Ch 207: Is There Really Such a Good Thing? [QT]

Sister Hong watched in disbelief as Shen Yunxuan suddenly gained over a dozen more ability users, all of them at level three or four. Her sense of crisis surged.

But before she could react, Shen Yunxuan casually lifted the bag of high-level crystal cores and waved it in front of her with a smile. “Looks like we can establish our own base now. There’s no need to trade with you after all. Blazing Flame Base’s location is quite decent—if we reinforce the structures, it’ll do just fine. Since we’ll be neighbors from now on, I hope we can coexist peacefully. That’s all. We’re leaving.”

With that, she turned and walked away. The ability users immediately followed, and to Sister Hong’s shock, Professor Lin, the researchers in white lab coats, and even dozens of ordinary people eagerly followed Shen Yunxuan without a second thought.

Sister Hong was utterly stunned. Thunder Base had always had a great reputation. Between Blazing Flame Base in the west and Snow Wolf Base farther east, Thunder was the preferred choice for outsiders seeking refuge. Never before had she seen so many people abandon Thunder Base in favor of another place.

And it wasn’t even an established base—it was just an idea at this point. These people weren’t following a location; they were following Shen Yunxuan.

What kind of influence does she have? Just who is this woman?

And what did that ability user, Qi Zhan, mean when he said Blazing Flame Base had been wiped out?

Moments ago, she had been wary of dealing with Shen Yunxuan, insisting on conditions for any potential trade. But now that Shen Yunxuan was about to walk away, Sister Hong suddenly realized she couldn’t afford to let this opportunity slip away. She hurriedly stepped forward.

“Captain Shen, isn’t it? Let’s not be so hasty. You’ve come all this way—letting you leave just like that wouldn’t be Thunder Base’s way of treating guests.”

Forcing a smile, she added, “Since you traveled overnight, you must be exhausted. Why don’t you come inside for a while? Have some tea while I invite our leader and deputy leader. Even if we don’t end up trading, we can at least get to know each other. After all, we might be neighbors in the future.”

This was exactly what Shen Yunxuan had been waiting for.

She gave a small nod. “Then we’ll accept your hospitality.”

With that, she snapped her fingers.

It was such a simple gesture, but somehow, everyone felt as if the sound had echoed directly into their ears. A chill ran through them—what kind of ability was this?

And then, from a distance, more than twenty figures rushed toward them at incredible speed. Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and most importantly… they were gliding through the air, like martial artists performing qinggong in an old wuxia film.

These were the soldiers Shen Yunxuan had initially left outside. But now that she had assessed the situation, she decided to reveal them—to make a strong impression. Judging by Sister Hong’s expression, her strategy had worked.

Shen Yunxuan instructed the newcomers to guard the supplies Qi Zhan had brought—after all, it was nearly two-thirds of an entire base’s food supply, spanning multiple trucks. The sheer scale of it was overwhelming.

The soldiers immediately obeyed, breaking into small groups to surround the trucks and scanning the area, their posture and grip on their weapons unmistakably military.

Hong Jie’s heart pounded. These people… they’re trained soldiers?

Shen Yunxuan had also mentioned serums. Who exactly was she? Could she be part of a government faction?

Just then, Shen Yunxuan turned back to Sister Hong with a friendly smile. “Would it be possible for us to tour your base? Some of the people with me have always been interested in Thunder Base. If they decide to stay and your base is willing to accept them, that would be beneficial for both sides. Likewise, we’d be happy to host you for a visit once our own base is established.”

This was a clear gesture of goodwill—but also a test of fairness. If Thunder Base refused to allow them to look around, then future negotiations would be difficult. And if things soured, Shen Yunxuan’s group would adopt the same closed-off stance toward Thunder Base.

The apocalypse was already difficult enough. The human population was dwindling, and no one knew if things would get even worse. It was always better for bases to form alliances rather than treat each other as rivals. No one could guarantee they wouldn’t face disaster one day—and when that happened, it was far better to have a neighbor willing to lend a hand than one waiting to take advantage of their misfortune.

Sister Hong quickly understood the stakes. She smiled. “Of course. You’re welcome to look around.”

It was just a general tour—nothing classified. The truly sensitive areas wouldn’t be accessible.

She led them inside.

From their conversation, Shen Yunxuan could tell that Hong Jie’s influence in Thunder Base had grown significantly since their last encounter. That was a good thing. Negotiating with a familiar face was always easier.

