Otherwise, why would the leaders of an official base have something to discuss with a few ordinary people?
Zhao Xuan was puzzled: "They have a regular army, why would they value us amateurs?"
Banxia explained carefully: "There are tens of millions of survivors in City A, but how many soldiers are there? The situation is special now, and we must unite all forces that can be united in order to have any chance of defeating the natural disaster."
“We started training our skills before the apocalypse, and our combat power definitely exceeds that of 90% of ordinary people.”
"What's more, we also have mutated pets and mutated trees as helpers."
"Well, perhaps they also value your influence."
Many people dislike celebrities, thinking they are just attention-seeking gimmicks, but it is undeniable that celebrities do have a very strong influence in certain aspects.
Nanxing, Suyao, and Fang Yunyun have fans from all age groups and industries. The three of them have voluntarily brought their families to join the base, and in the turbulent apocalypse, they may bring unexpected positive influence.
Fang Yunyun looked at Banxia suspiciously: "Even in the apocalypse, people still chase after celebrities?"
In her view, the most important thing in life is to fill one's stomach, and only then can one indulge in romance and poetry.
In today's world, how many ordinary people can live without worrying about food and drink?
Banxia replied confidently, "Yes! The harsher the environment, the more people need spiritual support!"
In the fourth year of the apocalypse in her previous life, it was the most difficult year for the S City base where she was located.
First, zombies and mutated animals besieged the city, killing two-thirds of the people, and "every household was dressed in white mourning clothes";
Secondly, a magnitude 10 earthquake turned the city, built with the efforts of countless people, into ruins in an instant, leaving everyone displaced.
Finally, mutated locusts attacked farmland, causing complete crop failure, and people had to eat mutated cockroaches and ants.
Under the successive blows, countless people committed suicide in despair.
To boost morale, Yan Ning, the leader of the base, invited Su Yao to write a song.
She still remembers the song called "Unwilling".
"On an ordinary day, disaster struck and my loved one died."
"I refuse to question the heavens; I have worked diligently and lived earnestly throughout my life."
Why won't suffering leave me alone?
“I stood by the window, wanting countless times to cut my wrists and end this awful life.”
Cut it off! Cut it off!
"Red blood will bloom into beautiful flowers, and I will reunite with my beloved and never be separated again."
"Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock..."
"Blood dripped down, and she finally appeared before my eyes."
"I wanted to hold her hand, but she angrily pushed me away."
"She said she was not reconciled!"
"She wanted to see what the peach blossoms looked like in spring,"
"She wanted to hear the sound of summer rain pattering on lotus leaves,"
"She wanted to admire the beautiful autumn scenery of maple leaves turning red with frost,"
"She wanted to smell the fragrance of plum blossoms braving the snow in winter."
"But she has long since turned to dust!"
"I woke up from my dream to an empty room where she wasn't there."
“I tied a white bow on my wrist, which was adorned with red flowers.”
"Determined to stand by her, she watched the spring flowers bloom, heard the summer rain, admired the red maple leaves, and smelled the fragrance of winter plum blossoms."
"When I grow old naturally, will she in my dreams never push me away again?"
...
When this song was released, countless people broke down in tears.
In the end times, human life is as worthless as grass. Who hasn't lost their dearest loved ones?
But miraculously, the suicide rate at the base plummeted after that.
The song "Unwilling" is so popular that everyone, from the elderly to toddlers, can hum a few lines.
Not long after, Li Kongyuan and Zhou Wen knocked on the door, and Banxia noticed that they had changed into clean clothes and shoes.
When Zhou Wen saw Banxia take off her protective suit, revealing her fair and tender face, a very complicated emotion flashed in her eyes. After several seconds, she exclaimed, "You've changed so much."
She still remembered the first time she met Banxia. The little girl stood quietly next to Nanxing, her bulky down jacket unable to hide her thin body, and she looked like a flower about to wither and fade.
Banxia keenly noticed that Zhou Wen's gaze seemed a little strange. Although she didn't understand what she had done to offend her, adhering to the principle of "better to avoid trouble," she smiled shyly at her and invited the two of them to sit down.
Li Kongyuan and Zhou Wen have also changed a lot, not in appearance, but in their spirit and energy.
The weariness in their eyes added a touch of vicissitude to their young faces, making them look several years older than before.
Li Kongyuan didn't waste any words and went straight to the point: "I've come here to invite you to join the official base."
Banxia and the others exchanged glances: "Sorry..."
Li Kongyuan wiped his face with a wry smile. He knew the outcome as soon as he stepped into the living room, which was lit and air-conditioned.
Nanxing and the others had rosy complexions and were dressed neatly and cleanly, just like before the apocalypse. Why should they leave their familiar homes and go to the base to live a hard life with him?
He sighed inwardly, then said seriously, "Have you ever heard of mercenaries?"
Banxia tentatively asked, "The base is short-handed, are you planning to hire us?"
Mercenaries are a special type of soldier who fights for money.
After the apocalypse, the money in the bank card became completely useless. The money she was referring to was just a general term, representing supplies in all areas such as clothing, food, housing, and transportation.
Li Kongyuan agreed with Banxia's statement: "Yes! The base currently has 13,600 soldiers on the roster, of whom about 3,000 are infected with the plague, and the remaining 10,000 soldiers are able to work normally."
"To prevent the spread of the plague, I had half of the soldiers guard the base entrance and not allow anyone to enter or leave."
"But I don't want these 100,000 survivors to just wait to die. I'm trying to find ways to collect food and medical supplies, but unfortunately, we don't have enough manpower, so the progress is extremely limited."
“You guys are quite capable in combat, and I’d like to hire you to work for me.”
Banxia did not give a clear answer about whether she would go or not, but instead asked her question: "I can barely understand the lack of medical supplies, but City A has plenty of grain reserves, how could there be a shortage of food?"
Before the apocalypse, she had seen a government work report stating that City A had 2 million tons of grain reserves, which, based on a daily consumption of 0.5 kg per person, could supply the city's 20 million people for 200 days.
The apocalypse has only lasted for less than half a year, and the base only has a mere 200,000 people. How could we possibly be short of food now?!
Zhou Wen's eyes immediately reddened: "Before the apocalypse, the government used 700,000 tons of grain to stabilize prices. During the extreme cold period, 1.2 million tons of grain were consumed. When we took over, the granary only had 100,000 tons of grain."
She choked up, “Two weeks ago, the granary was attacked by mutated ants, cockroaches and rats. We lost more than 300 soldiers, but only managed to save more than 10,000 tons of grain!”
No wonder the mutated ants and mutated cockroaches I killed a couple of days ago had such round bellies!
Li Kongyuan said sincerely, "The survivors at the base desperately need your help!"
Banxia didn't want to go. She and Nanxing had everything they needed, so why take the risk?
But she couldn't make decisions for Su Yao and the others.
The air fell silent for a moment, and no one spoke.
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