141: Shelter expansion

Tian Ming leaving Shen Yuan alone in the other Shelter undoubtedly angered Shen Yi. Shen Yuan was his biological sister; how could a brother not be anxious knowing his sister was in danger?

"Don't worry, she's not the same as she was before. She encountered some unexpected situations on this trip, but everything has turned for the better. Your sister is now a Superpower User."

Tian Ming recounted everything that happened on the trip: discovering the research base, being ambushed by the leader, and Shen Yuan being hit by the high-energy radiation pulse.

Shen Yi was stunned for a long time before he finally reacted. The way he looked at Tian Ming became very complex. The relationship between Shen Yi and his sister was quite good. Shen Yi could, of course, tell who his sister had fallen in love with.

But as her brother, he couldn't stop it. If there was anyone in the entire world who was the most unconstrained, it was probably Tian Ming. What good could come from falling in love with an existence comparable to a god?

"Boss!" Shen Yi hesitated, unsure how to speak.

Tian Ming leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, and said, "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush."

"My sister likes you, do you know that?"

Tian Ming's expression didn't change at all; he didn't even open his eyes, merely responding with a faint, "Mm, I know."

"What about you?"

"Same."

After hearing this, a bitter feeling rose in Shen Yi's heart: "Boss, can you promise not to let her down?"

"No?" Tian Ming responded directly, without the slightest hesitation.

Shen Yi didn't know how to respond. Who would answer like that? Such a response, from the perspective of the girl's family, was unanswerable and unacceptable.

"If you can't, then don't provoke her, okay?" Shen Yi's tone turned sour. He didn't care if he offended him or not. Shen Yuan was his only blood relative in the apocalypse, and he would not allow Shen Yuan to suffer any harm whatsoever.

"This is between her and me!"

"But I'm her brother." Shen Yi's voice rose by an octave.

Tian Ming opened his eyes, sat up straight, and sighed, saying, "This trip, Shen Yuan almost lost her life; that was my dereliction of duty. Secondly, she was in a coma for almost ten days, and I watched over her for almost ten days, without sleep, food, or drink. Shen Yi, my concern for her shouldn't be much less than yours, right?"

Faced with Tian Ming's rhetorical question, Shen Yi froze.

"Then why do you still say no?"

Tian Ming smiled indifferently: "Life is unpredictable, and I cannot foresee the future. Even if I swear I won't let her down, what if I do in the future? Shen Yi, what can you do to me? Shen Yuan is also a Superpower User now; in terms of application, she will probably progress faster than me. Whether as a lover or an excellent assistant by my side, emotionally and logically, I wouldn't be so foolish as to harm her, would I?"

After hearing this, Shen Yi was silent for a moment before slowly saying, "Boss, you should rest. I'll go to the power plant and see if it's fixed."

Before Tian Ming could respond, he walked out directly, closing the door behind him.

Tian Ming smiled, closed his eyes, and quickly fell asleep. He had originally thought he wouldn't feel fatigued, but reality proved him wrong. Over two hundred hours of sustained mental tension had taken an immense toll on him. This exhaustion was purely on a mental level. Once the taut string relaxed, the feeling of fatigue set in.

He only dozed for about an hour. Tian Ming opened his eyes, and much of his fatigue had dissipated. He stood up and stretched.

The Shelter had stabilized because its Boss had returned. Tian Ming was virtually the cornerstone of the entire Shelter. Tian Ming was not proud of his importance. Importance was largely due to being needed, and awe was somewhat due to fear.

The Shelter as a whole was currently like a wobbly toddler learning to walk, and Tian Ming was the parent. Before it matured, every rule and decision Tian Ming made would have a profound impact on this place.

Walking out of the conference room, Tian Ming arrived at the power plant. The critical large equipment like the steam turbines were fine; the main issue was severe damage to the power distribution equipment.

Shen Yi was leading a group of people, some inspecting, some repairing.

"Boss, you're here." Shen Yi stood up, and the other dozen or so people also stopped what they were doing, all looking at Tian Ming.

"Mm, how's the situation?" Tian Ming glanced around and asked.

"No big problems, we can handle it ourselves," Shen Yi said.

"Mm, got it. Get it done quickly." Tian Ming nodded, then found a spot and sat down.

The group continued to work busily. Tian Ming leaned against the wall, resting with his eyes closed.

It took a full three hours for all the equipment to be restored. Just then, the sound of a transport helicopter came from outside. Ji Ruping had already led people to greet it.

Professor Du Shaojie from the Biological Laboratory brought a large group of people down from the helicopter and they were directly arranged into the Central Building of the Shelter. There was no other choice; since the Shelter had just taken in over three thousand people, the dormitory buildings were already full, and new dormitory buildings were still under urgent construction.

When Tian Ming arrived at the helipad, Liu Chuan walked over and said, "Boss, we've been there once; it's quite difficult. Little Shen has finished counting, and there are over two thousand five hundred people. We simply don't have enough space here; there are no extra buildings."

"Where's Shen Yuan? Didn't she come back with you?" Tian Ming asked.

Liu Chuan shook his head and said, "No, she's still there. Boss, Little Shen was wearing a mask; if she hadn't called out to me, I wouldn't have recognized her."

Tian Ming smiled and said, "Alright, tomorrow, you continue to transport people. I'll fill up the fuel depot for you tonight. I'll solve the housing problem."

"Boss, this housing isn't a small problem. There are thousands of people. If we transport them, it will take about ten days to finish. Can our Shelter build houses for two thousand people in ten days?"

Tian Ming smiled mysteriously and said, "It won't take ten days; seven days should be enough."

Liu Chuan was stunned, then immediately understood. If the Boss personally took action, building houses would be as simple as stacking building blocks!

Liu Chuan didn't waste words, nodded, and said, "Alright then, the transportation will be left to us. I went and saw; that base is pretty good. If it weren't for the fact that it can't accommodate six thousand people, I would have wanted our people to move there."

Tian Ming smiled indifferently and said, "Look further ahead. Our base will be the best in the world in the future."