More than half a year had already passed since the apocalypse began. No matter what, those who had survived had all learned to become stronger.
The small market outside the city was still bustling with people coming and going as usual. With the existence of the two major bases, Shuguang Base and Tianze Base, some people in the surrounding areas had gradually established independent small-scale bases of their own. With more people came more trade and interaction.
Not far away, a black SUV came speeding toward them and stopped directly at the entrance to Shuguang Base’s city gate.
Everyone’s attention was quickly drawn to the people getting out of the vehicle.
Fair skin, clean and neat clothes, healthy, rosy complexions, and tall figures. One was handsome, the other strikingly beautiful. Both looked energetic and full of vitality.
How long had it been since they had seen people this clean and well-groomed?
This question involuntarily surfaced in everyone’s minds.
After the apocalypse, the harsh environment, shortage of supplies, and ever-present dangers meant that most people were darkened by the elements and dressed as roughly as possible, caring only about getting enough food to survive. Who had the spare time to clean themselves up? Even if they wanted to, they needed the means to do so!
These must be young masters from some major base.
That was the second thought that popped into people’s minds.
Clearly, the guards at the city gate thought the same way. They walked over and politely asked the two men why they had come.
When Quan Xiaoyu had left, the base had still only been in the preparation stage. The guards at the gate had all joined or been recruited later, so naturally they did not recognize Chu Tian and Quan Xiaoyu.
Chu Tian was equally polite and said that they had come to look for Xiao Ziran.
The guard wasn’t surprised by this. He was also a perceptive person. These two were complete strangers, so they had clearly come from a very distant place.
In the apocalypse, monsters were everywhere. Yet these two had traveled such a long distance alone without showing the slightest trace of hardship. Clearly, they were powerful people. Coming here, they were naturally looking for the head of their base.
The guard politely continued explaining the situation. He would report the matter up through the proper channels and wait for approval, so the two of them might have to wait outside the city for a while. He also apologized for the inconvenience.
Hearing this, Chu Tian turned to look at Quan Xiaoyu and noticed that his brows were tightly furrowed. He was probably very uncomfortable with so many people staring at him.
Indeed, the two of them had been a little too conspicuous this time.
But whatever.
Chu Tian thought for a moment, smiled at the guard, and said, “Sorry to trouble you.”
Then he pulled Quan Xiaoyu back into the car.
As soon as he sat down, he closed his eyes. A huge web formed from spiritual power rapidly spread toward the interior of the base.
Quan Xiaoyu roughly understood what Chu Tian was doing, so he didn’t make a sound. He simply turned around and comforted Xie Mingxuan, who was sitting in the back seat looking extremely aggrieved.
Xie Mingxuan was probably not used to being tightly wrapped in clothes. He had tried several times to tear them open, only to be sternly scolded by Chu Tian. Now he was sulking.
Inside Shuguang Base
Bai Mingxi was busy in the warehouse together with Old Wu.
The supplies originally in his spatial dimension, along with the supplies Quan Xiaoyu had secretly given him later, had all been handed over to the base. Once the base warehouse had been established, everything had been placed inside for unified management.
Old Wu was now the base’s chief supplies manager, responsible for managing and allocating all of the base’s resources. Several departments and dozens of people worked under him.
Bai Mingxi was also responsible for part of the supplies. Among the newly recruited people, another spatial ability user had appeared, and that person was now under Bai Mingxi’s command. His main responsibility was leading teams out to search for supplies and then using his spatial ability to bring them back. He now had a small team with considerable combat capability.
In fact, all of the original members of the team had now become administrators of the base. They simply had different responsibilities, each handling their own duties.
Yesterday, Bai Mingxi had just brought back another batch of supplies. At this moment, he and Old Wu were counting everything as it was put into storage.
Suddenly, a familiar sensation came over him.
Then a voice rang out in their minds:
“Hey! I’m back! Aren’t you going to come out and welcome me?!”
That familiar feeling and voice left Bai Mingxi and Old Wu completely stunned.
The two stared at each other for a full ten seconds.
Then Bai Mingxi was the first to react. He immediately dropped what he was doing and ran outside.
Old Wu stood there blankly for a few seconds before reacting as well. He threw down what was in his hands and hurried after Bai Mingxi.
The group of people left behind could only stare at one another in confusion.
Had their leaders gone crazy?
Training Ground
Ever since that group of mutated children had arrived, Li Nan had gained some new friends his own age.
At his age, there was no way for him to hold an important position at the base like the other members, so he had plenty of free time to come here and play.
Sometimes, he trained together with the children, although he practiced combat techniques rather than their abilities.
