Published: February 5, 2025
The East District is relatively clean and stable compared to the chaos of the North District.
This is largely because all the evolvers in the base reside here.
However, those familiar with the base know that the East District is filled with the blood and tears of ordinary people.
By the time Ye Zhongming and Jia Min arrived, it was already around three or four in the afternoon. Prior to this, Ye Zhongming had wandered around the base, familiarizing himself with the roads, buildings, and the situation with the guards.
Due to the artillery camp, there was no shortage of firearms here. The guards were almost all armed, and it seemed their ammunition was sufficient.
This fact alone made Ye Zhongming hesitate to act recklessly. Not to mention he was only a one-star evolver; before reaching four stars, ordinary firearms could already pose a significant threat to evolvers. If he encountered a well-organized armed unit, even four-star or five-star stronger evolvers would think twice before engaging.
Only by becoming a six-star evolver would one develop a certain resistance to being targeted by firearms, but that certainly wouldn’t make them immune to gunfire. Prolonged exposure to concentrated fire from ordinary firearms could still result in injury or death.
In the East District, the number of guards was greater than in other directions. The two encountered three inspections as they made their way deeper in, and Jia Min had to pay half a jin of crushed meat to get through.
“That person is called Li Qiang. He isn’t an evolver, but he used to be a national-level shooting athlete. After the apocalypse, he got his hands on guns, and it’s said that under his double guns, even evolvers can’t get close. He has made quite a name for himself in the East District and has quite a few people under him; although they aren’t evolvers, their firepower is strong.”
“From what I know, his exchange condition is likely to be evolution potions.”
As he spoke, Jia Min glanced at Ye Zhongming's face. Finding it expressionless, he continued, “Many people are interested in the recipe in Li Qiang’s hands, including the two leaders of the base, Director Wang and Chef Jin. But I hear Li Qiang’s asking price is too high, so they haven't reached an agreement.”
“Why not just rob him?” Ye Zhongming suddenly asked, seeing Jia Min stunned. He continued, “Why don’t Director Wang and Chef Jin just take it? Li Qiang’s strength should be inferior to theirs, right?”
Jia Min responded, “Li Qiang isn’t weak either. He has over two hundred subordinates and more than a hundred firearms, making him the strongest private force in the base. Besides, Director Wang and Chef Jin likely… likely aren’t that united. Despite the number of people they control seeming quite large, the actual number of true fighters isn’t much greater than Li Qiang’s. Anyone who dares to move against Li Qiang might end up being annexed in a disastrous struggle.”
“How do you know?” Ye Zhongming asked with a smile.
“I, uh, guessed,” Jia Min scratched his head, feeling somewhat embarrassed.
Ye Zhongming didn’t press further. The situation in the base wasn’t actually complicated; at least, he had seen similar setups in his previous life. It was merely a balance issue. Li Qiang had apparently acquired a lot of firearms from somewhere and had considerable strength. He held valuable resources, but it wasn’t enough to make Director Wang and Chef Jin go to extreme lengths, so no one would act against him, at least not over this recipe.
Of course, this only applied while Director Wang and Chef Jin were at a lower evolution level. Once their strength reached a point where they could kill Li Qiang, they would surely act without hesitation.
Haibei Community wasn’t as well-known as the administrative district where Director Wang and Chef Jin were located, but it was still one of the better conditions in the base.
Upon entering, Ye Zhongming and Jia Min saw people checking at the entrance, with others patrolling the community armed with guns, and some even cleaning up the area.