Qin Mingyang felt smug outside the office door.
If he hadn't played his cards right and tried to curry favor with Zhou Shoushan and Luo Xiaole, he might have been implicated now that Zhou Kaifeng's scheme had failed.
"My dear 'uncle' will probably grant me any wish now, won't he?" A triumphant smile flickered across his lips, only to be instantly suppressed.
He adopted the demeanor of a bright and innocent young man, the purest and kindest nephew under the heavens.
"Mingyang, you're here?" Zhou Shoushan welcomed him in, ordering tea and looking at him with paternal affection.
Seeing Luo Xiaole present, Qin Mingyang's joy increased.
The matter he was about to discuss was related to Luo Xiaole. With her here, and recalling the favor of selling her information previously, it would be even harder for her to refuse.
How brilliant!
He felt as though heaven itself was on his side, with everything going his way.
"It's like this, Uncle Zhou," he began smoothly.
"I've been away from the capital for so long, and I don't know how my father and the others are faring. The base is developing quite stably now, and I believe it's time for me to return to the capital."
Previously, the base had faced internal and external threats. No matter how much he wanted to return, he couldn't without sufficient guards and absolute certainty. It was out of the question.
His gaze was so sincere that Luo Xiaole, knowing his true nature, couldn't help but get goosebumps. However, she had to maintain her composure, which was incredibly difficult!
"Oh? You're leaving already, my dear nephew? I'm truly reluctant to see you go…" A hint of cunning flashed in Zhou Shoushan's eyes.
"I'm also very reluctant to leave you, Uncle, but my father's safety weighs heavily on my mind, so…"
"I understand your concern for your father, and I will certainly not stop you. The journey will be perilous. If you have any requests, nephew, please state them, and I will arrange them for you."
"That would be wonderful. I've heard that Xiao A Luo is extremely skilled and is currently ranked first on the leaderboard. I wonder if it would be possible for her to escort me back to the capital?"
After all, everyone knew that wherever Luo Xiaole went, her companions followed. By securing her, he would be securing a whole team! Who wouldn't take advantage of such an opportunity?
"Oh? Xiaole, what do you think?" Zhou Shoushan took a sip of tea and looked at Luo Xiaole with a light smile.
"This… the capital is quite far…" Luo Xiaole struggled to suppress her excitement.
"Xiaole, given our friendship, rest assured, once we reach the capital, I will have my father provide you with the compensation you desire, no matter the amount," Qin Mingyang quickly offered his bait.
"Really?" Luo Xiaole asked with a look of feigned innocence.
She was thrilled! She lacked nothing now except money.
"Don't worry, compensation is negotiable!" Of course. As long as he could return to the capital and retrieve the items from the laboratory, the entire world would belong to the Qin family. What was a mere compensation? Could they possibly not afford it?
"Then… alright, when should we depart?"
"If you don't mind, how about tomorrow?"
…
After Qin Mingyang left, Luo Xiaole could no longer contain herself and burst into laughter.
Zhou Shoushan, unable to do anything about her, smiled and shook his head. "Xiaole, this mission is fraught with danger. Remember to be extremely careful. We await your return."
Luo Xiaole nodded solemnly.
Seeing Zhou Shoushan's hunched back as he sat in his wheelchair by the window, Luo Xiaole secretly vowed to cure his crippled limbs!
"Oh, and when you return, remember to bring back a new tower. That's our city's landmark!"
Luo Xiaole: "… Alright, I'll try my best."
…
Leaving the municipal hall, Luo Xiaole headed straight for the shopping mall and arrived at her shop.
The surrounding blood and gore had already been cleaned up.
In the apocalypse, bloodshed was not uncommon. However, after the battle, survival was paramount. The mall, after being tidied up, quickly reopened, returning to its former bustling state.
Her shop was even more prosperous, with a constant stream of people nearly flattening the threshold every day!
Everyone was surprised to see her, and they crowded around.
"Xiao A Luo, we heard you saved the entire city!"
"That's right, so we all came early to line up and buy your things. We have nothing else to repay you with, so we're buying some items to show our appreciation!"
Luo Xiaole smiled and thanked them for their patronage.
It was incredibly helpful when they traded with her during her times of financial need!
Perhaps due to the overwhelming response from everyone, and the fact that almost everyone in the city had contributed and ordered takeout from Xiao A Luo's canteen multiple times, Luo Xiaole was stunned by her account balance after settling with her companions.
【Your account balance is 18,659,800 mall coins】
Eighteen million!
She never imagined she would accumulate such a sum in just a few days while she was away from Luo City!
She was so happy she felt like she could fly.
However, as it took 5 million to unlock each physical ability, this amount was still insufficient for her current needs.
She spent 5 million each, and upgraded three physical abilities.
【Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the "Strength" attribute. Your physical strength has been increased to 50%.】
Luo Xiaole tested it out. She could now uproot a willow tree with ease. Not bad.
【Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the "Stamina" attribute. Your physical stamina has been increased to 25%.】
She felt incredibly energetic!
【Ding! Congratulations to the host for acquiring the "Speed" attribute. Your physical speed has been increased to 25%.】
Luo Xiaole took a step and ran. She felt much faster than usual!
As she ran, the scenery beside her seemed to blur.
A car nearby spotted something whizzing past. "What was that? It just shot past!"
"Didn't… didn't see clearly…"
…
The next morning, everyone was ready to depart.
Don't ask why they followed Luo Xiaole everywhere.
In the apocalypse, only at Luo Xiaole's place could one enjoy three meals a day of charcoal-grilled pig trotters, braised pork knuckles, and焖鸡 (braised chicken stew) with wolf-tooth potatoes.
As long as they had breath in their bodies, they were willing to go through fire and water!
The highest principle in a foodie's life was laid bare.
Qin Mingyang drove his own car, while Luo Xiaole and her group took one vehicle as usual.
No one noticed that as they set off towards the capital, passing by the entrance of a hill, a group of exceptionally agile zombies stealthily followed.
"Goo goo goo!" A faint zombie growl reached Luo Xiaole's car, with the window down.
Luo Xiaole casually tossed out a large bag of stamina and fatigue recovery buffs, then turned to Chen Xiaolin. "What are Ah Ling and the others saying in the back?"
Chen Xiaolin was speechless, but still translated. They were saying: "We're following, over. Roger that, over!"
Luo Xiaole: "…"
Everyone in the car: "…"