Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Xu Dongtang smiled obsequiously and asked, "Captain Ling, did you manage to kill that scoundrel Zhang Yi?"

The other village representatives chimed in, "Yeah, I heard that huge explosion. Did it blow his whole house away?"

"Did you blast Zhang Yi to ashes?"

"As expected of Captain Ling, you achieve great victories the moment you take action. Impressive!"

"Captain Ling is mighty, and so is West Hill Base!"

...

The villagers' flattery poured out, but the more the special forces heard, the darker their expressions grew. They had just suffered a major defeat, losing nearly half their comrades, and were already in a foul mood. The villagers' fawning remarks felt more like mockery.

Shi Dayong snapped, "Shut up!" His voice was so loud and forceful that everyone fell silent, staring at him in stunned silence. Realizing their mistake, the villagers quickly quieted down.

Ling Feng stepped forward and addressed Xu Dongtang and the others, "We're hungry. Prepare more food than usual!" After giving his order, Ling Feng walked toward their temporary accommodations.

Shi Dayong glared at Xu Dongtang and warned, "We fought a hard battle today, so make sure the food is good. Got it?"

"Y-yes, of course!" Xu Dongtang and the other villagers didn't dare to defy their orders; after all, every soldier was armed. But as soon as the special forces were out of earshot, the villagers couldn't help but murmur among themselves.

"Looks like they lost."

"What? They couldn't even handle Zhang Yi?"

"Who knows? Zhang Yi is a ruthless man with wicked methods!"

"But they're the regular army! Look at all their gear; they're armed to the teeth. How can so many of them lose to one person? It's embarrassing!"

...

The villagers' whispers were quiet, but the soldiers, with their enhanced hearing, heard every word. Their faces burned with shame, but they could only pretend not to hear. They had already lost the battle; arguing with the villagers would only make them look worse.

Shi Dayong grumbled to Ling Feng, "These villagers are getting too bold. Let me teach them a lesson!"

Ling Feng glanced at him coldly. "No need! We still need them to supply us with food and labor. If we deal with them, we'll do it after we've dealt with Zhang Yi."

As he walked into the snow hut, Ling Feng added, "West Hill Base also needs additional labor. When the time comes, we'll have them contribute to the organization!"

Shi Dayong nodded. "Lucky for them! Back in the day, I'd have killed a few by now."

West Hill Base's soldiers were all battle-hardened. Although none of them had been in actual war before the apocalypse, they had killed countless people. In the early days, many had tried to force their way into West Hill Base's shelter, and the soldiers, following Chen Xinian's orders, had eliminated every intruder. Later, when The Fourth Life Pod had riots due to resource distribution, it was these same soldiers who suppressed the uprisings.

Xu Dongtang, surrounded by anxious villagers, tried to calm them down. The villagers were growing increasingly worried.

"Mayor, didn't you say they'd be gone in a couple of days? It's been much longer now!"

"I don't think they're leaving anytime soon. They lost the battle, so it looks like it's going to drag on!"

"And these soldiers eat so much. One soldier eats more in a day than my entire family does!"

"At this rate, Xu Family Town can't keep up!"

Xu Dongtang frowned, feeling uneasy. To maintain order, he reassured the villagers to stay calm. Among the crowd, Fatty Xu could only sigh helplessly. Everything Zhang Yi had warned him about was coming true. Xu Dongtang had welcomed these soldiers, but now it was clear that getting rid of them would be far more difficult.

Fatty Xu went home and immediately called Zhang Yi. "Boss, those West Hill Base soldiers came back in bad shape. There's only half of them left. Did you take them out?"

Through Fatty Xu's report, Zhang Yi learned that the West Hill soldiers had retreated. He put away his sniper rifle and closed the window.

"Yes, I sent them packing. How do they look? Are their spirits still intact?"

Judging by their expressions, Zhang Yi wanted to gauge their next move. Understanding the opponent's mindset was crucial.

