Chapter 407

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Protagonist:

Shen Yao

"Could there really be immortals in this world? Or do higher-dimensional creatures exist?"

The notion of space actually existed, and miraculously, he and Shen Yao could use it together.

The moment Cheng Qi confirmed he had obtained the space, he pulled Shen Yao to try it together.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao stared blankly at Cheng Qi, blinking her eyes with a dazed and cute expression, "Space, it really exists."

"Yes, for us it's like sending charcoal in snowy weather," Cheng Qi felt an indescribable excitement rising in his heart. Who would have thought? Just moments ago he was worrying about how to carry as much as possible when leaving, and the next moment a super-large space capable of holding ten thousand things (except living things) appeared.

Getting out of bed, Cheng Qi tried things back and forth in the bedroom, constantly putting things in and taking them out. He was like a child with a new toy, freely radiating his joy.

"It seems my arrangement isn't bad," Rather than letting go of everything and leaving it to himself, it was better to take this opportunity to bind the two of them together.

Feelings easily fade, but interests do not, especially when losses reach a level an individual cannot bear; everyone will consider carefully.

After Cheng Qi's enthusiasm passed, the two discussed the matter of the space.

First, it must be clear that the matter of the space is known only to the two of them; no one else (including family) can be told.

Second, the space they obtained is very large; conservatively, it can hold an entire house.

"Before leaving, we must collect as many supplies as possible and store them. Frequent purchasing will cause problems, so I'll handle this part."

Cheng Qi felt that the connections he had cultivated could finally be put to use. Not much help was needed; just a little from each person would be enough to fill most of the space.

Shen Yao nodded obediently, indicating that she would go out to collect things recently.

The mild season was exactly when wild vegetables came down. In the wild, if they met people with a rich harvest, they could buy privately with an appropriate amount of points. Plus, with the special nutrient agents sold at the Exchange Center, they could buy in batches.

The space was still; things from the outside put inside would not spoil at all. If they didn't take the opportunity to stock up a batch, they would be stupid people.

The two discussed and planned the matters properly, then each acted according to the decided plan.

Shen Yao carried a back basket and went out to the riverside every day. On the surface, she was collecting things, but secretly, with the system's help, she ran to the Reed Marsh to find wild ducks and pick up wild duck eggs.

Besides this, Cheng Qi also rented a carriage to take Shen Yao to the previous pond. The small hillside there produced wild chickens in abundance. They hunted some wild chickens to put into the space, and picked up some wild chicken eggs to supplement their body's nutrition. The pond grew dense lotus flowers and lotus leaves, and there were river fish swimming around inside. These were all food sources they had dealt with before.

Time flew by, and the mild season quickly passed its halfway point. The two people's stockpiling journey went exceptionally smoothly.

Especially since the base's Exchange Center was open normally, they could buy the top quota of rice and flour staples every month. Plus, with Cheng Qi's gains from smuggling channels, the current space could be said to be full of a sense of security.

"Going to the Bamboo Forest today?" Cheng Qi was on leave and got up very early to accompany Shen Yao out.

"Bamboo is useful; we can prepare more," Even if the New Base didn't have it, they wouldn't worry.

"Dig some more bamboo shoots, pick some bamboo leaves and bamboo suns. Don't you like the rocking chairs and benches woven with bamboo strips? Organize them all while we have time."

They weren't leaving now, so they used their free time to process some of the supplies put into the space.

And going to a new place meant they had to start from scratch; it was even more impossible for them to not care about their family members at home at all.

"Did you tell Mom and Dad? I'm afraid Mom and Dad won't want to leave."

Shen Yao's worry was not without reason. Compared to this group of juniors, Song Ling and Cheng Ma and others had already lived in the base for decades. Every plant and tree here felt familiar to them; how could it be so easy to leave?

Cheng Qi nodded and shook his head, "I hinted a bit to Dad and them, and they have some resistance."

Whether it was Cheng Ba or Shen Yao's father, these two fathers' attitudes were surprisingly consistent. They told them not to toss around so much; the base was quite good, and living here wasn't bad.

Shen Yao:...

Shen Yao patted Cheng Qi's shoulder, "I'll mention it often in front of Mom and Dad, and I'll help beat the side drum too. And as for Eldest Brother's side, I believe Eldest Young Master and Eldest Sister-in-law will definitely understand our worries."

Shen Yao wasn't worried about Shen Yu. As long as she spoke, Shen Yu wouldn't refuse. Besides, leaving the base was such a big matter that ultimately Song Ling and Shen Jiancheng, the couple, made the decisions. Shen Yao was confident she could persuade the two of them.

