Chapter 77

translator: xiin

editor: juurensha

After this episode, the followers became much more honest. Strangely, they began to cooperate with the army, and they developed a kind of tacit understanding. Although Xiao Sa and the rest were brave explorers, at the end of the day they were not familiar with the place. When the first person nervously stood forth and haltingly said that he knew of a warehouse in the vicinity, Xiao Sa generously waved his hand and had him lead the way. He then split the materials 8:2. Now that the precedent was set, people scrambled to join in. The common people became enthusiastic, and at a glance, it even seemed as though everyone was working in harmony. It was as though they had returned to a time before the apocalypse when people worked hand in hand to deal with natural disasters.

In the face of such changes, all the soldiers were suddenly placed in an awkward position. Some were joyful while some were left speechless. In short, their feelings were very complex. Could it be that nice people get taken advantage of? Seeing how well the civilians were cooperating now, if they had known earlier that these people were the type to bully the weak and fear the strong, they wouldn’t have had to try so hard to endure their antics a few days ago…

The remaining journey passed much more smoothly. They no longer needed psychic ability users to explore up ahead. The commoners enthusiastically shared information with them about where the materials were, where there were zombies, where the roads were difficult to traverse, and the locals who knew the land would also guide them to shortcuts or suggest places to set up camp. They basically no longer needed to worry about finding places to rest – they would send a few people forward according to the locals’ suggestions, and if nothing was amiss, the entire army would travel from stop to stop.

A journey that could have been completed in two days was lengthened to five days. Fortunately, by the time they returned to Jing Sa City, the army’s military vehicles were stocked full, and the space ability users had also packed themselves to the brim. They marched in with inexorable force and strong momentum. The sounds of their return were deafening and the people and teams they encountered along the way could not help but watch. The number of people who came to the base to seek refuge increased, and since then, Jing Sa City could finally be regarded as a well-known, established city that stood firmly as a bastion at the end of the world.

Bai Jing was still immersed in his cultivation after they returned. Xiao Sa had helped him collect a lot of jade these days. Jade was now something that nobody wanted, and was easier to gather than supplies. He could casually collect them from jade stores, and nobody would try to fight for it or snatch it away. This was really advantageous for Bai Jing – his power level had noticeably increased after several days of refining.

He discovered that the more jade he had, the faster his spiritual growth would be. Additionally, jade was not like crystal nuclei that would be consumed after absorbed. When jade was placed into his space, it would collect there at the bottom of his spring and emit a stronger spiritual aura the longer it remained. It was like a feedback loop – jade increased the amount of spiritual power in his space, and the spring water would nourish the jade. It was an endless cycle, and the greatest beneficiary was him.

When other people practiced their abilities, it became increasingly difficult to advance in the later stages. But for Bai Jing, the more jade he had, the easier it became. It was as though he was carrying a spiritual vein with him. With more jade and time, the spiritual vein would only become stronger, and his power accumulation would speed up.

By the time Bai Jing woke up from his meditation, Xiao Sa had already arranged everything, and the army was now stationed in an orderly manner at the base. Cao Lei had become the temporary instructor for the military ability users, while Qin Yi was dispatched to form his own team and recruit from the ability users who had come to join their base. The new recruits could only be classified as official personnel after they passed the probation period and enjoy the treatment that permanently stationed ability users could enjoy. The requirements were stringent, and they would rather be left with empty positions than have inadequate people fill them.

To utilize the two large empty fields within the prison, Xiao Sa ordered a team of 500 people to go and collect steel and cement in order to build fifty apartment buildings. At present, there were too many people in the base, and they were almost short on housing. It was no problem to crowd people together for now, but the base would definitely continue to expand in the future. Leaving the land empty did not make sense; the army could use the smaller fields to train. Now that the base was stable, it was necessary for them to plan for the future. The two fields were a substantial distance away from each other. One would be for their internal personnel while the other would be for residents who were seeking to settle at Jing Sa City.

