The Absolute Favorite in the Apocalyptic Rebirth

Year Six of the apocalypse. The five major bases of China began organizing their strongest fighters to annihilate zombie hordes within their territories. They also deployed a large number of high-tech light-energy weapons to reduce the zombie population.

In addition, the Capital Research Institute finally developed communication devices adapted to the new magnetic field of the blue planet, enabling contact with overseas countries. The Northwest Base developed mutated flora and fauna safe for human consumption. The Southwest Base researched the medicinal value of mutated plants in the plateau mountains. The Southeast Base detected several edible marine species.

In short, humanity's achievements in the sixth year of the apocalypse were encouraging.

By Year Seven, humanity, tempered by six years of apocalyptic hardship, had adapted to the new order. Though the climate remained harsh and habitable space limited, with threats from zombies, mutated beasts, mutated plants, and marine life, there was no denying that, having adapted to this world, humanity began to recuperate and plan for the future.

This wasn't the best of times, but neither was it the worst. Lou Dian stood on a high vantage point, the wind whipping through his hair, as he looked out at the thriving Northwest Base. Memories from two lifetimes intertwined. The seventh year of the apocalypse in his previous life was nowhere near as prosperous as it was now. Perhaps it was because back then, no one knew the Zombie King had already emerged. There wasn't the leadership and development driven by the now-reorganized Capital Base, nor the rapidly developing Northwest Base, let alone the other three equally struggling bases.

The change was evident.

Perhaps the heavens couldn't bear to see humanity perish, so they allowed them to return from the seventh year of the apocalypse and start anew. This was truly a remarkable era.

A faint smile touched his lips as he stood against the wind, appearing gentle and pure.

He glanced once more at the rolling green hills in the distance before leaping down from the platform. Ignoring the awestruck and respectful ability users around him, he crossed several clean streets and arrived at a bustling commercial street. Wooden stalls lined both sides, selling all sorts of food and daily necessities. With a sweep of his mental power, he quickly spotted the woman holding a child's hand, eating barbecue at a stall.

The handsome boy, who was taking large bites of grilled mutated beast meat skewers, saw Lou Dian approaching and quickly tugged at the woman paying with crystal cores. "Aunt, Little Uncle is here!" he called.

Lou Ling turned and saw the man approaching through the crowd. A smile bloomed on her face as she handed him two skewers. "Want some? They're delicious. The owner's skills are excellent. I heard he used to run a night market barbecue stall." She then turned to the owner. "Boss, I heard your Maoxuewang is amazing. When are you going to bring back that old specialty?"

The barbecue stall owner was a thin, middle-aged man. It was said that before the apocalypse, he was a plump, oily man who always wanted to lose weight but couldn't. When the apocalypse arrived, food became scarce, and he finally slimmed down, saving him the trouble of dieting.

Since the Northwest Research Institute developed edible mutated beasts and plants for ordinary people, the variety of food had greatly improved. Many ordinary people, who were previously only used for base construction, now had more jobs available. So, some skilled individuals opened food stalls, passing down their traditional crafts.

Of course, this was also thanks to the base's support. The base took great care of ordinary people, striving to find a place for everyone, allowing them to do what they could, which greatly boosted the survivors' morale.

Lou Dian accepted the skewers with a smile but didn't eat them immediately. Instead, he took a clean plate from his spatial storage, placed the skewers on it, then hooked an arm around Lou Ling and his nephew, leading them to a table made of wooden planks behind the stall. He ordered twenty more mutated beast meat skewers and ten vegetable skewers.

"Little Uncle, are you going to eat that much?" Lou Ye asked, wide-eyed, subconsciously rubbing his small belly. His aunt had already taken him to eat a lot of snacks, and he was full.

Lou Dian gave him a knowing look. "If you don't eat more, you won't grow tall. Do you want to be as short as your Little Aunt?"

Lou Ye pictured his Little Aunt Lou Yan's height. She was the shortest in the family. Standing next to his Little Uncle Yan Ge, she looked petite and delicate. Of course, the child didn't understand the versatile term "petite and delicate." He only felt that his Little Aunt was shorter than his father and uncles, which was a pity.

Lou Ye was alarmed. He didn't want to be as short as his Little Aunt, but he was also full. What should he do?

Lou Ling almost burst out laughing. She glared at Lou Dian. "Stop teasing him." She then soothed the boy and took out a children's bow and arrow made of mutated beast hide that she had bought earlier, letting him play by himself.

The barbecue was quickly served. The fragrant skewers on the porcelain-white plate were truly appetizing. Lou Dian ate slowly and elegantly. Lou Ling watched him for a moment, then went to a nearby fruit stall and bought three cups of juice. She chatted with him while drinking.

"My aunt told us to settle down and not go out this year." Lou Ling frowned slightly. The elderly could be quite nagging, and it was difficult to refuse their good intentions. In the end, she had used Lou Hua, who had just returned from school, as a shield and escaped. She hadn't expected to run into Lou Dian, who was patrolling the base, here.

