“Aren’t you the one who told me to come up with a new name for the base?”
“You sat here all afternoon looking miserable just to think of a name?”
Mu Qingfeng rubbed his ear, wondering if he had misheard.
“Xiao Mu, stop talking already. I’ve been listening to her sigh all afternoon. One small sigh every five minutes, one big sigh every ten. It’s just a name, is it really that hard?”
Hua Yue finally found someone to complain to. At her age, she had somehow met a young person who sighed even more than she did.
“Auntie Yue, it really is hard. Why don’t you give it a name instead?”
Mu Qingfeng thought about Xiao Bai’s name, then the restaurant’s name, and fell silent. He truly had no way to refute that.
“Why not just call it Alive? Alive Restaurant, Alive Base. What a lucky name!”
Hua Yue did not understand why they wanted to change it. The name sounded festive. Alive. In this apocalypse, was that not exactly what people prayed for?
He Lingyu and Mu Qingfeng exchanged glances.
He Lingyu’s look said, I think that makes sense. What do you think?
Mu Qingfeng’s look replied, Whatever makes you happy.
After a brief conversation through eye contact, they finally decided.
“Then we’ll call it Alive Base!”
[Ding.]
The computer screen lit up.
[Congratulations. You have successfully subdued a base and named it.]
[Congratulations. You have formed a partnership with a base and opened a cooperative route. Side quest completed.]
[Reward: The base area is now under the restaurant’s jurisdiction. The owner receives the title “Lord.” Within the base or the restaurant, the owner will not suffer any attack damage.]
[Reward: Zombies will no longer appear within the restaurant and base area, ensuring employee safety.]
[Reward: Transportation tools. Public buses x2. Fuel replenishes automatically.]
[Long term side quest triggered: Rebuild Alive Base, restore its appearance, and allow its members to live and work in peace.]
“There’s a long term side quest now. Rebuild the base and restore it,” He Lingyu announced happily, then added excitedly, “And another piece of good news. Our dream came true. We finally have transportation!”
She quickly clicked to claim the reward. Outside the restaurant, two vehicles appeared, sleek and modern, clearly designed like new style buses.
It was obvious they were meant to transport people from the base to the restaurant. After all, they had just established cooperation and immediately received two vehicles.
“Oh my goodness. Looking at these two buses, I suddenly feel all that hard work was worth it. This is amazing!”
Fatty stroked the vehicle, eager to try it. “Xiao Yu, can I drive it now?”
He Lingyu nodded. “You can, but do you know how?”
Her tone carried concern. These buses had not been easy to obtain. If he crashed one, her heart would ache to death.
“Looks like you still don’t know me well enough. I’m skilled in all eighteen martial arts. Driving is nothing!”
Since the road had no other pedestrians, and Mu Qingfeng did not stop him either, He Lingyu assumed he really could drive.
Fatty drove a short circle, then said, “Why don’t I just drive to the base and test it? See how long it takes?”
He Lingyu’s eyes lit up. “I want to go too. Take me with you!”
“You can go?” Mu Qingfeng asked in surprise. She had never suggested leaving the restaurant before. He had suspected there might be some restriction, yet today she had volunteered.
“I can now. Hehe.” Just thinking about getting outside made He Lingyu grin. She used to consider herself a homebody who never wanted to go out. She had assumed she could stay in the restaurant forever.
But that was when she had a phone, a computer, and the internet.
Now her daily joy consisted of feeding the dog, watching pigs eat, watching chickens peck grain, and fishing to complete her collection. Of course she felt stifled.
So when Fatty suggested driving to the base, she immediately raised her hand to join.
And then…
Everyone ended up going together.
Mu Qingfeng worried that He Lingyu had no powers. If they encountered zombies, Fatty might not be able to protect her. Xiao Yan insisted on going along with him. Auntie Yue simply wanted to return to the base to visit old friends.
In the end, He Lingyu made the decision. Since there had not been many customers lately, they would close for the afternoon and all go together, bringing Hongdou along with Shang Da and Feng An, who had just returned.
“Let’s go!”
With a cheer, the group boarded the bus and set off toward the base.
He Lingyu calculated the time. She had heard that walking took two hours. Now it only took twenty minutes. More than half the time saved in an instant.
When they arrived, He Lingyu saw for the first time what life in the apocalypse really looked like.
Dirty, chaotic, and wretched. Even those three words seemed insufficient to describe the environment.
Her delicate brows furrowed. Now she understood why the system had issued a long term quest. The base’s condition could not be fixed overnight.
“Auntie Yue, can I really lead the base to become better?”
For the first time, doubt crept into He Lingyu’s voice. So many people. She truly did not feel capable.
