Chapter 31: Assigning Missions
Ni Mengxue was stunned. "How do you know that?"
Lu Yucai lowered his head and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he softly replied, "I... just know."
His answer sounded firm despite lacking any explanation. Ni Mengxue looked at him for several seconds.
She could tell he wasn’t lying. Yet he also wasn’t willing to explain.
Just like herself, everyone had secrets they couldn’t reveal. She smiled faintly and decided not to press him. "We’ll survive."
Lu Yucai immediately shook his head. "No. We don’t have enough people."
Ni Mengxue blinked.
"Our current manpower is far too little. We have also made an enemy out of the Women’s Protection Association, so they will never protect you. You don’t have any backing or allies. If the base gets flooded by zombies... we won’t even have enough power to flee from the base."
Ni Mengxue fell silent. Everything he said was true. Until and unless she rushed to finish her trump card, no one could guarantee their safety.
Seeing his worried expression, Ni Mengxue smiled reassuringly. "I know. I’ll recruit more people."
Lu Yucai looked at her.
"I promise."
Only then did he slowly nod.
...............
That night, after everyone had gone to sleep, Ni Mengxue opened the Sanctuary Evolution System.
The mission panel immediately appeared before her. Almost every mission she had previously assigned had already been completed.
Her lips unconsciously curled upward. Some adventurous survivors had even travelled all the way to the alkaline lake.
Not only had they found limestone, they had also brought back large quantities of soda ash and gypsum.
The bricks had been completed, and so had the concrete.
This solved one of her biggest problems. Without hesitation, Ni Mengxue immediately issued a new construction mission.
[Mission 1: Build a cafeteria. Salary: 10 kg of coarse rice per week.]
She even attached a detailed blueprint alongside the mission requirements. The reward was generous enough to attract countless construction ability users.
Immediately afterward, she released another mission.
[Mission 2: Construct residential rooms according to the blueprint. Salary: 10 kg of coarse rice per week.]
[Mission 3: Protect Fair Shallow Base’s perimeter. Beginner salary: 50 kg of coarse rice per week.]
She deliberately set the salary higher than the surrounding bases. Food is far more attractive than zombie crystals nowadays.
As expected, within seconds, several people accepted the mission. Seeing that, Ni Mengxue finally let out a sigh of relief.
"...Still not enough."
The base lacked manpower, far too much. She couldn’t help asking,
"System, is there any feature that can promote a fair shallow base to attract more people?"
A mechanical notification instantly appeared.
[Warning. Current registered population: 10/10. Population limit reached. Construct additional residences before increasing the population.]
Ni Mengxue’s face stiffened. "...Seriously?"
So did such a thing? The population limit wasn’t determined by land size. It depended on available housing.
Currently, she had only completed one room. Taking a deep breath, she opened her merit point balance.
Three thousand merit points. Without hesitation, she chose to repay her outstanding debt first.
She owed 7500 merit points after a small repayment that she made before. This time she paid 2000 merit points, and the debt dropped to 5500 merit points.
Immediately afterward, she spent another thousand merit points. A brand-new residential room was instantly constructed under the system’s authority.
Looking at her empty merit point balance, Ni Mengxue’s lips twitched.
"...Back to being poor."
Fortunately, the population cap immediately increased. Without delaying any longer, she quickly released another mission.
[Mission 4: Resource Exploration. Find iron ore deposits. Reward: 10 kg of pure coarse rice.]
She leaned back against her chair. Iron. She desperately needed iron.
In her previous life, although she wasn’t an engineer, she had accumulated a great deal of theoretical knowledge. She might not be able to recreate advanced hover cars immediately...
But electric fences, basic power grids, and simple generators were still within reach. She might even make robots that can defend her base.
Once electricity surrounded the base, ordinary zombies would instinctively avoid the area.
By then, the burden on the guards would decrease dramatically. The apocalypse itself had never frightened her.
Resources and time were her true enemy. After organising the remaining missions, she spread a large map across the table.
One location after another was marked with charcoal. Shanty areas and other places in her current base.
If she wanted to recruit people, she first needed to know where they were.
.................
The next morning. The aroma of fried rice drifted through the room. Ni Mengxue placed a steaming bowl in front of Lu Yucai.
"Breakfast."
Lu Yucai quietly accepted it. However, his expression remained strangely restrained. He carefully scooped up a spoonful before cautiously glancing toward the door.
Ni Mengxue couldn’t help laughing. "What? You don’t like fried rice?"
Lu Yucai immediately shook his head. "No."
"Then why do you look so nervous?"
After hesitating for a moment, he honestly replied, "Last time... I couldn’t properly enjoy the meal. I’m worried someone will interrupt us again."
Ni Mengxue was briefly stunned before bursting into laughter.
Only her hubby could look so cute when he said such naive words!
"You’re overthinking. No one is coming."
Only then did Lu Yucai finally relax. He quietly enjoyed the warm breakfast without constantly looking over his shoulder.
After making sure he had finished eating, Ni Mengxue stood up. "I’ll head out for a while. Take care."
"You too."
......................
Her first stop that morning was Ying Luo Intelligence Agency.
As always, information came with a hefty price. Fifty kilograms of pure rice.
Even Ni Mengxue felt a slight ache in her heart while making the payment. Soon, two sealed documents were placed before her.
Without opening them immediately, she stored the report inside her space. There would be plenty of time to read it later.
After leaving the intelligence agency, she headed straight toward the Women’s Protection Association.
The spacious lobby was bustling with people coming and going. The moment she stepped inside, she spotted Gu Lin.