As for the Cheng Family, Cheng Ba and Cheng Dage both worked inside the base. They had not only been working longer than Cheng Qi, but also had more prestige and connections than Cheng Qi.

To make them give up here and go to a new base they didn't know where... Shen Yao thought the difficulty of the matter was more exaggerated than imagined.

Anyway, she had no good ideas; she could only rely on Cheng Qi's ability.

Cheng Qi:...

Cheng Qi sighed, reached out and scratched his head, "This matter isn't urgent for now. Let's go to the Bamboo Forest first."

We can only plan for the long term. If all else fails, we'll have to expose a bit of the space.

But this is the last resort, the strategy after the Cheng Family stubbornly resists. But as long as there is any method, the space cannot be exposed. People's hearts change easily; even with relatives, one cannot gamble.

Bamboo Forest, Chang Le Town, Wild Hillside, Sweet Potato Garden, Pond, Riverside...

Taking advantage of the free time during the mild season, Shen Yao almost ran through all the collection points she had visited last year.

Some had abundant harvests, some had very little. Day by day, the supplies in the space kept increasing, also giving them the confidence to leave.

Splash—

Cheng Qi got off work and returned home, carrying a whole box of nutrient agents produced by the Exchange Center from outside the door with one hand.

This batch of nutrient agents looked colorful, and the taste was also quite good.

They had privately received Zhao Xue's help. These past few days, mornings and afternoons, they ran to the Exchange Center to buy. Including the space, they had already stocked several boxes.

"Buy everything that can be bought in the end. We can't go to the Exchange Center for the time being. Tomorrow I'll go to the Black Market to check the situation."

Cheng Qi poured a cup of water and gulped it down, relieving the dry mouth from walking back all the way.

"If possible, buy two more air conditioners." Nowadays, the air conditioner in the room cannot be dismantled. They need to consider that there might not be enough time when leaving or sudden accidents. They need to store spare air conditioners and even some other home appliances in advance.

Cheng Qi made an affirmative sound, "Leave it to me to handle. The hot rainy season is coming soon. This year's time is longer than last year's. Your body..."

Shen Yao's belly had already bulged up, like an upside-down bowl. Although daily actions wouldn't be affected much, carrying a child still required various precautions.

Cheng Qi calculated the childbirth time. He had already reserved the hospital half a year in advance. Now he was just afraid Shen Yao would give birth prematurely. The home delivery conditions were simple and couldn't compare to the hospital's meticulous safety. He was worried problems would appear with Shen Yao's body.

"It's fine, won't be premature," she patted her belly; with the system monitoring at all times to help, Shen Yao felt confident.

Cheng Qi:...

Cheng Qi planned to find someone else to go to the hospital to procure supplies; although medical supplies were hard to buy, there was nothing impossible in the world as long as one was willing to give enough benefits.

The young couple continued preparing supplies in an orderly manner; because they kept a low enough profile, they also weren't noticed by anyone, but as the base's attitude of giving up gradually showed, both Cheng Qi and Shen Yao felt a trace of pressure.

"This year's hot rainy season is not like last year; the base delaying the notification means people living in E District and F District will suffer heavier losses than last year."

Cheng Qi looked at the high temperature warning on his wristwatch; clearly it wasn't the hot rainy season, yet the temperature rose, forcing them to turn on the air conditioner early.

Air conditioning electricity costs rose, including water fees and all other daily expenses increasing.

It was also because Cheng Qi earned a lot in the Patrol Team, and usually relied on his space for a bit of gray income; otherwise the two of them absolutely couldn't live so comfortably.

"If last year's incident happens again, it will cause the base's prestige to decline, and internal chaos will arise."

The people who died last year still haven't been effectively replenished this year, continuing to die... won't it be that they can't even hold out for three years, and they'll need to leave in advance?

"I heard people in A District have been running outside recently, including Patrol Team work, with daily missions to reclaim land outside appearing frequently."

Although reclamation missions exist every year, that's for base resources; this reclamation is clearly pushing outward, scouting routes. Cheng Qi suspected the high-level people living in A District were consciously preparing to leave; he feared the mild season after the hot rainy season would be a small wave of fervor.

"Do Mom and Dad know?" Shen Yao pursed her lips, one hand resting on her belly.

"Don't know, the news is confidential; besides us few Patrol Team captains, no one has noticed."

Because captains were responsible for issuing missions, excessive reclamation missions would affect squad allocation; Cheng Qi also noticed something was wrong from these missions.

Shen Yao:...

"Wait until the next mild season; once A District's matter can no longer be concealed, that base..." Shen Yao didn't dare imagine this outcome, because angry people simply wouldn't think rationally; ordinary people like them could only leave.

"The base should conceal it; remember the city walls between A District and B District before? The base still needs to reinforce them."

