As a newly-minted couple, it was only natural for the two of them to be a little lovey-dovey.
Li Xingye led Chi Wan over to a gazebo near the flowerbeds and sat down. He could finally say with righteous conviction, "Xiahou Yu and Zhou Huaijin are clearly up to no good. Wanwan, you’re too naive. You can’t let their honest-looking exteriors fool you."
Chi Wan was exasperated. "Honest? I seem to recall someone else who looked quite innocent at first, you know? Ah, I’m already starting to miss the Brother Xingye who used to blush at the slightest teasing."
To her surprise, Li Xingye showed no sign of shame. Instead, he pulled Chi Wan’s hand over and rested his chin in her palm. "I’m still very innocent. Don’t believe me? Try teasing me and see."
When Chi Wan only laughed, Li Xingye said with a straight face, "Wanwan, look. I was a blank slate when it came to relationships. Everything I know, you taught me. I’m a fast learner; you can mold me into exactly the kind of person you like best.
"Can those other guys do that?"
Li Xingye’s line of reasoning left Chi Wan speechless.
’Seriously, where the hell did this kid go for advanced training?!’
As the man behind Li Xingye, Brother Qiang gave a faint smile, his good deeds and name deeply hidden.
In short, hearing Li Xingye say things like "mold me into the man you desire" with such an earnest expression was a bit too much for her to handle.
A slew of scenes not fit for broadcast flashed uncontrollably through Chi Wan’s mind. She thought in a daze, ’So it’s true. No amount of theoretical knowledge can compete with a stroke of genius from a natural talent, huh?’
’I can’t think about this anymore. Any longer and I’ll be blushing from all the dirty thoughts.’
Chi Wan cleared her throat, reached out, and pinched Li Xingye’s lips together, manually muting him. "Alright, that’s enough. Any more and you’ll ruin your image."
Li Xingye watched her meekly, then held a slice of fragrant pear—which he had apparently peeled and cut up at some point—to her lips.
Munching on the pear, Chi Wan recalled the earlier scene and mumbled, "Oh, right. Once the base is properly set up, what are you going to do about the spies who snuck in?"
Chi Wan hadn’t forgotten what happened with Xu Zhuang. But whenever she saw Li Xingye, he was always busy getting the base organized and didn’t seem to have had time to deal with the moles.
Hearing Li Xingye mention the Crystal Cores today, she couldn’t help but worry that this information would be leaked as well.
Li Xingye fed Chi Wan one slice after another, his expression relaxed. "The division of labor in the base is very clear now. Even if they’ve infiltrated, they can’t get near anything vital. After all, what they want most is our food source and intel on my superpower."
"But we’re slowly opening up more channels for food trade. As long as we can maintain a steady supply, the original source isn’t that important. In any case, they can’t beat me."
Chi Wan was listening intently to Li Xingye’s serious analysis, but when she heard that familiar "they can’t beat me" at the end, she was exasperated all over again.
She pinched Li Xingye’s strong nose. "How did I never notice how smug you are?"
Li Xingye just smiled, not resisting. He never seemed to have a temper around Chi Wan. "Being smug with other people would damage my dignified image as leader, wouldn’t it?"
Only in moments like this did he truly seem his age.
Chi Wan was only teasing. In truth, she loved the way Li Xingye acted around her.
But she was still worried. "But I heard you talking about the Imperial City Base last time... That guy Xu Zhuang was sent by them, right? If they’re permanently stationed in the Imperial City, they must be very powerful, no?"
While Li Xingye didn’t want to hide things from Chi Wan, he also didn’t want to worry her too much. So he only briefly explained their theories about the Imperial City’s intentions for Dawn Base.
Seeing her frown, he gently stroked her hair back from her forehead. "Don’t worry, Wanwan. I value my life more than anyone right now. I still have to end this apocalypse and find a way to get to your world. Sooner or later, I’ll have to pay the Imperial City a visit."
Chi Wan knew that for Li Xingye to have survived this long in the apocalypse, he couldn’t be a reckless man.
It was just that her own feelings about turning over the Crystal Cores had shifted from unhurried to urgent.
If she could get what Li Xingye needed sooner, their base would grow stronger, and they would have a better chance against the powers in the Imperial City.
Unfortunately, her university’s energy engineering program wasn’t its strong suit. Moreover, the implications of an energy source like Crystal Cores, which could replace conventional fuel, were massive. It was best to entrust them to someone with the right qualifications—this was also for her own protection.
’Perhaps I could ask Professor Zhang if he has any connections in this field...’
She had been running around all day and had an early class tomorrow. A hint of exhaustion inevitably showed on her face.
Seeing this, Li Xingye urged her to wash up and get some sleep. "With the Crystal Core business, your safety is the top priority. There’s no rush."
Having seen countless people in the apocalypse fight to the death over the smallest of resources, Li Xingye knew better than anyone that if word of Crystal Core Energy reached the wrong ears, Chi Wan’s possession of it would put her in grave danger.
Chi Wan nodded. "Don’t worry, I value my life too~ So, I’ll head out now?"
Li Xingye smiled and stroked her head. "Okay. Get some rest. Good night."
But Chi Wan suddenly grabbed his shoulders, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him a fleeting peck on the lips before disappearing from the space with a mischievous giggle.
The soft touch on his lips vanished in an instant. Before Li Xingye could even react, Chi Wan had already slipped away.
He raised a hand to touch the corner of his mouth, let out a soft chuckle, and left the space as well.
And so that night, in the base that had been renamed Dawn, everyone discovered that their leader, as if spurred on by some unknown stimulus, completed all the base’s security repairs in one go.
Qiangzi and the others, forced to work overtime all night, were fuming but didn’t dare to complain. In the end, it was Duan Qianyu who gleaned the truth from Li Xingye’s overly radiant expression. She waved her hand. "Alright, everyone, let’s wrap it up. The leader is being nourished by love and doesn’t need sleep, but I’m getting old. I can’t pull all-nighters like this."
Li Xingye didn’t object, simply finishing up the last of the work in silence.
The base was now protected by a massive vine wall on its periphery, with a barrier formed by electromagnetic and Gravity superpowers extending a hundred meters out in all directions. The residents’ safe activity zone instantly expanded a hundredfold.
Buildings within the city were gradually being restored with the help of Earth Element superpower users. In the central district, various shops were even beginning to open for business.
Of course, the first to open were the base’s "official" shops, selling basic food supplies and various Crystal Core weapons.
Later, people realized this was a signal of some sort. A few daring individuals used their points to purchase storefronts, preparing to open their own small businesses.
And Duan Qianyu, now with large factories and equipment at her disposal, was completely in her element.
She immediately improved the wristbands and implemented a point-based system for everything in the base, completely replacing currency.
Looking at the streets, which were gradually growing more lively, it felt for a moment as if they had truly returned to the time before the apocalypse began.