Thunder Base was larger than Blazing Flame Base, and its infrastructure was more practical. Unlike Blazing Flame, it didn’t separate ability users and ordinary people into different living quarters. Instead, housing was assigned randomly upon entry, though later, residents could earn contribution points to improve their living conditions.

Some people valued comfort and would trade their points for better housing. Others cared more about resources and saved all their points for extra food.

Everyone in the base was required to work. The system was similar to an old labor-credit system—daily productivity determined how many contribution points one earned. If someone fell sick, they could take leave, but they wouldn’t earn points. The more effort someone put in, the better they lived.

For those who struggled to survive, the base wasn’t overly charitable. They provided a ten-day grace period for newcomers. If someone couldn’t adapt after that, they were left to fend for themselves.

Sister Hong also arranged for Professor Lin and his researchers to tour the scientific facilities. Naturally, the classified sections were off-limits. But she hoped that by showing them Thunder Base’s advanced equipment, she could persuade them to stay.

Scientists were always in demand.

However, Sister Hong could tell—despite their fascination with the facilities, their hearts weren’t in it.

They weren’t drawn to the high-tech labs.

They were loyal to Shen Yunxuan.

This made Sister Hong sigh inwardly. If she had agreed to the trade at the very beginning, she wouldn’t have lost all her bargaining power and ended up in such a passive position.

That was just human nature—Sister Hong hadn’t even seen Shen Yunxuan’s so-called serum yet, nor had they discussed specific trade terms, but her mindset had already undergone a drastic change. This was exactly what Shen Yunxuan intended. With her heightened intelligence, she could easily anticipate and manipulate such psychological shifts, adapting at the right moment to secure the greatest advantage in negotiations.

Sure enough, when she entered the meeting room and met Thunder Base’s leader and deputy leader, their attitude was incredibly polite. They treated her as an equal, showing not even the slightest hint of condescension.

Both the leader and deputy leader of Thunder Base had the unmistakable presence of military officers, as did the several people standing behind them. This naturally created a sense of mutual respect upon their first meeting. However, the Thunder Base leader quickly realized that Shen Yunxuan herself was not from the military, which made him all the more curious about why she was leading a group of elite soldiers.

Knowing Shen Yunxuan was in a hurry, they didn’t waste time on irrelevant questions. After a few polite exchanges, they got straight to the point. The Thunder Base leader asked the most pressing question:

“Captain Shen, what is the current state of Blazing Flame Base?”

Shen Yunxuan glanced at Qi Zhan. He stepped forward and reported, “We wiped out ninety percent of Blazing Flame’s forces. Their leader lost an arm and fled, and seven or eight other ability users managed to escape in the chaos, all of them wounded.”

Among the dozen people attending the meeting from Thunder Base, someone gasped in shock. Less than ten survivors? That was practically complete annihilation. Blazing Flame and Thunder had always been considered equals in power. If Shen Yunxuan’s group had taken them down so effortlessly, didn’t that mean they had the capability to destroy Thunder Base as well? A wave of unease spread through the room.

Noting their reactions, Shen Yunxuan smiled. “It was just a coincidence. Originally, I was only passing through and had no intention of alerting either of your two bases. But when Blazing Flame spotted us, they launched an ambush without warning, trying to take us down while we were worn out from fighting zombies. Naturally, we had to defend ourselves. Afterward, we found Qi Zhan and his people being oppressed by Blazing Flame and decided to lend a hand. The situation escalated from there.”

She spoke lightly, as if it were a trivial matter, but the Thunder Base leader felt chills run down his spine.

She was just passing through? And because Blazing Flame attacked her, she ended up wiping them out? If it was that easy for her, what kind of power was she really backed by? And why had she come here?

Even more unsettling was the fact that in just a day or two, Qi Zhan’s group of over ten ability users, Professor Lin and the researchers, and several dozen ordinary people had all willingly chosen to follow her. What kind of influence did she have? What level of charisma and leadership made so many people pledge loyalty to her in such a short time?

Even if he rallied his entire base, he couldn’t guarantee that so many people would follow him so unwaveringly. This realization made him even warier of Shen Yunxuan.

Wanting to shift the conversation, he changed the topic to the trade. “Sister Hong mentioned that Captain Shen has some serums available for trade. Could you tell us exactly what kind of serums they are? And what would you like in exchange?”

Shen Yunxuan replied, “I believe the leader has already noticed—everyone under my command is an ability user. Two days ago, they were not.”

