Sheng Ge was not in a hurry to go to the official base anyway, so she did not care much that the helicopter was temporarily unusable. As for joining an ability-user team, she was even less interested.
Ah Bao naturally did not want to either.
He was a sect master, after all. How could he possibly work for other people?
Yun Yanwu tried persuading the two stubborn people for a long time, but failed completely. In the end, he could only helplessly shut his mouth.
“Oh right, you guys haven’t really explored the base yet, have you? I happen to be free today, so how about I show you around?”
“Okay!” Ah Bao said happily.
Thus, the group began wandering around the base.
Truthfully, there was not much worth seeing in the Overlord Base.
It was merely a gathering of survivors who had lost their homes and huddled together for warmth. Everyone stayed together for one reason only—survival.
So nearly everything in the base was built around survival needs.
There was the housing registration area, the mission hall, the supplies distribution center, and so on.
Among them, the supply distribution center had the most people.
A long line of people stood there waiting to receive supplies.
According to Yun Yanwu’s explanation, ordinary people in the base could earn points by doing jobs such as carrying supplies, sweeping and cleaning, or disposing of zombie corpses. Those points could then be exchanged for supplies.
However, judging from the fact that most people in line were skin and bones and looked utterly exhausted, it was obvious those jobs did not provide much in return.
But there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Supplies were scarce in the apocalypse. Having a job that barely kept you from starving to death was already considered lucky.
“What is the mission hall for?” Sheng Ge asked while looking at the building before them.
“Oh, that. The base usually posts missions there, like collecting supplies or clearing out zombies. Ability users accept the missions, and after completing them, they receive points or supplies.”
“Only ability users can accept them?”
“Uh… not exactly. Ordinary people can take missions too if they have the capability, but whether they live or die is their own responsibility.”
Yun Yanwu explained before adding another sentence:
“However, some of the high-reward missions can only be accepted by ability-user teams.”
“Oh.”
Sheng Ge answered blandly, pretending not to understand Yun Yanwu’s hint.
Yun Yanwu spread his hands and sighed again.
“Eh? What’s that over there?”
Suddenly, Ah Bao pointed curiously into the distance.
On a nearby plaza, a group of people either squatted or stood around. In front of each of them was a blanket or a piece of clothing spread on the ground, displaying all sorts of items.
“That’s the base marketplace. Want to take a look?”
“Yes!”
The eyes of Sheng Ge and Ah Bao instantly lit up.
Finally, something interesting.
The market was not large, but the variety of goods was astonishing.
Of course, most of the items were useless to people nowadays—electronics, home appliances, jewelry, handbags, and the like. After all, no one would willingly sell anything truly useful.
But those “useless” items seemed incredibly novel in Sheng Ge’s eyes. Grandma Grandmaster nearly failed to maintain her calm and dignified expression.
At least, that was what Sheng Ge believed.
In Ah Bao’s eyes, she had already lost all dignity long ago. The curiosity in her eyes was practically shining directly into his face.
Even Yun Yanwu found it surprising.
This was the first time he had ever seen such vivid expressions on this strange woman’s face. He had never expected her to be interested in these things.
Perhaps shopping really was a woman’s natural instinct?
How could he possibly know that Grandma Grandmaster was actually a three-thousand-year-old fossil with very little exposure to modern technology? Of course she found everything fascinating.
For example, this thing called a tablet.
It could actually display moving images inside!
“Beautiful lady, want to take a look? Let me tell you, this tablet has tons of stuff downloaded on it—games, movies, novels, and even that kind of stuff. Whatever you want to watch, it’s all inside!”
The stall owner was a yellow-haired young man in his twenties, dressed in ripped denim. He had been trying to sell the thing for two days without success. The moment he saw Sheng Ge approach, he immediately launched into an enthusiastic sales pitch.
The moment Sheng Ge appeared, he had already set his sights on her.
No reason other than the fact that anyone dressing this bizarrely in the apocalypse definitely would not be short on crystal cores!
Sure enough, the moment he casually waved the tablet in front of her, she came right over.