Although the Zombie King had been eliminated, many ability users were still dispatched to exterminate zombies to prevent another zombie from evolving into a Zombie King. However, there were so many zombies scattered across the globe that it wasn't easy to eliminate them all. They had been traveling for a year and had only eradicated a small portion. When winter arrived, they returned to the base.

To be honest, Lou Ling enjoyed adventuring outside, treating it as a form of travel. Being able to kill zombies and benefit humanity was even better. On the other hand, staying at the base every day to grow fruits and vegetables was too tedious. The ability users at the base were perfectly capable of handling it, and her presence was unnecessary.

Lou Dian ate with refined manners, just like his appearance, giving off a pleasing aesthetic. However, ability users had large appetites. After finishing the food on his plate, it was merely a small snack for him.

"Then stay," Lou Dian said.

Lou Ling was surprised. She thought he, the one who couldn't stand the nagging of the elderly and would run away, would be the one to sneak her away. Despite his gentle and noble appearance, it couldn't hide his twisted and darkened heart. How could he possibly endure staying at the base with people constantly visiting them?

Therefore, Lou Ling's first thought was that he had an ulterior motive.

"Boss, thirty meat skewers, ten vegetable skewers, ten mutated mushroom skewers, and, if you please, a plate of appetizers."

A husky yet alluring voice rang out, interrupting Lou Ling's suspicions. She looked up and saw a woman in a long robe, smiling seductively at the people around her.

"An Qiya!" Lou Ling exclaimed happily. "When did you arrive at the base? You didn't tell us."

An Qiya let out a playful "yo," strode forward, squeezed the boy sitting next to Lou Ling aside, and sat down beside her. She then greeted Lou Dian with a cheerful smile.

Little Lou Ye's mouth dropped open slightly. He thought this aunt was too much. How could she push him aside? But when she suddenly turned and smiled at him, despite not being particularly beautiful, he blushed and found himself unable to look away. Then a hand covered his eyes, and he heard his aunt's chiding voice.

"An Qiya, he's still a child. Behave yourself."

"Oh my, whose child is this? Not yours, is it? He's so handsome!"

"Of course not. He's our nephew. Be careful, or Sister-in-law Qiurong will skin you alive!"

"Oh, never mind then. I arrived yesterday and was just thinking of looking for you today. Say, aren't you planning on having a child? If you do, I'll make him the next Sage, how about that?"

Lou Ling looked at the outspoken An Qiya speechlessly and declined. "No, thanks. It's difficult for ability users to conceive. Having children is still uncertain."

An Qiya flipped her hair with a chuckle. "Sister Lou, that's not right. Hasn't the Research Institute developed a medicine that allows ability users to safely conceive? Having children is completely possible."

"…Really?" Lou Ling was surprised.

An Qiya continued to smile. The owner had brought the barbecue skewers. Without a plate of her own, An Qiya simply dragged Lou Dian's plate over, ignoring the disgust in his eyes, and claimed it for herself. Then she whispered to Lou Ling.

An Qiya had visited the Northwest Base last year to seek cooperation. The Northwest Base provided food and weapons to An Qiya's Oasis, while An Qiya provided technology. This "technology" involved collaborating with the Research Institute to develop edible mutated beasts and plants for ordinary people. Once this technology was mastered, ordinary people would have access to a wider variety of food, becoming another advantage for the Northwest Base, allowing them to gain more benefits from the other bases.

Although the five major bases were a collective, each base conducted its own research. Naturally, they couldn't share everything selflessly. To exchange resources, each base had to offer its valuable technology to prevent ambitious individuals from concealing their research and endangering humanity.

An Qiya's contribution to the Northwest Base was significant. So, every year when she traveled from afar, the Northwest Base welcomed her. She was also very well-informed, as evidenced by her current revelation.

"Of course it's true. Sister Lou, have a child for me. I'll take good care of your child. He's sure to be an exceptional powerhouse." She gave Lou Dian a meaningful look. With such a powerful ability user as a father, their child's future achievements were bound to be extraordinary.

After hearing this, Lou Ling pondered.

At that moment, Lou Dian wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "We're finished eating. Let's go."

He didn't give Lou Ling and An Qiya a chance to continue their conversation. He hooked an arm around each of them, one adult and one child, and left.

An Qiya smiled as she watched them leave, then unceremoniously claimed Lou Dian's beautiful porcelain plate. She would take it back and use it as a fruit plate.

On the way, Lou Ling was somewhat silent, considering her age. She was twenty-seven this year, not too old, right? She had heard that ability users' bodies had much greater vitality and lifespan than ordinary people, with their lives extended by double. Living to a hundred years old wasn't a problem but a common occurrence.

Life was so long, one had to find some enjoyment. Why not have a child? It was decided!

Having cheerfully made this decision, Lou Ling ignored the man beside her, one hand holding Lou Ye and the other pulling her man, as they walked towards the Lou family mansion. She decided to heed the elders' nagging and settle down this year.

Author's Note:

Today's goals:

Lou Ling's goal: Have a bun~~

Lou Dian's goal: …

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