Snowstorm: I'm Super Rich in the Apocalypse-Chapter 178 - More About the Base

Chapter 178: Chapter 178 More About the Base

Chapter 178 -178 More About the Base

During the wait, Yang Jia and Chen Fengzhou kept checking the time and smelling the aroma—it was truly tempting.

When the time was up, both of them swallowed hard but didn’t dare to start eating; instead, they looked towards Lu Ruisheng. For some reason, they found Gu Pan approachable, yet there was something slightly intimidating about Lu Ruisheng.

Lu Ruisheng smiled and said, “Go ahead, we’re hungry too.”

Once he picked up his chopsticks, Yang Jia and Chen Fengzhou started to eat, praising how delicious it was and reminiscing about when they last had such a meal.

Watching them, Gu Pan thought about Cheng Yang, Chen Lang, and Fang Lanlan and how lively it would be if they were here too.

Lu Ruisheng felt the same; he had been with his companions continuously since the apocalypse. The camaraderie they shared over a little more than a year during the apocalypse was more precious than many years of normal times.

Chen Fengzhou, who was quite straightforward, curiously asked Lu Ruisheng, “Brother-in-law, I always feel that you two are different from others. What do you do in the base?”

Having eaten their food and spoken honestly, he greatly admired the couple, so he called them sister and brother-in-law, just like Yang Jia.

Lu Ruisheng replied naturally, “Freelance Scavengers.”

“Scavengers?” Both Chen Fengzhou and Yang Jia echoed in surprise, nearly dropping their chopsticks.

Gu Pan laughed and said, “Yes, we don’t like being confined, so we chose this profession.”

“But, isn’t the whole point of coming to the base to be safe and stable? Scavengers have to go out,” Yang Jia said, genuinely confused.

Gu Pan replied, “Sometimes it’s good to go out for a while. If you want stability, come back, if you want excitement, go out.”

“Excitement?” Chen Fengzhou seemed not to fully grasp the concept.

Lu Ruisheng smiled, “We both prefer excitement.”

Chen Fengzhou became even more intrigued, “You two are like the leading characters in a novel. I really admire people like you who can control their own lives.”

Lu Ruisheng said, “Isn’t life about giving and taking? We give up comfort to gain freedom.”

Chen Fengzhou responded, “Exactly! You do it because you have the ability. We also want freedom but don’t dare choose the path you’ve taken.”

Yang Jia agreed, nodding, “Right, freedom isn’t something everyone can have.”

Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng felt these two authors, though young, had astute insights about themselves, did not envy others but acknowledged their efforts, making them genuinely commendable and worthy of companionship.

After the meal, Gu Pan and the others were in no hurry to leave, staying for a while to chat.

Chen Fengzhou had a deep understanding of the base as he had arrived early and initially stayed with his aunt, overhearing conversations from his uncle, giving him insight into many matters.

While officers and leaders in the villa area of the base typically had telephones, the common people did not yet have them, but they were laying telephone lines and planning to install them—not in every household, but with payphones in each unit to enable work-related contacts.

This situation was somewhat useless for Gu Pan and her group since they knew people minimally and didn’t work at regular jobs, but having telephone access was always good for emergency calls and ensured personal safety.

Moreover, it would be beneficial to notify them should their friends visit, so it wasn’t entirely without use.

After discussing general knowledge, Chen Fengzhou mysteriously shared a more confidential piece of information, “I overheard my uncle talking with a leader. At the beginning of the apocalypse, the nation built ten thousand Huaxia Inheritance Boxes to protect humanity’s future. These boxes contain seeds, technology, and animal eggs, etc., created out of concern that Earth might face an extinction-level event, ensuring the potential for human civilization to restart.”

This revelation astounded both Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng.

Gu Pan asked, “Where are these inheritance boxes stored? In the main base?” The main base, or First Base, was where all officials and the military first settled.

Chen Fengzhou shook his head, “My uncle and they don’t know either, but they’re probably not in any base. They said that only a few top-tier individuals know of their whereabouts, and possibly not even the base commanders. So, when my uncle and they discussed it, it was more out of curiosity.”

This conversation had indeed overturned many of Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng’s previous notions, suggesting they had underestimated the nation’s capabilities.

Lu Ruisheng asked, “So, does the main base send people to inspect our bases?”

Chen Fengzhou explained, “Yes, each base sends a telegram to the main base weekly, and if the main base has any research and development achievements, it also teaches these to the subordinate bases.”

Gu Pan pondered, “I see, we might visit the First Base when we get a chance.”

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Chen Fengzhou said, “I knew you folks were ambitious, thinking unlike us, who are like dead fish just going with the flow.”

Gu Pan smiled, “Perhaps it’s more about curiosity.” She then added, “By the way, does the base leadership monopolize power? Even though there’s contact with the First Base, given the distance, isn’t there a risk of the Base Commander acting like an absolute ruler?”

Chen Fengzhou quickly reassured, “That won’t happen. In our base, there are three Base Commanders—one principal and two deputies—along with two base secretaries. These five individuals rotate their positions yearly based on their performance, ensuring not only fairness but also their hard work.”

Hearing this, Gu Pan’s smile deepened, “That’s really reassuring for us base residents, so we’re not afraid of anyone monopolizing power or dealing with injustice without recourse.”

Considering a prior incident on the road where someone forcefully wanted their self-heating hotpot, which hinted at significant influence, Gu Pan and her group were keen to learn more about the base’s inner workings for better preparedness.

Now knowing that the base leadership rotated and competed based on performance, they felt much more at ease, knowing that if they ever offended one party or encountered an unreasonable situation, they could potentially align with another party.

Gu Pan had access to the ‘Space,’ which allowed her to procure supplies, equipment, and even minerals and petroleum that others couldn’t, so supporting a leader and boosting their performance metrics wasn’t a big deal.

At that moment, Gu Pan felt particularly secure, holding significant sway over her circumstances.

After this discussion, they casually chatted about other aspects of the base. After the lights out, they continued talking under a rechargeable lamp into the wee hours before returning home.

The interaction with Chen Fengzhou left a good impression—he was socially anxious, disliked going out, but was quite talkative with familiar folks.

Through their conversation, Gu Pan also concluded that Chen Fengzhou had little interest in romantic matters. He mentioned several times that during the apocalypse, he preferred to live freely rather than dwell on love and relationships.

It was uncertain whether Yang Jia would confess his feelings or just let things evolve naturally over time.

However, matters of the heart were not for others to intervene. Gu Pan and her group naturally didn’t comment further, believing in letting nature take its course.

Today, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng were happy as they had learned many things previously unknown to them.