The faces of the Thunder Base leaders shifted subtly. Sister Hong had already speculated about this during the base tour, gathering information from the long-haired man, who practically worshiped Shen Yunxuan and had inadvertently let things slip. From what she had gathered, Shen Yunxuan’s subordinates had all been ordinary people just two days ago.

But such an idea was too absurd. Now, hearing Shen Yunxuan confirm it herself, they were truly stunned.

Then they realized—if this was due to an ability-triggering serum, the implications were enormous. The Thunder Base leader’s gaze burned with intensity. If this serum truly existed, it meant every single person in their base could become an ability user. The base’s overall power would skyrocket, and for ordinary people, it would be the ultimate lifeline for survival.

After his initial excitement, the leader keenly asked, “If Captain Shen had access to such an incredible serum, why didn’t you use it earlier?”

Shen Yunxuan replied, “To be honest, there was no need before. While the serum is extremely beneficial, I’ve always worried about potential side effects and was reluctant to let my people use it. Besides, it is incredibly rare—I wouldn’t use it unless absolutely necessary.

But on this mission, my people were too engrossed in battling zombies and ended up collapsing from high fevers. There was a real risk of them turning into zombies, so I had no choice but to use the serum to keep them safe. So far, it has worked well—some of them have already reached level two.”

As she spoke, Zheng Lin, Li Xue, and a few others standing behind her activated their abilities, demonstrating their control over fire, water, and other elements.

Just two days after awakening their abilities, they had already advanced to level two—and they wielded their powers with ease. The first thought that crossed the Thunder Base leader’s mind was that Shen Yunxuan’s group must have an advanced training method to accelerate ability growth.

Moreover, based on what Shen Yunxuan had said, the leader began to form a theory about her origins. He was convinced she must be the daughter of a powerful base leader—like a princess of the apocalypse. And these soldiers around her? They were her royal guards.

Normally, a princess would reside in the safest part of a major base, meaning her guards wouldn’t have needed to fight much. But now that she was out in the real world, she had begun to understand its dangers. Since resources were abundant, she had generously used the serum to ensure her guards were fully prepared to protect her.

Sister Hong had mentioned that Shen Yunxuan possessed spatial abilities—perhaps even abilities that none of them could recognize. It was possible that her powers weren’t conventional abilities at all, but something ancient and mysterious.

It sounded far-fetched.

But considering everything that had happened, was it really that impossible?

With the apocalypse wiping out the old world, could it be that hidden aristocratic families had finally stepped out of the shadows?

And if so…

Who exactly was Shen Yunxuan?

Thinking along these lines, the leader began to suspect that Shen Yunxuan might be the daughter of a high-ranking official. As a soldier, he had an instinctive respect for the country’s leadership, which made him unconsciously more respectful toward her as well.

Shen Yunxuan continued, “At the moment, I don’t have any particular needs—I just want as many high-level crystal cores as possible. It’s too troublesome to go around hunting high-level zombies one by one.

I have three tiers of serums: high, medium, and low, each with different prices. The lowest tier is an anti-virus serum. Even if someone is bitten by a zombie, as long as they inject this serum within 24 hours, they will have a 100% chance of not turning into a zombie and a 30% chance of awakening an ability.

“The medium-tier serum increases the probability of ability awakening to 60%. The high-tier serum guarantees a 100% awakening.”

Even when Shen Yunxuan bought these serums from the system, they were expensive, so she had no intention of offering them cheaply. After telling them the corresponding crystal core prices for each tier, she added, “Perhaps you can buy fewer and take them to your laboratory for research. My supply is limited, and I need to keep some for my own people, so I won’t lower the price.

Additionally, the food supplies Qi Zhan brought can also be exchanged for crystal cores—both high and low-level. If you have enough, you can keep everything.”

Sister Hong was surprised. “Everything? But earlier, you mentioned wanting to establish your own base. Won’t you need these supplies?”

Shen Yunxuan smiled. “I have more in my space.”

Another casual remark, yet once again, it sent shockwaves through the people of Thunder Base.

She has more in her space? That meant her storage ability was enormous—so large that the supplies from those trucks were just a fraction of what she had. Just how massive was her spatial ability?

Food was invaluable in the apocalypse, and what she had taken from Blazing Flame Base was likely all they had left. Thunder Base, despite being larger, didn’t have much more. And yet, Shen Yunxuan, who was merely “traveling,” had such an abundance of supplies stored in her space?

How powerful must her original base be?

