313: Chapter 313 The Shelter is Expanded Again!

The news spread like wildfire through the ruins of the Apocalypse.

"Have you heard? A super base has appeared on the outskirts of Jiangcheng!"

"It was built in three days! It covers ten square kilometers!"

"They say there's endless food, supplies that never run out, and a perfect defense system!"

"Are you serious? A place like that still exists these days?"

"It's absolutely true! My cousin's friend saw it with their own eyes!"

In just a few short days, the name "Lin Yuan Shelter" spread across a radius of a hundred miles.

For the survivors struggling in the Apocalypse, this was practically the legendary "Noah's Ark."

And so, an unprecedented "pilgrimage" began.

...

Outside the base's main gate, there was a sea of people.

A dark, dense crowd surged in from all directions, blocking the entrance to the base completely.

"Let me in! Please, let me in!"

"I can farm! I used to be a farmer!"

"I'm a chef! I can cook!"

"I can do anything! Just let me in!"

The sounds of crying, pleading, and arguing blended into a chaotic mess.

The base guards responsible for maintaining order looked pale.

"This... isn't this too many people?"

A Female Guard swallowed hard, looking at the tide of people before her, feeling somewhat at a loss.

"What should we do? Should we let them all in?"

"Bullshit!"

Another guard glared at him.

"Lord Lin Yuan said that we must strictly vet everyone before they can move in. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can get in!"

"But..."

"But what? Follow orders!"

The guards braced themselves and began to maintain order.

"Line up! One by one!"

"Those who don't meet the criteria, leave on your own!"

"Anyone who pushes will be expelled immediately!"

Thanks to the guards' efforts, the chaotic scene finally stabilized a bit.

However, the murmurs within the crowd grew louder and louder.

"What does 'meet the criteria' mean? What criteria?"

"I heard they only accept women, not men."

"What?! Isn't that discrimination?!"

"Discrimination? It's their territory, so they make the rules. If you're so capable, why don't you build one yourself?"

"I..."

The man was speechless.

That's right, they were able to build a city in three days.

Can you do that?

You can't.

Then what right do you have to criticize?

...

Inside the base. Lin Yuan sat in his office, looking at the real-time footage of the main gate on the virtual screen in front of him.

"There really are quite a lot of people."

The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, and a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.

"It seems this base of mine is quite popular."

"That goes without saying," Su Yuyan said calmly, standing to the side.

"In the Apocalypse, having a safe place to stay is everyone's dream. And you happen to be able to provide that dream."

"That's why they are flocking here."

Lin Yuan nodded, his gaze falling on the anxious faces on the screen.

"However, I am no philanthropist."

He stood up and walked to the window.

"If you want to enter my base, you must have utility value."

"I don't need people who have no value."

Su Yuyan looked at his back, a flash of complexity in her eyes.

This man was always so rational. Cold, yet impossible to refute.

"Have you set the vetting criteria?"

"They're set." Lin Yuan turned around, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"First, they must be female."

"Second, they must have a specialized skill or possess a Superpower."

"Third, they must pass a loyalty test."

"Only those who meet these three conditions are qualified to become official members of the base."

Su Yuyan nodded. They all knew the rule about only accepting women.

She shook her head helplessly. "Then who will be responsible for the vetting work?"

"You." Lin Yuan looked at her, a hint of trust in his eyes.

"You are the Queen of the Business World; your eye for people is sharper than mine. I'll leave this matter to you."

Su Yuyan was stunned for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curled up. "Alright."

"I will help you pick out the best talent."

...

Outside the main gate. The vetting process officially began. Su Yuyan brought a few female staff members and set up a vetting station at the entrance.

"Next!"

A young woman stepped forward, looking somewhat nervous.

"H-hello, my name is Li Xiaoyu, I'm twenty-three years old, and I was a nurse before the Apocalypse."

"A nurse?" Su Yuyan's eyes lit up. "Do you have medical skills?"

"Yes! I can give injections, set up IVs, bandage wounds, and I also know some basic first aid!"

"Very good." Su Yuyan nodded and made a mark on the list. "Approved. Go over there and register."

"R-really?!" Li Xiaoyu was so excited she almost cried. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"

She bowed repeatedly and then ran quickly toward the registration desk.

"Next!" Another woman stepped forward. This time, it was a gaudily dressed woman wearing heavy makeup and revealing clothing.

"Hey there, my name is Wang Yan, I'm twenty-five."

She puffed out her chest and flashed what she thought was a charming smile.

"I don't have any special skills, but I'm pretty. Doesn't your boss like beautiful women? Let me in, and I guarantee I'll satisfy him."

Su Yuyan looked at her expressionlessly. "Are you saying your only value is your face?"

"Uh... I wouldn't put it that way..." Wang Yan felt a bit guilty. "I... I can also sing! And dance!"

"Sing and dance?" Su Yuyan's mouth curled up slightly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "This is an Apocalypse Shelter, not a nightclub."

"Next."

"Wait!" Wang Yan panicked. "What right do you have to deny me entry? I'm prettier than all of them!"

"Pretty?" Su Yuyan looked at her coldly. "Pretty but brainless won't last three days in the Apocalypse."

"We need useful people, not vases."

"You do not meet the criteria." "Please leave."

Wang Yan's face flushed red, and though she wanted to retort, she was dragged away directly by the guards.

"Let go of me! You'll regret this!"

Her shouting gradually faded into the distance, but no one paid any attention. The others in the line all lowered their heads silently.

It seemed that trying to get by on looks alone was impossible.

...

The vetting process lasted an entire day. By evening, Su Yuyan had finally finished vetting the last batch of people.

"I'm exhausted..." She rubbed her aching shoulders and let out a long sigh.

