"Can you really come back to life many times?"
Although it was impolite to probe so deeply, Ning Yu, taking advantage of her young appearance, asked brazenly.
"Hehe, that's my secret, I'm not telling you."
Ji Mengyao playfully stuck out her tongue at Ning Yu, acting like she wouldn't reveal anything.
Ning Yu couldn't help but laugh. This person was like a female hooligan one moment and a child the next.
"Well... tell me about the base then?"
She decided to change the subject, wanting to learn more intelligence about the settlement.
Based on the system's mission prompts, this settlement seemed to have been named 'Ark' by them.
"No problem~"
Ji Mengyao agreed readily, also hoping in her heart to attract Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue to join them with this information.
"I'm not actually clear about how it started, as I joined partway through."
"The settlement is called 'Ark.' When the apocalypse first began, I heard about it through radio broadcasts and came here."
"The key figure in Ark is called Zhuang Wugou, we usually call him Old Zhuang, and he founded the entire settlement. Everything about Awakened Ones and serums, it was all taught to us by Old Zhuang."
Huh?
Ning Yu seemed to have heard something very important.
Her intelligence had all come from the system, so why did this Zhuang Wugou know so much?
"He's an Awakened One himself, apparently in the intelligence category."
Ji Mengyao pointed to her head to indicate this, then showed an envious expression:
"Ah... I want that kind of ability too. My useless power just makes me an unkillable cockroach... not cool at all..."
Sister, please, your ability is super powerful!
Ning Yu felt helpless hearing such luxurious complaints.
"Well, anyway, Old Zhuang is incredibly smart, and he manages Ark very systematically."
"He organized us Awakened Ones too, and Ark is divided into many groups, each with different functions."
Ji Mengyao suddenly raised one hand, counting off on her fingers the departments she could remember:
"Like us, we're usually in the exploration team, and some special Awakened Ones are in other groups."
"There's the logistics group, responsible for coordinating and managing the base's resources."
"Then there's the security group, responsible for maintaining order within Ark."
"And there's the research group he personally leads, always working on amazing things, like the serum they just gave you and the serum extractor you saw."
Ning Yu listened intently, shocked in her heart.
The apocalypse had only happened a few months ago, and human order had collapsed extremely quickly, obviously related to the mutant zombies.
Yet someone had managed to organize humans together from the very beginning under such adverse conditions.
Managing an entire base systematically, even developing various new things.
How was this possible?
Could this Zhuang Wugou be like those protagonists from web novels:
Someone who had been reborn before the apocalypse with future knowledge, then extensively developed resources, became a ruler, and gathered a harem?
Ning Yu suddenly became curious about this person.
Ji Mengyao saw Ning Yu fall into deep thought and assumed she was impressed by how amazing Ark was.
She couldn't help but raise her little head proudly and continued telling Ning Yu:
"Let me tell you, Old Zhuang is the most impressive of all. Besides managing Ark so well, he's also the busiest person in the entire base."
"He's like the brain of our operation, handling numerous matters every day, often working until very late."
"There's not a single person among us who doesn't admire him."
What exactly was he trying to accomplish by putting so much effort into establishing Ark?
As Ji Mengyao spoke more, Ning Yu's curiosity grew even stronger.
"Hehe, you'll understand when you meet him!"
Ji Mengyao finally said, turning her attention back to driving.
"Me? Do I have to meet him?"
Ning Yu pointed to herself, questioning.
"Ah, not necessarily, but if you decide to join, he'll definitely want to meet you personally~"
Ji Mengyao realized she had again assumed Ning Yu and her companion would join, and showed an embarrassed smile.
"What exactly was your Ark built for?"
Ning Yu asked a key question.
"What for? That's a strange question - to survive, of course!"
Ji Mengyao's face was full of question marks, feeling Ning Yu had asked something obvious, then continued:
"You should ask him that question yourself, since he's the one who built Ark."
"I just think it feels good, everyone sticking together, fighting and working hard to survive."
She reached into her pocket, planning to light another cigarette, giving Ning Yu a questioning look.
Ning Yu smiled and said:
"Go ahead, don't mind me."
"Hehe~"
She happily lit up another one, puffing away.
On the deserted highway, their pickup truck was its only visitor.
The outline of a city began to appear in the distance - they were approaching the so-called Yida Plaza.
This place was in a very remote part of City A but was also a massive commercial center.
It was said that City A's government had once planned to attract talent to settle here, bring in international capital, and build residential areas, office buildings, entertainment centers, and various other facilities.
They probably wanted to develop it into a new key urban district.
Of course, after the apocalypse began, none of that mattered anymore.
Choosing this location for a base was indeed an excellent choice.
The population density was sparse, the space was large, and while close to forested areas, it still had adequate modern facilities.
After entering the city, zombies became more numerous, and the pickup truck sped up.
There were constant thumping sounds as careless zombies blocking the road were sent flying by the pickup truck.
Wu Di protected the children, taking out weapons to guard against any zombies trying to jump aboard.
Shen Yiyue also temporarily stopped chatting with her sister to help Wu Di with defense.
Ning Yu wasn't too worried about her getting bitten now.
With [Future Reading], Ning Yu was more curious about whether she could dodge bullets.
Though that was just idle speculation.
Suddenly, a large truck pulled up beside the pickup, driving parallel to it.
The two vehicles maintained the same speed, relatively stationary on the highway.
"Hey~ if it isn't Mengyao, want to drink together tonight?"
From the truck's driver's seat, a young man wearing sunglasses and beach attire leisurely opened his window.
He rolled down the window, rested his arm on it, and leaned out to chat with Ji Mengyao.
"No time, drink by yourself."
"Did you go out for supplies today?"
Ji Mengyao coldly refused, not even turning her head, just asking him a question.
Ning Yu looked back and her pupils contracted sharply:
Behind that large truck were zombies locked in iron cages!
There must have been seventy or eighty of them, howling and struggling in the cages, but the sturdy iron cages held them securely.
The children in the pickup were frightened for a moment, though these zombies couldn't possibly break through the solid cages - they just looked scary.
"You bet, today was a great harvest! This'll last us quite a while!"
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
