once you enter the Chaoyang Base, besides the supplies you carry that you can exchange for other items, the only other thing you can exchange for is points.

The points are credited to their cards, and they need to exchange their supplies for points.

Just as they were about to collect the cards issued by the base, a gasp came from the side.

"What's going on?" Tian Qiao craned her neck to look curiously. Cheng Zhiyu was speechless. Her neck must have almost broken from all the strain.

On the contrary, Tian Manman would shrink her neck at the slightest noise, and the two of them standing together looked somewhat strange.

Cheng Zhiyu remained silent and looked over as well.

"Level 2 Healing!" The exclamation from the side became clearer.

Tian Qiao asked, puzzled, "Isn't it also level two?"

The other superhuman looked at him as if he were a country bumpkin: "Level two is not the same as level two, that's healing!"

It seems that healing abilities are very popular in the base, which makes sense when you think about it. Just like doctors are often respected, after all, everyone gets sick sometimes.

Moreover, this is the apocalypse, where the chances of getting injured are greater, so healing-type characters are naturally more popular.

The base brought in an injured superhuman. His leg had been pierced by something, leaving a large, bloody hole. Although the bleeding had stopped, it still looked terrifying.

The healing ability manifests itself differently from others, requiring on-site treatment. The level two healing ability user walked up to the injured user, squatted down, and a faint light appeared on his hand as he stroked the user's leg.

However, the blood hole on the superhuman's leg did not disappear instantly, as if the injury was just an illusion.

Cheng Zhiyu was somewhat amazed. It seemed that the healing type was indeed powerful, and it was normal for it to be so popular.

The superhuman immediately stood up. Apart from his pale face, it was clear that he had been injured. He thanked the healing superhuman profusely.

Then, several people said something to the healing ability user, who nodded happily and entered the base without having to go through the rest of the procedures.

"Wow, healing is great! They were recruited by the base officials on the spot." One of the ability users said sourly.

Tian Qiao exclaimed in surprise, "So amazing, and you're only at level two?"

Seeing that he really didn't understand, a superhuman nearby offered to explain: "Those above are even more powerful. I've heard that healing abilities can even regenerate severed limbs. Even if your internal organs are completely rotten, as long as you have a breath left, you can come back to life."

Tian Qiao looked at the other person with curiosity: "You've met him before?"

"I've never seen one, I've only heard of them." The other person had a 'are you being argumentative?' look on their face: "If they were really that powerful, how would we have a chance to see them? They would have been recruited long ago. Besides, ability levels aren't static, they can be upgraded... Anyway, that's how the official system classifies them."

Tian Qiao nodded thoughtfully.

Cheng Zhiyu listened to what the people next to him said. Seeing that all the other ability users around him were envious, he felt that healing ability was not a good thing. As soon as it appeared, it would be recruited by the base officials, which meant that he would lose his freedom. Cheng Zhiyu did not think this was a good thing.

Clearly, Xiao Hei shared the same thought, and smiled when he heard what the person next to him said.

Cheng Zhiyu gently stroked Xiao Hei's head with his fingers. Seeing Xiao Hei shake its head vigorously because it was itchy, he smiled and said to Tian Qiao beside him, "Stop looking, let's go."

Tian Manman nodded vigorously: Let's go, let's go.

He doesn't like crowded places.

Seeing that there was no more excitement to be had, Tian Qiao followed along to the place where they were taking photos.

Their initial card points were zero. Because Zhang He reminded them that they needed to exchange supplies for points, they had already prepared them and put them in their bags.

Zhang He, standing in front of them, took out two packs of cigarettes. Wu Mengting noticed his action and, unusually, said, "Not enough."

Zhang He paused, then looked at Wu Mengting.

Wu Mengting said calmly, "I need to find a psychic; these aren't enough."

Spirit mediums are expensive, costing 100 points per session.

Zhang He's two packs of cigarettes were barely enough to earn enough points for one visit with a psychic. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Mengting..."

Wu Mengting: "What? Are you feeling guilty? You kept saying you supported me in finding a psychic, but now that it's up to you, you're feeling guilty, aren't you? Are you afraid I'll find out that you're the one who killed Xingxing?!"

