Chapter 192

Chapter 192: Oasis

“Gu Ning, are you okay?” Method and Jia Daozhang rushed up from downstairs, asking with concern.

The hallway below was packed with people, their eyes filled with fervent admiration and awe.

“I’m fine. Let’s clean up here,” Gu Ning said, surrounded by the crowd as she boarded an empty ambulance.

Jia Daozhang quickly shooed everyone else away to clean up elsewhere.

As soon as Gu Ning got into the ambulance, she lay down on the bed. Liu Xin was momentarily stunned, thinking Gu Ning was just exhausted. After a while, Gu Ning opened her eyes and said to her, “Where is Dr. Zhou? If it’s convenient, could you bring him over?” She suppressed a few coughs, a flicker of pain crossing her face, then smiled bitterly and said, “I think my ribs are broken.” She wasn’t sure when it happened—maybe when that female zombie struggled, its elbow slammed into her ribs. Now, any movement or even talking caused sharp pain. She had broken her ribs once in high school, and she guessed it was the same this time.

Liu Xin was shocked, staring at Gu Ning, wanting to say something but only feeling heartache and admiration. She quickly got out of the ambulance to find Dr. Zhou.

It took over ten minutes before Dr. Zhou hurried over. Before he could even examine her, Method’s incessant questions annoyed him. Dr. Zhou, usually calm and composed, was now visibly flustered. He snapped at Method a few times before finally calming down to examine Gu Ning. After asking her a few questions, he concluded that she likely had two broken ribs. He said they’d need to return to the base for an X-ray to check for internal bleeding. He also taught Liu Xin how to use a bandage to stabilize Gu Ning’s ribs. Gu Ning finally relaxed, feeling her breathing ease and the pain lessen when she spoke.

Dr. Zhou gave a few more instructions about avoiding strenuous activity and then hurried off with Liu Xin. The settlement had too few doctors, and Liu Xin and the others were still inexperienced, only capable of minor tasks like injections and bandaging. Dr. Zhou was overwhelmed, barely able to keep up with the workload.

After Dr. Zhou left, Gu Ning sent Method and Jia Daozhang away, resting alone in the ambulance. She wasn’t worried about her injury—her healing ability was strong, and she’d be back on her feet in three or four days. Fortunately, the cleanup was almost done, so she didn’t have much to worry about. She lay quietly in the ambulance, waiting for the final updates.

By the time the three zones were completely cleared of zombies, it was already 7 PM. The moonlight was exceptionally bright, reflecting off the snow, making the surroundings faintly visible.

Soon, each team reported their latest casualty figures.

Forty-eight dead, sixty-nine severely injured, and over a hundred with minor injuries. All life-threatening injuries had been stabilized by Gu Ning’s healing abilities. Gao Yue arrived around 6 PM, bringing most of the settlement’s medical supplies. She was accompanied by Zhuang Chen, who wasn’t alone.

“This is Zhuang Yan, my cousin. He used to be a chief surgeon at Capital Hospital, highly skilled. I figured you’d be short on doctors, so I brought him to help. My cousin’s nickname is ‘Silent Gourd,’ so don’t worry—he won’t say anything he shouldn’t. Right, cousin?”

Zhuang Yan nodded slightly at Gu Ning as a greeting, completely unfazed by Zhuang Chen’s words, and simply asked, “Where are the patients?”

“Follow me,” Gao Yue said, leading him away.

“Thank you,” Gu Ning said gratefully to Zhuang Chen.

“It’s nothing,” Zhuang Chen replied, looking around in amazement. “Gu Ning, I have to say, you guys are incredible. Do you know how long it took Base One to clear out? A full seven days. At least a thousand people died. And you guys did it in just over half a day, with so few casualties.”

Gu Ning smiled. “Compared to back then, we have Special Ability users and antidotes now. We were fully prepared—it’s not fair to compare.”

Zhuang Chen still thought Gu Ning and her team were far more impressive than she had expected, but arguing about it was pointless.