Having dealt with all these matters, Xiao Sa found himself bored. A person was always influenced by the company he kept; he had learned from Bai Jing and now tended to delegate without doing the grunt work himself. As long as he gave the order, things would be arranged according to his will. He currently had nothing but talented people under him and felt that it was better not to posture and pretend to know better in front of true professionals.

“What are you doing?” When Bai Jing woke up, he was full of joy. His abilities were filled up to the brim, and a breakthrough rank two was just around the corner. He had just emerged from his meditative state when he saw Xiao Sa looking at him with eyes full of grievance. He was a little shocked – he hadn’t mistaken him for someone else, right?

Xiao Sa’s expression froze, and his heart was filled with chagrin. He had been lost in thought just now. How did he manage to get found out by Little Jing? His image! He hurriedly put on a slight smile and said, “You’re awake. Are you hungry? I can have people go make something to eat.”

Bai Jing was very calm and unconcerned about his topic change. Xiao Sa had changed too much compared to how he had been in his previous life. Ever since they had first met again in this life, he had been constantly adapting to Xiao Sa’s various states and would always looking out for him. How much suffering had he experienced in his previous life for this man to genuinely become the same on the outside and inside, with a heart like steel, as cold as an icy mountain, and a facial expression that looked like frost that would never be melted in tens of thousands of years? Bai Jing really liked this change. This version of Xiao Sa was much more vivid in his eyes.

“What are you thinking about?” Xiao Sa’s expression was dark and his tone sour. Whenever Bai Jing thought deeply, he always had an impression that Little Jing seemed to be seeing someone else through him.

“Thinking about you.” Bai Jing smiled softly. He was very certain that he liked Xiao Sa. If Xiao Sa had been an obsession he was unable to give up in his last life, then in this life, he loved him.

Xiao Sa was easy to please and immediately became happy. No trace of his usual solemn look could be seen as he gently slid his arms around Bai Jing. He was in a good mood and would naturally be more daring. His large hands were not so well behaved as they explored everywhere, his lips brushing softly over the tips of Bai Jing’s ears. He had already discovered from their previous intimate encounters that Little Jing’s ears were very sensitive.

Bai Jing’s face was full of black lines. He just knew that he couldn’t give this fellow any encouragement! Feeling a shiver travel through his body, he angrily pushed Xiao Sa to the side. “Get lost! What kind of time is it now?”

Xiao Sa was in a good mood and only treated it as Bai Jing being shy. He hadn’t been able to take advantage of him for over half a month now. Let alone eating meat, he hadn’t even been able to enjoy any small scraps. His hands were itchy, and his heart too – his Little Jing was the best, and felt great under his hands. Only a fool would let go. He complained, “We’ve already been back for three days.”

Bai Jing was too lazy to argue with him. Discovering that he was still in the car, he instantly realized that Xiao Sa had been in the car the whole time too. It must have been difficult for Xiao Sa to have kept watch this entire time. His heart warmed, and his tone unconsciously turned soft. “What’s the situation outside like now?”

Xiao Sa nodded and spoke about the events that had occurred recently while his hand continued to take as much advantage as it could. He quietly stretched his hand under Bai Jing’s clothes and touched the soft skin underneath… His body heated up; god knew how long he’d been abstinent for. Even if he couldn’t eat it now, it was still good if he could touch for a bit.

“The army has settled down and been incorporated into the escort and patrol teams. Recently, many people have come to join us. Building construction and repairs have now officially started, and there are a lot of people in the outer city… Hiss…”

It hurt! Xiao Sa complained internally and sucked in a breath. Even though Bai Jing’s skin was fine and his flesh tender, his hand was still quite strong. Although his pinch right was not much more painful than scratching an itch, Xiao Sa believed that if he didn’t start cooperating now, an embarrassed Bai Jing would be much harder to cater to.