Wu Mengting's voice grew louder and louder as she spoke, and her emotions became increasingly agitated, as if she wanted to tear Zhang He to pieces.

Zhang He made a helpless expression at the person who was checking in, and the latter looked at him with pity, feeling that Wu Mengting was no different from a madwoman.

Having no other choice, Zhang He took out another pack of cigarettes, and in the end, he exchanged them for a total of 150 points.

When it was Cheng Zhiyu's turn, he took out the prepared supplies from his backpack. They were mostly things they didn't really need, and he exchanged them for 300 points.

When the cards were being handed out, the person on the other end reminded them: "Within the first three days of entering the base, the base will not charge protection fees. However, after three days, if you do not join an official or officially recognized organization, five points will be deducted from your account every day."

Tian Qiao muttered, "So many?"

This is clearly designed to force those with superpowers who want to stay here to join an organization. After all, five points a day may not seem like much, but over time, it adds up to quite a bit.

However, it's understandable. After all, the base needs to operate. If everyone who enters the base doesn't join the organization, it means they don't contribute to the base. In the long run, how can the base afford that?

"What about ordinary people?" someone asked anxiously from the side. The person in question appeared to be an ordinary person.

The person issuing the cards said, "No points are charged for the first month for ordinary people, and one point is awarded per day thereafter."

Some people grumbled in dissatisfaction: "Ordinary people are already struggling so much, why do they still charge points?"

The person handing out the cards wasn't angry, but the person overhearing it was indignant: "A whole month isn't enough time for you to earn some points at the base? You can't even come up with a single point a day, you're probably just lazy! What, you think you're right just because you're weak? The base's policies are clearly designed to benefit ordinary people, and you're still not satisfied? What? Do you want the base to pamper you, let you do nothing, and let you be treated like royalty every day before you're happy?"

After a conversation, the other party's face turned red, but they didn't refute it, whether because they dared not or were unable to refute it.

After the apocalypse, conflicts gradually arose between people with superpowers and ordinary people. Some people with superpowers felt that they should share what they had worked so hard to obtain with ordinary people, while some ordinary people felt wronged, feeling that they were not welcomed anywhere and that people with superpowers were bullying them.

The person distributing the cards explained, "Don't worry, the base also needs ordinary people for construction. After you go in, you can learn about it for a few days. There are many jobs available for ordinary people, and you can earn points through your labor."

Upon hearing this, the ordinary person, whose face was flushed, instantly had tears in his eyes and mumbled an explanation: "I didn't want to be a big shot. I'm just afraid that if I go in, I won't earn any points and will be kicked out in the end."

Those around him fell silent at his appearance; it was indeed difficult for ordinary people to survive in the apocalypse.

While those with superpowers can choose whether or not to join the base, ordinary people have no choice, because they simply cannot survive outside.

Cheng Zhiyu witnessed this scene and had a fairly good initial impression of the base. The attitude of the base staff towards ordinary people largely represented the attitude of the base's officials.

Moreover, the policy does indeed benefit ordinary people.

Tian Qiao joked from the side, "Hey, I should have said earlier that I'm not a superhuman, but just an ordinary person."

Zhang He quickly replied, "I wouldn't dare. If I hide my abilities, the base will punish me if I'm discovered."

Tian Qiao hadn't expected this rule and asked curiously, "What kind of punishment?"

Zhang He scratched his head: "It doesn't seem serious. It means nothing serious happened. I guess I'll be punished by having to serve the government for at least a month."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Zhiyu said, "Wouldn't some people with superpowers deliberately conceal their abilities in order to be recruited by the authorities, and then pretend to accidentally expose them?"

Zhang He laughed heartily: "Brother Cheng, you're quick-witted. Some people do do that, but then they realize, wow, serving the government is free, and after it's over, you're basically not going to be recruited, except for the really outstanding ones."

But for the truly exceptional, who want to join the official base, why would they need to go through such a roundabout way?

This is equivalent to wanting to be a policeman before the apocalypse, and then deliberately breaking the law. The only result would be being arrested and imprisoned. Would they let you become a policeman? Obviously not.

