Chapter 147: A Peaceful Life

"Did I only sleep for a little while? Is it still dark outside?"

Su Miao woke up, glanced hazily at the pitch-black night sky outside the window, and went back to bed to continue sleeping.

In the living room, the myna bird vaguely heard some movement from Your Highness Su Miao's bedroom, but after waiting for a long time without seeing Your Highness Su Miao come out, it added some wood to the fireplace and waited quietly.

No, Your Highness Su Miao had already slept for a whole day and night. Could it be that Your Highness Su Miao woke up, saw that the sky outside was dark, thought she had only slept for a little while, and went back to sleep?

It hadn't eaten hot pot for almost a day.

After waiting a little longer, no sound came from the bedroom.

The myna bird was basically certain that Your Highness Su Miao was continuing to sleep.

Having no other choice, the myna bird found a tomato and ate it silently.

It also fed the field mice and the little white rabbit downstairs, and recorded things in Your Highness Su Miao's experimental notebook with a pen.

After finishing these tasks, the myna bird went back to its nest to sleep.

Unless the fireplace needed more wood, any other matters could wait until Your Highness Su Miao woke up.

During yesterday's battle, it was injured by the King of Daxishi, and it needed to sleep to heal its wounds.

After passing through a long dream, Su Miao woke up.

This time, after waking up, all sleepiness was completely gone.

Habitually checking the time, it was 5:10 AM.

"Such a comfortable sleep!"

Huh?

Su Miao stretched, suddenly feeling that something was not quite right, and checked the time again: February 3, 2124?

She blinked, remembering that the decisive battle between the Four Seas Base and the cannibals took place on February 1, 2124, right? Had she unintentionally slept for an extra day?

Sitting on the bed in a daze for a moment, Su Miao smiled slightly.

Such a peaceful life—it was truly wonderful.

Getting up, getting dressed, washing up, and eating breakfast.

Today's breakfast consisted of rolled pancakes and soy milk bought before the apocalypse began. The myna bird ate with tears in its eyes, finally having something hot to eat.

After breakfast, Su Miao went to the mushroom room, picked all the matured mushrooms, and stored them in her magical space.

She fed the field mice and the little rabbit.

She swung her sword three hundred times.

She practiced a routine of Tai Chi.

She went to the vegetable patch to harvest some vegetables and planted a few more.

She took note of the situation and gathered some snow into her magical space, which would come in handy when the high-temperature natural disaster arrived in a few months.

This was something Su Miao did every day after her life in the villa became stable, because collecting snow when the high-temperature disaster was about to begin would be somewhat rushed, and there would be even more things to do at that time.

She continued tossing small blue fireballs into the magical space as future reserves.

Through several battles, Su Miao had learned a truth.

There was no difficulty that could not be solved by an explosion.

If there was, it simply meant the explosive power was not large enough.

Just like this time, even with the King of Daxishi so close to her, he had not been directly blown to death by the large blue fireball.

Although afterwards the King of Daxishi wished neither life nor death, and the end result was good, Su Miao did not want to gamble on the next time.

Such a method might be too simplistic, but as long as it worked, it was fine.

Huh?

Was this small fireball starting to turn purple?

Looking at the newly condensed small fireball in her palm, Su Miao observed it closely.

Did this mean the temperature of the small fireball had reached around 7,000 degrees Celsius?

Previously, it required continuously stacking small blue fireballs to achieve this.

Su Miao blinked, as if understanding something.

Through the battle the day before yesterday and sufficient sleep, her magical power had improved once again, and her magic had leveled up accordingly.

Additionally, influenced by the daily tossing of small fireballs into the magical space, the magical space had expanded several times over. A rough estimation put it at approximately 9,000,000,000 cubic meters.

Truly marvelous.

"Your Highness, we've come to harvest the vegetables."

Sun Rong, Chu Zekai, Guo Yixing, and Yu Feng had arrived.

Today was their scheduled time to harvest vegetables.

"Mm."

Su Miao nodded.

The few of them began harvesting the vegetables.

Unlike their previous visit, they discovered that the vegetable patch had grown larger, and a greater variety of vegetables were now planted.

This made Sun Rong, Chu Zekai, Guo Yixing, and Yu Feng extremely happy.

It was a pity that they possessed too few materials; otherwise, soybeans and the like could even be used to make tofu.

It was worth mentioning that Your Highness Su Miao had planted a considerable amount of corn this time.

God knows how Your Highness Su Miao planted them, but these cornstalks had grown almost as tall as trees, and each ear of corn growing on them weighed more than ten pounds. Furthermore, the kernels were plump and crystalline, looking exceptionally delicious.