For a brief moment, many of them even envied the idea of joining her base. But no matter how much they probed, Shen Yunxuan’s responses were airtight. She didn’t reveal a single clue about her home base—not even the direction it was located in.

This reminded Sister Hong of their encounter years ago. Even back then, Shen Yunxuan had been just as secretive. But back then, she had been terrified at the sight of zombies and lacked any combat ability. Now, she was a powerhouse on par with Thunder Base’s leader—commanding both authority and presence.

A sudden thought struck Sister Hong: Could Shen Yunxuan be the heir of a major base?

Perhaps years ago, she had sneaked out for an adventure, gotten frightened after being stranded alone, and then returned home to train rigorously. Now, this trip might be part of her final test before officially inheriting leadership of her base.

Shen Yunxuan ignored their wild speculations and glanced at her watch. Apologetically, she said, “We have other matters to attend to. Please make your decision within the next thirty minutes. After that, we’ll be leaving.”

“So soon?” The leader was surprised. This was a major deal, yet Shen Yunxuan was treating it with complete indifference. It was clear that she truly didn’t care whether the trade happened or not.

Which made sense—she only wanted high-level crystal cores because she found hunting zombies tedious. If the deal didn’t go through, her team could simply continue hunting in the wild.

The leader requested a brief discussion and asked Shen Yunxuan’s group to wait in the meeting room with some tea. Shen Yunxuan readily agreed, smiling as she let them do as they pleased.

Her relaxed attitude created even more psychological pressure for the people of Thunder Base. This was their base, their territory, yet Shen Yunxuan acted as if she was merely passing through.

And those words—“just passing through”—hit them even harder. Sister Hong had last seen Shen Yunxuan years ago. If she left this time, who knew when they would meet again? If they missed this chance to trade for the serum, they might never get another opportunity. Or worse, if another base obtained the serum first while they didn’t, they would fall behind and eventually be swallowed up.

So there was nothing to hesitate about. Crystal cores could always be hunted again, but this serum was invaluable—they absolutely could not afford to miss out.

Some skeptics raised concerns about the possibility of fraud. But then others pointed out that Qi Zhan’s group was undeniably from Blazing Flame Base, and some even recognized Professor Lin, who was a nationally renowned researcher.

Sister Hong also noted that many of the ordinary people Shen Yunxuan had rescued were young and attractive. The fact that Shen Yunxuan had saved them was already an act of kindness.

Overall, after weighing all the factors, they concluded that the risk of deception was low. It was worth the gamble. And even if they somehow lost out, at worst, they would only be down some crystal cores. With the addition of the food supply trade, it was a deal that could only benefit them.

As a result, their discussion lasted only a few minutes before they made their decision.

The entire base was mobilized to collect crystal cores, with an announcement that anyone who contributed would receive double contribution points. Residents enthusiastically participated, eager to support research into the serum that could prevent zombification and awaken abilities.

The people of Thunder Base had immense faith in their leader. When they heard about the serum’s potential, excitement spread like wildfire. In no time, a massive pile of crystal cores had been gathered.

The leader even contributed all the cores the base had in reserve, along with his personal stockpile—amounting to more than two thousand crystal cores.

Most of them were low-level, but there were over a hundred level-three and above cores. For Shen Yunxuan, this was a huge windfall.

In return, they exchanged for the food supplies and purchased twenty low-tier serums, ten mid-tier serums, and five high-tier serums.

Actually, the people of Thunder Base felt like they were asking for too much. After all, Shen Yunxuan’s serum was incredibly valuable. They truly wanted it—not just for immediate use but to provide ample samples for their research institute. That was why, even after Shen Yunxuan stated she wouldn’t lower the price, they still put forward their request. As they looked at her, they hoped she wouldn’t negotiate too aggressively.

Shen Yunxuan also looked at them, her fingers unconsciously tapping on the table. On the surface, she seemed deep in thought, weighing the pros and cons. This made the people of Thunder Base nervous, wondering if they should proactively reduce their request a little.

In reality, Shen Yunxuan was simply surprised. Just moments ago, she had felt a surge of faith energy coming from the important figures of Thunder Base. Through this interaction, she realized that the base was indeed as good as the long-haired man had described.

The faith energy she sensed likely came, in part, from the fact that she was surrounded by soldiers and had saved so many people, creating a natural sense of kinship.

In the apocalypse, humanity faced extreme hardships. Seeing the slightly anxious looks in their eyes, her heart softened. People should help each other, and besides, she wanted to build good relations with Qi Zhan and his group.