“No one except you can do it.” Hua Yue gently stroked her hair. “I know your personality, but don’t doubt yourself. You were sent by heaven to save us. If even you can’t do it, then no one can.”
Her gentle tone steadied He Lingyu’s wavering heart.
Grow bigger and stronger. Wasn’t this the first step? Just do it.
He Lingyu clenched her fists to encourage herself, then stood before the crowd as Mu Qingfeng introduced her.
She announced three rules.
“First, no fighting or fighting over things inside the base.
Second, no laziness or slacking off.
Third, build our home with our own hands.
May we all have a bright future.”
Those were all she could think of for now. She did not see these people as her subordinates, nor did she think she had the right to force them to do anything.
But since they chose to stay, they should work together to build the base. She wanted to create a beautiful utopia, with no darkness, only light.
At her call, the people below listened quietly, then responded in unison.
“Roar! Roar! Build our home!”
“Together we build!”
He Lingyu smiled at them sincerely.
“Starting tomorrow I’ll release tasks. The mission board will sync with the base. Completing tasks will earn rewards, either food or other supplies.”
Most of the base residents had already heard about the restaurant outside the city. Hearing her say this reassured them completely.
It was just work. They had plenty of strength.
The meeting was brief. After she finished speaking, it ended. She still needed to walk around the base to gather information for planning.
Only Mu Qingfeng stayed beside her for protection. Hua Yue, Shang Da, and the others had already returned to the crowd, surrounded by people asking questions.
Seeing tiny Hongdou, who had gained flesh on her face after going out and returning, convinced them more than words.
Fatty and Xiao Yan had been sent off by He Lingyu to handle other tasks.
So He Lingyu and Mu Qingfeng walked a full circle around the base in silence, neither speaking.
Finally Mu Qingfeng broke the silence. “You have ideas now, right?”
After the walk, her mood had clearly grown heavier.
“I have a rough plan. First we have to clean up sanitation. Everyone’s crammed together living with garbage. If this keeps up, people will get sick. We don’t have medicine or doctors. If someone falls ill…”
Her voice trailed off, but Mu Qingfeng understood.
“And people can’t keep living in these makeshift sheds. They need houses that block wind and rain. Many fled here. The city’s buildings can’t be used. That’s another big problem. The weather is fine now, but if it changes, extreme cold or heat will be impossible to endure.”
She had not realized how many problems existed until she started thinking. Her head began to ache.
Mu Qingfeng noticed her irritation. He gently tapped her forehead with his knuckle. “Alright. We’re all here. If there’s a problem, we solve it together.”
“Mm.”
It was getting late. She had finished inspecting the base and recorded the issues she observed. It was time to return to the restaurant.
“I wonder how things went for Fatty and Xiao Yan. Did they find anyone?”
Their task had been to locate a chef and a spatial designer, preferably also a locksmith, and count how many people of other trades were available.
When they returned, Fatty was already waiting with three people.
“Let’s head back to the restaurant first,” he said.
Shang Da and Feng An remained at the base. The ones riding back were He Lingyu, Mu Qingfeng, Fatty, Xiao Yan, Auntie Yue, Hongdou, and three others from different professions.
None of the three had ever been to the restaurant before. After arriving, they felt as if they needed more eyes, there was simply too much to see.
There was a fish pond.
And a livestock yard.
And vegetable fields.
And they were full of crops.
The abundance shocked them again and again. Now they completely believed He Lingyu and, from the bottom of their hearts, decided to follow this newly appointed lord.
“Come inside and talk.”
As soon as they entered, the first thing they saw was a beer keg and a juice machine by the east wall.
They swallowed involuntarily. After a year of apocalypse, they had almost forgotten what alcohol tasted like. They never imagined the lord’s restaurant even had it.
He Lingyu noticed the longing in their eyes. “Let’s discuss business first. After that, you can eat whatever you want.”
They immediately sat upright, their expressions saying, Hurry and talk so we can eat.
“First, the chef’s issue. Even though this is a restaurant, it’s still far from the base. Even if we send vehicles, we can’t guarantee everyone eats every day.
Starting tomorrow, I’ll post tasks in the base. Workers will receive work meals. The chef’s job is to distribute those meals in the base.”
The chef was named Wu Shan, a man in his forties with an honest appearance. He nodded. He used to cook boxed meals near construction sites, so this job was familiar. Still, one problem remained.
“What about ingredients?”
“You don’t need to worry. The vegetables in the yard will be transported back daily with the vehicles.”
They had also saved up two baskets of eggs, enough for several days.
Just as the chef’s arrangements were settled and He Lingyu was about to speak with the spatial designer, sudden noise erupted outside the yard.
Everyone turned to look.
Half the faces showed delight.
The other half showed confusion and fear.