Chapter 97 Seeking refuge at the Xiaohe base, vaccine 2.0
After hearing about this incident, the various bases were in an uproar.
They have always focused more on the strength of those with superpowers; as long as they are strong enough, nothing else matters.
Unexpectedly, such a terrible thing happened.
They can only try their best to enforce strict regulations, such as what kind of punishment will be given for those who use dirty tricks in battle.
This regulation has been met with numerous complaints.
Some people reported that their family members were harmed by their fellow mission partners, resulting in lifelong disabilities or even death.
Because the person who committed the act was a superhuman, and their family members with superpowers were gone, they dared not pursue the matter.
Now that this regulation has been introduced, everyone has finally mustered the courage to speak the truth and seek justice for their families.
Since the base's upper echelons had already issued regulations, they naturally couldn't ignore them. As a result, upon investigation, wow, many of those who had done this were powerful superhumans who had made great contributions to the base.
Should they intervene or not?
If we intervene, how should we deal with these people? They are a significant fighting force for the base. But if we ignore it and let this situation continue, the base's situation will only get worse.
Those who honestly complete their tasks and serve the base will also feel disheartened.
After all, who knows when you'll suddenly be slandered by your teammates?
The base's leadership was caught in a dilemma.
Cheng Zhiyu didn't know how they handled it in the end, but when the Xiaohe Base was recruiting, many more people with powerful superpowers applied to join.
If your character is good, then of course you're welcome.
Some bases may only realize belatedly that they have fewer and fewer powerful superhumans, and finally begin to take remedial measures and deal with those superhumans who have made mistakes.
They used to think the Xiahe base was stupid, but now that base recruits people based on character rather than ability.
What good is good character? In the apocalypse, might makes right.
But now, they have finally realized that they were wrong.
The apocalypse is indeed about who has the strongest fists, but only if those fists don't come at you.
Besides, so what if you're not good enough? A person's abilities can be improved.
Their feelings were complicated.
Cheng Zhiyu didn't care about the complexity of the situation. In any case, the number of powerful ability users at Xiaohe Base had increased, and the base's safe zone had now expanded to a range of two kilometers.
The next day, Cheng Zhiyu returned to his office and called back the base manager who had called him the day before. He lied without batting an eye: "Sorry, I had something to do yesterday and didn't have time to go back to the office. I only heard about the call today."
Unless there's an urgent issue, I absolutely refuse to work overtime after get off work hours.
With weekends already gone and overtime every day, Cheng Zhiyu felt he would never be happy again.
No matter what, health should always be the top priority.
The people on the other end of the line didn't really care whether he was alright or not; they just said with mixed emotions, "Congratulations! I heard your base has already developed the 2.0 vaccine."
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said in a very official tone, "This is a blessing for all mankind."
The other party got straight to the point: "I'm calling to discuss patent fees..."
As a result, Cheng Zhiyu's next few phone calls all revolved around this topic.
Cheng Zhiyu had already set the price for the patent fee, so when the other party inquired, he directly stated the price.
The patent fees were quite substantial, and some bases hesitated for a moment. Knowing Cheng Zhiyu's style of doing things, they realized that the prices he set were very reasonable and that it was almost impossible to negotiate. So they agreed.
In fact, Cheng Zhiyu only charged a one-time patent fee, which was already quite generous. If this technology fell into the hands of other bases, they would make a fortune from it.
However, some base managers couldn't understand and wanted to negotiate the price, saying sourly, "Xiao Cheng, you're lucky. You only collected 1.0 patent fees not long ago, and now you're collecting 2.0."
Everyone was a base manager, but he called Cheng Zhiyu "Little Cheng," as if he inexplicably had a superior position to Cheng Zhiyu.
Cheng Zhiyu wasn't angry. He said, "What you're saying is not true. I support those researchers and provide them with research materials. These don't just fall from the sky."