Cheng Qi stroked his chin with one hand, explaining that the base upper echelon currently had two voices; whether they'd run or stay wasn't certain yet, because in the base they were the owners, but leaving the base they could only be ordinary people.

Having long been used to giving orders, suddenly making them obey others' leadership would make people feel extremely painful.

Shen Yao suddenly understood; no wonder Cheng Qi didn't say they planned to leave early.

Turns out the base itself was reluctant to give up its territory; probably wanted to leave itself a way out. If the base could be kept, everyone would be happy; if the base couldn't be kept, they and their families would still have a chance to survive.

The thinking was good, the plan also perfect, just a bit disregarding the life and death of the base's ordinary people.

But then again, base ordinary people and them had long not been in the same stratum; expecting capitalists to have a conscience? Better to wash up and sleep.

Cheng Qi paid attention to news from the base upper echelon at all times; occasionally if there was anything he would discuss with Shen Yao.

After the two confirmed they couldn't purchase supplies from the Exchange Center, they switched to various black markets and markets; occasionally they would also trade in the wilderness.

Supplies in the space grew more and more; Shen Yao's belly grew bigger and bigger; with a sudden heavy rain, the difficult hot rainy season finally arrived.

Temporarily couldn't go out.

Shen Yao's belly was already six months along; at this time she was standing at the window side looking out.

The rain curtain fell like pearls on a string, drip by drip onto the ground, forming deep and shallow puddles.

Cheng Qi didn't go to the Patrol Team; he was staying in the studio organizing supplies in the space.

A whole mild season's effort turned the two of them into bare commanders.

Points in the wristwatch were only enough to cover basic living; want to continue spending lavishly? They could only wait for the next mild season to work hard.

"Yao Yao"

Cheng Qi called out to Shen Yao once, successfully drawing Shen Yao's gaze over.

"Try it out," the studio looked a bit messy; Cheng Qi moved his hands and wove a bamboo rocking chair, wanting Shen Yao to be able to sit and rest more easily.

Shen Yao lay on it to try; felt it was good, just the bamboo was a bit hard; should pad another layer of cloth; if possible, spread something softer, like a cushion or thin cotton.

Cheng Qi had Shen Yao go outside to rest; he continued improving the rocking chair's shortcomings, especially the bent position of the rocking chair, which must be able to withstand Shen Yao's body weight.

Shen Yao went out and ran to the sofa to lie on her side; opened her wristwatch to browse the forum on it.

Rather desolate!

Not that there was no one, but compared to the previous liveliness, now there were only a few scattered people; basically no desire to discuss.

Randomly clicked open a few pictures; some sold supplies, some sold handicrafts; Shen Yao didn't find anything that interested her; strolled a circle and simply ran to the kitchen to wash some fruit out.

Ate some herself, sent some to Cheng Qi, then adjusted the air conditioner temperature; Shen Yao's days staying at home were more relaxed and comfortable than most people's.

Basically every day was early to bed, early to rise; eat whatever she wanted; besides her belly growing bigger day by day visibly, Shen Yao had no pregnancy discomfort at all.

"I'm going out today; if anything happens, remember to send a message," Cheng Qi worriedly instructed Shen Yao alone at home, looking at the other's round rolling belly with growing worry.

Shen Yao calmly waved her hand; "In another month the hot rainy season ends; rest assured, nothing will happen."

This year the air conditioner was on enough; Shen Yao ate the system's Fetal Protection Pills every day; whether body or belly, both were very healthy.

Nearing the end, the base worried the previous situation would appear again; therefore required Patrol Team members to patrol daily, focusing on the three districts near the base periphery.

Cheng Qi bore the captain's duty on his body; every time he went out he had to rush to the front.

"Go back; lock doors and windows; no matter who comes, don't open the door," Cheng Qi put on the thick protective suit; after walking out the house door he locked it again.

Not many people on the streets; neighbors on both sides were also honestly hiding at home; Cheng Qi shrank his shoulders, lifted his leg and hurried toward the Patrol Team.

Shen Yao stood at the window side seeing Cheng Qi off; herself turned around and closed the room door properly.

She had nothing to do; thought about it and still ran back to the bedroom to sleep a while.

When she opened her eyes again, the sky was already somewhat dim; Cheng Qi sent a message saying he'd be back late; telling her to eat first and not starve herself.

Shen Yao rubbed her bulging belly; asked the system in her mouth if it knew what Cheng Qi was doing.

"Tsk, just handling some dirty tiring work," some people would always croak for this or that reason.

The hot rainy season isn't like the cold season; if not cleaned up in time, terrible infectious diseases would appear; the Patrol Team's daily missions included handling corpses.