Chu Zekai had read various immortality-cultivation novels before the apocalypse, and he was almost starting to suspect that Your Highness Su Miao was an immortal being.

If she were to grow some rice one day, and a single grain of rice on the stalk weighed over ten pounds, it wouldn't even seem strange anymore.

Green vegetables, cabbages, soybeans, potatoes, corn, chili peppers, sweet potatoes, lettuces, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, and so on...

The four of them worked busily for half a day, picking some of every single vegetable and tying them all onto the snow sled.

Yu Feng was using rope to secure the vegetables on the sled, a bright smile plastered across his face.

A bumper harvest indeed!

Although they all now owned snowmobiles, they had long since been accustomed to walking this stretch of a few hundred meters. If they were to use snowmobiles, it wouldn't be good if Your Highness Su Miao was awakened from her sleep in the villa by the noise of the snowmobiles.

"Your Highness, we captured some table salt during the battle the day before yesterday."

Sun Rong said.

Last time, Your Highness Su Miao had given them the mission to snipe the cannibals, and they had completed it very well.

Quite fortunately, they had also seized a considerable amount of supplies from those cannibals.

Table salt, MSG, cigarettes, lighters, meat paste...

The meat paste and such had been discarded.

They simply didn't dare to eat the meat paste stockpiled by the cannibals.

Judging from the items carried by those cannibals, they were likely nobles among the cannibal tribe.

Unfortunately, there were only four of them, and even with rapid looting, they hadn't been able to check everything thoroughly.

Later on, those corpses had all turned into wraiths, so they stopped collecting.

"Mm, you guys keep it."

Su Miao said.

The magical space had plenty of everything, especially table salt.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Sun Rong said, "Does Your Highness have any tasks you need us to do recently?"

Su Miao glanced at the vegetables Sun Rong and the others had harvested, thought for a moment, and said, "You'd better dig around the snow near the villa; there are some hollows underneath. You should fill them in advance. In a few months, the weather will warm up rapidly, and all the snow will melt. If you are slow in your preparations, the villa will collapse."

"After finishing these tasks, you can repair the road up the mountain."

Sun Rong said, "Yes, Your Highness!"

It was merely a road-repair task, which was very easy for them now. They finally had a task again.

Moreover, they had never known that the villa harbored such a hidden danger.

Thank you, Your Highness!

Only amidst his excitement did Sun Rong recall what Su Miao had mentioned about the weather warming up rapidly in a few months and all the snow melting.

One had to realize that the snow accumulated in thick places reached depths of over ten meters; just how high must the temperature be to melt it all in a short period of time?

He bid farewell to Su Miao and walked back with Chu Zekai, Yu Feng, and Guo Yixing, weighed down with heavy thoughts.

"Captain, what's wrong with you? What did Her Highness say to you?"

Back at their quarters, Chu Zekai impatiently pulled out a tomato, eating it while asking.

Sun Rong said, "Just now, Her Highness told us that in a few months, the weather will warm up rapidly and all the snow will melt."

Chu Zekai, Yu Feng, and Guo Yixing looked at each other in dismay, failing to grasp the meaning behind those words for a moment.

A few seconds later, all three of them revealed expressions of extreme terror.

Guo Yixing said, "Doesn't this mean there's going to be a massive flood?"

Yu Feng said, "A massive flood is secondary; the crucial point is, did Her Highness mention how long this high temperature will last?"

Sun Rong shook his head: "No."

Chu Zekai said, "Next time, let's ask when the high temperature will start and how long it will last."

Sun Rong nodded: "Mm. Besides that, Her Highness told us there is a hollow underneath the villa we live in and asked us to fill it in, otherwise, when the high temperature arrives, the villa is likely to collapse."

Chu Zekai, Yu Feng, and Guo Yixing immediately stood up.

The moods of the few grew increasingly complex.

...

"They're back!"

"They're back!"

On the ice wall of the Four Seas Base, the working old, weak, women, and children shouted loudly.

Mili paused her work, listened to the roar of the snowmobiles, and breathed a sigh of relief as she watched the returning people.

However, no matter how she looked at it, she noticed that Yu Yuangui and Pei Fu seemed to have brought back only a little over 600 people.

Further out in the distance, not a single shadow could be seen.

Not even the shadow of Lan Shaokong, the highest supervisor of the Four Seas Base, was visible.

"Captain Yu, you're finally back."

Mili directed the guards to open the gates to welcome the returning people: "Where are the others?"

Yu Yuangui's expression darkened: "There might be some, but don't hold out too much hope."

Mili was stunned.