Shen Yunxuan didn’t haggle at all. With a wave of her hand, the serums they had requested appeared on the table. Then, with a light motion of her fingers, the vials of serum slid across the table and stopped right in front of the Thunder Base leader.

This was the first time the people of Thunder Base had seen Shen Yunxuan in action. They hadn’t sensed any fluctuation of ability energy, yet she had effortlessly moved the serums across the table. It only strengthened their belief that she was practicing some kind of special cultivation technique, making them even more eager to know where she came from.

The leader scanned the vials and was shocked. “There are ten extra mid-tier serums?!”

Shen Yunxuan smiled. “Consider it a gift. I hope you succeed in your research and help humanity go further in the apocalypse.” With that, she stood up and casually swept the crystal cores on the table into her storage pouch. “We’re leaving now. Arrange for the food supplies to be unloaded.”

The leader and the others quickly got to their feet, still a little dazed. “Why not stay for a meal before you go?”

Shen Yunxuan waved a hand dismissively. “We have important matters to attend to. Maybe next time.”

With that, she turned and walked away, leading her people without hesitation. The people of Thunder Base noticed that Shen Yunxuan was completely in charge—throughout the entire transaction, she had never consulted with anyone. Her subordinates showed no reaction either, no objections, not even a change in expression. This made them even more certain of her status and authority, ensuring they would treat her with the utmost respect.

The leader instructed his deputy to see Shen Yunxuan off while he personally led a team to escort the serums to the research institute. He also ordered immediate testing to verify their effectiveness. While the smoothness of this transaction left them feeling slightly overwhelmed, they still had to be cautious.

For the first trial, the test subject was none other than the leader’s own daughter.

As the daughter of a level-five lightning-ability user, she was highly capable and had been helping him manage the base efficiently. However, she was an ordinary person, without abilities. Given her and her father’s significant contributions to the base, no one had any objections to her receiving one of the high-tier serums.

Moreover, the leader choosing his daughter for the trial was a sign that he was taking on the risk personally. If the serum had any problems, she would be the first to suffer. This was the kind of leadership that had earned the trust and loyalty of Thunder Base’s residents.

Deep down, the leader strongly believed in Shen Yunxuan’s credibility. He didn’t know why, but after just an hour of interaction, he already had a strange sense of faith in her. He was starting to understand why so many people from Blazing Flame Base had chosen to follow her.

The serum was incredibly rare, and if this worked, his daughter would finally gain an ability. As he personally injected the high-tier serum into her, he was both nervous and excited.

Inside the research institute, the scientists gathered around, carefully observing and recording every change in the leader’s daughter. At first, there was no reaction. Some people even started whispering, worried that they had been deceived.

But as time passed, her face started heating up—not from fever, as they initially feared, but from awakening fire abilities. She simply lacked control over the energy, causing her entire body to heat up.

The leader quickly called for a fire-ability user to guide her, helping her learn how to release a fireball. Ten minutes later, she successfully formed a small fireball in her hand.

At that moment, the leader’s eyes reddened with emotion. He hugged his daughter tightly before rushing to the front gates to thank Shen Yunxuan.

His daughter had an ability now!

With these serums in their possession, the entire base’s strength would skyrocket. His gratitude toward Shen Yunxuan was immeasurable.

Shen Yunxuan could feel the faith energy radiating from him. She smiled and shook his hand. “It was a pleasure doing business. I hope we’ll have more opportunities to collaborate in the future.”

“Definitely! Absolutely!” The leader had already made up his mind—Thunder Base had to hunt more zombies, collect more crystal cores, and ensure they had enough to trade the next time they met Shen Yunxuan.

Maybe, after several trades, she would even be willing to bring them to her base. If that happened, they might get the chance to formally reintegrate into the government and become an official military force once more.

By this time, the food supplies had been fully unloaded. Shen Yunxuan turned to the people she had rescued and told them they had a choice—if they wanted to stay in Thunder Base, they could, but if they wished to follow her, they would go with Qi Zhan to help build the new base.

Since the new base was still an unknown, more than twenty ordinary people chose to stay behind. Thunder Base readily accepted them, wanting to show goodwill toward Shen Yunxuan. However, Professor Lin and the other researchers were resolute in their decision to follow Shen Yunxuan.

She smiled at them and simply said, “Get on the truck. Let’s go!”

🌸˚˖𓍢ִ໋🌷͙֒✧🩷˚⋆