The closer they got to the base, the better the road conditions became. When the off-road vehicle stopped bouncing, Qibao came out of the pagoda and sat in the passenger seat.
On both sides of the road stretched vast rice paddies, interspersed with orchards and vegetable fields.
From what Qibao could observe, this farming area was mainly distributed within twenty kilometers around the base. At the outermost edge of the farmland, guard posts were set up at intervals, and in the sky, Ability Users who had transformed into bird Beast Forms were patrolling.
Qibao: "Is this enough land to feed all the humans inside the base?"
Yin Mo, whose strength had been greatly reduced but who could still be classified as a high-level Ability User, smiled with undisguised glee: "It's enough for the inner ring's B-rank, A-rank, and S-rank Ability Users to eat whatever they want. The middle ring's D-rank and C-rank Ability Users can probably get three meals of rice a day, though the quality of meat and vegetables depends on each family's combat strength. The outer ring's E-rank Ability Users and ordinary people are the main farming force, but they can only keep one-tenth of what they grow. They mainly rely on the base's free distribution of cheap, terrible-tasting nutrient fluid to fill their stomachs."
After the apocalypse, humanity was divided into two groups: ordinary people and Ability Users. Ordinary people could adapt to the existing radiation that had caused the great catastrophe, but they possessed no abilities whatsoever.
The Ability User group was further divided into ranks E through S based on strength. E-rank Ability Users could barely kill E-rank Aberrant Beasts whose bodies were enhanced but whose heads contained no Crystal Cores. This low-level strength meant they couldn't exchange Aberrant Beast Crystal Cores for Credits, so they could only work in low-paying service industries within the base, or do manual labor like farming and repairing city walls alongside ordinary people.
Qibao's heart was set on the righteous path, but she wouldn't interfere with the free development of the human race. It was just like the Cultivation Continent she knew well—those great sects also had clear hierarchies of superiority and inferiority. Those with high Cultivation Bases were responsible for protecting the sect from external enemies and securing opportunities for sect disciples to train in various Secret Realms, while the lower-ranked disciples had to complete various tasks assigned by the sect. Everyone contributed and everyone got what they needed.
As for the several Contractors she had followed before, they were all righteous cultivators. When they traveled abroad, they would rescue common folk trapped in natural disasters and eliminate demons that plagued the mortal world, yet they wouldn't hand out gold and silver—trivial worldly goods that cultivators could easily obtain—to the poor they passed on the road. Because natural disasters and demons were beyond what ordinary people could overcome with their own strength, but poverty could be slowly changed through hard work and wisdom.
Qibao was even more annoyed by Yin Mo's schadenfreude: "If you look down on those weaker than you, don't blame those stronger than you for looking down on you."
Karma was real. If Yin Mo hadn't nearly killed countless innocent people through his private brawl, he wouldn't have been suppressed by that female cultivator, and Qibao wouldn't have developed a prejudice against him—nor would she have teased him first when those spoiled Ability Users stole his luxury car.
Yin Mo pressed his thin lips together, no longer able to smile.
.
The city walls of Tancheng Base were over fifty meters tall. Each side of the city gate had two lanes—one for residents entering and one for residents leaving. Beside the entrance, a mobile registration station had been specially arranged to handle registration, physical examinations, and Spiritual Entity checks for newly arrived survivors seeking refuge.
Yin Mo put away the vehicle and accompanied Qibao to the registration station.
There were about a dozen people queuing ahead—likely a small group that had just arrived seeking shelter. They'd driven a small truck, its bed half-filled with bundles and bags—Spatial Abilities and Spatial Crystal Cores were both very rare after the apocalypse, especially the latter, which were basically all in the hands of high-level Ability Users.
Qibao wasn't in a hurry at all. She curiously observed the base residents queuing to enter the city beside her, mainly studying their clothes.
Many people were also openly or covertly sizing up Qibao.