Seeing that Cheng Zhiyu wasn't falling for the trap, the other party could only say, "The patent fee is too expensive. We've cooperated so many times already, how about we ask for a smaller amount for the sake of our friendship?"
Before Cheng Zhiyu could speak, the other party began to exaggerate: "Look, the patent fees are a huge burden for our base. Every extra penny I spend means one less penny for the base's residents. Sigh, I really can't bear to see them suffer, so I've swallowed my pride and come to beg you."
Cheng Zhiyu sighed helplessly: "If I could, I would not accept the patent fee, but the research investment is too large, and we are still losing money."
Of course that's a lie; who wouldn't lie through their teeth?
Cheng Zhiyu: "How about this, if we can't raise the patent fees, we can reconsider. Our base has other businesses, you can buy finished vaccines. That way, we can save on patent fees and costs, and the residents won't have to suffer. What do you think?"
The other party: "Hey... that's not how it's said."
Nobody's a fool. Vaccines are the most important resource in the apocalypse. If we don't have the production method in our own hands and rely entirely on importing them from other bases, it's tantamount to handing over our lifeline to others and letting them control it.
No smart person would choose to do this just to save a short-term profit.
Cheng Zhiyu smiled and said, "Actually, if your base really wants to buy finished vaccines from our base, our base's production capacity may not be able to keep up. Or your base can buy them from other bases, which have paid patent fees and have production rights."
Before the other party could say anything, Cheng Zhiyu interrupted casually: "Excuse me, I have a new call coming in. I'll have to talk to you now. Please think about it some more, there's no rush."
Cheng Zhiyu hung up the phone and continued chatting with other people.
This situation didn't occur later. Some people wanted to negotiate the price, but seeing Cheng Zhiyu's firm attitude, they obediently agreed.
Later on, Cheng Zhiyu kept calling about the base he was supposed to consider, clearly getting anxious.
He had one of his men answer the phone, saying he wasn't there and would call back when he returned.
It wasn't until almost the end of the workday that Cheng Zhiyu called back, apologizing, "I'm sorry, I was just too busy today."
The other party didn't know whether he was genuinely busy or just pretending, but could only assume he was. He forced a smile through gritted teeth and said, "It's alright, I didn't wait too long. The patent fee you mentioned does make some sense, so I agree."
Cheng Zhiyu was not surprised at all and smiled, "Okay, then it's a pleasure to cooperate."
The other party breathed a sigh of relief, fearing that Cheng Zhiyu would cause trouble again, but thankfully he didn't.
After that, the various bases sent patent fees, and the Xiaohe base was bustling with activity for a few days.
Not long after, vaccine 2.0 also began production.
In addition to selling to the bases themselves, they also sell to external sources. Some smaller bases, unable to afford the patent fees or the need to buy the patents, choose to cooperate with these bases to purchase vaccines.
Cheng Zhiyu didn't care about this. He had earned the money he was supposed to earn, so there was no need to transfer all of it.
Nothing major happened after that, and the base entered a period of stable development.
One day, he and Cheng Mo were riding around outside in a small car. Cheng Mo was a little jealous of Xiao Qi and said sourly, "It's not like I can't fly."
"It's daytime. What if someone sees us?" Cheng Zhiyu said helplessly.
Cheng Mo: "...Oh."
"Hey, look over there, isn't there someone there?" Cheng Zhiyu pointed to a spot not far away.
Cheng Mo glanced at it and nodded: "There's a group of people gathered there."
Since it was Xiahe Base's territory, Cheng Zhiyu went down to ask what was going on.
When the group saw him, they could tell he was from the base because of his respectable attire. They quickly said, "Don't send us away, we...we won't cause any trouble."
Cheng Zhiyu said, "Don't worry, I didn't come here to chase you away."
The group exchanged glances and breathed a sigh of relief.
Cheng Zhiyu then asked them why they were there.
The leader, who was able to speak, honestly explained, "We...we want to join the Xiahe Base."
Cheng Zhiyu frowned: "I haven't heard that the base is recruiting."
