Chapter 260

The next day, Dong Jiaxu indeed went abroad with his parents, and before leaving he sent Lin Meng a selfie with a caption:

"When brother comes back, I'll take you to explore the country's top ten terrifying spots—it'll definitely be thrilling."

Lin Meng wasn't at ease, so she stayed home walking the dog, checking the spirit beast eggs, and when idle she cultivated in meditation.

Ye Chenjing occasionally came to see her, sat a while then left, obviously also very busy.

On Ye Fan's side, the next day news arrived that the fresh medicinal materials of the Song Yun family would arrive soon, and he also brought a great piece of news.

"Immortal Sister, it turns out that when refining pills, adding cola to the pill can fully unleash the pill's efficacy, raising its quality by a level!"

"Senior Brother Song also brought me a bottle of Yellow Dragon Pill this time; I've examined it, and the pill's quality has indeed risen a notch, and compared to the previous Yellow Dragon Pill it can provide double the spiritual energy!"

Hearing this, Lin Meng couldn't help but exclaim, "Cola, you're really something!"

This way, the preciousness of cola can be heightened even further, and it will be widely sought after by alchemists.

Sure enough, Ye Fan then went on to mention this.

"Senior Brother Song's family is an Alchemy Aristocratic Family; after discovering this, they insisted on visiting me no matter what, but I haven't agreed yet."

"The Song family's pills have wide dissemination; now many sects and forces have noticed the improvement in Song family pills, and someone has already begun covert investigation."

After hearing this, Lin Meng pondered carefully and then said:

"The Song family is most likely here to discuss cooperation with you; don't worry, just talk with them."

"I will supply cola in unlimited quantity; as long as the Song family can afford the price, you can ask them for medicinal pills, herbs, and spiritual medicines—having cola as our bargaining chip, I'm sure the Song family won't be stingy."

Ye Fan was genuinely startled upon hearing the words "unlimited supply."

"Just how much cola does Immortal Sister have on hand to be able to supply it without limit!"

"However, you still need to handle this matter cautiously; before your strength is sufficient, you must absolutely not let more people know you possess cola."

Ye Fan nodded solemnly upon hearing this.

"Immortal Sister, rest assured; if Senior Brother Song's family truly wishes to cooperate, I believe they will keep it secret for me."

"Moreover, the small amount of cola I exposed at the sect's trading fair earlier is insufficient to draw attention; the disciples and elders must have already forgotten it."

After all, back then he was just a nobody with low cultivation and status; even if people recalled he once sold cola, they'd think it was merely a chance find.

Even if the sect found out, he had a way to deal with it.

After cutting off contact with Lin Meng, Ye Fan gathered his mind, set up a barrier in his cave dwelling, activated a Spirit Gathering Array, and began attempting a breakthrough.

Once Foundation Establishment succeeds, he will gain an additional layer of security.

Lin Meng missed Ye Fan, so she immediately ordered cola online.

Considering the special nature of cola turning into spiritual water, perhaps related to the gas inside, Lin Meng didn't buy large bottles but bought 300-milliliter small bottles—twenty cases, twenty-four bottles per case—enough to last a while.

Of course, the outer packaging still had to be torn off by her manually to avoid unnecessary trouble.

After storing all the cola in her second space, Lin Meng settled down to focus on cultivation.

She aimed to reach the peak of Qi Refining before summer, then ask Ye Fan for a Foundation Establishment pill to attempt breakthrough!

Foundation Establishment cultivators can fly on swords.

By then, perhaps she could truly consider opening a cultivation university and establishing a sect on Earth!

In the Wasteland World, the cold weather did not diminish the enthusiasm of the people in the refuge.

Everyone wore the winter clothes given by the goddess, bustling about the camp, each doing their duty, with happy smiles on every face.

The entire refuge was thriving.

After Ye Heng arranged the camp's expansion and renovation, the day before yesterday he led a few brothers out of the camp to head for a nearby city.

Near their camp, population is sparse, with few zombies and mutant beasts, and corresponding supplies are extremely scarce.

Survivors rarely set foot here.

Ye Heng wanted to increase the camp's population, so he had to go to a nearby city.

Although supplies there are still scarce, at least there is something to scavenge.

People from all major refuges also only form teams to go into the city to search for supplies and kill zombies to obtain crystal cores.

At this moment, near a large mall, Ye Heng led his team to lie in wait at a relatively safe entrance/exit.

"Team Captain, this is actually the hunting ground of those several major refuges; are we really going to win over those survivors here?"

Ye Heng's eyes were firm, and he said:

"Zhang Chaoran came by a few days ago to scout; for the next two days, those refuges' people won't come over, as I heard a zombie outbreak erupted in the southern city, with mutant beast numbers surging, so they all went there to hunt."

Ye Heng analyzed:

"Those who got the news certainly aren't just us; those survivor small groups definitely know as well, and they will surely come here to scavenge supplies during these two days."

Upon hearing this, the team members instantly felt it made sense.

Not long after, indeed a couple of people crept over cautiously.

Leading them was a disheveled man with bulging muscles, followed by three half-grown kids, each thinner than the last, likely around fifteen or sixteen years old.

Ye Heng glanced at the man leading them, and his eyes lit up immediately.

In this environment where one can't even eat enough or stay warm, yet he maintains such a robust physique; he must be a strength-type awakened.

As expected, the next second Ye Heng and his companions saw the man effortlessly hoist the three boys, lift them over his head, and place them on the roof of a discarded bus by the road.

"As usual, lie on top and wait here until I come out."

Having spoken, the burly man charged into the mall.

Not long after, he came out carrying a whole rack of shelves.

Inside the mall, the remaining fish were increasing; everything movable had been cleared out, leaving only this rack, which is heavy and takes up space, still remaining.

Ye Heng saw that the man's strength was genuine, his steps steady, a capable hand, and he thought of recruiting him under his command.

"Come on, let's go over."

Ye Heng spoke, then walked toward that group.

The burly man noticed someone approaching and immediately became alert.

He saw Ye Heng's group, quickly placed the cargo rack in front of him, and gave a verbal warning.

"Don't come over; if you get any closer, I won't be polite!"

He readied himself to fight at any moment; if that rack were to swing over, its destructive force would be considerable.

Ye Heng hurriedly stopped his steps and spoke softly.

"Brother, don't misunderstand; we mean no harm, we just want to learn a bit about the situation."

Ye Heng's voice sounded upright, and since he had no weapon in hand, the burly man lowered the rack gently to the ground, but he still kept a wary eye on Ye Heng.

"What do you want to ask about? If it's news about Tie Song and Wang Yi's gang, there's nothing to say—I'm not with them."

Tie Song, Wang Yi—these are the names of the leaders of several nearby shelters.

In the early days of the apocalypse, some bold and ruthless people seized advantageous urban districts early on and expanded their power.

Now, in this wasteland era, aside from the privileged citizens within the high walls, only those large dust‑shelter refuges that have risen abruptly enjoy a relatively stable life.

Ye Heng didn't know what tier the shelters led by Tie Song and Wang Yi belonged to, but he was certain they weren't among the several major shelters.

He thought for a moment and said:

"I'm not asking about that; I want to ask you, are you interested in joining my shelter?"