323: Wang Lingling's Road to Queenhood

"You're awake."

Wang Lingling, still lying there, looked utterly bewildered. She had no idea how her Maternal Uncle had appeared beside her. Had she already died?

"Maternal Uncle, is it really you? Wuwuwu, have I died? I miss you so much, I miss Mom so much. Will I never get to see you again?" Wang Lingling suddenly burst into tears, heartbroken. She truly missed her family, but she knew she would never have the chance again. Separated by a vast ocean, there was no way to go back.

I must be experiencing a final burst of energy before death, Wang Lingling thought, holding Tang Ping. She wondered if her mother might also appear. It would be good to see her mother one last time before dying, but no matter how hard she wished, her mother's figure did not appear.

"What nonsense are you talking about? You're perfectly fine. Don't cry. I'll take you back to the mainland soon." Tang Ping patted Wang Lingling.

"Mm, I know." Wang Lingling still believed this was just a dying hallucination. After all, she clearly remembered her previous situation, and now her head didn't hurt anymore. What else could it be but a hallucination?

Tang Ping shook his head helplessly: "It's really me, not a dream!"

Wang Lingling nodded earnestly: "I understand, I understand completely!"

Tang Ping: "..."

This is bad. What should he do now? For Wang Lingling, his appearance was indeed a bit dreamlike. After all, what normal person would cross the sea to find relatives in the apocalypse? Forget it, he'd let his niece raise her strength to Level Five and her Talent to A-Rank first. Good heavens, that suddenly felt even more fantastical.

"Xiao Ling, come, let's raise your strength first, then raise your Talent."

Wang Lingling stared blankly at the mountain of experience stones piled before her: "Do my dreams even dare to be this extravagant?"

"..."

A few days later, after the other three members of the Xingyun Squad had also woken up, Wang Lingling finally accepted reality: she wasn't dreaming!

At this point, although the Xingyun Squad only had four members left, their strength had undergone earth-shattering changes.

"So, Maternal Uncle, that Star Council, my mom is actually one of its founders! And she's a Senior Elder of the Upper Council! The Xingyao Base is even managed by my mom!" Wang Lingling said in disbelief.

"Wrong." Tang Ping tapped Xiao Ling's head. "It should be called the Xingyao Official Safe Zone now, because just half a month ago, the Xingyao Base's population officially exceeded 100,000!"

"Xingyao Official Safe Zone!" Wang Lingling gasped, almost rolling her eyes and fainting! That was a Safe Zone! Her mother was now actually managing a Safe Zone! This, this was too exaggerated even for a dream!

To protect Wang Lingling's fragile heart, Tang Ping temporarily didn't mention that her Maternal Uncle actually had an even more powerful Safe Zone, which he owned, unlike Sister Wang, who was merely one of the founders.

Yes, the Tianfu Base, or rather, the Tianfu Official Safe Zone, had become a Safe Zone half a month earlier than the Xingyao Official Safe Zone, and its population had already exceeded 100,000. If the Tianfu Official Safe Zone hadn't been in a remote location, it probably would have become a Safe Zone even sooner.

Currently, only the Qingtian Base still had a population of just over 80,000, but becoming a Safe Zone was only a matter of minutes. After all, the Qingtian Alliance's population, combining all its large and small bases, exceeded 500,000. This excluded the populations of two other Official Safe Zones that they had already secretly controlled.

The Qianxi River was a river with extremely low contamination, suitable for direct drinking. In the apocalypse, the preciousness of water resources and food was self-evident, so there was a continuous flow of people migrating towards the Qianxi River.

And to survive by the Qianxi River, one had to join a base under the Qingtian Alliance, which led to a continuous increase in the number of people in the Qingtian Alliance.

"Your current realms are decent, but you've advanced so rapidly that your strength hasn't fully converted yet. However, dealing with the Xuanhu Pharmaceutical Group shouldn't be a big problem. Should I help you, or will you..."

"We'll do it ourselves!" Wang Lingling said directly, her eyes filled with intense hatred. "It was one thing to suffer in silence when we had no strength, but now, with one Level Five A-rank Talent Holder and three powerhouses comparable to top-tier Level Four A-rank Talent Holders, if we still can't take down this Xuanhu Pharmaceutical, I might as well twist off my own head!"

Clearly, more than half a year of struggle in the apocalypse had transformed Wang Lingling from the innocent girl she once was. Now, her eyes were filled with murderous intent.

