Chapter 193

Chapter 193: The Guaranteed 6,000 Words

The population of Oasis Base was growing, while the population of the settlement points was decreasing. More and more settlement points were being completely emptied.

At first, the three major bases didn’t notice this phenomenon. They just felt that these settlement points were becoming more lifeless. However, they thought it was normal since the people in these settlement points were no different from zombies. They rarely went inside, usually just dropping supplies at the entrance and driving away.

It wasn’t until three months later that they finally realized something was wrong.

When they discovered that one settlement point was empty, they didn’t immediately sense anything unusual. Settlement points often merged, but when they found the third, fourth, fifth… and eventually almost all settlement points completely deserted, they finally realized something was amiss.

By this time, Oasis Base had grown into a large base with nearly 300,000 people.

“Fresh veggies! Fresh and crisp veggies!”

“Boss, how do I trade for these greens?”

“Got any cigarettes? One bundle of greens for one cigarette.”

“Come on, boss, cigarettes are rare these days. Greens are everywhere in the base now. One cigarette should get me three bundles of greens.”

“Fine, fine. Need anything else? We’ve got potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms—want some of each?”

“I’ll pick enough to make it worth three cigarettes.”

In the market area of Oasis Base, bargaining and bartering were everywhere. Sellers and buyers were abundant, and the bustling crowd was no different from pre-apocalypse markets, if not even more lively. People wandered around with items they could trade, negotiating deals with sellers as they went. Without a universal currency, bartering was the norm. Crystal Cores, as valuable items, could be exchanged for necessary supplies at the base’s trading bureau. Whether it was cigarettes, alcohol, daily necessities, or various seeds for vegetables and fruits, the trading bureau could meet almost all needs.

The trading bureau not only accepted Crystal Cores but also gold, silver, diamonds, jade, and other valuable items.

Outside the base, the number of reconnaissance drones had increased to fifty.

Although summer had just begun a few days ago, the weather was still slightly cool. Those who could handle the cold had already started wearing short sleeves. On the walls, people were working fervently. The walls had been built to a height of ten meters, modeled after the ancient city walls of Capital City’s Base Two for better defense. The walls now had platforms for people to stand on, ready to mount machine guns when the time came.

However, Gu Ning’s money was flowing out of her hands like water.

But where money flows out, it also flows in. The trading bureau received various gold and silver jewelry, gold bars, diamonds, and jade, which Ji Jiuzhe helped sell for a hefty sum.

Gu Ning’s funds were still ample, with weapons and high-tech equipment taking up the bulk of the expenses.

The base was gradually becoming self-sufficient, taking on the shape of a city. It had a fully equipped hospital, schools with sufficient teachers, and a strong military force.

The defense force now had nearly 5,000 people.

Organized into regiments of 1,000, battalions of 500, companies of 100, platoons of 50, and squads of 20.

Third Brother was promoted from company commander to division commander, overseeing the entire 5,000-strong force.

The soldiers of the Three-Linked Team were dispersed throughout the force, mostly serving as deputy regimental commanders, acting as supervisors.

Recently, when these people met, they would call each other by their full names followed by “Deputy Regimental Commander,” teasing each other.

Cheng Ming, Method, and Zhang Xiaobai had no time for such antics. They followed Third Brother wherever he was needed.

Everyone in the base knew that the power center of Oasis Base was in the hands of these people.

Gao Yue now held the title of hospital director, spending her days researching Crystal Cores. It was said that she had made significant progress, and the second antidote was showing promise. This was the result of her collaboration with Yi Shaoqing. The two often exchanged information, and once the second antidote was ready, it could even cure the virus of evolved zombies.

Currently, only four or five people in the hospital were qualified to perform surgeries, each mentoring over twenty interns.

Even Liu Xin was now considered a senior nurse, with over ten trainee nurses following her every day. Though she was busy from dawn till dusk, she felt a great sense of fulfillment. The sisters had been allocated a house, and across from them lived Xia Yu, who had deliberately chosen to live opposite them. He was fervently pursuing Liu Mei, though Liu Mei seemed hesitant. Liu Xin, however, called him “brother-in-law” every day and would visit Xia Yu’s house after work to grab some food.