Just as he finished speaking, she saw Yu Yuangui's complexion turn pale as he coughed up a large mouthful of fresh blood.

Mili was startled.

Pei Fu was completely dumbfounded.

Lan Shao was already gone, and Yu Yuangui, whom he found immensely grating, was barely holding things together; he couldn't afford for anything to happen right now.

"Yu Yuangui!"

At a time like this, Pei Fu was more anxious than anyone else, and he immediately stepped forward to steady Yu Yuangui.

Yu Yuangui managed a smile: "I'm fine, I'm just a bit tired. I'm going to sleep for a while; the Four Seas Base will be up to you from now on."

He forced himself to pat Pei Fu's hand and lost consciousness.

"Doctor!"

Pei Fu shouted loudly.

Before long, the unconscious Yu Yuangui was carried away.

Looking at the old, weak, women, and children gathering in the base, and facing their eager expressions, Pei Fu didn't know what to say.

Should he tell these people that only these 600-odd people had returned?

Yet, if he didn't say it, what else could he do?

Those people on the battlefield had all drunk the life potions; even if they managed to survive, they definitely wouldn't live much longer.

"Maintain order. Handle the notification regarding the fallen personnel as you see fit."

Pei Fu glanced at Mili beside him, decisively passing the buck.

Mili stood in place, unable to react for a long time.

Half a day later, the sounds of weeping filled the entire Four Seas Base.

However, under such circumstances, all Mili could do was grant time off to the surviving old, weak, women, and children within the Four Seas Base, and then lead people to deliver compensation allowances to the families of the fallen one by one.

Such work might take several days to complete, but these were tasks that had to be executed.

Mili was exhausted.

Even though two supervisors had returned, it only made her feel even more tired.

Because Yu Yuangui was unconscious and Pei Fu needed to stay by his side, all matters of the Four Seas Base were still up to her to decide.

Mili was deeply worried about Yu Yuangui. Amidst her busy work, she couldn't even spare the time to go check on him, and she didn't dare to look either.

She feared that some unforeseeable event might occur.

The fact that Pei Fu was guarding Yu Yuangui's side explained everything.

When the cannibals waged war against the Four Seas Base, Yu Yuangui had been battered by the King of Daxishi, sustaining severe injuries from which he had never recovered.

Later, at Lan Shaokong's insistence, Yu Yuangui could no longer pretend and was forced to come out and take over command.

Afterwards, during the retreat with the troops, to block the blood-red spear of the King of Daxishi, Yu Yuangui had exerted his utmost strength, injuring his foundation once again.

To make matters worse, under such conditions, Yu Yuangui's body triggered an evolutionary bottleneck.

To bring those 600 people back safely, Yu Yuangui had forcibly suppressed it the entire time.

Only after bringing everyone back did he collapse unconscious.

Pei Fu touched Yu Yuangui's forehead, and his hand was nearly scalded.

This meant that regardless of whether Yu Yuangui wished for it or not, he had entered the stage of autonomous evolution.

Pei Fu was standing guard to see whether Yu Yuangui's evolution would succeed or fail. If it succeeded, everyone would rejoice.

If it failed, he would have to make a prompt and decisive decision to end Yu Yuangui's life immediately, preventing him from mutating into a monster and slaughtering everyone within the Four Seas Base.

As for whether Yu Yuangui could successfully evolve in a state of severe injury, Pei Fu had no idea.

"Damn it, I didn't even have time to sleep when I got back. If you dare to fail this evolution, I'll finish you off!"

Pei Fu drew the knife he had prepared long ago, glaring viciously at Yu Yuangui, whose breathing on the bed had grown rapid.

...

"They're coming! They're coming! Someone else is back!"

A crowd was still gathered outside the gates of the Four Seas Base. Even though they had already received news of their loved ones' sacrifice, they still clung to a shred of hope.

In the snowy expanse in the distance, a snowmobile was speeding toward them.

There was only a single person on the snowmobile.

It was Li Wei, the cannibal.

"Inspect!"

The guards blocked Li Wei's path.

"I have brought Captain Lu Ge's last will and testament."

Li Wei produced Captain Lu Ge's small notebook, along with some personal tokens belonging to other team members.

Seeing these items, the guards felt a pang in their hearts and immediately reported upward.

"My name is Lu Peng, and I'm from the Starry Sky Base. Once, when I went out on a mission, I found upon returning that the base had been destroyed. I originally wanted to head to the Vulcan Base, but seeing that a terrifying war had broken out near it, I fled further north."

"When I was on the verge of freezing to death, I discovered Captain Lu Ge and the others' igloo, but they had all frozen to death."