The leader said, "We're not recruiting, but we heard that the Xiahe base recruits every now and then, so we came early to be closer and move faster."
Cheng Zhiyu was silent for a moment, looking at the group of skinny people: "You...don't you have a base?"
The leader sighed, "It's the same as not having anything. If we hadn't been unable to survive at the base, why would we have come here? We heard that the Xiaohe Base also needed ordinary people, so we thought we'd try our luck here."
Cheng Zhiyu asked, "Which base were you from before?"
The other party said it was the Dongyang base.
Dongyang Base is the closest base to Xiaohe Base, no wonder they were able to come here.
Cheng Zhiyu frowned and asked, "Is the Dongyang base treating them very badly?"
The leader said, "Well, it's not that it's bad. The base is still growing crops. It's normal that they prioritize those who are useful. We've always lived like this. It's actually gotten a little better recently, and everyone's gotten used to it. But then we heard about the life at the Xiaohe base... We have to think about the kids, even if it's not for ourselves. Who doesn't want a better life? Anyway, we're useless to the base."
Cheng Zhiyu didn't think they were useless. Wasn't the current Xiahe Base built by many ordinary people?
Other bases may not think that ordinary people are of much use because they are numerous, but the bases cannot do without these residents if they want to make discoveries.
They don't care now, but they will care once the residents leave.
They didn't exploit ordinary people; they just favored those with superpowers more, and Cheng Zhiyu couldn't say anything about it.
He shook his head and asked these people, "So what do you eat?"
The Xiahe base is not recruiting residents now, and he can't make an exception. The base has its own rules, and if he changes them frequently, it will cause chaos.
Furthermore, if they make an exception and hire someone just because they've come in outside of the hiring season, what happens if other people who hear the news also come in? Should they all be hired?
Obviously not.
The leader smiled and said, "Little River Base is great!"
Cheng Zhiyu: "?" Why are you suddenly praising me?
The other person said happily, "We were worried about starving to death when we came here, but when we arrived, we found that the territory of the Little River Base was full of grass and trees. The grass is tender and delicious. There's enough grass to eat, so we don't need to peel the bark off the trees anymore. Oh, and there are locust trees here too. The locust flowers are so delicious."
Cheng Zhiyu, who had painstakingly arranged for people to plant trees and grass: "..."
Upon seeing Cheng Zhiyu's expression, the other person became somewhat nervous: "Can't we eat these?"
Cheng Zhiyu said helplessly, "It's not that you can't eat it, but you can't keep eating this."
The other person said, "Why? This is good enough, there's plenty, enough to fill you up."
Cheng Zhiyu sighed slightly: "Go to the entrance of the Xiaohe Base first thing tomorrow morning."
The other party asked in confusion: "Isn't the Xiaohe Base hiring?"
Cheng Zhiyu said, "We are not hiring, but the construction site at the base needs people, so we can hire workers first."
Recruiting workers meant having them do chores and providing them with food, but they weren't considered residents of the base.
Fortunately, the construction site is still outside the base, and they won't be going inside.
Moreover, the construction site is indeed short of workers right now, and because of this shortage, the progress has been lagging behind. Recruiting workers is indeed a good option.
He had thought about doing this before, but then he felt that he couldn't promise that he could definitely join the base, and others might not be willing to come.
But now he realizes that he underestimated the Xiahe base and overestimated the other bases.
"Hiring!" A group of people's eyes lit up.
Cheng Zhiyu nodded: "You all remember to go, but the children..."
"Don't worry, we've assigned someone to take care of them." The leader said excitedly, "Thank you for telling us this, otherwise we wouldn't have known at all."
Cheng Zhiyu thought to himself that since there was indeed no such thing, he would have to tell him when he got back.
He said, "No need to be polite, just make sure the child is settled."
The leader nodded and repeatedly bowed to express his gratitude.