The members of the Three-Linked Team all lived in the same building.

Gu Mama still went to the cafeteria every day to supervise, while Gu Papa had become the school principal, though everyone still called him “Teacher Gu.”

Every day, Oasis Base would send out two regiments to kill zombies. For every ten Crystal Cores collected, they would receive one as a reward. However, anyone caught hoarding Crystal Cores would be immediately expelled from the team. For the well-compensated soldiers of Oasis Base, being expelled for hoarding was not worth the risk. After a few were caught and expelled early on, no one dared to try it again.

The base was thriving, and the people within it were living with increasing hope.

In the base’s monitoring room, two massive screens covered almost the entire wall, displaying feeds from fifty drones. One small window showed a越野车 entering the base’s outer警戒区域. A young man noticed this and said, “That’s not one of our base’s vehicles.” He touched the screen, zooming in on the window, which instantly enlarged three times, clearly showing the license plate number.

At 4 a.m., Zhuang Chen hurriedly visited, bringing bad news.

“All those settlement points are empty. How could the base not notice? They just haven’t figured out why yet, but it’s only a matter of time. It could be as soon as a few days or at most half a month before uninvited guests arrive,” Zhuang Chen said.

After hearing this, Gu Ning, Third Brother, and the others remained calm, as they had already prepared for this.

If this had been discovered two months or even one month ago, they might have been nervous. But now, the base was united, and everything was stable. External forces would need to use武力 to破坏. Even if Capital City’s base was eyeing Oasis Base, they wouldn’t actually start a fight. At most, they would try to intimidate first, and if that didn’t work, they would negotiate to gauge the base’s strength and争取 more利益. In any case, a fight was unlikely.

Ji Jiuzhe calmly reassured Gu Ning, easing most of her worries. As long as there was no fight, what was there to fear?

Gu Ning repeated Ji Jiuzhe’s words to Zhuang Chen, who relaxed slightly and said, “Even if there’s no fight, we still need to be cautious. If it comes to谈判, those people won’t let go without taking a bite. You’d better be prepared.”

After Zhuang Chen left, Third Brother called another meeting.

The topic was, of course, how to deal with Capital City’s base.

After much discussion, they concluded that they would have to deal with things as they came. Despite this, Oasis Base began暗中布置. For the past few days, all teams had stayed within the base for training. Although no one knew exactly what was happening, they could sense that something was about to occur, especially after Third Brother’s意味深长的 speech to the entire army yesterday. The smarter ones had already guessed the reason, while the less perceptive could still feel the change in atmosphere.

A week later, Capital City’s base finally sent someone.

Both Gu Ning and the visitor were equally shocked.

Gu Ning never expected the visitor to be Ji Qige!

Ji Qige was also speechless upon seeing Gu Ning. He suddenly remembered Zhuang Chen’s欲言又止 and诡异 expression before he left the base. He had been wondering about her strange behavior during the trip, but now, seeing Gu Ning, he understood why she had acted that way.

After the initial shock, Gu Ning smiled slightly.

Seeing Gu Ning so calm, Ji Qige’s expression grew even more怪异. Although he wasn’t particularly close to Gu Ning, Zhuang Chen often spoke highly of her, mentioning that she was Ji Jiuzhe’s apprentice, which made him feel somewhat closer to her. Moreover, Gu Ning often visited Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing, and they had shared meals a few times, gradually becoming more familiar. Not to mention, the ingredients for the weekly feasts at Zhuang Chen’s place all came from Gu Ning, and Ji Zhaotang had also obtained many rare末世 items from her. With all these layers of connection, he knew he couldn’t possibly turn against Gu Ning. Thinking that he had volunteered for this mission, Ji Qige felt a pang of regret, his face showing a constipated expression.

Ji Qige suddenly glanced sideways at Ji Zhaotang, who coughed awkwardly and pretended to look around, avoiding eye contact. Ji Qige immediately understood why Ji Zhaotang had been acting神秘 lately and insisted on coming with him. He must have known about Oasis Base all along and was a frequent visitor here.