"I survived by utilizing the clothes and igloo they left behind."

"These are the items they left behind."

Facing Mili, the cannibal Li Wei spoke in this manner.

Mili inspected Lu Ge's notebook recording his final words, as well as the items left behind by the other team members, and said, "Thank you! What are your plans moving forward? Do you intend to leave, or stay?"

Mili only believed half of what Li Wei said.

The only thing she could confirm was that Lu Ge and the others had not been killed by Li Wei, and there were no issues with their belongings.

What she didn't believe was Li Wei's name and background.

Wandering under freezing blizzard conditions—aside from cannibals, who else could possibly travel from a distant place to the vicinity of the Four Seas Base?

Therefore, Mili suspected that Li Wei did not come from the Starry Sky Base at all, but rather from the cannibal tribe.

As for why she didn't claim Li Wei was from the Vulcan Base:

She herself had previously been from the Vulcan Base and was in charge of intelligence; she knew the name of every single one of those several thousand people in the Vulcan Base without a problem.

If Li Wei had directly impersonated a survivor from the Vulcan Base, Mili would have worried whether she could play along with the act.

However, the Four Seas Base was currently short on people, and Li Wei was an ability user.

If utilized well, it would be a good thing.

Moreover, Pei Fu had explicitly informed her that the King of Daxishi was dead, so she didn't need to worry about Li Wei becoming an inside mole or anything of the sort.

Most importantly, Li Wei had brought the suicide notes of Lu Ge and the others.

She would wait to see Li Wei's own decision; any issues could be addressed once Yu Yuangui woke up.

Li Wei hesitated for a moment and said, "If possible, I'd like to stay."

Mili grabbed a sticky note pad and said as she wrote: "Alright, I'll issue you a certificate. Later, go get your Four Seas Base residency permit processed; this will signify your official joining of the Four Seas Base."

"As a token of appreciation, we will gift you some rice, table salt, and dried meat. Additional supplies will require you to participate in the Four Seas Base's construction tasks to earn them."

"Housing and supplies can be claimed at the logistics department."

"Here is your certificate."

Li Wei took the stamped certificate, stood up, and said, "Thank you!"

Mili said, "You're welcome."

After being busy for half a day, Li Wei held his Four Seas Base residency permit and, with the help of a few logistics staff members, brought his supplies into his new home.

Looking at the 50 kilograms of rice, 2 pounds of table salt, 15 pounds of dried meat strips, 100 pounds of coal, along with basic pots, bowls, kettles, a cotton quilt, and matches piled in the room, Li Wei felt as though he had returned to the era before the apocalypse.

So many supplies—if converted into currency among the cannibals, just how much would they be worth?

Li Wei sat on the bed, looking at the rice with a joyful, silly smile.

As he laughed, tears began to stream down his face.

"Starting today, my name is Lu Peng! My name is Lu Peng!"

Li Wei chanted silently in his heart, deciding to forget his past as a cannibal and live on in this Four Seas Base.

Come to think of it, Li Wei had never imagined that the procedure to join the Four Seas Base would be so simple.

He was even allocated so many supplies right after joining.

This was something he had never dared to dream of before.

If he had known earlier that the treatment here was this good, how foolish he would have been to stay with the cannibals!

...

"…He just kept smiling foolishly with joy when he saw the rice; no abnormalities have been observed for now."

Over here, someone had come to Mili's office to report on Li Wei's situation.

Mili nodded: "Mm, keep observing."

No sooner had she finished handling some official paperwork than someone else came to report that visitors had arrived outside the base.

This time, the arrivals were two ability users who looked very strong. The guards hadn't dared let them in directly, but the visitors claimed to know Yu Yuangui.

Yu Yuangui's accident was classified as a top secret within the Four Seas Base, and no one was permitted to leak it.

Supervisor Pei Fu was temporarily unable to step away, so she had to make an appearance herself.

Mili led her guards to the main gate.

Upon seeing the people standing before the gates, Mili froze noticeably.

"Mili, long time no see. Seeing that you're safe, I can finally rest easy."

Zheng Meng wore a smile, her tone gentle as she spoke.

This was a completely different person from the arrogant and icy Zheng Meng of the past, making Mili feel extremely uncomfortable.

"Miss Zheng Meng, I'm glad to still see you..."

Mili didn't know how to address Zheng Meng, and her gaze shifted toward the middle-aged man beside her.

Zheng Meng said, "That's a past identity. Just call me Zheng Meng. This is Qiao Xixin. We are both priests of the Ice God Cult, visiting the Four Seas Base on behalf of the cult."