Just then, Dr. Zhou passed by and spotted Gu Ning standing there. He immediately shouted, “Gu Ning, what are you doing here? Two broken ribs aren’t enough? Get back inside and rest!”

Zhuang Chen was shocked. “You’re injured?”

“It’s nothing serious, just two broken ribs. If they shift, you’ll be in for a world of pain,” Dr. Zhou said as he hurried off.

Gu Ning hadn’t expected to be caught by Dr. Zhou and scolded, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Zhuang Chen was stunned. “Then why are you wandering around? Come on, I’ll take you back to rest.”

Gu Ning sighed. “It’s really not a big deal. I just need to avoid major movements.”

But Zhuang Chen insisted on taking her back to rest.

The dormitory buildings had ready-made beds, and the closets were stocked with clean blankets from former students, making things convenient.

It took another three or four days to completely clear the zombie corpses from the three zones and burn them.

The lake with mutated seaweed was drained by Gu Ning’s orders, and the gruesome bodies at the bottom were fished out. Their people cremated them and buried the ashes in a new cemetery designated for martyrs. Others, whose identities were unknown, were also cremated, and their ashes buried in a regular cemetery.

During this time, the settlement’s people gradually moved in, not into the student dorms but into the residential area between the dorms and the campus. The furniture was already there, so it just needed tidying up. All participants in the base cleanup were given priority to choose their preferred homes, with permanent rights to the property. Those injured received generous compensation, and the families of the deceased were well taken care of, with substantial financial support.

Third Brother and the others planned things out. With over twenty dormitory buildings and nearby residential areas, they could squeeze in tens of thousands of people. They could expand later—there was plenty of time.

They spent a long time discussing the base’s name.

Finally, Gu Ning decided on the name Xia Yu had suggested.

Oasis.

A place that brings hope to those dying in the desert.

Oasis Base.

The name was well-received by the people.

Next was bringing in people from other settlements.

For Oasis, which had already gained a reputation as a settlement and now developed into a base, this wasn’t difficult.

All the people from the previous settlement had already moved to Oasis Base.

Following Ji Jiuzhe’s suggestion, the official date for accepting people from other settlements was set for a week later.

After giving the team a day’s rest, they got busy again.

Including building the wall.

The advantage of this location was that the new campus, student dorms, and gymnasium already had walls. They just needed to connect the gaps between them, and with the help of Earth-type Special Ability users, the work progressed quickly.

Gu Ning’s broken ribs healed within two days, astonishing Dr. Zhou, though Gao Yue was already used to Gu Ning’s freakish healing ability. So, during these days, Gu Ning wasn’t at the base but out shopping like crazy.

Aside from daily supplies, which could be ordered directly, things like ammunition and high-tech products like reconnaissance drones required Ji Jiuzhe’s help.

Just as Gu Ning realized she was broke, Zhuang Chen brought her a windfall—the proceeds from the auction of the Celadon Sunflower Wash she had entrusted to Zhuang Chen. The buyer was the same person who had bought the other Celadon Sunflower Wash, and this one sold for a staggering 300 million RMB.

Gu Ning’s empty wallet was suddenly bulging, and she couldn’t stop smiling for days.

“So happy?” Ji Jiuzhe asked.

Even when she wasn’t smiling, Gu Ning radiated joy, more lively than ever. “Do you know what my lifelong dream has been?”

Ji Jiuzhe looked at her with interest. “Hmm?”

Gu Ning suddenly turned serious. “To win five million in the lottery.”

Ji Jiuzhe paused, then said, “Then after we get married, you’ll probably wake up laughing in your sleep.” He continued in a completely flat tone, “Because I’m very rich.”

Gu Ning: …

Rich and任性 (任性:任性 means “willful” or “capricious,” often used to describe someone who does as they please because they have the means to do so).

The previous warehouse wasn’t enough, so Gu Ning had to switch to one three times larger.

