145: Wasteland Civilization

"Not necessarily. Don't you know that the Chief Steward is just the Chief Steward? We also have a mysterious leader, and the Chief Steward himself admitted it."

"What you're saying and what I'm saying aren't the same thing, okay!"

"Speaking of which, I'm a bit against the Chief Steward letting everyone awaken their Talents. Wouldn't that mean if ordinary people awaken a good Talent, they could ride on our necks?" A Talent User with a low-rank Talent said, his eyes filled with apprehension, secretly clenching his shelter item.

"You can't say that. If everyone awakens, then we can relax a bit too."

"Exactly. Although we are far from towns and other densely populated areas here, so we don't have to worry about Infected, there are more and more Pollution Beasts now. What the Chief Steward is doing is a wise move."

"Alright, stop arguing, all of you. Even if you argue, you can't change the Chief Steward's decision. Awakening ordinary people has already begun."

The Talent Users, who were discussing animatedly, all looked forward.

"I wonder if anyone with a high-rank Talent will appear."

"Hehe, a bunch of old, weak, and sick people, what kind of high-rank Talent could they possibly awaken?" Some Talent Users who possessed Shelters clearly didn't want these ordinary people to actually awaken any good Talents.

But the matter of awakening Talents was not something these people could stop just by disagreeing.

Compared to these Talent Users, the ordinary people were flushed with excitement and anticipation, yet also nervous.

Perhaps this was the greatest opportunity in their lives, and even for generations to come, as their descendants would most likely become Gray Citizens or White Citizens in the future, rather than members of an extraordinary family.

As the awakenings progressed, most people, as expected, awakened ordinary F-rank Talents, with a few lucky ones getting E-rank Talents.

Although their Talents weren't great, everyone who used the crystal shelter item to awaken also gained two points in strength and two points in physique. The originally frail elderly suddenly felt much better, and their improved physique greatly enhanced their stamina, making work much easier.

Tang Ping didn't expect these people to have any real combat power; it would be great if they could contribute to the base's construction.

This place was deep in the mountains, unlike bases built in towns or big cities that could simply rely on a residential area to establish a base.

Here, after the hurricane, there wasn't even a decent house, and everything had to start from scratch.

Fortunately, there was no need to worry about food. Under the influence of the sacred spirit peach tree's saplings, this mountain was like spring all year round, and many plants growing within it could be eaten after processing.

Such a large mountain could sustain many people.

Once more land was cultivated, the Heavenly Mansion Base would be on the right track.

Then, Zhang Xile's Shelter would be upgraded to Level Five. At that time, a thousand-acre manor, expanded twenty-four times, would become twenty-four thousand acres, easily supporting tens of thousands of people without a problem.

Zhang Xile went down the mountain to busy himself with the awakenings.

Tang Ping looked at the sacred spirit peach tree saplings, but instead took out plants from the mini-game, plants vs. zombies.

They were all Peashooters, ten in total, once again spending all the sunlight he had accumulated over these days.

"Let's plant them here for now and see if they can evolve, and they can also help guard the peach trees."

Tang Ping still held expectations for these Peashooters.

If he could find something that allowed people and plants to form a contract, and this item could be used continuously, he would use it to establish a base army.

These plants cheered upon landing, clearly very fond of their surroundings.

The mysterious substance produced by the sacred spirit peach tree could not be absorbed by humans, but it had incredible effects on animals and plants.

As plants from plants vs. zombies, they could be said to be somewhere between animals and plants, and naturally, they could also absorb this substance, then slowly undergo a transformation, eventually completing their evolution.

This was also why Tang Ping was so confident that the sacred spirit peach tree could enable his plants to open up a level seven evolutionary path.

Chat

Zhang Xile: "Brother Tang! Good news! Someone has awakened an A-Rank Talent!"

"An A-Rank Talent!" Tang Ping was startled, followed by a pleasant surprise. He hadn't expected an A-Rank Talent to appear among these old people and children.

Tang Ping: "I'm coming right away."

Riding the Great Emperor Moth, he swooped down from the sea of clouds.

At this moment, in the village, gazes of envy and jealousy were directed at the child in front of Zhang Xile.

The child wasn't too young, about twelve years old, perhaps malnourished, he was thin and small, with somewhat dark skin.

"This kid has such good luck, to actually awaken an A-Rank Talent!"

"Damn it, why do I only have an F-rank Talent? Why?"

"Alas, some people are destined to be figures we look up to in the future. While this child is young, we should build a good relationship with him."

"Hehe, a little brat, he might die any day. What kind of future can he have?"

"If you don't want to stay at the base, and you don't wish for the base to do well, there's no gate blocking you in any direction outside."

"Exactly, the stronger the base, the better we'll live. I really don't know what this person is thinking."

Being spoken to, the man's face grew even gloomier. He snorted coldly and left.

Just then, a scream came from the crowd.

"Look, what's that in the sky!"

"What a big bird!"

"It's not a bird. Why does it look like a moth to me?"

"Did your moth eat fertilizer? It's grown so big!"

"No, it really looks like a moth."

Tang Ping's Great Emperor Moth gradually landed, and only then did everyone see clearly that it was indeed a moth.

Zhang Xile then stepped forward and introduced to the crowd: "Allow me to formally introduce you. This is the leader of our base, and also a powerful level four S-Rank Talent User! He also possesses a Dual Talent, with his other Talent also reaching level four and being an A-Rank Talent!"

Of course, Tang Ping's S-rank Talent was not S-Rank, nor had it reached level four, but saying so had more deterrent power. However, saying so was not incorrect either; an SS-Rank Talent, although currently level three, would absolutely not be inferior to a level four S-Rank Talent User, as the leap from S to SS is far greater than the leap from level three to level four.

"And such a world-class, top-tier expert is our leader, Tang Ping, Chief Tang!"

The crowd was silent for a moment, seemingly processing the information, but soon, they cheered. That was a level four S-Rank Talent User, and a Dual Talent User at that! They couldn't even imagine how strong he was! In this apocalypse, with dangers everywhere, nothing was more precious than a stable environment.

And to achieve stability, one either needed strong personal power or to join a powerful base.

Now, their base had a level four S-Rank Talent User!

"Chief Tang!"

"Chief Tang!"

"Chief Tang!"

Tang Ping released his aura, and the red lotus beneath his feet bloomed, lifting him into the air. Golden-red flames spread, and scorching fire snakes coiled dozens of meters behind him.

He raised his hand, pressing down, and along with his hand came that imposing aura. Some individuals with malicious intent instantly turned pale upon feeling that aura.

Tang Ping scanned the crowd and then spoke some inspiring words.

"The apocalypse has descended. The land once covered by human footprints has become a dangerous Wasteland, overrun by Infected, rampant with Pollution Beasts, and disasters follow one after another, leaving almost no room for human survival. However, I promise you that I will build a common paradise for us, standing firm upon the Wasteland!"