Chapter 346: Various Powers in Tianhai City

Chapter 346: Various Powers in Tianhai City

Zhang Yi and Liang Yue agreed on the terms: Liang Yue would move into the shelter.

She would be allowed to eat and access the basic services here, like everyone else.

But she wasn’t permitted to bring anyone else in unless she had Zhang Yi’s approval.

Of course, enforcing this rule would be challenging.

Zhang Yi only allowed people he deemed useful to enter his shelter.

The main goal was to create the best possible life for himself in the apocalypse.

And as usual, he would provide Liang Yue with enough food for ten people each day so she could deliver it to her students to keep them alive.

Hearing that Zhang Yi would continue supplying food, Liang Yue relaxed, patting her chest in relief. Now, she could ease her conscience.

But she was unaware that this very agreement triggered Zhang Yi’s resentment toward her students—honestly, he was already considering getting rid of them.

Knowing Zhang Yi well, Yang Xinxin understood the barely noticeable smile at the corner of his mouth—it was a clear sign those students wouldn’t live much longer.

Because Zhang Yi never supported people who contributed nothing.

And Yang Xinxin didn’t like those students either.

So rather than revealing Zhang Yi’s intentions, she chose to support him.

Zhang Yi then called Yang Siyah and Zhou Ke’er over, asking them to bring Zhou Haimei along.

They would host a welcoming event at noon to celebrate Liang Yue joining their group.

Zhou Ke’er smiled and said, “Okay, I’ll get the rooms ready!”

Yang Siyah grinned, “Then Haimei and I can handle lunch preparations! Miss Liang, is there anything you’d especially like?”

Overwhelmed by their warm welcome, Liang Yue quickly replied, “I’m not picky; whatever you make will be fine.”

Yang Siyah nodded, smiling, “Alright then!”

Both women wore bright smiles, but something about their expressions felt off to Liang Yue.

There was a subtle tension, an almost hidden hint of hostility, that left her puzzled.

“What’s going on? Is it just my imagination?”

She couldn’t think of anything she’d done to offend them, so she brushed it off as overthinking.

After leaving the living room, Zhou Ke’er and Yang Siyah exchanged a glance, sighing in unison.

“One more person in the house!”

“And it’s a really strong woman, too.”

“She’s not just strong—she’s beautiful as well.”

With a troubled look, Yang Siyah propped her chin on her hand. “That makes me the least useful one here.”

For once, Zhou Ke’er tried to console her, “Hey, don’t be so hard on yourself. At least you’re a great cook!”

“And we still have the advantage in terms of figure!”

She struck a confident S-shaped pose, proudly puffing out her chest.

Yang Siyah looked down and couldn’t even see her shoes.

Not bad—definitely something to be proud of.

At least in terms of appearance, they felt they had the upper hand, which gave them a bit of confidence.

But with this new sense of rivalry, they both resolved to prove their worth even more in the future.

No way were they letting anyone steal Zhang Yi!

…

The house was bustling. After arriving at the shelter, Zhou Haimei greeted Zhang Yi and the newcomer, Liang Yue, before heading off to help Zhou Ke’er and Yang Siyah.

Zhang Yi slapped his leg, turning to Liang Yue. “Perfect timing; we’re about to hold a meeting. Why don’t you join us?”

“A meeting?” Liang Yue asked, curious. “What kind of meeting?”

Zhang Yi gave a mysterious smile. “A strategy meeting.”

Liang Yue covered her mouth in surprise. “Don’t tell me there’s going to be another fight? West Hill Base is gone; are there still enemies nearby?”

Zhang Yi gave a light chuckle. “When one river dries up, the water from other streams will naturally flow in to fill the gap.”

Liang Yue understood.

“You’re saying that with West Hill Base gone, the surrounding area is now up for grabs, so others will want to take its territory?”

“Something like that. At the very least, other factions have been sighted nearby, but how things will develop is anyone’s guess.”

Zhang Yi shrugged. “But we have to prepare for the worst! Life isn’t a game, and as long as we’re prepared, there’s no danger we can’t handle.”