After Cheng Zhiyu and the others left, someone came over to the leader and said, "That's great! How come we didn't hear any news about this before?"
The leader slapped the other person on the head: "Are you really stupid or just pretending? Because there's no such thing at all!"
After they arrived here, they started asking about the Xiahe Base. How could they not have found out about such important information?
Unless there's only one possibility...
"Huh?" The man touched the spot where he had been patted, looking confused. "Then wasn't that person lying to us?"
The leader rolled his eyes: "Why would they lie to us? What good would it do them? They're just bored!"
The man was puzzled: "If that's not a scam, then what's going on?"
His mind went blank; he couldn't understand what these words meant.
The leader snorted and said inscrutably, "That person just now was probably no ordinary person. Now that this has happened, he'll have something to do with it when he gets back."
The man nodded blankly, then smiled and said, "As long as there's work to do and wages to be paid, it's fine. It's good to earn food for my child. We can go hungry, but we can't let our child go hungry."
The leader nodded in agreement. He didn't say that when he was talking to Cheng Zhiyu just now, he had wanted to ask the little boy if he could do some work.
It's not that he's heartless; this isn't the pre-apocalyptic world where children are treasured. This is the apocalypse, and if little kids can do some work, they have a better chance of surviving.
These days, whose kids don't do some chores?
But in the end, he didn't ask. They were already being very kind by offering them this way out; it wouldn't be good to push their luck.
The leader sighed and said to the group, "Let's find another place to pull weeds. Don't just stick to one spot and pull it all out."
"knew."
On the other side, Cheng Zhiyu and Cheng Mo continued to sit and wander around, but they didn't run into anyone else.
However, as the reputation of Xiaohe Base grows, more and more people will surely come.
"Go back and arrange for a patrol team. They need to patrol the territory outside the base every day," Cheng Zhiyu said to Cheng Mo.
Cheng Mo nodded and praised, "Zhiyu is so kind."
Cheng Zhiyu was a little embarrassed: "Let's not talk about this."
"Why can't I say?" Cheng Mo asked, puzzled. "You're just so kind."
He said, "Luckily, you are kind."
Cheng Zhiyu looked at him: "Why would you say that?"
Cheng Mo smiled and said, "Because if you weren't kind, you wouldn't have picked me up."
He felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it, and then solemnly said, "One should always be kind."
At that time, the apocalypse had indeed broken out, and no one knew where their tomorrow lay. Few people were willing to take on the responsibility for a dog's future.
After returning, someone reported to Cheng Zhiyu that a group of people had appeared in the base's territory and asked what to do.
Cheng Zhiyu talked about the patrol team and the recruitment, nodded in agreement, and went to take care of it.
The next day, the leader and his group nervously arrived at the perimeter of the Xiaohe base and, sure enough, saw a sign that read, "Recruiting workers for the construction site."
The group was overjoyed: "It really is!"
"That would be great. If only I could have a steamed bun to eat every day."
"I've almost forgotten what steamed buns taste like. Just mentioning it makes my mouth water."
"Nobody laughs at anyone else; everyone does it this way."
"Hey, the sign even says the wages!"
Everyone's eyes lit up; wages were a very important matter, so they all crowded around to take a look.
Someone exclaimed, "My God, you get a pound of grain just for completing the task in a day?"
"I'm not seeing things, am I? One jin!"
"Not only that, we also provide two meals a day. As long as we work here, we won't have any problem eating our fill, but we can't take anything out."
"My goodness, such great conditions, how could we possibly get them? Is this some kind of scam?"
"What are you talking about? What do you have to lie to us about? We just don't know how many tasks there are or whether we can complete them."
"Never mind, let's hurry up and sign up! Who knows how many spots are available!"
The group was reminded and hurriedly went to register.
The person sitting at the table reminded others, "Please queue properly and don't crowd."
The crowd immediately lined up obediently, nervously watching the person at the front. The person asked them various questions, wrote down their name, gave them a badge, and said, "From now on, take this badge to work at dawn, and someone will guide you."