Bai Jing’s cheeks were flushed as he narrowed his eyes at Xiao Sa. He ignored the thudding of his heart and glared at him to see if he would dare to continue misbehaving.

Xiao Sa pouted and awkwardly retrieved his hand. It wasn’t as though he didn’t know that Little Jing had also been turned on right now. But, he looked at their surroundings and agreed – the car was indeed not a good place for this. Forget it, he could let Little Jing off temporarily. Although he had already said that many times, he firmly believed that he would be able to eat Little Jing next time. In other words, he had the same thought last time.

Bai Jing glared at Xiao Sa, then arrogantly turned his head away and opened the car door. He forced his face to show a calm expression even though he was still flushed, his heart pounding in his chest. He definitely could not let Xiao Sa know that he really wanted to do it just now, too! When facing the person he liked, he wasn’t a saint. How could he not be turned on? While he was still torn about who would top, he felt that his chances of winning were not high, so he decided to temporarily drag it on for now!

After getting out of the car, Bai Jing glanced around and found that the parking lot was much larger than it had been. There were more than a dozen soldiers stationed at the entrance to the base where registration took place.

Xiao Sa followed closely behind him. When he saw Bai Jing’s doubtful gaze, his lips curved upward slightly. “Rental business.”

Bai Jing was puzzled and frowned. What did that mean?

Xiao Sa chuckled quietly. In fact, he had also just learned about this matter and had felt some amazement too. Businessmen were really different. For Leng Han to have come up with an idea like this, it was no wonder he was known as a profiteer. He laughed and said, “If the teams that are going out to collect materials put down a deposit, they can drive a car out. When they return, they will be charged according to the number of days they were gone. If an accident occurs, or they lose the car, then their deposit materials will be kept. Oh, by the way, the trading market is open now. Would you like to go and have a look at it?”

Bai Jing’s eyes brightened. Trading market?

Xiao Sa smiled and nodded. He ignored the reactions of the people around them and grabbed Bai Jing’s hand as they walked forward. When they reached the entrance, the guards uniformly gave him a salute. Xiao Sa returned it, and Bai Jing’s mouth dropped open in shock 囧. He discovered that Xiao Sa had really become addicted to being an army leader. But, it was very awe-inspiring, and he liked it a lot.

Everything was flourishing inside the base. Bai Jing sighed in his heart. He had been away for ten short days and unexpectedly the base already had so many more people. They encountered a patrol team on the way, and seeing them all salute, Bai Jing began to wonder internally. He remembered that this small patrol team had been filled with familiar people. However, now they were all acting so formal, it made him also turn solemn.

Xiao Sa smiled as he explained that the original patrol team felt ashamed. People would learn from the people they followed, and after working with regular soldiers, they found it too disgraceful to be so careless and sloppy. It was easier for Chen Dawei’s group as they had all been soldiers before, but it was the little gangsters that were pitiful. It was incredibly difficult for Yang Wenhua and his subordinates, but Xiao Sa believed that they would adapt. He very much enjoyed the base’s current atmosphere. It was strict and standardized, and had really become a regulated entity.

By the time they arrived at the trading market, many people had already gathered there. The hall was very large and was categorized like a shopping mall. There were many stalls, and although it hadn’t been completely rented out, the number of traders wasn’t small. There were all kinds of goods available – not only rice and supplies, but gold, jade, antique calligraphy, and paintings as well as all kinds of items were laid out in the open. Things that could not be purchased with mere money before the apocalypse were now up for trade, and Bai Jing was really dazzled by the scene before his eyes.

Xiao Sa pointed to the contrasting floor patterns of both sides. “This side is rented out to long-term sellers, while this side is for temporary merchants. Two days ago I also bought two pieces of ancient jade from there. I heard it was handed down through many generations. I’ll give it to you when we get back.”

Bai Jing’s lips curved. He was very satisfied with how Xiao Sa kept him in his heart. He raised his head to look around and found that while the fixed shops were large, the business was better in the temporary merchant’s side.