Mother Xu stopped sewing the leather in her hands and looked at the two of them in surprise. She said, “E-level? I heard that there are only two D-level teams in the entire B City base, and there are less than ten E-level teams!”
Yue Zheng nodded, “We got lucky. The items we brought have a high value.”
Mother Xu sighed and shook her head with a smile. “You’ve done well to come this far.” The coffee table was semi-transparent, and that silly child thought his mother didn’t see him holding her son’s hand.
But this child did seem reliable. He was a police officer from the Criminal Investigation Team, skilled and with a good temperament. Mother Xu once again realized that as parents, no matter how old their children were, they always wished for their children to have a better life.
In this chaotic world, having someone to protect her child was the most comforting thing for her, who had no abilities whatsoever. Perhaps it was selfish, or perhaps it was excessive worry for her child, but compared to a fragile and helpless girl who would constantly need her son’s protection and care, she hoped that someone like Yue Zheng would stay by his side.
As long as he could live safely, she had nothing to complain about.
Upon hearing his mother’s words, Xu Song suddenly remembered something and quickly picked up another piece of paper from the coffee table. He said, “My mother wrote this in the afternoon. Some are in the car, some are not. Let’s see if we can get some tomorrow, and we’ll collect the rest when we go out later.”
Yue Zheng nodded, scanning through the lines on the paper. “We’ll stay one more day tomorrow, and no matter what, we have to go out the day after. Otherwise, Abu will go hungry.”
Abu was a carnivorous animal, and after transforming into a creature with such a massive body, Abu’s appetite could definitely scare people to death.
In the base, those who owned mutated creatures were the ones who frequently went out. Even though people could find some work within the base to sustain themselves, mutated creatures were definitely too costly to maintain.
“Oh, right, I also need to go to Sector E to handle my mother’s resignation.” Xu Song quickly added a note at the end of the paper.
Yue Zheng nodded and thought for a moment. “There’s one more thing.”
“Yes?”
Yue Zheng lowered his voice, not to avoid Mother Xu and Tian Chengtianyou, but because he was worried that his voice would carry outside.
“Today in Sector A, as I was leaving, I overheard them saying that the writing on that object resembles oracle bone script and cursive script, but the archaeologists in the base haven’t been able to determine it yet. All they can conclude is that it seems to be from the same period as those scripts, but not specifically either of them.”
Xu Song blinked his eyes. “…So you mean, based on the existing literature, they might not be able to figure out what’s written on it?”
“Perhaps. They are still studying it.” Yue Zheng shook his head. Fortunately, when he was leaving, he saw a secretary going to find Elder Wu, so he subconsciously focused his attention and heard some conversation, those materials used on the walls and doors did interfere with the listening abilities of people, but with his Level 2 ability and a certain distance, he could still hear the voices inside.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
We Vbcu ifa bea j rlut bo gfilfo jcv rqgfjv tlr tjcvr. “Pa’r j ubbv atlcu kf ifoa la ab atfw. Yatfgklrf, fnfc lo kf mbeiv olcv j qijmf rqfmljilhfv lc raevslcu jcmlfca afzar, P’w jogjlv kf kbeivc’a yf jyif ab vfmlqtfg ktja atfrf atlcur jgf. Po la’r j qgfnlberis ecvlrmbnfgfv obgw bo jcmlfca kglalcu, tbk mbeiv P gfmbuclhf la bc ws bkc? P wjs tjnf j qtbabugjqtlm wfwbgs, yea P’w cba j agjcrijabg bo jcmlfca afzar!”
“I’ll go cook now.” Mother Xu stood up after stitching the final stitch, and there was a hint of intimacy in her smile as she looked at the two of them.
Yue Zheng was puzzled as Xu Song’s face turned red. As Mother Xu turned her back to them and started making dumplings, Xu Song finally confessed under Yue Zheng’s curious gaze, “…My mom found out.”
Found out about what?
Swallowing the question he wanted to ask, Yue Zheng understood from Xu Song’s blushing face and his mother’s reaction what he meant. Instead of delving deeper, he reached out and cupped Xu Song’s face, planting a gentle kiss on his lips, eliciting a surprised expression from him.
And so, Xu Song’s rosy cheeks instantly turned into ripe tomatoes.
The mischievous pair of little guys covered their mouths and giggled, while the small tree imitated their exact posture, shaking its trunk and leaves in unison. Even Achi, who was nestled in Mo Tianyou’s arms, trembled along with them.
Just as Xu Song was about to explode with embarrassment, a small green thing fluttered down and landed in the fruit bowl on the coffee table. It delicately spread its wings and leisurely nibbled on an apple, the grasshopper that had been hiding in their small bed due to the cold weather, finally decided to make an appearance.
Dinner once again consisted of dumplings, and the flour in the house quickly diminished with Mother Xu’s arrival, as the group of people who hadn’t had noodles in a long time gave it their all.
After satisfying their appetites and drinking their fill, they sank into the thick rabbit fur mattress on the bed and completely immersed themselves in its comfort.
“Is it warm?” Xu Song buried his head in the bed and lifted it only when he heard Yue Zheng’s voice.
“Mhm.” Yue Zheng responded, then turned around, closed the door, and put away the ladder. “What happened today?”
“Huh? What?” Xu Song turned around in confusion, only to see Yue Zheng lying down next to him, placing his large hand on his waist.
“You said your mom found out about us.”
The warm breath sprayed against Xu Song’s ear, causing his face, neck, and body to heat up. The rabbit fur beneath him was already incredibly warm, and now he felt like the insulation was a bit excessive.