Ji Qige sighed in frustration at his traitorous brother, glared at him, then gave Gu Ning a look, signaling that it wasn’t appropriate to greet her formally in front of so many people. He then adopted an official tone and said to Third Brother, “Hello, I’m Ji Moyuan from Capital City’s base.”

Third Brother, noticing the exchanged glances between Gu Ning, Ji Zhaotang, and this Ji Moyuan, knew that the visitor was a friend. However, he still maintained a cold expression and said, “Hello, I’m Xie Aiguo, the deputy base leader of Oasis Base.”

Third Brother glanced at the officials in suits and ties behind Ji Qige and said, “Xiaobai, please escort these guests to the next room.”

The officials who had come with Ji Qige were startled and looked at him for guidance. Seeing Ji Qige nod, they reluctantly followed Zhang Xiaobai to another room.

Only Ji Qige and Ji Zhaotang remained in the conference room.

Gu Ning broke the silence with a smile, saying, “Seventh Brother, let me introduce you. This is Third Brother, the base leader of Oasis Base. This is Jia Daozhang, Method, Cheng Ming, and Xiaobai. Everyone, this is Seventh Brother, a friend of Zhuang Chen and Yi Shaoqing, Ji Zhaotang’s cousin, and my friend.” Gu Ning acted as the intermediary, introducing both sides. Ji Zhaotang had already met everyone when he escorted Gu Ning to the settlement point, so no further introduction was needed.

The atmosphere, which had been icy with outsiders present, immediately warmed up after Gu Ning’s introductions. Everyone shook hands with smiles, creating a harmonious environment.

Once everyone was seated, Ji Qige, thinking of his mission, felt somewhat awkward. He decided to address his own people first and said to Ji Zhaotang, “You, Zhuang Chen, and Yi Shaoqing knew about Oasis Base all along and kept it from me, didn’t you?”

Ji Zhaotang chuckled awkwardly and said, “Seventh Brother, it’s just that your position is sensitive. We didn’t know how to bring it up.”

Ji Qige gave him a dark look, implying that he would deal with him later, then turned to Gu Ning, Third Brother, and the others and said, “I suppose Zhuang Chen has already given you a heads-up about my purpose here.” He straightened up and said seriously, “Then I’ll get straight to the point. I came here on behalf of Capital City’s base to pressure you into handing over the base’s sovereignty to the government. But now it seems that all the arguments I prepared yesterday to persuade you were unnecessary. Let’s skip to the second step.”

He continued gravely, “When I arrived, you already demonstrated your base’s military strength and development level. To be honest, it’s beyond my expectations, even不可思议. Your base has only been established for about three months, right? But looking at your development, it doesn’t seem like a newly established base. In some aspects, it even surpasses Capital City’s base. It’s truly astonishing. I even wonder how you managed it. When I entered the base, I saw the drones above. Those aren’t something you can just pick up at any supermarket. Personally, I’d love to know the secret, but as Gu Ning’s friend, it goes against my principles. However, the people who came with me have eyes. They’ll report everything they saw here in detail when they return. There’s nothing I can do about that. Although Capital City’s base wants to merge Oasis Base into itself, I believe you won’t妥协. But by showcasing your strength, you’ve also declared how much of a delicious蛋糕 Oasis Base is. Even if Capital City’s base can’t吞下 the entire cake, they’ll definitely take a big bite.”

Third Brother also spoke seriously, “We’re willing to offer some利益 to Capital City’s base in exchange for peace between our bases. But we also hope Capital City’s base understands that our tolerance has limits.”

Ji Qige smiled slightly and said, “Then we’ll need to协商.”

At this point, Gu Ning interjected, “Seventh Brother, what’s Capital City’s base’s底线?”