Today Qibao was wearing the short-sleeved shirt and pants set she'd bought from Lu Feng—bean green in color. It would have been completely ordinary before the apocalypse, but Qibao's outfit was too new and too clean. Her two bare arms were fair and delicate, and under the glare of the two o'clock afternoon sun, her whole being seemed to radiate light. Even Yin Mo, standing cold-faced behind her, had half his face—the part not covered by his sunglasses—as white as milk.
As they looked, some people's gazes drifted down to the exquisite embroidered shoes on Qibao's feet.
Yin Mo leaned close to Qibao's ear and said in a low voice: "Once we're inside, go to the Mercenary Association first to exchange for Credits. Right after that, go to the mall. Your shoes are too strange, and your clothes are ugly too."
Even if it was the truth, Qibao didn't want to hear it. She drove her elbow backward.
Caught off guard, Yin Mo's expression shifted as he raised a hand to clutch his side where she'd struck.
After waiting nearly half an hour, it was finally Qibao's turn.
The registration clerk didn't particularly care where Qibao had come from. He looked at the registration form on the computer screen, asking questions while entering information. He got stuck on the name field and confirmed: "Is it the 'Qi' from 'orderly,' or the 'Qi' from 'relative'?"
Qibao: "The number seven, and 'treasure' as in precious treasure. I don't have a surname."
She was born as the Seven Treasures Pagoda. In other aspects she could adapt to certain human customs, but she had no intention of changing her name.
"Alright. Age?"
Qibao followed the advice Yin Mo had given her earlier and reported "18," because her current appearance was more fitting for an 18-year-old human female. Reporting lower would make her seem underage, and reporting higher might make people skeptical.
"Go to the room on the left for the physical exam first, then the one on the right for the spiritual entity test. Come find me when you're done."
Qibao followed the arrangements.
The physical exam was mainly to ensure newcomers wouldn't bring any highly contagious diseases requiring quarantine into the base. Results would be ready after a half-hour wait.
As the blood collector needle pierced her arm, Qibao felt a slight sting.
In her time on the Cultivation Continent, Qibao had never known what pain was. In just one month in this world, she had already experienced the pain of blisters on her feet, the sting of her arm being scratched by a tree branch, and the ache of an empty stomach when she was desperately hungry…
Pain was pain, but Qibao found it quite novel. Having been a pagoda for countless years, she had grown tired of watching the Cultivation Continent. Qibao savored every sensation this physical body gave her—unless it was a persistently uncomfortable experience, like a month of continuous trekking through mountains.
After the blood draw, Qibao pressed the white cotton ball against her arm and walked out of the exam room.
Yin Mo stood with his hands in his trouser pockets, leaning lazily against the wall across from the registration desk. He first exchanged a glance with Qibao, who immediately looked for him upon exiting, then his gaze shifted to the sterile cotton ball she was pressing earnestly against her arm.
His heart stirred, and he sent a telepathic message: "When someone draws your blood, doesn't your pagoda automatically protect you?"
From what he knew, after a cultivation powerhouse claimed the Seven Treasures Pagoda, if that powerhouse encountered danger, the pagoda would automatically emerge to defend them.
Qibao: "From the contractor's perspective, it's automatic. But really, it's the pagoda—that is, me—sensing a threat before emerging. When someone draws my blood according to regulations, it's neither particularly painful nor life-threatening, so of course I wouldn't control the pagoda to resist."
Yin Mo: "What if someone launched a fatal attack while you were off guard, and you didn't have time to control the pagoda? Wouldn't they actually kill you?"
Qibao: "Mm, but they'd only kill this physical body. If the body is destroyed, I return to the pagoda. My true form is completely unaffected."
Yin Mo's pupils contracted slightly, and he instinctively lowered his gaze.
The Snake Demon, who had enjoyed centuries of dominance and then three thousand years of suppression without opportunity to interact with others, was not particularly skilled at concealing his emotions.
Qibao understood what she saw. She tossed the white cotton ball into the trash bin and smiled at Yin Mo: "What, are you thinking of ambushing me? Even if you succeeded and this body died, I could still contract an S-rank Ability User. But that version of me wouldn't suppress you anymore—I'd just crush you outright. Unless you're confident you could hide in some corner that even an S-rank Ability User mobilizing all their resources couldn't find, and cower there for the rest of your life."
