Apocalyptic Reincarnation: Start with a 30-million Bonus

The winter wind is gradually fading, and the warm sun teases the senses.

The temperature slowly rises above zero.

The accumulated snow gradually melts, though not quickly.

But it is indeed melting.

Li Yu stands atop the observation tower on the mountain, thinking of the people he encountered yesterday, those residents who fled from Jiefang City.

After giving them the list of supplies in exchange, there was some controversy.

Yet food was the most critical, so they didn't dwell too long and eventually dispersed.

From the observation tower, one can see every place within the entire base. Many little corners are fully visible.

Li Yu, with headphones on, listens to the song "Closure" coming through the headphones.

l got no cards up my sleeve

i wrote you a song but you sang off key

Call it wrong if it's what you need

....

The wind at ten in the morning is warm under the high sun.

Lately, he's been constantly busy, occupied with various matters within the base.

The base is now on the right track, whether it's Uncle, Third Uncle, Second Uncle, or Li Hang, Dapao, Li Gang, Li Tie, and the like, they can all now stand on their own.

A base of over a hundred people, all equipped with firearms.

It has become a not-so-weak force.

12-meter-high walls, topped with electric fences, cameras—security within the base has significantly improved.

Li Yu slowly exhales, suddenly besieged by an inexplicable irritability.

Lately, images of several near-death experiences before his rebirth keep flashing through his mind.

Also, he dreamed last night of the base being breached, watching helplessly as everything was destroyed.

All this has made him somewhat anxious these past two days, as if he has a premonition that something bad is looming.

Often, he becomes unexpectedly irritable and indifferent at certain moments.

But every time when this happens, he finds a place to be alone for a while, so as not to accidentally harm family and friends.

The headphones now play Yung Lean's "Miami."

Li Yu's mind flashes to a person, someone he once trusted entirely.

But during a flight for survival, that person abandoned him, taking all the food with them.

In a post-apocalyptic world, he could somehow understand.

But to lock the escape door and take the food, leaving a friend behind was bad enough.

Knowing full well there were so many zombies below and still closing the door, it was obviously an attempt to kill him.

In the past, Li Yu had saved him so many times.

And all this was met with no gratitude, only betrayal.

When the disparity between giving and receiving is vast, the hatred intensifies.

Kill!

Thinking of this scene, Li Yu growls in a low voice.

If he ever encounters that person again, it's a must kill!

His hands grip the railing tightly, the iron bending slightly under his grasp, veins popping on his arms.

Then he looks up.

Li Yu's eyes are bloodshot, devoid of emotion, just like a demon's.

He never considers himself a good person; after experiencing betrayal, despair, and a cruel reality, something about him is off.

He keeps trying to redeem himself, his kind-hearted inner self continually trying to convince him.

He recalled a saying, "There is only one kind of heroism in the world: to love life deeply despite having recognized its true essence."

Thinking of this made Li Yu feel like exploding.

To have seen the true essence of life—what essence? The rule of the strongest? Misery as the norm of life?

To still love life, as Li Yu understood, didn't mean to pretend to be optimistic. It meant facing the discomfort within and finding a way to let it out.

....

The sun has been scorching recently, and the many batteries obtained from the electronics market last time allowed for extra power storage.

As a result, electricity usage at the base became quite ample.

So in the underground plantation, the basements of the other two rows of houses were cleared out and used for growing crops.

In these spare chambers, tasks were mainly handled by the tanned An Ya, Uncle, and others.

Among the cultivated crops were mainly corn, sweet potatoes, and rice, with some wheat being planted as well, but not much.

The least planted were potatoes, which don't have an extended shelf life. Unlike other crops that, once processed, can easily be stored for over five years.

Rice, when unhusked and kept in a vacuum, can be stored for up to ten years!

After composing his emotions and returning to normal,

Li Yu continued his patrol around the base.

Just as he entered the basement, he saw An Ya, Uncle, the ever-optimistic Xiao Han, and others busily working.

Li Yu noticed An Ya spreading something she just scooped out of a large barrel onto the seedbeds, which emitted a foul smell, but An Ya's expression remained unchanged.

Li Yu asked, "What are these? Why do they smell so bad?"

An Ya looked up, saw it was Li Yu, and calmly replied,

"We don't have matured organic fertilizer, but at least we have a substitute. This is poultry manure, like chicken droppings, so it smells a bit strong."

Li Yu watched as she nonchalantly scooped it out and spread it evenly on the nursery bed.

Seeing Li Yu's gaze, An Ya explained, "I'm just seeding and nurturing. This nutrient soil is intended for the seedbed."

Li Yu nodded, then noticed Uncle working on a daylight lamp. This reminded him of his cousin, Li Suxin, who was daydreaming in class on his way here.

Uncle's wife had passed away a few years ago.

And Uncle, being somewhat wooden, isn't very good at expressing his thoughts and spends little time with his youngest daughter, Suxin.

So he said, "Uncle, if you have the time, try to spend more of it with Suxin."

Upon hearing this, Uncle momentarily paused, seeming a bit nervous, "Is something wrong with Suxin?"

Li Yu shook his head, "Nothing's wrong. It's just that, she's still young, and Auntie passed away early. If you can, spend more time with Suxin."

Uncle nodded, "That girl is closer to you. She seems to ignore me whenever I try to engage her. Sigh."

Li Yu responded, "Uncle, Suxin is very smart. Sometimes, you don't actually need to say much, just spending more time with her is enough."

Uncle, with a hint of guilt in his eyes, affirmed strongly, "Sure!"

Li Yu took a deep look at Uncle and sighed.

Ever since Auntie passed away, Uncle had not been in a good state, seemingly indifferent to everything.

But after the apocalypse began, he seemed to return to a more normal state.

After wandering through the basement, Li Yu went back to the surface.

There was still some snow on the ground, along with many patches of water, all resulting from the melted snow.

Strolling slowly, he saw Father Li and Ding Jiu, along with some workers, constructing a gymnasium not far from the residential area.

Now that there were more people in the base, even though there was a park with space for exercise and some simple equipment for physical training, there was still a shortage of indoor sports facilities.

Currently, the base only had an underground training room of over a hundred square meters beneath Li Yu's villa.

A couple of days ago, during the base's construction planning, the proposal to build a new gymnasium was brought up.

The gymnasium would include basketball courts, badminton courts, table tennis courts, and others.

It was a massive project, but there wasn't any hurry. They had plenty of time and could take it slowly.