Liang Yue nodded, fully agreeing with his cautious attitude, her expression growing serious. “If there’s anything you need me to do, just let me know!”

“Of course. I won’t hesitate.”

At that moment, Yang Xinxin tugged at Zhang Yi’s sleeve, smiling brightly.

“Big Bro Zhang Yi, I found some fascinating data from West Hill Base’s database. It’s about the other factions in Tianhai City. Want to hear it?”

“Definitely! Let me get Fatty Xu and Uncle You over here so we can all listen.”

Yang Xinxin nodded.

The decision of whether or not to share these details publicly was up to Zhang Yi.

He called the other two to the living room.

Zhou Ke’er and the others were still preparing for the welcoming party, but they were in the open kitchen nearby, so they could hear the conversation.

However, since their roles leaned more toward logistics, they only needed to be aware of the information; they didn’t need to participate in the discussion.

Once everyone was present, Zhang Yi gave a quick recap of the events they’d encountered at West Hill Base.

“At the base entrance, we ran into two different groups and had some confrontations. This might provoke retaliation, or other factions could come in to claim territory, which could lead to conflict with us.”

“So, everyone! We can’t get too comfortable just yet; we need to stay vigilant and prepared for anything!”

Everyone nodded. Although they were surprised to hear about other factions, it wasn’t too shocking. In the apocalypse, anything was possible.

Looking at Yang Xinxin, Zhang Yi said, “Why don’t you start by briefing us on the other factions? It’ll help us identify potential enemies.”

All eyes turned to Yang Xinxin, waiting for her report.

She placed her laptop on her lap, displaying the intel she’d prepared.

She began speaking at a calm, steady pace.

“According to intel from West Hill Base, there are four factions in Tianhai City that could pose a threat to us!”

“Among them, three are factions based within shelters, just like West Hill Base. I’ll start with those.”

“The first is the Yangsheng Base. They control the largest oil refinery in Tianhai City, making energy their biggest asset.”

“The current leader of Yangsheng Base is Xiao Honglian, a superhuman. Her powers are unknown but are rumored to involve fire.”

“She has a deputy named Zhuge Qingting, whose power is related to wind, but details are unclear.”

“The second is the Chaoyu Base, near the East Sea, controlling all the shipping companies in Tianhai City. According to West Hill Base’s data, they even have access to large vessels for sea travel.”

At this, Zhang Yi raised a hand, pausing her.

“Hold on, Xinxin. Can they even sail out to sea in these conditions?”

It was February, the coldest time of year, with the Lu River entirely frozen over.

Would it really be possible to launch ships in this weather?

Everyone shared his question, looking at Yang Xinxin with confusion.

A hint of pride appeared on Yang Xinxin’s face; her academic knowledge had finally come in handy.

“That’s right, parts of the coastal areas may freeze, but the open ocean remains too deep to freeze, especially closer to the equator where temperatures are warmer.”

“Warm currents flow from the equator, and there are underwater volcanoes, so it’s impossible to freeze the entire ocean.”

“Even if temperatures drop by another hundred degrees, there will still be liquid water beneath the ice-covered surface.”

Lu Keran added, “With high salt content, seawater doesn’t freeze easily. Plus, with icebreakers, they can keep ships anchored in deeper waters to avoid getting trapped in the ice.”

With this explanation, everyone finally understood.

Zhang Yi rubbed his chin thoughtfully, an idea forming.

“So, does that mean they could fish out there or even relocate to warmer areas near the equator?”

Yang Xinxin nodded.

“Based on the current temperatures, areas near the equator are probably only around -20 or -30°C. While disastrous for locals, it’s no worse than winter in Northeast China, where people can survive.”

She looked over her notes. “And, according to West Hill Base’s intel, they’re well-supplied with food because of their proximity to the sea.”

“But since ships require substantial fuel, they maintain trade with Yangsheng Base. These two factions are the closest allies among Tianhai City’s powers.”

Peering over her laptop, Zhang Yi’s eyes narrowed as he saw a familiar symbol in the data on Chaoyu Base.

It was a blue wave icon.

“Is this the logo for their base?”