Yin Mo: "…"
Seeing his eyes darken and his shoulders droop—clearly those restless thoughts of his had died—Qibao went on her way to the spiritual entity test in high spirits.
The staff member fitted a mechanical device onto her head, along with a bunch of strange attachments.
Qibao remained perfectly calm. Feeling the device begin to work, she released her pagoda.
After a brief wait, the detector screen displayed the results: S-rank Pagoda Spiritual Entity, S-rank Defense Ability.
The staff member's attitude toward Qibao changed immediately. He enthusiastically poured her a cup of warm water.
A lesser high-rank Ability User might not have accepted the water, but Qibao wanted to see what he was up to. She not only accepted the water but also sat down in the guest chair.
The staff member was, of course, trying to recruit her for the base: "You may not know this, but our base welcomes every S-rank powerhouse to take up residence. Take you as an example—whether you want to stay long-term or just for a while before leaving, the base will provide you with a standalone villa in the inner ring. If you need it, the base can also arrange professional butlers, drivers, chefs, and so on, ensuring you never have to worry about mundane matters like food, clothing, housing, and transportation."
Qibao: "That generous. What do I need to do in return?"
"You don't need to do anything on a regular basis. We only hope that if the base encounters a Beast Tide or an attack from an ultra-powerful S-rank Aberrant Beast during your stay, you'd be willing to assist the base in getting through the crisis."
"So, what do you think? If there's no problem, I'll contact base headquarters right away to arrange the villa for you."
Qibao: "No need. I definitely won't be staying long, and I don't want to accept the base's generosity for nothing."
If she accepted something for free from Tancheng Base, she'd owe them a karmic debt. Qibao didn't like that feeling of being indebted to others—better to rely on her own efforts.
The staff member looked regretful but didn't dare press the issue.
The soundproofing of a single wall was limited, and Yin Mo was deliberately eavesdropping, so he heard every word of their conversation clearly.
While Qibao waited to receive the Identity Bracelet the base distributed for free, Yin Mo continued his telepathic message: "Why didn't you accept the villa the base offered? Let me tell you, the mercenary hotel is a mixed bag—staying there isn't comfortable at all."
Qibao: "We can stay in the pagoda."
Yin Mo: "There's nothing in the pagoda! I don't like it!"
The Tower Spirit treated the pagoda as home, but Yin Mo only saw it as a prison. If there had been any other option, Yin Mo wouldn't have wanted to go back.
Qibao: "The space inside the tower is so vast. If you really like villas, you could move one in for yourself."
Yin Mo: "Moving in a few villas won't change the fact that it's still a prison."
Qibao: "A prisoner belongs in a prison—that's only natural."
Yin Mo: "…"
Fortunately, he was still wearing his sunglasses, so the increasingly cold look in his eyes didn't frighten the few station staff members.
Qibao collected his wristband and led the way out.
Yin Mo was still fuming. He deliberately waited until Qibao had walked some distance ahead before following, keeping a gap of seven or eight people between them.
Suddenly, Qibao stopped and turned back to look at him.
Yin Mo sneered: "What, afraid your prisoner will escape?"
Qibao shook his head and pointed at the black wristband on Yin Mo's wrist: "Why is yours different from mine?"
Yin Mo looked down, and the coldness at the corner of his mouth shifted into mockery: "Of course it's different. Yours is the free version; mine is the latest model with a projection feature, worth twenty thousand Credits."
Showing off too much could attract trouble from spoiled rich kids, so Yin Mo kept a low profile in many ways. But wristbands were small items—every time the base released a new model, Yin Mo would buy one and sell the old one secondhand. When he was bored in the mountains, Yin Mo would play the built-in offline games on his wristband or watch entertainment content he'd downloaded in advance.
Qibao: "I saved your life. Haven't you repaid me yet?"
Yin Mo pressed his lips together again: "I've been your mount, made your clothes, washed your clothes…"
Qibao: "Those were all punishments for your escape attempt. Just tell me directly—how many Credits do you think your life is worth?"
Yin Mo: "…"