The man gripped the sign tightly, as if it were a lifeline. He had a wife and children, and a pound of grain wouldn't make him starve. He swallowed hard and asked, "Can I work today?"
"Sure." The other party nodded, called someone over, and had the other party lead the way: "If you've got the sign and want to start working today, you can find him."
"Oh, and we're also hiring someone who can cook, to prepare meals for you," the person registering said.
The man who spoke first quickly said, "My wife, my wife can cook!"
The person registering said, "If you can cook, call them over."
The other party nodded quickly and ran back as fast as they could. Although they didn't ask how much the cooking fee was, they figured that even if they weren't paid, just the food would be enough for the child to eat well.
After queuing up to register, they followed the team leader to work.
Everyone had finally found work, and the pay was so good that no one dared to cheat or shirk their duties, for fear of being caught and losing such a good job.
They all worked incredibly hard, and it wasn't until it got dark that the team leader urged them to stop, and they reluctantly stopped what they were doing.
"Alright, have some dinner, then go get your food," the team leader said.
Everyone nodded. They had already eaten lunch earlier, and thinking of the delicious taste, the hungry people swallowed their saliva frantically.
They took the plates and went to get their food.
After lunch, they all learned from experience that they didn't need to order too much at once, because they could still order more if they finished. Today at noon, many people ordered too much at once, and they didn't want to waste it, so they ended up eating until they were stuffed.
Although we felt happy psychologically, the feeling of being stuffed was not pleasant, and everyone learned their lesson and didn't dare to eat too much.
They were eating in a daze. They had been starving just yesterday, but when they saw the lush green grass on the ground, they treated it like meat, pulling it up and eating it whole, roots and all.
As a result, I was able to eat my fill today, and even ate too much at noon.
When it came time to receive the grain, it felt even more like a dream. Some people were surprised to find that the grain they received was more than a pound!
He hesitated for a moment, worried that the person distributing the grain might have been negligent. If he took it without telling anyone and it was discovered, he might lose his job.
He had only worked there for less than a day, but he already cherished the job. He couldn't find such a good job once he left the Xiaohe base.
After hesitating for a moment, he still said, "Did you send me too much?"
The person distributing the rations glanced at him and said, "You exceeded your quota; you didn't receive more than you were supposed to."
Everyone: "!!!"
They hadn't dared to ask how much the task was, hoping they could at least get half a jin (250 grams). Unexpectedly, the task wasn't much at all; they hadn't started working until long after dawn, yet they were still able to complete it.
If they worked hard afterward, they might be able to get even more food. Thinking of this, their hearts pounded.
After receiving the food, it wasn't over yet. The person distributing the food said, "Those of you working here can use the food to rent tents and live on the outskirts of the base. We've specially designated an area for this purpose."
Some people couldn't help but be tempted by this. Although the territory of the Little River Base was safe enough, there were still wild animals even if there were no zombies. But living on the outskirts of the base would be different and definitely safe.
Someone couldn't help but ask cautiously, "How much for the tent?"
The other party said, "One tent and one pound of grain, can be rented for a month."
This price would have been astronomical before, but now, people don't think it's expensive anymore. If they work hard, they can earn a pound of grain in half a day.
Everyone was tempted, especially since they all had kids with them.
The man, who had just registered his marriage, called his wife over to cook, and walked with her.
Her daughter-in-law also carried grain, which amounted to about a pound.
The daughter-in-law smiled and said, "This is my fixed wage; I only get one pound a day."
She's the only one cooking, and she also has to wash dishes and such. She's busy from morning till night, so it's not an easy job at all.
The man exclaimed, "That's a lot! We'll rent a tent and bring the kids over later."
They asked an elderly woman who was staying there to look after their child. They agreed that if the woman helped take care of the child, each family would give her a handful of grain.
But no matter what, it's still safer to move to the outskirts of the base; living in the wild is always nerve-wracking.
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