ALL NOVEL Chapter 66 - The Zhou Family
That night, they enjoyed a simple homemade meal. The days had been getting colder while the nights grew increasingly warm, making it unsuitable for hotpot, so they prepared a variety of home-cooked dishes instead.
These were meals the convoy members were used to, but for those from the Western Base, it had been a long time since they’d had such food. Although the base provided meals in exchange for labor, ordinary people only received plain bread rolls, while those with abilities were given slightly better options. Such dinners with meat and fresh fruit were rare treats.
Tang Ruo ate quietly, a habit she’d developed from years spent in a hospital, following the rule of “no talking while eating, no speaking while resting.” Now, having access to foods she hadn’t tasted in ages, both she and Bai Qi appreciated each meal deeply.
However, she had the odd feeling that someone was watching her while she ate.
Touching her face, she asked Bai Qi beside her, “Is there something on my face?”
Bai Qi looked up and carefully examined her face before replying, “Mm, there’s a me in your eyes.”
Tang Ruo: “…”
Suddenly, she felt a small ache in her knee.
Confused, Tang Ruo glanced over at Pan Xiaoxuan and whispered, “Why is Uncle Pan’s daughter staring at me?”
Bai Qi looked over at Pan Xiaoxuan and replied, “You could ask her about it later.”
At the table, Hu Haotian shared insights on the current military dynamics based on what he’d learned from his father. “Since the apocalypse, there’s been a major reshuffling in the military. When General Wei turned into a zombie and was killed, the faction of Chairman Yuan fell out of favor, leaving General Zhou—who awakened with fire abilities—as the main power. Almost everyone from Chairman Yuan’s faction has now fallen under General Zhou’s authority.”
“The entertainment tabloids are always covering a Zhou family son, Zhou Shuguang, surrounded by women on both sides. Is he General Zhou’s son?” Liu Bing asked.
Hu Haotian replied, “Yes, that’s Zhou Shuguang. He awakened fire abilities and has been promoted to lieutenant in the military.”
Old Qin asked, “If they gain full control of A City’s base, what might happen?”
Hu father replied, “Zhou Jingming (General Zhou) has a narrow-minded, overly protective nature. If he ends up governing the base, I fear disaster.”
Everyone was taken aback. Luo Ziqiang and others were surprised: “Is it really that serious?”
Hu father sighed, “Those of us from the older generation who haven’t awakened abilities have all had our power reduced. For us, it’s understandable, but soon, many generals will likely lose their military authority as well.”
Liu Bing said, “From what I read in the papers, that young Zhou seems to indulge in every vice imaginable. And yet, he’s been promoted to lieutenant?”
Hu father replied, “In the military now, those with abilities are considered the backbone. General Zhou used this as a pretext to hand over part of his military command to his son.”
Elder Qin said, “In that case, we should keep a close eye on the Zhou family.”
Everyone agreed. Since they were new arrivals and not originally part of the military or political elite, they weren’t yet familiar with the underlying factional struggles and decided it would be best to observe the situation quietly.
Afterward, Hu father briefed them on the upcoming tasks likely to be announced within the base.
“They’re planning to repurpose an old entertainment club in this area into a task hall, and renovations are already underway through the night.”
Everyone naturally asked what a task hall was and where this former entertainment club was located.
Pan Dawei raised his hand, saying, “I know that entertainment club! I once helped Xiao Tian and Xiao Bing sweep through the place.”
Hearing about the time when ‘XX Magazine’ exposed the club’s activities, Tian Hai and Liu Bing both chose to keep their heads down and focus on their food.
Hu father explained, “The sudden virus outbreak caught everyone off guard, and this base was established as a temporary solution, so its facilities are still incomplete. Relying solely on the military for every external mission isn’t feasible, so they’ve set up a mission hall to issue tasks that let ability-users contribute to the country’s efforts.”
Of course, he added, task rewards would vary, including things like food, fuel, supplies, and even military equipment.
“We can exchange missions for weapons and gear?”
“The government is officially making weapons available for public use?”
“Yes,” Hu father confirmed. “With the virus rampant and zombies everywhere, the A City base has opened up its arsenal to the public.”
Everyone asked Hu father to share details on some of the upcoming military tasks.
Hu father replied, “The first mission will likely involve constructing a dirt wall around the base perimeter, which will require all earth-ability users. The next major task is likely securing the nuclear power plant in A City’s southern district—these two missions are currently the biggest.”
“A nuclear power plant?” Hu Haotian was surprised but, after a moment’s thought, realized it made sense. The base would need a substantial power supply for both civilian and military needs.
Hu father looked around at the brightly lit villa and remarked, “Who installed all the electrical systems here? With this kind of display, you can expect military personnel to come by tomorrow and seize your solar panels and batteries.”
Everyone exclaimed, “Whoa, that’s just heartless!”
Back when they obtained these solar panels, it had taken a tremendous amount of effort. Now, it felt like others were reaping the benefits of their hard work, with the military simply stepping in to claim the fruits of their labor. Naturally, they were very reluctant to just hand it over.
Besides, they had grown strong in their abilities, and with their loved ones now safely by their sides, they really didn’t feel a need for large-scale weaponry. It wasn’t as if they planned on creating their own base or becoming saviors of the world.
Whatever weapons were offered in exchange, they weren’t particularly interested. Still, since the exact situation remained uncertain, they decided to wait and deal with things as they came.
After Hu father finished discussing these matters, Hu Haotian’s wife, Yang Li, carefully slipped something into Hu Haotian’s hand. Since Hu Haotian already considered everyone present as part of his inner circle, he didn’t bother hiding it and showed it openly.
It was a glittering crystal core.
Seeing that her husband didn’t mind the others present, Yang Li decided to share everything she knew.
“This was given to me by General Zhou. I’m not sure what it is, but it helps restore my consumed abilities. If my abilities weren’t so special, and if they didn’t need a lot of energy to treat others, they wouldn’t have given me something like this. Right now, not many people in the base, let alone the military, know about this blue crystal energy stone…”
As she spoke about something that everyone in the convoy used, it suddenly seemed very mysterious to Hu Haotian. He didn’t say anything but instead pulled out a bag and dumped a pile of crystal cores onto the table.
Yang Li was taken aback. “This, this…”
“Haotian, where did you get so many blue crystals?” Hu father was also quite surprised.
For this kind of blue crystal, the military only provided Yang Li with five each day. If she hadn’t secretly saved them, she wouldn’t have had so many. She had intended to give them to Hu Haotian for use in emergencies, but now she realized he had an entire bag, far more than she could count.