Chapter 329: Aftereffects of the Stimulant
The Safe House was far too cramped for so many people, definitely not as spacious as the Shelter. They had gotten used to luxury, so going back to simple living was hard.
The Shelter, with its five stories and all the facilities, was practically a palace.
Uncle You asked Zhou Haimei for her opinion.
She readily agreed and even asked Zhang Yi, “Is my old villa still there? I spent 180 million on it when I bought it!”
After all, it was a villa she paid for herself. Even though real estate had become worthless in the apocalypse, she still couldn’t let it go.
Zhang Yi shook his head, smiling, “It was destroyed long ago! But there are still many other intact villas; picking a new one to live in will be the same.”
Zhou Haimei sighed, feeling a sense of loss.
“That was my life’s savings!”Even for a celebrity, buying a house required great effort, so she couldn’t help feeling emotional.
Still, she had no complaints about moving back.
It was just too dull here. Going back to Cloud Manor, she could even stop by Zhang Yi’s place to visit Zhou Ke’er and Yang Siyah for a game of mahjong—what a treat!
So, everyone started packing.
But Zhang Yi stopped them from bringing everything.
“Just take the essentials. Keep the place as it is and leave some supplies behind.”
“In case anything happens, this place can serve as a temporary refuge.”
Everyone agreed; it made a lot of sense.
Zhang Yi’s Dimensional Space was stocked with supplies, so they packed only the important items, leaving lightly.
Zhang Yi was the last to leave, locking the heavy alloy door.
No one else could enter this place without him, and he certainly wasn’t leaving it for others to use.
The group went downstairs, and Zhang Yi brought out the Snow Vehicle for everyone to board.
At that moment, Zhang Yi sensed someone watching from nearby.
He turned and spotted a figure in a black down jacket in the distance.
It was Li Jian.
Frowning slightly, Zhang Yi walked over to him.
Li Jian didn’t flee, waiting calmly for Zhang Yi to approach.
“Out wandering instead of sleeping? What are you up to?”
Li Jian quickly answered, “There was a big explosion from the west tonight; it woke us up, so I haven’t slept.”
The explosion he mentioned was, of course, the missile.
Zhang Yi looked him over, considering his peculiar powers, and asked, “How’s your health lately? Any strange feelings?”
Li Jian’s powers were oddly bestowed by people who called themselves followers of the Snow God. Zhang Yi hadn’t dealt with them directly, but he sensed that someday they’d cross paths. �
Knowing more about them could only be helpful.
Li Jian shook his head. “No, I barely dare to use my power. Professor Ge warned me that if I use it too much, I might end up as fertilizer.”
Zhang Yi nodded, ending the conversation.
Li Jian’s ability wasn’t of much use to him now.
So he didn’t plan to kill Li Jian or recruit him. After all, Li Jian had the people of Building 18 depending on him.
Those people had no grudges with Zhang Yi and posed no threat.
For people like that, Zhang Yi didn’t mind letting them live their lives.
Li Jian could stay here, in case he proved useful someday.
That night, the group returned to the Shelter.
Though only a day and a half had passed, returning felt like ages.
This place had almost been destroyed by a missile, reduced to rubble.
But now, their enemy was gone, and nothing could disrupt their peaceful life.
It was late, and everyone was exhausted, so Zhang Yi had them settle down to rest.
They could pick their villas after regaining their strength.
There were over ten untouched villas nearby, so Fatty Xu and Uncle You could choose freely.
Throughout, Zhang Yi made it clear that the Shelter wouldn’t be shared with others.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Uncle You and Fatty Xu.
Zhang Yi had great faith in Uncle You, but he still had reservations about Fatty Xu.
As for Zhou Haimei, Zhang Yi kept up polite appearances mainly out of respect for Uncle You.
He didn’t trust the two of them entirely; they were more like allies united by mutual benefit.
Keeping them out of the Shelter was better.
Besides, it would be inconvenient if they all lived together.
For instance, Zhang Yi had his own needs and lifestyle.
With others around, it would be harder to relax and go about freely.
Uncle You shared this sentiment, happy to live on his own.
As for Fatty Xu, after being used by Xu Lili, he had become a bit afraid of women.
At home, he only felt comfortable speaking with Zhang Yi.
He was more than happy to move out and spend time with his figurines and pillows.
After all these days of worry and over a month of tension, they could finally sleep soundly!
Zhang Yi embraced Hua Hua and returned to his cozy room.
He locked the door from inside, as he would soon enter a weakened state.
The stimulant had drained his energy, and the post-use aches and fatigue would be severe.
Especially since he’d taken three doses at once!
In the days that followed, life returned to normal.
Both Zhang Yi and Fatty Xu entered a weakened state.
They could only describe it as a limp body and a dull mind.
Zhang Yi just wanted to lie in bed and do nothing.
Thankfully, he had plenty of women around.
Zhou Ke’er, Yang Siyah, and Lu Keran took turns taking care of him, which felt quite nice.
Fatty Xu, however, was less fortunate, lying in bed alone and relying on manga to pass the time.
Each day, Yang Siyah would bring food to his bed, but there was no “feeding service.”
Zhang Yi, on the other hand, could enjoy this high-class treatment.
Meanwhile, Liang Yue led her students on a difficult journey to Xu Family Town.
The town was left with only elderly, women, and children, and many houses were vacant.
Liang Yue and her dozen students took up two empty houses.
The villagers avoided contact with them.
Especially when they saw Liang Yue in her Special Forces uniform from West Hill Base, they instinctively kept their distance.
The shadow left by West Hill Base’s Special Forces would likely haunt them until death.
With housing settled, the issue of food remained challenging.
The students weren’t fishermen; they didn’t have the skills to cut through ice for fishing.
Soft-hearted, Liang Yue couldn’t bear to rob the weak.
So she had no choice but to go to the Shelter and ask Zhang Yi for food as he had promised.
Author\'s Note