NOVEL NEXT Chapter 341: Take It All!
Chapter 341: Take It All!
The West Hill Base had turned ominous.
Beneath it lay thousands of corpses, thick with a stench of death, eerie and terrifying. If it weren’t for his combat suit and the sharp-nosed Hua Hua by his side, Zhang Yi wouldn’t have dared to venture down here.
Without delay, the group continued onward.
The West Hill Base housed a massive warehouse filled with food and other essential survival supplies. Following the map’s directions, Zhang Yi quickly found the warehouse at the end of the Second Life Pod.
The pathway was strewn with rubble, but Uncle You activated his Superhuman Energy, easily clearing the debris.
The warehouse door was firmly locked with a complex password system.
“Let me try!” Uncle You stepped forward without hesitation, slamming his iron fist down hard.
Boom!!
A deafening crash reverberated through the underground space, yet the thick metal door let out only a grating creak instead of breaking. Uncle You withdrew his fist, revealing a dent three centimeters deep.“Of course it wouldn’t be that easy to break into the warehouse,” Zhang Yi commented with a smile.
“What now? We don’t have a key, and even Uncle You can’t break through. We’re out of options,” Fatty Xu said, looking to Zhang Yi for a solution.
“No rush—this is actually good news. It means the contents inside are still well-preserved!”
He unhurriedly opened his Spatial Storage and pulled out a pile of tools, starting with a large metal canister, rubber tubing, and a nozzle-like device.
“A blowtorch!” Uncle You immediately recognized it. This torch could reach thousands of degrees, perfect for cutting through thick metal.
Zhang Yi grinned. “I’ve got loads of tools stashed in here!”
This torch was something he’d picked up from the warehouse earlier, though he hadn’t known when it might come in handy. Now he did!
Zhang Yi assembled the blowtorch, then handed it to Uncle You with a thumbs-up.
“It’s up to you now, Uncle You!”
Fatty Xu muttered, “Boss, I thought you’d do it yourself!”
Zhang Yi laughed, “I’ve never done this kind of work before—don’t have the experience!”
Uncle You, who’d worked as a security guard for years, was a pro at handling tools. Any time a resident needed help, they always turned to Uncle You first.
Grinning, he took the torch. “This I can handle! Did some welding back in the day.”
As he ignited the torch, Zhang Yi and Fatty Xu stepped back five or six paces.
A slender, blue flame shot from the nozzle, heating the metal door until the surrounding air grew stiflingly hot. It took a while, but Uncle You eventually managed to cut an opening large enough for an adult to crawl through.
The three entered the warehouse, their headlamps illuminating a jumble of items stacked in rows. It looked like the storage room of a massive supermarket, stocked with all kinds of goods.
Compared to the Wal-Mart warehouse Zhang Yi had emptied earlier, this place was a bit sparse. Most of the items here had been stored for emergencies or military needs and had been there for years.
Uncle You scanned the room, his eyes lighting up as he pointed to one corner. “Zhang Yi, look over there! Something good!”
Following Uncle You’s gaze, Zhang Yi saw a large blue tarp covering something, with a steel edge poking out from underneath.
“Building materials? Ah, these must be for repairing the West Hill Base!”
Zhang Yi’s eyes brightened. If they wanted to build a sturdy defense around Cloud Manor, these durable materials would be essential. He’d been wondering where to get supplies, and now he had a stash right here at West Hill Base!
The base, after all, had a vast underground network, and maintenance was a constant priority, so it made sense that repair materials were well-stocked.
The three of them pulled back the tarp, revealing an enormous stack of steel and concrete piled like a small mountain.
“These are military-grade materials, perfect for constructing fortifications! We’ve got our defense materials sorted!” Uncle You cheered.
“Take it all! Everything!” Without a second thought, Zhang Yi stored the entire stockpile in his Spatial Storage.
As for the other items in the warehouse, there were too many to list, so he simply swept them all into Spatial Storage.
In a separate section, they found rooms dedicated to food storage, mostly cans and some high-quality provisions. These weren’t appealing to Zhang Yi, but since he was here, he might as well take them.
He turned to Uncle You and Fatty Xu with a grin. “I’ve got more than enough food at home. You two can split the rest!”
The food didn’t hold much value for him, but it was a nice favor to offer them.
For Uncle You and Fatty Xu, though, these provisions were priceless.
Hearing Zhang Yi’s generosity, they exchanged uneasy glances.
“Zhang Yi, you should keep most of it. You did the heavy lifting to capture the West Hill Base, and without you, we couldn’t have imagined victory here,” Uncle You said earnestly.
Fatty Xu nodded. “Besides, there’s so much here, we couldn’t eat it all in twenty years! Boss, you keep it, and we’ll come to you if we need some.”
Zhang Yi chuckled. “I consider you both family; no need to stand on ceremony. If I have good things, I’ll always share them with you.”
“But you’re right that it’s too much for you to carry around. I’ll hold onto it, and you can come find me anytime you need supplies.”
The two were visibly touched.
With the food stored away, the entire West Hill Base’s years of supplies vanished in minutes.
It was ironic. Chen Xinian had gone to such lengths to get Zhang Yi’s warehouse supplies, only to lose everything, including his own warehouse, to Zhang Yi. Karma indeed.
With the warehouse emptied, there was nothing left in West Hill Base of interest to Zhang Yi—except the First Life Pod.
However, that area was as secure as the Shelter, and Zhang Yi didn’t have a way to break in for now.
From what he knew, it was mainly Chen Xinian’s private quarters, unlikely to contain valuable supplies. Even if it held a few secrets, it wasn’t worth Zhang Yi’s time.
So the three quickly left West Hill Base.
Before leaving, Zhang Yi pulled out rubble to block the entrance.
“Fatty, give it a final touch!”
With a nod, Fatty Xu activated his Snow Burst ability. Pale blue light gathered in his hands, and the sound of wind and snow surged around them.
Rumble!
Snow from the mountainside cascaded down like an avalanche, sealing the tunnel up to a hundred meters deep.
Apart from Zhang Yi, it would be nearly impossible for anyone else to dig their way inside. Even though he’d emptied the place, Zhang Yi didn’t want others scavenging behind him.
“Alright, time to go home!”
He wasn’t planning to linger anyway. Not long ago, he’d killed a Superhuman and some soldiers from the Chaoyu Base, and if reinforcements arrived, it could mean trouble.
Better to get out while he could and play it off if anyone asked questions.
The three piled into the Snow Vehicle, heading for Cloud Manor through the storm.
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Meanwhile, outside the Shelter…
Liang Yue had come as usual to train Zhang Yi in martial arts and collect her daily rations. Despite the two weeks’ worth of food Zhang Yi had previously given her, it hadn’t lasted long once her ravenous students got hold of it.
During their time in West Hill Base, they had subsisted on protein solution, barely enough to survive, let alone feel full. The sudden abundance of food meant they could only think about eating their fill.
So now, Liang Yue was back to the daily responsibility of providing for their meals.
Apart from the ten-person ration she earned by teaching Zhang Yi, she also had to take the students to Lu River to fish through the ice.
Fishing wasn’t easy, as the fish had swum deep into the water to escape the cold, making every catch a taxing effort.
Today, however, Zhang Yi was away, so Zhou Ke’er met her instead.
“Zhang Yi’s out on an errand with some others, and they’ll probably be back late. Maybe we should cancel today’s lesson, Liang Yue?” Zhou Ke’er suggested with a gentle smile.
But this warm expression made Liang Yue hesitate. Skipping Zhang Yi’s training wasn’t a big deal, but if she didn’t take back food, her students would go hungry.
Author's Note