He confirmed with Yang Xinxin.

She nodded. “Yes, each of the four shelters has its own symbol, all originally established by the government.”

That explained it!

Zhang Yi recalled the uniforms of Wang Ruixuan’s group, which looked identical to those of West Hill Base, except for the blue wave on the chest instead of the golden sword.

That meant he had killed people from Chaoyu Base.

“Let’s continue,” he said.

Yang Xinxin nodded and went on with her briefing.

“The current leader of Chaoyu Base is Wei Dinghai. Unfortunately, there’s no detailed information about him; we can’t even confirm if he’s a superhuman.”

“His second-in

-command, Chen Jingguan, is similarly undocumented.”

“It seems their main operations are offshore, so they have little contact with other bases.”

“Since they can harvest resources from the sea, and their ships are well-equipped against the cold, they rarely clash with other factions.”

Zhang Yi thought to himself, Well, now they’re clashing with me!

“The last of the three shelter factions is in Qingpu District.”

“It’s located near Tianhai Qingpu Iron & Steel Group’s plant, currently run by an organized group of factory workers.”

“Their leader is named Xingtian. His name sounds fierce, but we’re not sure if it’s real or just a codename.”

“If someone’s online alias were ‘Xingtian,’ it’d be cool. But if that’s his real name, it’s intense,” Yang Xinxin said with a hint of humor.

“Oh, and there is some info on his powers. He can apparently enhance the strength of people around him, but specifics are unclear.”

Yang Xinxin shrugged helplessly.

“With so little time since the apocalypse, none of the major factions are eager to clash.”

“And per the ‘law of the jungle,’ they’re cautious about revealing their abilities. Thus, intel is limited.”

Zhang Yi nodded, understanding this completely.

Superhuman abilities were complex and diverse.

If a superhuman’s power were a hidden weapon, it was like a gun you didn’t know the location, strength, or trigger of.

Without knowing your opponent’s powers, you had to remain constantly on guard.

Otherwise, that hidden weapon might go off in your face.

Yang Xinxin continued, “And another thing—all of the leaders of these three bases rose to power by seizing control through force, just like at West Hill Base.”

“However, they don’t have formal armies, only armed groups, so their combat training is weaker than West Hill Base.”

This made sense.

With the breakdown of order, only the strongest survived.

At West Hill Base, Chen Xinian was the exception, lacking any superhuman powers. His authority came solely from his loyal subordinate, Ling Feng.

“The three main bases, along with West Hill Base, each hold critical resources.”

Zhang Yi analyzed, “West Hill Base had military power, Yangsheng Base has energy, Chaoyu Base controls shipping, and Qingpu Base holds the steel industry.”

Realizing this, Zhang Yi felt a bit relieved.

“If that’s the case, West Hill Base actually had the strongest combat abilities among the four bases!”

After all, West Hill Base had the most weapons and a well-trained military.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Fatty Xu patted his chest. “I feel so much better. No matter how strong the others are, they’re no match for a base with a full military. And we even took down West Hill Base ourselves—what’s there to fear?”

Zhang Yi smiled, “They may have some armed forces, but they won’t match the quality of trained soldiers.”

“The biggest unknown now is their superhumans. Since intel is scarce, we likely won’t know their numbers or strength until we face them head-on.”

“In short, if we can avoid conflict, it’s best to do so!”

Zhang Yi could only hope they wouldn’t come; that would be ideal.

“Of course, if a fight does break out, we won’t back down!”

If they could conquer West Hill Base, with its formidable military, the other factions were no real threat.

Feeling a bit more cheerful, Liang Yue asked, “Xinxin, you mentioned there were four major factions. What’s the last one?”

At this point, everyone remembered Yang Xinxin hadn’t mentioned the final group.

Fatty Xu’s expression turned nervous.

“The last one... could it be the strongest? Miss Yang, are you hiding a big one?”

Everyone tensed up, turning their attention back to Yang Xinxin.

Author's Note

Another chapter done! If you’re loving our translations, a 5-star rating on NovelUpdates would mean the world to BOTI Translator Team.