"They look like beaten dogs, all gloomy and miserable," Fatty Xu said. "And as soon as they got back, they demanded food. Shameless!"

Fatty Xu also felt sorry for the villagers' food supplies. Although Xu Family Town was known for agriculture and fishing, each household only had enough to last a year or so. Feeding a group of ravenous soldiers who demanded the best was becoming unsustainable.

Zhang Yi chuckled, "This is just the beginning. For now, they're still being somewhat polite to you. But over time, they might stop seeing you as people at all."

"Fatty, how's your history knowledge?"

"Not great. Why are you asking, Boss?" Fatty Xu scratched his head.

Zhang Yi said, "I just want to remind you that these West Hill soldiers are ruthless, with no regard for life. Throughout history, whenever there's been extreme food scarcity, soldiers have often resorted to using people as food."

"Xu Family Town is full of people, isn't it? I'd call it a large meat processing plant."

Zhang Yi's words sent chills down Fatty Xu's spine. "Boss, stop! That's terrifying!"

"They wouldn't actually go that far, would they?" Fatty Xu glanced at his own chubby body, feeling like he was just a fat pig in a meat factory.

Zhang Yi replied with a smirk, "Who knows? If I were in your shoes, I'd have fled by now!"

Fatty Xu hesitated, unsure of his next move. Zhang Yi encouraged him, "Don't worry. As a Superhuman, they'll think twice before messing with you. But if you ever feel things are getting dangerous, come to me. I've got your back!"

Zhang Yi wanted Fatty Xu to stay put as his informant, so he reassured him to keep his spirits up.

Fatty Xu, feeling reassured, agreed. "Alright, Boss. I'll stick it out. But if things get really bad, you've got to help me!"

"Of course. Keep an eye on their movements and report any changes to me. Understood?"

"Absolutely!"

After hanging up, Zhang Yi asked Xiao Ai to display the 3D structure of the shelter. "What's the external damage today?"

Xiao Ai highlighted the damaged area. "Damage from gunfire: 0.00001%. Damage from an unidentified impact: 0.028%."

Zhang Yi zoomed in on the unidentified impact, revealing a shallow fist mark. "Ling Feng, huh? What a monster!"

Zhang Yi couldn't help but be impressed. Ling Feng, the captain of the ACE Special Forces, was the strongest Superhuman Zhang Yi had encountered so far, with monstrous speed and strength.

"Could West Hill Base have a way to enhance Superhuman abilities?" Zhang Yi wondered, recalling Liu Ziyang, who had undergone forced mutation at the cost of his health and lifespan. He speculated that Ling Feng's immense power might also be the result of some modification.

For a brief moment, Zhang Yi was tempted by the idea of enhancing his own powers. But he quickly dismissed the thought. It wasn't worth risking his health and safety.

Zhang Yi returned to the basement, where Zhou Ke'er immediately rushed to check on him. "Zhang Yi, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. They're the ones who got hurt," Zhang Yi replied with a smile, his spirits lifting as he looked at the women around him.

When Yang Siya brought him beer and snacks, Zhang Yi asked Lu Keran, "Our shelter's outer walls took some damage. Can we repair them?"

Lu Keran thought for a moment. "I can fix the high-strength alloy, but I'll need some special materials. And even if we get the materials, repairing the wall means going outside, which isn't possible right now."

Zhang Yi reassured her, "As long as it's fixable, that's good enough. We're not in a rush."

Everyone relaxed, enjoying a brief moment of calm in the aftermath of the battle. As they shared lunch, Yang Xinxin's phone suddenly beeped, catching everyone's attention.

She checked the message calmly and handed the phone to Zhang Yi. "It's from Liang Yue. She says she and her students need our help and wants to talk."

Seeing the name "Liang Yue," Zhang Yi immediately thought of the Superhuman with the Tang sword he had encountered. It seemed Liang Yue had joined forces with West Hill Base.

Author's Note