Ji Qige was momentarily stunned by Gu Ning’s question, then smiled wryly and said, “Gu Ning, don’t forget that I’m currently representing Capital City’s base. Besides, I came here today to威胁 and恐吓 you into handing over the base’s sovereignty. I didn’t expect to reach this point so quickly. So, the specifics will have to wait until I return and discuss them in a meeting.” He paused, then looked at Third Brother with疑惑 and asked, “But earlier, you introduced yourself as the deputy base leader. So, who is the base leader?”

Instantly, everyone in the conference room turned their gaze in one direction.

Ji Qige followed their gaze and couldn’t help but gasp in shock, staring at someone with a look of无奈 and saying, “Gu Ning, don’t tell me you’re the base leader of Oasis Base?”

Gu Ning sighed helplessly and said, “I was forced into it.”

Being the base leader wasn’t something Gu Ning had chosen willingly. Third Brother had insisted on giving her the title, and though she hadn’t agreed, Third Brother only referred to himself as the deputy base leader, leading everyone to默认 Gu Ning as the base leader, even if it was just in name. Gu Ning found this outcome quite无奈.

Although Ji Zhaotang frequently visited Oasis Base, he had no idea Gu Ning was the base leader. He looked at her in shock and finally said, “Gu Ning, you’re amazing!”

Gu Ning didn’t bother explaining that her title was merely honorary.

To emphasize the intensity and difficulty of the meeting, Ji Qige didn’t leave early. Everyone set aside their official roles and enjoyed a pleasant lunch together, complete with大鱼大肉.

As for the officials confined to the other room, they weren’t so lucky. Their lunch consisted of a bowl of white rice with a small dish of pickles and a plate of greens. As they ate, they analyzed the situation in the conference room, unaware that Ji Qige and Ji Zhaotang were happily dining with Gu Ning, Third Brother, and the others.

After securing Ji Qige’s承诺, Gu Ning took him and Ji Zhaotang on a tour of the base, including the market, hospital, cafeteria,福利院, and school. Seeing the well-dressed, energetic people walking around, no different from pre-apocalypse times, Ji Qige感慨地对 Gu Ning said, “It’s already astonishing enough that you’ve built such a large base. The internal development is even more震撼. Providing for the elderly and orphans, offering education to children—these are things even Capital City’s base hasn’t managed yet. You’ve already accomplished them. I’m truly speechless.” Just then, a twenty-member patrol passed by, saluting them with a标准军礼. Ji Qige shook his head, looking at Gu Ning with复杂 emotions and said, “Given time, your base might surpass Capital City’s three bases.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Gu Ning smiled and反问.

Ji Qige无奈地说, “I just hope Oasis Base and Capital City’s base can reach a共识, find a平衡点, and coexist peacefully, cooperating for共同发展.”

Gu Ning smiled and said, “That will depend on our efforts.”

Ji Qige also smiled, feeling somewhat庆幸 that he was the one who came today.

The people from Capital City’s base came and went, and after a tense day, Third Brother and the others finally relaxed a little.

Jia Daozhang couldn’t help but感叹 their luck, marveling at Gu Ning’s extensive connections. It was fortunate that they happened to know the representative from Capital City’s base, or else the day would have been much more difficult. Gu Ning also felt lucky to have encountered Ji Qige, who had a deep connection with them, which was highly advantageous.

Jia Daozhang said, “Next time these people come, it won’t be so simple. We need to be mentally prepared. Capital City’s base might try to take a piece of us.”

Gu Ning’s eyes flashed with冷芒, “They’ll have to learn that our flesh isn’t so easy to割.” Third Brother said to Zhang Xiaobai, “Xiaobai, go and notify everyone. The base is now under戒严. No one is allowed to enter or leave without permission. We’re temporarily停止接收 outside survivors.”

Zhang Xiaobai went to carry out the order.

Jia Daozhang sighed, “We can’t even enjoy a few peaceful days before trouble comes knocking. Not only do we have to deal with zombies, but now we have to handle these people too. It’s such a headache.”

Third Brother laughed and said to Jia Daozhang, “Daozhang, just be grateful! Think about how we used to hide and dodge before. Isn’t this like heaven now?”

Jia Daozhang suddenly豁然开朗 and laughed, “You’re right!”