The children liked Li Nan very much. Besides his gentle personality and the friendly feeling they sensed from him, Li Nan’s ability could often heal some of their injuries, making them especially close to him.
Li Nan’s best friend now was Lian Bingbing, the little girl who led the group of children.
Lian Bingbing had a very high intelligence, and she was still continuously evolving. She was always blunt and merciless toward adults, but whenever she was in front of Li Nan, she often behaved like an ordinary little girl.
Li Nan liked Lian Bingbing very much. The two of them always had endless things to talk about.
At this moment, Li Nan was chatting with Lian Bingbing while watching the other children train.
Suddenly, his entire body froze.
He stood there like a piece of wood, completely motionless.
Lian Bingbing quickly noticed that something was wrong. She gently nudged him.
“Xiaonan, what’s wrong?”
Unexpectedly, Li Nan suddenly jumped to his feet, startling the girl.
Before she could ask anything else, Li Nan didn’t even bother to say goodbye. He shot out like an arrow and sprinted away.
This strange scene happened in several places throughout Shuguang Base at the same time.
Even Xiao Ziran, who was in the middle of a meeting with the other officials, suddenly left the meeting and hurried outside.
Before long, the people rushing toward the city gate encountered one another.
They exchanged glances, then silently followed behind Xiao Ziran, all heading in the same direction.
The guards at the city gate did not have the authority to report directly to the highest level. Their superior had only just passed the news of the two visitors upward when he saw a group of people rushing out of the base in the distance.
When he recognized them, he was so frightened that he nearly fell to his knees.
Almost the entire management of the base was there.
Led by the head of the base, Xiao Ziran, they were all heading toward the city gate.
What had happened?
The junior officer trembled slightly as he led his subordinates forward to meet them.
Before he could even speak, Xiao Ziran waved a hand at him.
“Open the gate.”
His voice was firm and urgent.
The confused junior officer naturally did not dare to delay. He nervously ordered the guards to open the gate while frantically wondering whether he had done something wrong recently.
Meanwhile, Chu Tian sat in the car chatting with Quan Xiaoyu, occasionally lecturing Xie Mingxuan a few times.
The windows were rolled up, blocking most people’s view, while still allowing those inside to clearly see outside.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the city gate.
Then the gate slowly began to open, producing a loud creeeak.
Chu Tian smiled.
He exchanged a glance with Quan Xiaoyu, and the two got out of the car together.
This time, Quan Xiaoyu had properly wrapped Xie Mingxuan up as well and pulled him out of the car.
Very quickly, one familiar face after another appeared before Chu Tian and Quan Xiaoyu.
Four months had passed since they had last seen one another.
Some faces were missing, but those who remained all looked to be in excellent spirits.
Chu Tian stood calmly in front of the car, smiling as he waved at everyone, as though he were simply greeting a group of old friends in their everyday lives.
The others had no mood to wave back.
The moment they saw him, they all froze for an instant.
Then Bai Mingxi was the first to lose control.
He sprinted over, grabbed Chu Tian by the collar, and shouted:
“You bastard! You finally came back! You actually remembered to come back, you bastard!”
He shook Chu Tian by the collar, but in the end, tears came pouring down his face.
“Fuck, I knew it! I knew troublemakers like you live forever! I knew you wouldn’t die that easily! Damn it, you’re really still alive!”
“Xiaobai, you’ve gotten rougher.”
Chu Tian looked Bai Mingxi up and down with a sigh before making this observation.
In front of Chu Tian, Bai Mingxi’s emotions seemed to ignite at the slightest spark.
The tears streaming down his face stopped because of those words, and his voice changed from excitement to an angry roar.
“Shut up! You bastard! Why don’t you think about who caused this?!”
How could Bai Mingxi not have been devastated when Chu Tian disappeared?
But he couldn’t abandon everything and go searching for him like Quan Xiaoyu had.
He had to take responsibility for what Chu Tian had left unfinished.
And he knew that perhaps he wasn’t the first person Chu Tian wanted to see.
“You… really did come back.”
Xiao Ziran stepped forward and spoke calmly, but there was a trace of excitement in his voice that was difficult to detect.
Things were different now.
Xiao Ziran was currently the highest-ranking leader of a major base. Naturally, he couldn’t lose control like Bai Mingxi had.
But Ouyang Jing, as his deputy, had no such reservations.
As soon as Bai Mingxi released Chu Tian, Ouyang Jing immediately stepped forward and gave Chu Tian a big hug.
“Welcome home.”
Ouyang Jing said those words simply.
Yes.
Home.
A homeland that was still growing, waiting for Chu Tian’s return.