"Hey, we're on different paths now, so let's part ways for now. We'll meet again sometime." Zhang He said goodbye with a smile, glanced at Wu Mengting, and sighed, "I was originally thinking of going into the base to exchange that cigarette with other ability users, which would have given me more points than the official reward."

Tian Qiao patted Zhang He on the shoulder, offering silent comfort.

Seeing that Wu Mengting had urged him several times, Zhang He reluctantly bid farewell to his post.

After they parted ways, they began to observe the base.

They decided to find a place to stay first. The accommodations at the base were all controlled by the government, and different accommodations had different prices.

The cheapest room costs only one point per day, but the room is extremely small. It seems to be a large house partitioned off, and there's hardly any room for anything except a bed.

Next up are the larger single rooms, which cost three points per day.

Then there are suites, either two-bedroom and one-living room or three-bedroom and one-living room. The former costs 8 points per day, and the latter costs 10 points per day.

These houses would be cheaper if rented out monthly.

The person showing them the house was an ordinary person. Tian Qiao struck up a conversation with him: "So the houses here can only be rented, not bought?"

The other party nodded: "These houses are not for sale."

Seeing that two of the three were superhumans, he explained, "However, if you join the official organization and work for a certain number of years, you can be allocated housing."

Cheng Zhiyu asked, "Even ordinary people can do it?"

The other person chuckled self-deprecatingly: "Although there are no restrictions on whether it's an ordinary person or a superhuman, how easy is it for an ordinary person to join an official organization?"

Tian Qiao asked, puzzled, "Don't you work for an official organization?"

The other person shook their head: "It's different. My job is an officially advertised position with a signed contract. The process for officially starting the job is very complicated."

Cheng Zhiyu understood: "It's like taking the civil service exam?"

The other party thought the description was quite accurate: "Yes, I am a contract worker. I don't have any benefits, and my salary is not as good as that of a regular employee. To become a regular employee, you need to have some special skills, not superpowers, but... for example, an exceptionally good memory. There was an ordinary person who could even remember everything he saw, and he was recruited by the government."

They chatted all the way, and Cheng Zhiyu learned the other person's name was Wang Li.

Ultimately, considering privacy and the fact that there were many of them, they rented a three-bedroom apartment for seven days at once, instantly losing seventy points.

After finishing her work, Wang Li seemed a little embarrassed, but still said, "I see you just arrived at the base today, so you're not familiar with this place, are you?"

It was obvious that they had just arrived at the base. Cheng Zhiyu nodded and looked at Wang Li, who clearly had something to say.

Wang Li rubbed her hands together sheepishly and said, "I'm quite familiar with this place, so I can show you around. You can stay as long as you like after get off work, and I'll only charge two points."

Cheng Zhiyu seemed to be thinking about something. They had just arrived at the base and really didn't know anything. It would be good to have someone to guide them, so he agreed.

Wang Li, who had been looking nervous, breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "I'm about to get off work, I can take you right away..."

Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Zhiyu said, "Why don't you eat something and rest after you get off work? We just arrived here and need to rest a bit."

Wang Li was taken aback, then smiled and nodded, saying, "Then I'll come find you here later."

Cheng Zhiyu nodded and estimated the time: "About an hour later."

Wang Li nodded quickly. An hour was enough for her to eat something and take a nap. After the apocalypse, although there was a distinction between ordinary people and people with superpowers, ordinary people's physical strength was much stronger than before the apocalypse.

Wang Li hurriedly returned to her residence and heard a commotion inside. Her expression changed, and she immediately pushed open the door and went in.

The sound immediately became clearer. A woman in her fifties, hands on her hips, was yelling in the direction of Wang Li's house: "You old hag, why don't you just die?! Who told you to use so much water in the toilet?"

Wang Li immediately walked over and glared at the old woman: "Old woman Chen, my mother is just going to the toilet. If you keep saying such nasty things, I'll tear your mouth apart!"

Granny Chen clearly hadn't expected Wang Li to return so quickly. She paused, but without a hint of guilt, she put her hands on her hips and continued, "How was my language harsh? It's true, you're sickly every day, you'd be better off..."

Before she could finish speaking, Wang Li pounced on Chen Pozi and was about to slap her. She was in her thirties and was stronger than Chen Pozi, who was in her fifties. After a few slaps, Chen Pozi felt pain in her mouth and begged for mercy.

