Apocalyptic Disaster: I Hoard Billions in Supplies and Kill the Saint

173: Chapter 173 The Forest of Spontaneous CombustionYe Nanxing knew that even though she had stockpiled a massive amount of basic supplies, water sources, and energy in her space.

However, compared to a government system based on national storage levels, her resources were still only of the ’private Shelter type’ and could not be considered true strategic-level security.

The government can support tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people.

I... I am supporting a base.

She glanced at the central material allocation center of the system and couldn’t help but ponder:

[I wonder if there are any space ability users in here.]

[If there are, the government’s resource system has hope for self-circulation.]

[If not...]

Ye Nanxing thought again of the crops that Shen Qingyan was responsible for at Tianlang Mountain Base.

Those corn, bean sprouts, and wheat seedlings... to this day, still hadn’t shown any signs of mutation.

At a time when the whole world had declared that ’natural crops no longer sprout,’ the crops at their base were still regularly budding, growing, and bearing fruit.

Ye Nanxing lowered her eyes, and a secret guess emerged in her heart:

[Is it because of the spiritual spring?]

[Are the rules inside the space protecting them?]

This possibility was too great, and too strange.

But she didn’t say it out loud. She hadn’t even revealed it to people like Shen Qingyan or Chu Yunting.

The changes in this world had completely deviated from the trajectory of her previous life. Too many things were uncertain.

She was unwilling to jump to conclusions or easily expose her trump cards.

—She would not speak of this secret for now.

—Because she hadn’t yet seen how far this system could hold out.

In the air duct outside the tent, the light was dim and yellow.

The air was filled with the smell of dust deposited by high temperatures, the scorched smell of sun-baked plastic sheeting, and the slightly sour scent of food scraps.

A dark-skinned girl carrying a water bucket passed by Ye Nanxing and nodded at her.

Her shoes were already worn out, with her toes peeking out from the edges.

Behind her was a six or seven-year-old boy, hugging a bottle of freshly drawn water, panting from exhaustion.

’It’s my turn to clean the urinals in District 6 today,’ the girl said softly. ’You guys should sleep early, otherwise you’ll have to join the day shift queue.’

After speaking, she picked up the bucket and walked into the depths of the air duct. Her steps were not fast, but very steady.

Ye Nanxing stood by the air duct, not moving.

For the next few hours, she walked around. What she saw was real and heavy.

Someone was sitting by a campfire weaving fine sacks, the twine cutting into her knuckles, but in front of her was a numbered card for ’day labor for food.’

A young man secretly poured his allocated water into an empty bottle, taking advantage of the darkness to go to the trading point to exchange it for a mouthful of high-calorie nutritional gel.

An elderly person huddled in a corner, wiping sweat while telling a story to a Child, their voice dry but attempting to be calm.

Someone was guarding a garbage collection point, cleaning and drying plastic, cardboard, and even glass shards, then selling them to the recycling workshop next door in exchange for a piece of compressed biscuit.

There was also a drunkard hugging half a bottle of inferior fermented liquid, lying on an old sofa, grinning and cursing the government, the weather, and everyone, but no one paid him any mind.

There were even a few youths who looked like hoodlums, cornering a new woman in a blind spot of the surveillance, trying to ’borrow something to eat,’ but they were eventually shouted away by an order enforcement officer wearing an armband.

’We don’t welcome ’useless people’ here,’ that person said coldly.

’Those who aren’t even willing to do dirty work might as well starve to death early to save resources.’

There was no arguing with that statement. Everyone accepted it as the default.

She did not intervene. She did not stop it. She just walked quietly, watching.

She remembered every soul struggling to survive. She also remembered everyone sliding toward the edge of collapse in the Apocalypse.

She was not a savior. Nor was she a judge.

She was just someone walking her own path—watching to see if this ’old system’ could really survive.

’It’s not extinguished yet.’

’But it is... almost at the end.’

She muttered under her breath.

That night, she didn’t sleep. She just sat against a canvas wall all night, looking at the chaotic Shelter under the lights.

—Chaos was inevitable.

—But what can emerge from chaos with order is hope.

As night fell, on the outskirts of Lanyan Shelter.

Just as Ye Nanxing and her group were preparing to leave the Shelter—

The tower that had been broadcasting suddenly switched channels, its voice slightly hoarse but every word clear:

[Emergency Announcement]

—The latest emergency mission from Lanyan Shelter has been released!

—Today, a high-temperature spontaneous combustion phenomenon occurred in the ’Linchuan Spontaneous Combustion Forest’ area 20 miles to the northwest. No mutants have appeared after the fire started, and it is preliminarily judged to be a special plant chain reaction.

—A large number of ’scorching fruits’ with high-temperature luminescent reactions were left at the scene.

—According to preliminary laboratory screening earlier, this type of fruit may have ’gene activation’ properties, and some humans have already awakened primary abilities after eating them.

Mission recruitment is now open to all registered members of the Shelter:

[Mission Objective]: Enter the Spontaneous Combustion Forest to collect ’scorching fruit’ samples.

[Mission Reward]: Successfully bring back 1 complete fruit → Reward: 1 A-class food pack + 1 bottle of medical water.

Successfully bring back 5 or more → Reward: Basic energy source + priority ability screening quota.

Bring back 10 or more → Arrangement for base enlistment training qualification + provision of war zone identity registration card.

’It has been confirmed that at least two fruit collectors have shown signs of ability awakening!’

’This mission is voluntary; you are responsible for your own life, and there will be no unified rescue!’

Once the broadcast ended, the Shelter immediately became restless.

Crowds surged at the camp entrance. Dozens of young people who happened to be on ’rotation’ immediately gathered to ask for the route. Even a few old men who usually queued on time for meals were quietly sharpening knives and wrapping cloth.

’Abilities...’

’This is a chance to turn one’s life around!’

’As long as you awaken one—you might be directly assigned to the first batch of guards for the westward migration team.’

Zhang Tianjin squatted directly by the front wheel, raised an eyebrow, and laughed: ’Damn... this mission is exciting enough.’

’This isn’t just playing around; they’re recruiting ability users.’

’Fruit can trigger abilities?’ Zhou Cheng frowned. ’Since the government dares to issue this, it means it’s true.’

Zhou Cheng looked at Ye Nanxing: ’Do you want to go take a look?’

Zhao Wei licked his dry, cracked lips: ’Things like ability fruit... we can’t let them just pick them all up.’

’The government has its eyes on it. If we bring a batch back, they’ll be more valuable than energy.’

Zhang Tianjin’s tone was calm: ’But it also means the danger is extremely high. The government wrote directly that there would be ’no unified rescue’.’

Chu Yunting looked at the map in the distance and judged slowly: ’From the Shelter to the Spontaneous Combustion Forest is about twenty kilometers. There are no dense zombie zones along the way, but there might be unextinguished scorched forest areas.’

’But we have vehicles, equipment, and space.’

’We can go.’

Ye Nanxing did not hesitate.

’If it’s true, we must get the first batch before anyone else.’

’The ability system needs to be reconstructed—starting from now.’

She knew this could be a ’true class disparity.’

Being one step late might mean falling far behind the entire layout of the Apocalypse.

Ye Nanxing raised her hand faintly, saying one sentence: ’Change vehicles. Bring the portable purification kit and spare water.’

’We’re going.’