Chapter 249: The Phoenix Man Who Soared Before the Apocalypse (55)

Shen Xiumei shuddered in fright. She knew the jewelry was valuable, but not this valuable.

Dear heavens, five million? Even if they sold her, she wouldn’t be worth that much.

She hurriedly handed the gemstone back, terrified she might damage it while it was in her hands.

“Sister-in-law, you’d better take this back.”

She looked like she was holding a hot potato.

But Su Mingyue didn’t take it. “It’s for you. Why would I keep it?”

Mother Shen was already frozen in shock. “No, no, this is too much. Our Xiumei doesn’t deserve something so precious.”

Mother Su gently took her hand and smiled. “Oh, don’t say that, dear sister. This is a token of goodwill—it’s not something you can measure with money. Besides, in this Apocalypse, money doesn’t mean much anymore. I’ve got plenty more of these. I’ll give Xiumei a few more later. Girls her age love pretty things.”

Father Shen waved his hands in refusal. “No, no, no. Even if she loves pretty things, you can’t joke around with something this expensive.”

Su Mingyue started to feel uneasy. Had she made a mistake?

Seeing the pale look on his wife’s face, Shen Xiuyan quickly spoke up. “Take it. These things are just for decoration now. They’re not worth as much as a Core Crystal. We’re all family here. If you like it, that’s all that matters. No need to be polite.”

Father Su laughed and chimed in, “Exactly, exactly. Xiuyan’s right.”

Since the words came from Shen Xiuyan himself, the Shen family finally relaxed.

Father Shen looked at him, still full of doubt. “You’re not lying to us, are you?”

Shen Xiuyan was speechless. “Why would I lie to you about this…”

“Alright then.”

Once they confirmed it was true, both Mother Shen and Shen Xiumei let out a sigh of relief.

Mother Shen finally nodded and gestured at her daughter. “Then keep it. And hurry up and thank your sister-in-law.”

“Thank you, Sister-in-law.” Shen Xiumei looked at the gemstone in her hand, eyes shining with excitement. Five million! Even if it wasn’t worth much in the Apocalypse anymore…

She still owned it!

Her sister-in-law was not only beautiful and kind, but also incredibly generous.

She really liked her.

But how did such a wonderful person end up with her brother? Not that her brother was bad or anything…

It just felt like she could’ve found someone even better.

Hmm, she must’ve been too innocent and got tricked by her brother.

From now on, she would protect this “sweet and naïve” sister-in-law!

Su Mingyue had no idea that her simple gift had sparked a bond as strong as a revolutionary friendship.

*

In the days that followed, they rested in the village and established a set of rules that everyone had to follow. Anyone who broke the rules would be immediately expelled from the base—no exceptions.

After another patrol around the village, Shen Xiuyan couldn’t help but sigh. Life in the village really was good.

In the future, they’d be able to live self-sufficiently without any problems.

He looked out at the empty hills and fell into thought.

Many people had left Dashan Village, so there were still plenty of empty houses and unused land. Not to mention the vast hills all around—they could all be put to good use.

The first thing that came to his mind was the seeds and livestock stored in his spatial space. If he brought them out and let the villagers raise them, they could easily create a sustainable cycle of chickens laying eggs and eggs hatching chickens.

It looked like it was time to make a trip outside.

At that moment, Young Master Huo had the exact same idea.

He walked over from a distance and called out, “Xiuyan, Sun Lei and I were just talking. We wanted to ask when we can head out to scavenge for supplies. We can’t just sit around and use up everything. It’d be best if we could find some seeds or livestock to raise.”

Shen Xiuyan slung an arm around his shoulder. “Let’s go now. Looks like we’re on the same page. But we can’t take too many people this time. We’ll scout out the county first and make plans from there. Once the three off-road vehicles at the gate are full, we’ll head out.”

“Alright, we’ll do it your way.”

Soon, the team was selected, and the three off-road vehicles drove out of the village one after another.

The situation in the county wasn’t much better. Although the small county had fewer than 100,000 permanent residents, that was still a massive number.

Shen Xiuyan was determined to expand the base. He wanted to give his future children the best of everything. And this county, being the closest to Dashan Village, was undoubtedly the ideal place for expansion.

But clearing out all the zombies on the roads wouldn’t be a quick task—it would take more than a day or two.

Today’s trip was just a scouting mission. They also brought back some supplies.

After returning to the village, Shen Xiuyan gathered a few people for a brief meeting.

He said in a low voice, “We can’t stay holed up in Dashan Village forever. I won’t provoke others, but that doesn’t mean they won’t come for us. Instead of waiting to be slaughtered, we should grow stronger.”

“You’re right,” Young Master Huo nodded in agreement. He completely understood Shen Xiuyan’s thinking. It was just like doing business—no matter how passive you tried to be, in other people’s eyes, you were still a juicy piece of meat.

So instead of being passive, it was better to take the initiative.

Shen Xiuyan pointed to the map they had spread out. “First, we need to clear out this county and turn it into a shelter. It will be open to both ordinary people and those with Supernatural Abilities. Of course, entry won’t be free. Everyone who wants to enter must pay one Core Crystal. If they leave and want to come back, they’ll have to pay again. All resources in the county will be exchanged using Core Crystals. Just because you’re inside doesn’t mean you’re safe—if you don’t work, you don’t eat.”

He paused to catch his breath, then continued, “This is just my initial idea. Everyone is welcome to contribute. We’ll draft a formal charter later—the more detailed, the better.”

Everyone’s eyes lit up when they heard this.

Clearing out zombies was dangerous, but this might be their chance to rise.

They couldn’t afford to miss this opportunity.

Everyone started chiming in with their thoughts. If this plan succeeded, they would all become the leaders of the base. They believed Young Master Shen thought the same way.

After spending so many days together, they had come to understand what kind of person he was.

In the end, Shen Xiuyan nodded. “You’ve all made good points. Huo, when you have time, help organize everything we’ve discussed. Right now, the top priority is deciding where we start the cleanup.”

Everyone turned their attention back to the map. Finally, A Cai pointed to the southwest and said, “Start here. The area is spacious and sparsely populated, and it’s surrounded by walls on three sides. Once it’s cleared, we can block off the main road and ensure safety. From there, we can divide the rest into zones and gradually expand eastward.”

Shen Xiuyan studied the map for a while and thought it was a solid plan.

No wonder A Cai had been in the military—he really had a knack for strategic planning.

“Alright, we’ll do it your way.”

And just like that, the decision was made.

After the meeting, no one sat idle. They all rushed off to prepare supplies for the mission.

For the first time, they were eager to go out and kill zombies.

Because this time, it was about their own future—and their families’.