Chapter 12:G-City Base

Su Xiaomu and the others got out of the car. The tension etched on their faces finally eased...

The internal layout of the G-City Base gave Su Xiaomu his first impression: a prison. Yes, it really resembled a prison, though the prison bars were replaced by concrete walls. Except for a single door, nothing inside the rooms was visible.

"..." Su Xiaomu watched Wang Xin drive the car around a corner but showed no outward confusion, mentally assessing the situation.

The space inside was large. On either side of where they stood, rooms were packed tightly together, their doors firmly shut... creating a stifling atmosphere. Looking up, the sun hung high in the sky.

"Let's go up..." Zhang Yi said to the others, then led them towards a stairwell tucked into a corner.

The first floor felt strange, not meant for living, more like... something else. Su Xiaomu had a flash of insight: it was probably a final defensive layer. If the G-City Base ever fell, those above would still have an escape route.

Sure enough, when they ascended, a bustling scene greeted them. Shouts of vendors, conversations, all mingled together. Remarkably, not a sound had reached them downstairs—evidence of impressive soundproofing.

Su Xiaomu found the marketplace bizarre. Besides jewelry, jade, books... there were women standing around... Their faces were gaunt, skin sallow, hands and feet filthy, yet their ample bosoms were still evident.

"Hmph!" A snort sounded near his ear, the eyes filled with undisguised contempt and scorn.

Su Xiaomu didn't need to turn his head to know who made that sound...

"The cost..." Luo Jiahui explained tersely with two words, then headed towards a specific location...

"We don't have space for you here..." Just as Su Xiaomu was about to follow them in, Zhang Sheng stepped directly in his path, blocking him, a smug expression on his face.

Su Xiaomu stood at the iron door, lips pressed together. Zhang Yi had disappeared somewhere. Only he and the other four remained.

"I contributed food too!" After a moment, Su Xiaomu stated calmly, a cold gleam flashing in his eyes.

"Come with me!" Two men Su Xiaomu hadn't noticed before appeared and spoke to him directly.

Su Xiaomu said nothing, following them. Internally, he felt a pang of regret. He hadn't been cautious enough. He'd thought these people might have some shred of honor, but he'd been wrong...

After navigating twists and turns, they finally pushed open a door. Besides Zhang Yi, several unfamiliar faces were inside.

The room wasn't large. A long wooden sofa, a few stools, a long oval table with glasses of plain water. When he entered, those who had been looking down all raised their heads to scrutinize him.

"Zhang Yi, is this Young Master Su?" The speaker was ordinary-looking, the kind easily lost in a crowd. But his eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp light.

Dressed in a green military uniform, he sat with one leg crossed over the other, his tone casual yet laced with deep condescension.

The political landscape in B City had shifted dramatically. The Su family, previously rooted in G City with little influence in B City, had unexpectedly risen to become one of B City's four major families during the post-apocalyptic crisis.

Surprisingly, the Su family fiercely protected their supposedly useless Su Xiaomu. They had issued a bounty: anyone who found Su Xiaomu and delivered him safely to B City would receive ten thousand jin of grain from the Su family and a B-City Base access permit.

This was a secret among the upper echelons of the base. Only those with internal connections knew about it. The G-City Base hadn't planned to search for Su Xiaomu. Their defenses were decent; sacrificing their own people to find a wastrel wasn't necessary.

Zhang Yi's team had been on a food scavenging mission when they unexpectedly encountered Su Xiaomu, who should have been "dead."

Su Xiaomu frowned slightly. He couldn't grasp what these people truly wanted. Judging by his predecessor's age, he was likely a college student. Even if he'd done some terrible things, what connection could he have with these people?

"Yes." Su Xiaomu answered softly. Zhang Yi had changed clothes, now wearing a simple shirt. The blood had been washed from his face, which now revealed nothing.

"Young Master Su, do you know why we brought you here?" the ordinary-looking man continued.

You brought me? How would I know? Did the apocalypse and zombies scramble your brains? Su Xiaomu mentally scoffed, but outwardly shook his head. "Please enlighten me...