My Apocalypse System Arrives 10 Years Early

In addition, the trademarks for "Dundun Hero" and "Yun Duoduo" were also registered.

These trademarks would be used for a line of panda-themed merchandise (like dolls, tableware, etc.) that would be sold simultaneously in the scenic area’s shops and on the livestreams in the near future.

Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui had transitioned into management, so they rarely appeared as on-camera hosts anymore. This year, during graduation season, many high school graduates came to apply. These were girls who hadn’t gotten into college, whose families wouldn’t support them retaking the exams, and who didn’t want to continue their studies themselves.

These girls were all just eighteen or nineteen years old, and two were even classmates of Jiang Cai’Er. From the applicants, Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui selected seven or eight who had charming looks and were quick-witted and eloquent, adding them to the host team.

When selling products on livestreams, they took turns going on air to explain the items. They also set up many sub-accounts to broadcast and sell different categories of products, and the hosts rotated between the various teams.

As the business expanded, the team truly needed new blood. They had informed Li Xiang about these matters, but he didn’t get involved, simply letting them make the decisions on their own.

As for those not chosen to be hosts, other positions were available, including attendants for the teahouse, tavern, bubble tea shop, and souvenir shop, as well as jobs as garment factory workers.

In other words, they did their best to find a position for everyone.

Providing job opportunities was one of Li Xiang’s team’s most important "social responsibilities."

The garment factory also hired nearly two hundred employees, and some of the pretty girls among them were also selected to become hosts.

Being a host was certainly easier than operating a sewing machine, and it paid more, too.

The hosts at Eternal Night Media never created suggestive content. They were basically the modern equivalent of department store sales staff or hosts on a TV shopping network. They had simply shifted from traditional channels like malls and television to the internet, where they could reach a much larger audience.

After a meeting with Li Xiang and the team to discuss the garment factory’s location, they ultimately decided to use a section of the Phase Two Shelter. It would be renovated to serve as the new factory.

’After all, the only ready-made structures are inside the mountain. Since it’s meant to be a supporting facility for the Underground City later on, why not just establish it there permanently from the start? It’ll save us the trouble of moving it again in the future.’

The rough structure of the Phase Two Shelter had been waterproofed previously and had been sitting empty for a long time, so renovations could begin. Meanwhile, construction on the Phase Three Shelter was also in full swing.

Renovating the new factory, purchasing equipment, and recruiting personnel—despite the hectic pace of all these tasks, Yao Yao and the others found it fulfilling and a great learning experience.

In addition, they planned to open a *maocai* shop in a corner of the scenic area. With the growing number of tourists and the area’s remote location, figuring out where to eat was becoming a problem for some visitors.

*Maocai* is a traditional dish from Sichuan Province, featuring main ingredients like meat, soy products, green vegetables, seafood, and mushrooms. It was once widely popular in the military. The cooking method is quite simple: a broth is prepared with Chinese medicinal herbs and various spices. The chosen ingredients are placed in a small bamboo strainer, cooked in the hot broth, and then transferred to a bowl. The bowl is pre-seasoned with various condiments, and a ladle of the original broth is poured over everything. A final sprinkle of cilantro, scallions, and Sichuan’s unique fermented soybeans, and it’s ready to serve.

As long as the recipe was standardized, there would be no need to hire a highly skilled chef. Any of the young women could handle the cooking, and the dishes could be prepared assembly-line style.

Yes, the name would be "So Spicy, So Cute." Also, as a special feature for the Li Family Village scenic area, when the new shop opened, every order would come with a complimentary piece of panda-shaped fish tofu.

They also designed a graffiti art wall for the shop’s exterior, centered around the Chinese character for "spicy." Yao Yao was the artist. They had originally wanted Li Xiang to do the calligraphy, but he felt his own brushwork wasn’t as good as hers and insisted she do it.

Yao Yao painted it at night.

Why at night? Because she could use her Transformation Technique. She stretched her arms to incredible lengths, eliminating the need for a ladder, and even created numerous Little Yaoyaos. Besides painting the highly creative "spicy" character, they also added accompanying illustrations to the wall. The overall effect was stunningly artistic.

It was perfect for tourists to take photos in front of, and could even be used to generate memes with local dialect phrases.

The main Eternal Night Media account also launched a "#SpicyPanda Makeup Challenge." Many of its hosts participated to get the ball rolling, kicking off a major trend online. In just three days, the number of participants exceeded two million.

Once the "So Spicy, So Cute" *maocai* shop became a hit, they could also start opening up franchise locations.

Some villagers had also set up stalls in a wide-open area in the village center, selling all sorts of snacks and local specialties. Business for them was also quite good.

However, Li Family Village now prohibited the digging of bamboo shoots, leaving them all for the pandas. The pandas couldn’t possibly eat that many, but protecting their habitat was what mattered most.

But Li Xiang wouldn’t let the villagers take a loss. He had to take care of his own people, of course. The village would provide subsidies, paid out according to the acreage of each family’s bamboo grove.

In addition to protecting the bamboo forest on the back mountain, Li Xiang also had Lei Xiaonan arrange long-term purchases of fresh bamboo shoots from all the surrounding villages. A fixed quantity was fed to the pandas daily, and only the leftovers were sold to city dwellers.

The shoots on Li Family Village’s back mountain, however, were left for the pandas to forage for themselves, providing a form of natural exercise.

...

The warehouse was as vast and empty as a plain. After a period of inactivity, Li Xiang felt the urge to move. He decided it was time for another global resource-gathering run. ’This kind of thing needs to be done in "small" amounts, many times. It’s a slow, steady stream. If I fleece everyone all at once before the Apocalypse, the people in other countries will have it too rough. But since it’s still peacetime, fleecing them a bit more often shouldn’t be a problem.’

His first stop was Japan. The country was incredibly rich in supplies and had long since recovered from his last raid. In just three days, Japan’s major financial conglomerates were crying bloody murder over their disastrous losses. However, the Mysterious Armored Man was simply too powerful, his methods even more ghostly and unpredictable than before.