Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 405: Chapter 395: The Truth

Tang Mo slept for a long time, because she knew that countless tasks awaited her once she woke up.

Whether this plan could continue to proceed smoothly depended on the most important factor: the attitude of the masses toward the mutant beasts.

Their long-standing fear was deep-rooted. Even if they had temporarily overcome it, driven by the potential rewards, they would revert to giving the mutant beasts a wide berth if human casualties grew too high.

So, for the next while, the base methodically ran its ”Public Kitchen” program, while Tang Mo flew about every day, doing her best to destroy as many mutant beasts as she could for the people.

However, Tang Mo’s working hours began to decrease. After a period of hard work, she started to slack off.

At first, she would be gone for most of the day. Then, it became half a day, then just a few hours. Eventually, she only went out once every few days.

Seeing the base’s main powerhouse starting to skip work, Yang Jie and the others grew anxious but didn’t dare to press the issue.

After all, no one could figure this Qiao Jin girl out. She wasn’t like one of his own subordinates.

By now, Yang Jie had long understood that this Qiao Jin girl definitely had her own agenda in doing all this. It wasn’t some pledge of allegiance made to gain the base’s protection.

He wasn’t arrogant enough to believe he could protect such a formidable figure.

But he couldn’t do anything about it. The base was finally getting on the right track, more and more people were developing the courage to kill Red-eyed Mutant Beasts, and everything was heading in a positive direction. He couldn’t just let Qiao Jin give up.

Left with no other choice, Yang Jie could only brace himself and intercept Tang Mo on one of her return trips.

”Qiao Jin, excuse me, do you have a moment? I’d like to chat with you.” Yang Jie’s wording was exceedingly polite.

Tang Mo was very pleased with Yang Jie and the Yang Family Base.

Yang Jie was upright, capable, and intelligent—a natural-born leader.

For Qiao Jin’s parents, the Yang Family Base was the best possible place to be in this post-apocalyptic world; they felt an unparalleled sense of security here.

Furthermore, after Qi Jiaming’s parents arrived, George and Mrs. Qiao had people to talk to again. They wanted for neither food nor clothing and were unbelievably comfortable.

At first, the old friends would chat every day to pass the time, but after a while, they grew restless and couldn’t stand being idle. Since leaving the base was dangerous, the group of them simply found themselves jobs.

They started working as clerks at the exchange window or helping to prepare bait.

Having all suffered through the apocalypse, they felt uneasy living in the Yang Family Base for free without contributing in some way.

Initially, Yang Jie tried to stop them, insisting it was out of the question. But after seeing Qiao Jin’s attitude on the matter, he said no more.

Of course, Tang Mo strongly approved of her parents’ actions. She couldn’t be by their side forever. It wasn’t a matter of what they could do, but simply having the desire to be self-reliant was a very good thing.

To Tang Mo, nearly everything about the Yang Family Base was impeccable, so she had always treated Yang Jie with great respect.

”Please, say whatever is on your mind.”

In the meeting room, Tang Mo took a sip of water and spoke to Yang Jie.

”Um... while many people are still coming to trade in mutant beasts, the numbers have dropped compared to when we first started.”

Not wanting to directly accuse Tang Mo of slacking off, Yang Jie thought of a more roundabout approach.

’Fewer and fewer people are turning in mutant beast carcasses. Qiao Jin, if you don’t start working properly again, our plan is going to fall apart.’ ℯ

The meaning behind Yang Jie’s words was perfectly clear; he knew he was sitting across from a very smart person.

”So, Boss Yang, you think people are killing fewer mutant beasts now?”

Hearing Yang Jie’s words, Tang Mo showed no reaction. She still looked completely relaxed, as if she suddenly didn’t care whether the plan succeeded or not.

”Of course.”

Yang Jie thought, ’Isn’t that obvious? Everyone knows you can trade mutant beasts for food now.’

’If it weren’t for the fact that the dumber mutant beasts are getting scarce, making the hunt a dangerous job again, why on earth wouldn’t people trade their kills for food?’

”But from what I’ve observed while I’ve been out these past few days, it seems more and more people who kill mutant beasts aren’t coming to trade them for food.”

The Yang Family Base’s efforts were now focused on the exchange program. Regarding the actual situation in the outside world, they truly weren’t as well-informed as Tang Mo, who ventured out almost daily and had to travel farther and farther.

”Impossible! Who doesn’t want food right now? They kill a mutant beast, but don’t bring the carcass here... what use could they have for it? Those carcasses... could it be?!”

Yang Jie started to argue, but as he spoke, a possibility suddenly struck him.

”That’s right. They’re keeping them to eat themselves.”

The fact that Exotic Beast Meat was edible was something they had initially kept from the public, fearing people wouldn’t be able to accept it.

Once they discovered that making it into meatballs motivated people to hunt mutant beasts, there was even less reason to tell them. The end result was the same, after all.

But people weren’t stupid.

For a long time now, there had always been a long line at the gate of the Yang Family Base to trade for food.

No matter how wealthy the base was or how large its stockpiles were, it couldn’t possibly sustain this rate of consumption.

Besides, what was the point of collecting so many mutant beast carcasses? Were they making weapons? But no new weapons or equipment had been seen circulating.

And since the only thing coming out of the Yang Family Base was food, the only possibility was that those mutant beasts were being made into food.

When this possibility first occurred to them, everyone felt their stomachs turn involuntarily.

But every single one of them had eaten those meatballs, and to be honest, they tasted quite good.

But a mutant beast’s carcass was huge. Could it really only yield five meatballs?

People began to experiment on their own.

Of course, at first, they didn’t know which cut of meat was the most delicious. Fortunately, while the meat from other parts of the beast was simply unpalatable, it wasn’t poisonous.

Soon, those who had overcome their psychological block found the tastiest cut of meat on the mutant beasts. When cooked, it tasted exactly the same as the meatballs from the Yang Family Base.

What made them most indignant was that the cut of meat could clearly be made into twenty meatballs. Yet after all their hard work killing a mutant beast and waiting in such a long line, they could only trade it for five.

Those who figured out the math stopped going to the Yang Family Base to trade for food. Instead, they began a self-sufficient life of hunting mutant beasts.

If they were frugal, twenty meatballs was almost enough to last them for a month.

But that was just enough to sustain their lives. To eat their fill, they would have to kill even more mutant beasts.

”So that’s how it is... No wonder.”

Yang Jie muttered to himself.

So that was it. More and more people had figured out the meatballs were made from mutant beasts. With that, many things he couldn’t understand before were suddenly crystal clear.