“What’s ‘that kind of stuff’?” Sheng Ge asked sincerely.
Beside her, Ah Bao also stared curiously at Yellow Hair.
“Of course it’s something especially fun and especially precious. You’ll know once you buy it.” Yellow Hair wore a mysterious, seductive expression.
“Buy it.”
Grandma Grandmaster placed the order without hesitation.
“Alright! Thank you, beautiful lady! Ten crystal cores!” Yellow Hair’s face nearly split from smiling so hard.
Sheng Ge: Tempted… but poor…
The bankrupt Grandma Grandmaster fell into deep conflict.
Thoughtful little Ah Bao noticed that his Grandma Grandmaster had not spoken. He immediately GOT IT—his Grandma Grandmaster did not know how to bargain.
Thus, he instantly stepped forward and roared at Yellow Hair:
“Cheaper!”
“Little brother, it’s already very cheap.”
“Ten crystal cores and you call that cheap? This tablet isn’t even useful.”
Yellow Hair became unhappy.
“How can you say that? How is it useless? Everything inside here is part of my treasured collection. It’s my spiritual food! If I weren’t starving to death, I wouldn’t even bear to sell it!”
“Hmph, do you think I’m a three-year-old child?”
Ah Bao said disdainfully, “Who knows whether your spiritual food suits our tastes or not? Besides, this thing needs electricity to work. Just thinking about the electric bill tells you it must be expensive.”
“Uh… fine, fine. Eight crystal cores then.”
“Four.”
“…Deal.”
Yellow Hair looked utterly aggrieved, though inside he was laughing wildly.
Originally, he had thought getting one or two crystal cores would already be good enough. After all, who still bought this kind of stuff nowadays?
Seeing him agree so quickly, Ah Bao instantly felt like he had asked too high a price.
Damn it, the bargaining techniques from those online aunties hadn’t been fully utilized!
But backing out now did not seem right either…
Ah Bao accepted the tablet with a conflicted and annoyed expression. However, when he saw the approving look Grandma Grandmaster cast toward him, he proudly puffed out his tiny chest again.
Sure enough, Grandma Grandmaster could not survive without him!
Sheng Ge: This useless disciple-grandson finally has some use.
Yun Yanwu nearly burst out laughing.
“Alright, is there anywhere else you want to look around or anything else you want to buy? If not, how about I treat you guys to a meal?”
Sheng Ge calmly stored away the tablet.
“No more. Let’s go.”
Thus, Yun Yanwu brought the two of them to the base cafeteria.
The cafeteria was not large, and there were not many people inside—only around a dozen or so. However, it was obvious that everyone eating there was an ability user.
Naturally.
How could ordinary people possibly afford restaurant food with their tiny amount of points?
The moment Yun Yanwu brought Sheng Ge inside, everyone’s gaze turned toward them.
More specifically, toward Sheng Ge.
However, none of the three cared much about it. After directly finding seats and sitting down, Yun Yanwu went to order food.
Very soon, he returned carrying a tray.
Six steamed buns, a plate of chicken wings, and a plate of salt-fried pork.
Every single dish was meat. There was not a trace of green vegetables in sight.
“Hehe, let me tell you, coming to our base was definitely the right choice. These days, the only place where you can still eat meat is our base.”
Thanks to their Base Chief’s wise decision back then to seize an entire frozen storage building, the base lacked grain and vegetables, but meat was actually not in short supply.
The only problem was that constantly eating meat without vegetables made constipation very likely.
Yun Yanwu silently shed tears of happiness and helplessness inside.
Unfortunately, he did not know that the two people sitting before him had not truly experienced the harshness of the apocalypse yet.
So when the pair looked at the two dishes in front of them, they did not feel that the meal was luxurious at all.
Instead—
Ah Bao: Grandma Grandmaster, he’s so stingy. There are three of us, but he only ordered two dishes.
Sheng Ge: Someone else is treating us. Even if it’s not enough to eat, you shouldn’t say it out loud. That’s basic courtesy.