"How many people were vetted today?" The staff member next to her flipped through the record book.

"A total of 3,200 people were vetted, and 876 passed."

"Over 800 people?" Su Yuyan frowned. "A pass rate of less than 30%?"

"Yes." The staff member said helplessly. "Most people don't have any special skills; they just want to sneak in for free food and drink."

"And there were some..." She paused, her expression somewhat strange. "There were some women who, as soon as they came up, said they were willing to 'serve' Lord Lin Yuan, just to be allowed to stay."

Su Yuyan's mouth twitched. "And then?"

"Then I told them to get lost." The staff member said with a serious face. "Our base isn't that kind of place. Thinking they can use that to get ahead? In their dreams!"

Su Yuyan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Well done." She patted the staff member on the shoulder. "Continue tomorrow."

...

Meanwhile, Lin Yuan was reviewing today's vetting results.

"876 people..." He looked at the list, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes.

"The quality is not bad." "Nurses, teachers, engineers, chefs, tailors... all kinds of talent are represented."

"And there are twelve who have awakened a Superpower."

He flipped to the last page of the list, his gaze lingering on five names.

These five people were the "key subjects of interest" specifically marked by Su Yuyan.

"Chen Yuxuan, twenty-four years old, former special forces soldier, maxed-out combat skills, awakened a B-rank Enhancement Superpower."

"Zhou Wanqing, twenty-two years old, computer genius, top-tier hacking skills, awakened a C-rank Data Analysis Superpower."

"Lin Shihan, twenty years old, top medical student, awakened a B-rank Healing Ability."

"Zhao Xueqing, twenty-three years old, architectural designer, awakened a C-rank Structural Perception Ability."

"Sun Xiaoxiao, nineteen years old, unemployed, but awakened an A-rank Spatial Perception Ability, huge potential."

Lin Yuan looked at these five names, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly. "Interesting." "These five people are all promising candidates."

He stood up and walked to the window. "Let them adapt to the base for a while first, and observe them."

"If they perform well..." A glint flashed in his eyes. "Perhaps they can be cultivated into new goddesses."

...

Three days later. The base's population had skyrocketed from the original 1,000 to 5,000. And all of them were women.

After this news spread, the entire city of Jiangcheng exploded with discussion.

"Holy shit! All 5,000 of them are women?!"

"That bastard Lin Yuan is truly a winner in life!"

"I want to go too! But unfortunately, I'm a man..."

"Don't even think about it, they clearly stated they don't accept men."

"Why?! This isn't fair!"

"Fair? You're talking about fairness in the Apocalypse?"

"They have the ability to build a base and the ability to support 5,000 people, so they can accept whoever they want."

"If you have the ability, why don't you build one yourself?"

"I..."

Countless male survivors beat their chests and stamped their feet, regretting why they weren't women.

As for the women who successfully entered the base, they became the objects of everyone's envy.

"I heard the conditions inside the base are excellent; they have meat to eat every day!"

"And they can take hot showers!"

"Most importantly, it's safe! There's a perfect defense system, and zombies can't get in at all!"

"So envious..."

Envy is one thing, but rules are rules. Lin Yuan's base only accepts women. Not happy about it? Deal with it.

...

Inside the base. Lin Yuan stood on the high tower, overlooking the bustling streets below.

With a scale of 5,000 people, the base was beginning to take the shape of a small city. People were coming and going on the streets, shops were lined up, and it was a scene of prosperity.

"Not bad." Lin Yuan's mouth curled up slightly, his eyes full of satisfaction. "Now this looks like something."

"Brother Lin Yuan!" Ye Qingyue came running over, hopping and skipping, holding a skewer of candied hawthorn in her hand. "Look! Someone in the base is actually selling candied hawthorns! I bought a skewer!"

"Candied hawthorns?" Lin Yuan looked at the bright red skewer in her hand, somewhat surprised. "There's someone making this in the Apocalypse?"

"Yeah!" Ye Qingyue took a bite, her eyes narrowing into crescent moons. "An auntie made it; she said she used to sell candied hawthorns. After entering the base, she went back to her old trade."

"Business is so good! A lot of people are lining up to buy them!"

Lin Yuan smiled and reached out to rub her head. "If you like them, buy more."

"Hehe, I've already bought ten skewers!" Ye Qingyue proudly shook the bag in her hand. "Enough to last for a few days!"

Lin Yuan: "..." Ten skewers? Is this girl's appetite a bit too big?

"Oh right, Brother Lin Yuan." Ye Qingyue suddenly leaned in close to him and lowered her voice. "I heard that recently, a lot of pretty big sisters want to see you."

"Is that so?" Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. "What did they say?"

"They said..." Ye Qingyue tilted her head and thought for a moment. "They said they wanted to 'thank' you for giving them a safe home."

"And they also said they wanted to 'repay' you."

"Repay?" Lin Yuan's mouth curled up slightly. "How do they want to repay me?"

"I don't know." Ye Qingyue said with an innocent face. "Maybe they want to treat you to a meal? Or give you a gift?"

Looking at her innocent and pure face, Lin Yuan couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Yeah, maybe they want to treat me to a meal."

He reached out and pinched her cheek. "Alright, go play. Don't eat too many candied hawthorns, watch out for cavities."

"Got it!" Ye Qingyue skipped away.

Lin Yuan watched her back, the smile on his face deepening. "Repay..." He murmured to himself, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. "Interesting."

He turned around and looked into the distance. The size of the base was constantly expanding, and his influence was constantly growing. And this was just the beginning.

"Otherworld Invasion..." His gaze became deep. "It's coming soon."

"Before that happens, I must make this base stronger." "Strong enough to withstand any threat."

In the distance, the setting sun dyed the entire base in gold.