From solar generators, gasoline, rice, and flour to quilts, clothes, and even feminine products, Gu Ning stocked up on everything imaginable. She also commissioned a factory to produce exclusive emblems for Oasis Base.

Designed by Gu Ning herself, the emblem featured two olive branches entwined in a circle, with the simple words “Oasis” in the middle.

Everyone who settled in Oasis Base had to wear this emblem.

Gu Ning always pretended to go out alone to search for supplies, but in reality, she often went to Base One to see Zhuang Chen. Items like solar generators were claimed to be sourced by Zhuang Chen. Did Third Brother and the others suspect anything? Of course. The nearby supermarkets had already been picked clean by the major bases, so how did Gu Ning always find supplies? Though Gu Ning was with them every day, they sometimes felt she had an air of mystery. But they had grown accustomed to not prying. In their eyes, no matter how Gu Ning obtained the supplies, if she didn’t want to talk about it, they wouldn’t push. This was an unspoken默契 (默契:默契 means “tacit understanding” or “unspoken agreement”) among the Three-Linked Team. In some ways, they couldn’t help Gu Ning much, so they tried their best not to burden her.

And Gu Ning could feel their trust and subtle care.

With everything ready, Oasis Base officially opened, beginning to accept survivors from other settlements.

Following Ji Jiuzhe’s suggestion, the base wasn’t fully open.

Oasis Base’s total population was only a little over three thousand.

If thousands of survivors flooded in at once, chaos would be hard to control, so they had to proceed gradually.

Thus, on the first day, the base only accepted five hundred people.

This continued for two weeks.

Upon entering the base, newcomers were given a tour to familiarize themselves with the base’s rules and benefits.

Thieves, robbers, and bullies were blacklisted, permanently banned from the base.

Murderers and rapists faced execution.

Anyone aged fourteen to forty-five could join the base’s teams after passing an assessment, receiving monthly supplies. If you weren’t strong, the base offered various job positions with competitive salaries.

Elderly and orphans under fourteen were treated equally, housed in welfare institutions with dedicated caretakers.

Most of the base’s team members came from these settlements, so there were many familiar faces. The team members were well-trained, and three months had been enough to transform them. Compared to the newcomers from the settlements, the difference was stark. The team members wore unified black uniforms, walking in groups with heads held high, full of energy. This made a strong impression on the settlement people, many of whom regretted not joining earlier. But there was still a chance, and they vowed to make it in the base.

Once the first batch was settled, many started working.

There were plenty of jobs, including shoveling snow due to the recent heavy snowfall, which required over a hundred people daily. With more people, more food was needed, so the kitchen staff grew from a dozen to over sixty.

People from all walks of life were assigned jobs matching their skills.

Gu Ning felt a slight regret—none of these people were Special Ability users. All the Special Ability users had already been recruited by the three major bases, leaving none for them.

Since they couldn’t find ready-made Special Ability users, they had to create them. The base cleanup had yielded a considerable number of Crystal Cores. Most were补充晶核 (补充晶核:补充 means “supplement” or “replenish,” so 补充晶核 refers to Crystal Cores used for replenishing energy), nearly three hundred.进化晶核 (进化晶核:进化 means “evolution,” so 进化晶核 refers to Crystal Cores used for evolution) were rarer, with only sixty-some left after Xiang Xu and Method used some for advancement. These were distributed to the team captains, who gave them to the most deserving members.

However, the sixty-four Crystal Cores only produced five Special Ability users, a lower rate than before, which was disappointing.

Gu Ning grew more puzzled. She remembered the first time Zhang Xiaobai and the others evolved with her—the success rate was 100%, even producing two变异系 (变异系:变异 means “mutation,” so 变异系 refers to mutated or variant types). But since then, the rates had been declining. Gu Ning began to study why the success rates of group evolutions varied so much.

Starting the third week, the base accepted a thousand people daily.

Slowly, the once-empty Oasis Base began to fill up, showing signs of future prosperity.