Welcome to Ability Store

Chapter 350: Chapter 350: Outpost Part 1

...

The journey was longer than Chen Xuan had imagined.

In his memory, Jiang City wasn’t very large, and you could cross it from east to west by car in about an hour. Moving from Fenglin District to Sha Jiang District should take no more than half a day.

Unexpectedly, it took them two full days to reach the searchers’ so-called outpost—the Binjiang Garden Subway Station in the Sha River area. To avoid the high-threat large nano-living bodies, they carefully navigated the gaps between towering buildings, climbed over collapsing structures and debris. In addition, many roads were damaged or completely blocked by abandoned vehicles, making their return journey extremely slow.

The informants weren’t lying; this outpost was not only not concealed but quite ostentatious: a huge LED billboard stood at the surface entrance, repeatedly playing "Welcome" animations in various languages. Surrounding the area were wire fences and steel barricades that starkly contrasted with the welcoming atmosphere.

As they got closer, the sense of discord grew even stronger. There were armed guards at the subway entrance, and two fully automatic weapon stations installed outside the wire fence. The gun barrels, at least 30mm in diameter, had already turned to aim at their group.

"Uh... I thought your base would be more... low-key," Wang Baihu pondered his words, "Now it feels like..."

"An apocalypse hotel," Jiang Siqi interjected.

"Yes, just like an apocalypse hotel!" He nodded repeatedly, "And with that kind of shady business that chews up its customers and spits out nothing but bones."

Little Pigeon glared and pinched him, "If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all."

"Calling it a hotel isn’t wrong, but we’re definitely not shady," Zhuang Yu covered her mouth with a laugh. Having finally brought her partner back safely, she seemed much more relaxed. "Migrants from out of town are what every survivor group wants to attract. Didn’t the experts say that a species needs at least 500 individuals to propagate? We definitely don’t want to be blamed for the extinction of humanity. So having a prominent outpost is very important to attract more people."

In other words, even if Guagua hadn’t found the two searchers, they would have discovered this survivors’ base sooner or later.

"Won’t the nano-living bodies target this place?" Chen Xuan scrutinized the billboard and asked.

With its flashing images and loud sound, it was a rare splash of color in the otherwise dead ruins, making it easy for outsiders to notice from miles away.

"Don’t worry, as long as the jamming device is functioning properly, this place is the same as a ruin to the nano-living bodies," she promised, "They don’t have eyes or ears as we do; their way of observing the world is entirely different from ours."

"Wait here for a moment, I’ll go report to my superior," Zhuang Yu said, then carried her partner towards the gate.

"I never expected Sha Jiang District to turn into this... I can’t recognize it at all," Little Pigeon whispered, gazing at the dried-up riverbed not far away.

Chen Xuan felt the same.

It’s hard to imagine that this great river, spanning several cities, could completely dry up. The once-majestic Sha River Bridge, which spanned the water, was now broken into sections, its concrete piers lying haphazardly on the riverbed, with only a row of pillars still standing.

As for the Celestial Ridge District on the other side of the river, it was shrouded in a dust storm, its outline barely visible.

A strange idea surfaced in his mind.

If he returned to the Celestial Ridge Residential District now, would he still see the Ability Store? Normally, he wouldn’t live to see the 22nd century, but now, he had the improved Tianxia Heart Method, which theoretically could prolong life and even grant eternal youth like Xu Xuanling. So, if the store still existed, wouldn’t he meet his future self there?

Before long, Zhuang Yu returned, "Alright, follow me."

The group followed her through the wire gate into the subway station. Guagua, being non-human, was asked to stay outside the base.

This station had existed since the previous century, and its internal structure hadn’t changed much, except for the replaced escalators with more sturdy brick-and-mortar stairs. Meanwhile, Chen Xuan noticed his connection with the store’s network had been severed—he had brought a backpack full of solar-powered wireless APs, placing one every kilometer or so. Before reaching the station, he could intermittently receive signals from Room 202, but inside the station, there was no response at all, indicating that the jamming device also cut off communication signals.

Once underground, it wasn’t dark at all; instead, various lights filled the space. The former ticket hall was now occupied by numerous ramshackle compartments, leaving only a narrow aisle in the middle.

These compartments appeared to be diverse shops, and Chen Xuan noticed they sold luxury items like cigarettes, beer, and chips. People around them cast curious glances, especially after seeing Honglian and Liuli, leading to a few flirtatious whistles among the whispers.

"Don’t mind them; they mean no harm," Zhuang Yu waved a hand, "Newcomers here are rare, and since you’re not wearing protective suits, they’re bound to look a few more times."

Honglian didn’t mind and was more concerned about resource issues, "I thought survivor bases lacked clothing and food, considering you would risk your lives for supplies."

"That’s a different matter... Eating synthesized food balls all the time would drive anyone crazy," she said curiously, "Don’t you lack pre-disaster industrial goods over there?"

Honglian was momentarily silent, "Not really; maybe it’s because there’s a large-scale logistics hub nearby."

Her subtle expression seemed as if she were genuinely reminiscing about the past.

Even Chen Xuan had to admire her acting skills.

"Exactly, every place is different... We’ve held on here for nine years, with no improvement, and everyone still unable to leave the city. Naturally, these once-cheap pre-disaster goods have become increasingly rare over time," Zhuang Yu sighed, "Maybe my partner was right; in a few decades, we’ll completely disappear, but at least for now, each item the searchers find brings a sliver of solace to everyone."

Passing through the "market level" formed by numerous shops, the "residential area" seemed to be even lower. Here, the air was filled with various odors, prompting everyone to instinctively cover their noses.

Obviously, the subway station’s ventilation system was inadequate, unable to handle the exchange of large volumes of waste gas.

"There are quite a few people living here..." Honglian looked towards the endless corridor, "Is Binjiang Garden Subway Station this large?"

"The original subway station wasn’t this large; these areas were added later," Zhuang Yu explained as if it were only natural, "Jiang City was already one of the latest cities hit by the crisis... We had more time to prepare."

Suddenly, Chen Xuan was drawn to an old poster on the wall.

It depicted an eyeball and a mechanical arm holding it. No one knew how long it had been plastered there, as the image was faded and yellowed, and the corners were tattered and incomplete.

However... the composition felt strangely familiar to him.

Beneath the poster were the letters "WC" in bold.

"Toilet Company?" Wang Baihu noticed the company’s abbreviation and pointed it out with a smirk, "Who came up with that name?"

"It’s Walter Chen Industrial Group... abbreviated as WC," Zhuang Yu looked amused, "Haven’t you heard of it?"

Chen Xuan’s heart skipped a beat.

Walter?

"He’s just ignorant," Honglian nonchalantly took over the conversation, "I believe it was involved in... um..."

"Armaments."

Chen Xuan murmured softly.

Honglian glanced at him, a little surprised.

"Yes, arms, as well as prosthetic eyes and limbs..." Zhuang Yu nodded, "The gun I’m using is a product of the WC company. Although the company is long gone, its products are quite useful and even considered hard currency in this base. By the way, Mr. Chen, when can I get my gun back—"

"How did it go under?" Chen Xuan couldn’t help but interrupt.

"Huh?" Zhuang Yu was momentarily stunned, not expecting him to abruptly raise his voice in such a surprised tone, causing her to instinctively reply, "It was war. The Dimensional Limit Mechanism and the Evangelical Association’s war eventually spread globally, and many companies were either taken over or wiped out. WC was just one of them."