He briefly explained what happened during the day, with each piece of clothing gradually disappearing from their bodies. They pulled up the thick blanket that was enough to cover both of them, and their voices disappeared completely within the covers…
Since Yue’s mother already knew and approved, why should they be polite?
After being delayed for half a day unexpectedly, the group of five finally set off towards the central street after resting for the night. This time, there were five people in the expedition. Xiao Shu and Abu stayed in the RV to keep guard, while the five of them pushed four bicycles, carrying ropes and other items, heading towards the Information Center.
After the small team successfully upgraded to E-level amidst the astonished gazes of the staff, they received their benchmark items and rushed to the place to collect supplies.
A set of dedicated walkie-talkies, much sturdier and more durable than the ones they obtained from the underground level of the small commodities market.
“We can sell the ones in the car.” Xu Song packed the items into his backpack and made the decision.
A complete set of ten solar panels, along with two large-capacity batteries. Two barrels of ten liters each of new energy oil, twenty oil fruits, and vacuum-sealed food such as rice and noodles.
Additionally, there were three sets of winter clothes, including jackets, and a specialized fuel tank for the new energy oil, originally meant for car engines, but Yue Zheng changed it to be used in the kitchen.
Xu Song was worried that there wouldn’t be any clothes for the women in the car, but now it worked out perfectly. They could choose clothes that matched his mother’s size.
With a jumble of items, the five of them could only push the carts back, attracting the attention of countless onlookers along the way.
Before long, someone approached Yue Zheng with a smile and asked, “Hey, buddy, do you want to exchange some things? Rice, flour, food, tools, we can trade anything.”
Although these people near the area were unfamiliar with Xu Song and the others, they had a good eye for things. Although the group consisted of both men and women, young and old, nobody knew which team’s logistics they belonged to.
If they provoked a robbery now, who knew if they would attract the attention of others?
Generally speaking, in broad daylight within the base, nobody would be foolish enough to rob someone openly, except for District D.
Yue Zheng initially didn’t want to pay attention to them, but upon hearing their words, he suddenly thought of something. He stopped and asked, “Can you get a sewing machine?”
The person was taken aback and replied, “Sure, sure, I’ll inquire for you. I guarantee I can find one within a day! I’ll only charge you a small fee for my trouble!” These people were all middlemen, with some things in their own hands or knowing people who had them. If they couldn’t do their own business, earning a middleman fee was not a bad idea.
“Okay, I want one that is in good condition and without any issues. If you find one, come to District G, Room 1202, with the price.” Yue Zheng nodded. They had Abu at home, and there were also plenty of fabric materials stored in the car. Mother Xu had the skill to make clothes, but using only a needle and thread was too tiring and laborious. So Xu Song wanted to get a sewing machine for her.
If they could find one within the base, they wouldn’t have to go through the trouble of searching in the city.
The person happily turned and ran off, reminding them before leaving, “You can trust me to get things done. My information is absolutely reliable. If it’s available in the base, I can get it for you. Just make sure not to urgently look for someone else…”
A few more people approached, asking the group what they needed. Xu Song and Yue Zheng dismissed them one by one, finally returning to District G.
They loaded the supplies onto the car, packed everything up, and set off again, this time, they were planning to go to Fustreet and see if there was anything to sell.
After a whole day, when they returned home, it was already getting close to evening.
“Ah, it’s been a while since I’ve strolled like this. Quite tiring,” Mother Xu rubbed her waist and sat down on the sofa with a satisfied expression.
“I didn’t expect to find so many things,” Xu Song also sat next to his mother. There were all kinds of businesses on Fustreet, and they even saw several food stalls. There was someone pushing a cart with a stove for roasting sweet potatoes!
The mutated sweet potatoes were large in size, and the person had to cut them into pieces because of their size. The fragrance of roasted sweet potatoes filled the entire street.
There were also many food trucks that had been transformed from the ones they saw before the apocalypse. After rebranding and using mutated food to recreate various dishes, of course. The number of trucks selling food was the fewest but also the most eye-catching and tempting.
On both sides near the corners of the walls, there were small stalls displaying all kinds of things. They had everything from clothing for men and women to toothbrushes and cups, tools, utensils, and toys, everything you could imagine.
Yue Zheng took out the backpack they had used in the morning when they received supplies and took out an oil fruit from inside, shaking it in his hand. “It’s quite full, at least half a kilogram of oil in one.” That’s what the person who gave them the oil fruit had said.
Xu Song took the fruit, which was about the size of a coconut without hair, with its outer skin soft and tough, not easily broken. It could be stored for a long time without volatilizing. He handed it to Mo Tiancheng and said, “Try to see if there are any seeds inside this thing.”
Mo Tiancheng took it and seemed to sense something. After a moment, he ran to the plastic box filled with soil and placed it inside. Soon enough, a green shoot emerged from the soil!
“It can grow, it can grow!” Mo Tiancheng exclaimed joyfully, controlling the growth direction of the oil fruit.
After it grew into a tree, it had a tree-like appearance, but Mo Tiancheng tried to keep it from growing too tall. However, the branches and leaves spread in all directions, almost filling the entire space inside the motorhome. The small tree tried to shrink its body, looking like it had suffered a great deal, and huddled near the edge of the sofa.
One by one, the pink flowers withered, and the brownish fruits adorned the branches, numbering over a hundred!
Thank you!!
Bonanza of oil fruit! Pfft… Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️🌳🦗🦮🦔