Wang Li then stopped what she was doing, rolled up her sleeves, and said, "If I hear you cursing my mother again, I'll hit you every time!"

Old Mrs. Chen covered her mouth, glared with her triangular eyes, and cursed, "You just wait, my son has a girlfriend with superpowers, and it won't be long before we move to a big house! Then my daughter-in-law will definitely give you a good beating!"

Hearing what Granny Chen said, Wang Li felt a little uneasy. Even though she disliked this family, she had to admit that Granny Chen's son, Feng Rui, did have a handsome face. When they first moved in, Wang Li was almost deceived by Feng Rui's appearance.

However, she soon discovered that Feng Rui was a habitual slacker. Since arriving at the base, he had never gone out to work and earn a single point. The three of them relied entirely on Granny Chen and Feng Rui's father, Feng Hongjian, to support their daily expenses.

Wang Li shared a three-bedroom apartment with her mother and Feng Rui's family. To save money, she and her mother shared one room, while Chen Pozi and Feng Hongjian shared another, and Feng Rui shared the third. Feng Rui had the largest master bedroom to himself.

Despite it being the apocalypse, Feng Rui was unusually leisurely in the base. He had nothing to do all day, sleeping until the sun was high in the sky before heading out. No one knew what he was going to do, but it certainly wasn't for work.

Even so, Granny Chen and Feng Hongjian were still immersed in the fantasy that their son was exceptionally filial. Even though Feng Rui hadn't done anything, just occasionally showing concern verbally and saying some empty words, the couple were already incredibly moved, exclaiming that their son was so sensible.

Wang Li: If this is considered being sensible, then how sensible must we have been before?

However, this was the Feng family's own time, and it had nothing to do with her. Unfortunately, Granny Chen was too annoying and would cause trouble for her mother all day long when she was not around.

Hearing Granny Chen brag about her son finding a girlfriend with superpowers, Wang Li just wanted to laugh. She's a superpowered person, not stupid. It's one thing for her to spend points on her son because he's good-looking, but to take care of your whole family? Dream on!

As for whether that female superhuman would really be blinded by Feng Rui and help the Feng family cause trouble for her, Wang Li could only comfort herself that the base had rules and everything should be fine.

She didn't want to say anything more to Granny Chen, so she closed the door and went back to her room. Wang's mother had already heard the commotion outside. Granny Chen always found various reasons to scold her. She didn't want to cause trouble. It wasn't easy for her and her son to survive in the apocalypse, so she tried to avoid Granny Chen as much as possible.

Unexpectedly, her daughter got into a fight with Granny Chen outside. She didn't dare to go out because she was in poor health and was afraid that something bad might happen to her, which would only cause trouble for Wang Li.

The Queen Mother immediately burst into tears: "Lili, it's all my fault for dragging you down."

She was in poor health and could only stay in her room all day, unable to do anything. Sometimes she even thought about dying to end it all and not be a burden on her daughter.

Wang Li glanced at her mother and said, "Mom, don't talk about this. If it weren't for you, I would have lost all motivation long ago."

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother dared not say anything more.

Wang Li ate something quickly: "I still need to take a few superhumans with me to tour our base. They're not familiar with this place, so they're willing to pay two points to hire me."

The Queen Mother was somewhat worried: "Those people with superpowers have bad tempers..."

Wang Li smiled and said, "Don't worry, we were just lucky this time. The superhuman we met had a very good temper."

Wang's mother wasn't sure if her daughter was trying to comfort her, so she didn't say anything more. She felt a little uneasy and thought to herself, "If only I could help my daughter."

Wang Li didn't dare to stay any longer. She quickly packed up and left. When she got outside, she ran into Feng Rui coming out of the master bedroom.

The other party was indeed in the house, but since Chen Pozi had just been beaten by her, the other party had not appeared. Even so, Chen Pozi still thought her son was filial.

When Granny Chen saw her son come out, she felt that someone was backing her up, and immediately wanted to get back at him. However, Wang Li simply left and closed the door.

I can't be bothered with it.

Granny Chen felt a tightness in her chest and almost couldn't breathe.