Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

After the meal, everyone was stuffed, their bellies round and full. Some were even completely drunk.

Take Fatty Xu, for example—he had been so terrified during the battle that he nearly wet his pants. So when he got back, he indulged like there was no tomorrow, downing two whole bottles of top-tier red wine by himself.

Uncle You carried him to the restroom, letting him throw up for a while before finally dragging him back to his room to rest.

Zhang Yi had also had a fair amount of alcohol, but his tolerance was high, so he remained sober.

Once the banquet was over, he called out to Yang Xinxin.

“Xinxin, come with me to the control room.”

Yang Xinxin nodded and followed Zhang Yi inside.

Zhang Yi pushed open the heavy alloy doors of the control room and switched on the lights.

Bright light illuminated the massive room, revealing an advanced, futuristic aesthetic—like the control panel of a battleship. Even the ceiling and the floor were transparent OLED display screens.

Zhang Yi wheeled Yang Xinxin inside and shut the door behind them.

It wasn’t that he wanted to keep secrets from the others.

He just needed to understand everything himself first before deciding what to share. Some matters weren’t meant for group discussions—too many opinions could cloud one’s judgment rather than help it.

That was why Zhang Yi preferred discussing things with Yang Xinxin.

She was smart, and like him, she was purely rational.

Zhang Yi walked to the console and accessed the information Xiao Honglian had sent over.

Soon, he retrieved the files containing data on the leaders and key figures of various factions.

Of course, there was nothing on Yangsheng Base.

But Zhang Yi only truly cared about two people—Yuan Kongye and Zheng Yixian.

The rest were just a smokescreen to keep Xiao Honglian from guessing his real intent.

Yang Xinxin sat beside him, curiously watching as he opened file after file.

“Gege, what are you doing? Can you tell me?”

Zhang Yi didn’t hide his thoughts from Yang Xinxin.

Taking a deep breath, he told her everything he had seen at the Bai Xue Jiao encampment over the past few days, down to the smallest detail.

Then, he voiced his suspicions.

“There’s no concrete proof yet, but I have a feeling that Bai Xue Jiao might be involved in the zombie horde outbreak in Tianhai City.”

“If there really is a massive conspiracy behind this, then it’s a huge threat to us.”

“That’s why I need to investigate this thoroughly. If I don’t, I won’t be able to sleep at night.”

Yang Xinxin’s eyes widened in surprise.

She wasn’t the type to believe in conspiracy theories, but if what Zhang Yi suspected was true, then whoever was orchestrating everything behind the scenes was an absolute mastermind.

She didn’t rush to form an opinion.

Like Zhang Yi said, it was all speculation for now.

She leaned in closer, joining Zhang Yi in examining Yuan Kongye and Zheng Yixian’s files.

Zhang Yi opened Yuan Kongye’s file first.

As expected, Xiao Honglian hadn’t lied—the information she had gathered was incredibly detailed.

It documented Yuan Kongye’s entire life, from her family background to her upbringing.

After reading it, Zhang Yi and Yang Xinxin sat in silence for a long time.

Her story was simply… too tragic to put into words.

The summary was as follows:

Yuan Kongye, 20 years old, a mixed-blood of Huaguo and Nihon descent, born in Nara Prefecture, Nihon.

Her father was Yuan Suiyun, and her mother was Wagatsuma Kamiko.

Both were devout followers of a Nihon-based cult called Shinri-kyo.

When Yuan Kongye was three years old, her parents brought her to Tianhai City in Huaguo, settling at 256 Jinling Street in Changlan District.

That same year, Yuan Suiyun and Wagatsuma Kamiko established a branch of Shinri-kyo in Tianhai City.

(Note: Shinri-kyo is classified as a cult in Huaguo and operates underground.)

Yuan Suiyun became the cult leader, while Wagatsuma Kamiko served as the high priestess.

To attract followers, the couple claimed that their daughter, Yuan Kongye, possessed divine powers, declaring her the ”Holy Maiden” of Shinri-kyo.

Through religious manipulation, the Yuan family quickly amassed a fortune.

Because of this, Yuan Kongye grew up in luxury.

Within Shinri-kyo, she was treated like a princess.

However, that life came to an abrupt end when she turned sixteen.

Her parents, Yuan Suiyun and Wagatsuma Kamiko, died in a plane crash while traveling to Nihon for a Shinri-kyo gathering. They were killed on the spot.

After their deaths, the cultists gradually realized they had been deceived.

Yuan Kongye, still young, had no means to control the situation, and the truth was exposed—she had no divine powers at all.

Shinri-kyo’s teachings claimed that followers could receive divine blessings through financial donations and that, upon death, they would ascend to a heavenly kingdom.

It was even said that those who donated the most could choose which country they would reincarnate into in their next life.

Because of this belief, countless followers donated everything they had, going bankrupt in the process, giving all their wealth to Yuan Suiyun and Wagatsuma Kamiko.

But after the couple’s sudden deaths, the furious cultists demanded their wealth back.

Unfortunately, most of it had already been squandered by the Yuan family.

With no way to reclaim their losses, the enraged followers turned their fury on the only remaining target—sixteen-year-old Yuan Kongye.

Records from the Tianhai City police department in 2046 confirmed a report about the incident.

The case was classified as particularly heinous.

By the time Yuan Kongye was taken to the hospital, she had been tortured beyond recognition, her body covered in permanent lacerations.

However, due to the involvement of a cult and the sheer number of perpetrators, the case was handled ambiguously and never fully pursued.

From that moment on, Yuan Kongye seemed to vanish from the face of the earth.

She only resurfaced after the apocalypse—when she suddenly reemerged as the leader of Bai Xue Jiao.

Using the same manipulative tactics she had learned in Shinri-kyo, she gradually built up her power, turning Bai Xue Jiao into one of the largest factions in Tianhai City.

Zhang Yi and Yang Xinxin finished reading the file, falling into deep silence.

For a long time, they simply stared at the screen, unable to find the right words.

Xiao Honglian had worked in law enforcement before, so she was well aware of the case. She had even managed to obtain the original records.

According to the report, a total of 136 individuals had been involved in the attack on Yuan Kongye.

It was difficult to even imagine the level of suffering she had endured.

After a long pause, Zhang Yi finally spoke.

“A person like that… and she somehow became a savior in the apocalypse? Doesn’t that seem strange?”

He turned to Yang Xinxin.

“Do you believe it?”

Yang Xinxin shook her head.

Her eyes were dark as she spoke slowly.

“After experiencing something like that, it’s impossible to remain mentally stable. If it were me, the only thing on my mind would be destroying the world… or reshaping it into something I could control.”

Zhang Yi crossed his arms, taking a deep breath.

“There are a few things that finally make sense now.”

“Before, everyone—including myself—thought Bai Xue Jiao had suffered the heaviest losses in this zombie crisis.”

“After all, they lost nearly ten thousand followers.”

Then, his tone shifted.

“But now, I don’t think that’s the case at all.”

“Maybe… Yuan Kongye never cared about those people in the first place.”

“Maybe… she orchestrated their deaths to cover up something even bigger.”

Yang Xinxin lifted her head, staring at Zhang Yi.

“Gege, do you have any proof to back that up?”

A faint smirk appeared on Zhang Yi’s lips.

“I didn’t before. But now, I do.”

Author’s Note