“The leader is only one, and we have already introduced the terms to you, especially the last one. The leader of this base is Xiao Wen, who has the highest authority. He has the power of life and death and can expel anyone without any evidence. His vote represents the decision of the entire base.” Suddenly, Han Ya put down the document and looked at the middle-aged man who had been communicating with him.
The middle-aged man frowned slowly and hesitated for a moment.
“This doesn’t seem to be very democratic…”
Before he could finish, Lin Yan interrupted with a smile, “I’m sorry, we value democracy here, but that doesn’t mean we have to be democratic all the time, right?!”
As soon as Lin Yan finished speaking, a silent stalemate ensued between the two sides.
The middle-aged man whispered in Tibetan with the Tibetan who came with him, and beneath Han Ya’s seemingly calm expression, there were silent curses: “Dammit, a bunch of gibberish[mfn]Gibberish refers to speech or writing that is difficult to understand or nonsensical[/mfn]that I can’t even understand!”
Wen Le looked at the other party calmly, with a slight furrow or an expression of dissatisfaction.
“Mr. Han, we do not want to obtain the same status as Leader Xiao, but we just hope to receive some respect. After all, the customs and habits of both sides are different, and some things cannot be generalized.” After discussing with his own people for a while, the middle-aged man spoke to Han Ya again.
Han Ya smiled, “Mr. Le, respect is mutual, and we also understand that there will inevitably be differences in customs and habits due to different races. But in such a chaotic environment, the basis of survival is the same. We provide the environment that can sustain life, sufficient food, and weapons for self-defense. Naturally, we have to ensure our own safety and stability. Although the concept of ‘one country, two systems’ was proposed by the former leader, it does not conform to the premise of our current integration. If you want to join our base, you naturally have to pay a certain price, after all, we provide what you need most now. Just like a trade, it is impossible for us to only give and not receive, right?! As mentioned earlier, your joining has indeed brought us a lot of labor, which can make our base stronger, but what we give is far more than what you can offer. To put it bluntly, we do not necessarily have to have you join us. Without you, our base will continue to operate as usual.”
Han Ya’s words went straight to the core of the exchange.
The middle-aged man seemed to want to argue more, but Wen Le tapped on the table, getting his attention.
“Mr. Le, whether you join or not, all the terms of our base are clear. If you join, you must agree to everything and live according to our internal rules. If you don’t join, we can still be friends. As long as you can offer goods in exchange, we can provide you with food, medical supplies, and even weapons.” Wen Le paused for a moment and looked at the other side. “Mr. Le, I don’t understand why Han Ya has to bargain with you. In my opinion, it’s completely unnecessary. You decide what to do, and all our conditions are here for you to choose.”
Wen Le’s voice was clear and crisp, just like his appearance, clean and neat. But the words he spoke with such a clear voice were very decisive.
Faced with the impossible bargaining of Wen Le, the middle-aged man’s expression stiffened. The Tibetan who came with him quietly translated Wen Le’s words to his people.
After a long silence, the oldest-looking of the twelve Tibetans, an old man, patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder and looked at Wen Le, nodding and smiling.
The middle-aged man surnamed Le helplessly smiled, “Okay, our leader agrees to all your terms. Our Aqi tribe is joining your Apocalypse Base.”
Wen Le smiled back and rose to his feet with the others.
“Our Apocalypse Base welcomes your arrival!” Han Ya extended his hand to shake hands with the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man stepped aside and introduced Xiao Wen to the previous old man.
“Leader Xiao, this is Aqi Jiacuo, the leader of our Aqi tribe.”
They did not reveal Aqi Jiacuo’s identity in the previous introduction. The old man only quietly listened to the conversation between the two sides behind the middle-aged man, as an ordinary person.
“Hello, I am Xiao Wen.” Xiao Wen slightly bowed to the old man.
The old man also bowed to Xiao Wen and said something in Tibetan, which the middle-aged man translated for him.
“Our leader says that Aqi has now merged into the Doomsday Base and is now one of us.”
Wen Le kept smiling as he watched Aqi’s group leave the meeting room with Han Ya. They were now going to return to their nearby tribe and move into the base as soon as possible before nightfall.
Walking behind, Wen Le couldn’t help but tug at Xiao Wen’s sleeve.
“Why is our base called Apocalypse?”
Xiao Wen raised an eyebrow. “Wasn’t our squad called Apocalypse Squad when we first formed? You came up with the name.”
Wen Le choked up and held back for a while. “I just said it on a whim.”
Xiao Wen shrugged. “Then let’s just call our base whatever.”
Wen Le was speechless.
Apocalypse Base…
“How come it doesn’t sound like a good sign? Aren’t they usually named something like ‘Sunrise,’ ‘Dawn,’ or ‘Future’?”
“Boss, Wen Shao, should we do a check before they come in?” Mo Yan, who had been walking on Xiao Wen’s other side, suddenly asked.
Xiao Wen thought for a moment and looked at Wen Le.
