NOVPUB
Chapter 234: Chapter 234 Half a Year Later
Lu Changyuan picked up the weapon from the ground and said solemnly, "He came to capture the Space-Time Beast."
Lu Changyuan recognized this type of weapon, but Han Yi did not, because when Han Yi was originally unconscious, Lu Changyuan and his men had come across a similar weapon when they ransacked the Qingyang Research Institute.
"This is a specially made tranquilizer gun. There are a few of these at the research institute in Qingyang Base. They needed to capture live mutant beasts with abilities to conduct experiments, and they used this type of weapon."
"Li Jian and Long Yueze have cooperated, so it’s normal for him to acquire some weapons from the Long Family."
Everyone looked towards Han Yi.
Long Yueze’s stronghold is in Chujiang Base, which, for them, is too far to reach. Moreover, Long Yueze also has intricate connections with several other major bases, such as Yunan Base.
Therefore, to deal with this person, they needed to plan very carefully to completely bring him down ...
Moreover, the weather was getting colder, and the Ice Age was coming soon.
To deal with him, they at least had to ensure they could survive in the harsh weather that was to come.
Han Yi closed his eyes briefly and then reopened them, calmly saying, "Send a few people to the major bases to spread the word about the Long Family using Superpower Users to refine Ability Potions, then release a statement saying the Space-Time Base bans potion trading and stands completely opposed to the Long Family."
Lu Changyuan was slightly startled and said, "You want to guide public opinion to have all the Superpower Users rally to the Space-Time Base?"
"To weaken his forces, we must first cut off his supply," Han Yi said slowly. "A rabbit doesn’t eat the grass around its burrow; Long Yueze won’t be foolish enough to capture all the Superpower Users in Chujiang and Yunan for experiments. Watch, he will come again."
This was like chopping a tree; if you keep chopping at the same spot, the area quickly becomes starkly bare and very conspicuous. But if you cut one tree here, another there, even though people may notice fewer trees, they wouldn’t think it was a severe issue.
The disappearance of Superpower Users followed the same logic.
Once the truth about the Ability Potions was revealed, the conflict between Superpower Users and ordinary people would intensify significantly, since every ordinary person was a potential customer for the Ability Potions. Unless the bases banned the trade of potions, Superpower Users at the bases would live in constant fear every day.
At this time, the Space-Time Base was the best refuge.
......
Days passed, one by one, and the weather grew colder, moving from late autumn to harsh winter in just two weeks. This winter was obviously colder than any before, and the cold continued to intensify—
The temperature plummeted, with daytime temperatures around minus 20 degrees Celsius, and at night, it dropped to around minus 40 degrees. If there was a blizzard, it could reach even more than minus 50 degrees.
Frost had killed the crops, heavy snow had blocked the roads, and the entire world was dead silent, with a sharp decline in the population ... Humanity seemed on the verge of fading away in this disaster.
Even the well-prepared Space-Time Base was not having an easy time. The population residing in the base was increasing, and the food shortage was becoming more significant. Crops needed time from planting to harvest; wheat took eight months, sweet potatoes six months, potatoes five months, and corn four months ...
The scarcity of food was a challenge every base had to overcome.
Although Han Yi’s Ring Space stored a large amount of food, once the population base increased, even a vast amount of food would be quickly depleted. The population of the Space-Time Base had soared during the Ice Age, shooting up from a few thousand people to a direct increase of thirty thousand, and continued to rise over time, breaking past a hundred and fifty thousand.
This number was unimaginable. For an average private base, having a population of twenty thousand was already considered a very large scale. Yet, the Space-Time Base had grown to a staggering hundred and fifty thousand, even under such harsh conditions.
—Other bases were dying.
Countless people were frozen to death, and even more died of starvation.
The previously most populous Beicheng Base, with nearly six hundred thousand people, had lost over two hundred thousand after the Ice Age, leaving only about thirty-five to thirty-six thousand.
The Lingchuan Base, also located in the north, had lost over a hundred thousand people, leaving only two hundred twenty thousand.
The population of the two major southern bases, Yunan and Chujiang, had also fallen to around two hundred thousand each.
Gradually, people no longer referred to them as the four major bases, but instead started calling them the five major bases. The additional one was the Space-Time Base.
While the population in other bases sharply declined, the population at the Space-Time Base rapidly increased, which at least proved one thing, going to the Space-Time Base meant survival! Everyone who went there survived, hence the population increase.
Five months into the Ice Age, the Space-Time Base welcomed its first bountiful harvest; simultaneously, the Qingyang Base was officially incorporated under the Space-Time Base. Once the news broke out, even more people migrated to the Space-Time Base.
In less than half a year, the Space-Time Base subtly started to become the leader among the five major bases.
—The long-missed clear day.
Han Jiaojiao opened her eyes, saw the bright light outside the window, and excitedly shouted, "Brother! The snow has stopped! Look, it’s not snowing outside anymore!"
A storm of snow had raged for three days and nights, blending wind and snow in a dark, tumultuous sky, even the Alien Species dared not emerge, let alone ordinary humans.
Now, it had finally stopped.
Han Yi, awakened by his sister’s joyful voice, half-opened his eyes and saw Han Jiaojiao trying to get out of bed, supporting herself halfway up.
Han Yi stretched out his hand to circle her waist and pulled her back into the down comforter, flipping over to lie on top of her.
"Sleep a bit more..."
"Mmm..."
Her lips were sealed.
A sweet struggle.
After an indeterminate amount of time, Han Yi got up from the bed, his face showing a satisfied expression, while Han Jiaojiao lay exhausted on the bed, seemingly so tired that she fell asleep again.
Han Yi kissed her cheek, stood up, and walked from the bedroom to the outside hall, wanting to open the door to check the situation outside, only to find the door blocked by the snow outside.
He grew slightly impatient, his eyebrows slightly raised, his spiritual power bursting through the door!
Bang!
The snow, over a meter deep, was directly dispersed. The door opened smoothly.
The outside world was a sheet of white, under the sunlight, dressed in shimmering silver, dazzlingly bright.
Seven or eight workers, dressed in heavy cold-weather gear and goggles, came from the outer yard. Seeing Han Yi standing at the door, they all saluted—
"Leader! We are the members responsible for clearing the snow!"
Han Yi nodded slightly, signaling them to start, then he closed the door again.
After every heavy snowfall, it was necessary to promptly clear the snow, otherwise, buildings could be crushed under the weight, and solar heating panels also needed clearing to function properly. Of course, this snow wouldn’t be wasted; it would be transported to a specialized water plant at the base, where Fire Superpower Users would melt the snow and Water Superpower Users would purify it, eventually turning it into drinkable water for everyone at the base.
Han Yi wanted Han Jiaojiao to sleep a bit more. After closing the door, he didn’t go back to the bedroom but instead went to the study next door, contacting Lu Changyuan using the internal phone.
"How did it go this time? Were there many casualties?"
"...We reinforced the roofs in advance, so just two old houses that were badly in need of repair collapsed, but nobody was living in them, so there were no casualties,"
Lu Changyuan’s voice paused briefly, then continued, "However, the housing issue really does need a solution. Nearly every home in the ancient city is at full capacity, and we can’t house any more people. We can’t expect people to live in tents in such cold weather..."