"That's right, Mr. Tang, you've helped us enough. Let us handle these people ourselves." Fu Xiaocheng, the leader of the Xingyun Squad, stood up. "Coincidentally, I also want to see how far my own strength has reached."

"Alright then, I'll watch your performance." Tang Ping turned and looked at Wang Lingling again. "Are you really not planning to come back to the mainland with me?"

Wang Lingling shook her head, her gaze firm: "Maternal Uncle, now that I know Mom is safe and has established herself in the apocalypse, even becoming one of the most powerful people! I'm relieved. And I don't want to be some delicate young lady or princess! I might not be able to achieve what Mom has, but I'm already Level Five. I want to stay here and, with my friends, build a base of our own!"

"Or even, a Safe Zone!"

"Since you've decided this, I won't force you. But don't be stubborn; the things we give you, you should take. You're just going out to make your own way, not cutting ties with us." Tang Ping respected Wang Lingling's decision. He wasn't surprised by her plan, as Wang Lingling had grown up by Sister Wang's side and naturally inherited her personality; she was a very strong-willed girl.

Wang Lingling immediately gave a charming smile: "Hehe, of course I know, I'm not stupid, hehe." Xiao Ling rubbed her hands. "Um, Maternal Uncle, what kind of support are you planning to give me? I'm telling you, if it's too little, I won't be impressed, because your niece is determined to build a Safe Zone!"

Bang!

Tang Ping gave her a flick on the forehead and rolled his eyes, saying: "I told you not to be polite, but I didn't tell you to extort your Maternal Uncle!"

"Alright, stop messing around. Since you want to build your own base, how about this: we'll use the Xuanhu Pharmaceutical's 10,000-person base as the foundation, and I'll transport the people from other small and medium bases to you. As for the food issue, don't worry, I'll cover three months of rations for this merged base. As for after that, don't even think about freeloading."

"Three months!" Wang Lingling's eyes widened, somewhat uncertain. "Maternal Uncle, are you sure you're not talking about rations for the four of us, but for tens of thousands of people for three months?"

"Wrong!" Tang Ping held up a finger and shook it. "It's the rations for the Xuanhu Pharmaceutical Group's seven small Survivor Bases, five medium Survivor Bases, plus one large 10,000-person Survivor Base!"

Wang Lingling couldn't help but reach out and touch her Maternal Uncle's forehead. "You don't have a fever, do you? Maternal Uncle, I know you love me the most, but you really don't have to brag like this, haha. Let's just do what we can, haha."

She grumbled inwardly, when did her Maternal Uncle become so unreliable? Five medium bases would have at least 15,000 people, and the seven small bases combined would definitely have 10,000. That's food for thirty to forty thousand people! Forget three months, even one day's worth of food, she estimated, would drain her Maternal Uncle dry and still not be enough. In her own mind, the base matter wasn't urgent yet. After taking over the Xuanhu Pharmaceutical Group, everything would continue as before, slowly developing with that 10,000-person base.

Tang Ping crossed his arms, he was actually being looked down upon by his niece! He immediately sneered: "Heh, are you looking down on your Maternal Uncle? It seems you don't know how powerful your Maternal Uncle is!"

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, Maternal Uncle, you're the most powerful! You're the one who crossed a vast ocean in the apocalypse, from the mainland to South Sea Island! How many people in this world are more powerful than you! Maternal Uncle, don't worry about the food. After all, if you get too tired, Mom will definitely scold me. For now, just stay put and help me guard the base for two or three months, how about that?"

"Huh? No? You think that my guarding the gate for you for two or three months isn't as valuable as some food? Do you know who I am?! Just one of my identities, if I told you, would probably scare you to death!"

"Mm-hmm, I know, I know all of it. Maternal Uncle, you stay home for now. We'll wait for our good news. Captain Fu, Sister Chu, Xiao Chengzi, let's go, we're going to deal with Xuanhu Pharmaceutical!" Wang Lingling pushed Tang Ping back, then strode out, walking with a purpose.

Qiongzhou Official Safe Zone

Xuanhu Pharmaceutical Group Headquarters

Lu Zhengdong frowned, his mind troubled. For some reason these past few days, he always felt a blockage in his heart, as if a breath was stuck in his chest, unable to be exhaled.

"Did something happen to my second brother at Zhenhai Pass?"