Wen Le nodded. “We don’t need to do a check, I’ll go over and keep an eye on them. But we forgot to mention this earlier – when I’m not around, anyone entering the base must undergo a check to ensure they are not carrying the zombie virus. Currently, we don’t have the issue of going out to collect resources, so as long as people entering the base are virus-free, it’s okay. Later, you and Yin Chengyang can discuss and have Lu Jianye mark out an area near the gate as a checkpoint before entering the base. The check should last at least ten hours. Generally, it takes about six hours for the zombie virus to mutate after infection, so we should be extra cautious.”
Mo Yan nodded and quickly left.
Wen Le and Xiao Wen also quickened their pace towards the entrance of the base.
Lin Yan was responsible for notifying the personnel inside the base that the Aqi tribe’s move-in required the assistance of the base’s personnel. They couldn’t just stand by and watch them join and work hard while doing nothing, could they?!
When Wen Le and Xiao Wen reached the gate of the base, they could already see the distant Aqi tribe’s camp starting to pack up their tents through the telescope.
As nomadic tribes have always migrated with their livestock on the grassland, large items are simply carried on the backs of cattle and sheep. Except for a pickup truck specially used to exchange goods in the city, the entire Aqi tribe has no other means of transportation. After losing most of their livestock, the migration of a nomadic tribe that has undergone animal mutation is very difficult.
Mo Yan led several people into the warehouse, and four trucks were driven out of the base to the nearby Aqi tribe amidst the bewildered looks of the other base personnel. Many young people also went with the trucks to help their future companions.
“This truck…” Several people left behind on the wall watched the trucks that were disappearing in the distance, muttering to themselves and then looking at each other.
It wasn’t until a long time later that someone sighed and exclaimed, “Wen Le is simply amazing!”
During the construction of the base, everyone had already felt the shock of the reserves in Wen Le’s space. A steady stream of bricks, cement, steel bars… coupled with the various seeds Wen Le brought out after the greenhouse was built…
As they looked at the slender young man standing side by side with Xiao Wen at the gate of the base, the group felt an indescribable feeling.
Although no one looked down on Wen Le because of his relationship with Xiao Wen after joining them, it was only because he was a person who could bear the reputation of being Xiao Wen’s lover. Moreover, with the presence of spiritual abilities like Yan and the reliance on Wen Le’s space not being necessary. But since they stopped here and stationed themselves, Wen Le’s abilities and status have almost surpassed Xiao Wen. What they live in, eat, use… and many more are all continuously provided by Wen Le. Even the expansion of the base and the inclusion of the locals are only possible with Wen Le as a support.
For someone who rarely participates in the future plans of the base, his presence is enough to match Xiao Wen.
Wen Le leaned against the gate of the base, squinting his eyes and looking at the vast grassland, his thoughts drifting far away.
In the apocalypse, this peaceful life was something he had never dared to think about but had vaguely hoped for. Now that all of this has become a reality, he couldn’t help but feel unreal. Without zombies and the need to worry about survival, this almost didn’t feel like the kind of life that should exist in the apocalypse.
“What’s wrong?” Xiao Wen, who was standing by the door with him, looked at Wen Le as his gaze began to wander, and reached up to rub his head.
“I feel like it’s not real,” Wen Le said.
“Not real?”
Wen Le nodded, then lowered his head to look at his toes.
The setting sun slanted down, and the shadows of the walls gradually obscured the light on his toes.
“It doesn’t feel real. We haven’t seen any zombies or mutated animals in this area for a while… I just feel like we’re deviating from what the apocalypse should be like.”
Upon hearing Wen Le’s sigh, Xiao Wen smiled and pulled him into his arms.
“You’ve been longing for a peaceful life, haven’t you? Why worry about things like this now that we’ve finally settled down?” he said.
Wen Le gave a bitter smile. The difference between the year he had spent struggling in the apocalypse and the present time of safety was too great. Perhaps he had been traumatized by the year of the apocalypse and couldn’t completely relax in a safe environment. His mind was always involuntarily tense.
“Let’s just enjoy the quiet days and wait for busier times to come in the future,” Xiao Wen whispered in Wen Le’s ear.
Wen Le paused and looked up at Xiao Wen, his eyes filled with obvious questions. Xiao Wen made a gesture for him to keep quiet.
“Let’s talk about it when we get back.”
Wen Le nodded without asking any further. It seemed that Xiao Wen and Han Ya were about to resume their journey.
Unlike his pursuit of a comfortable life and confusion, Xiao Wen and his companions had a strong sense of purpose. Even in rare peaceful environments, it would not stop them from planning for the future.
It was understandable that a small base like this could not satisfy Xiao Wen and his team. The base was too weak and could easily be destroyed once danger arose. Their goal was to create a safe haven in the apocalypse, firmly rooted in the midst of the turmoil. Regardless of earthquakes or zombie sieges, the city of their dreams would be shown to all surviving people around the world.
Quietly, Wen Le looked at Xiao Wen’s sharp face, and suddenly felt a thumping sensation in his heart.
This was the man he fell in love with, always persistent in his goals and firm in his beliefs. He believed they would succeed, and Wen Le also believed they would achieve their dreams!
Note :
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Thanks for the chapter!
Thanks for the update!! 😍😍