Nan Muran was a bit surprised as she read the plan for Qihuaju.
“Mei-jie, did you stay up all night?”

“I only stayed up a little while. It’s rare to have a chance to do something I truly love, so I got a bit excited. It’s no big deal,” Bai Mei said, smiling.
“But Ranran, are the points systems used by all the bases nationwide standardized? Or do we have to accept the base’s trading currency?”
Bai Mei wasn’t very familiar with the current situation in the safe bases and was understandably a bit uneasy about this.

Si Ye nodded.
“The points system and storage cards currently used by the Western City military base are standardized across the ten major bases nationwide. You can exchange them freely among all bases.
But for Qihuaju’s transactions, it’s best to bypass the points system directly.”

Nan Muran agreed with Si Ye’s idea.
It was the apocalypse, after all — the points system was controlled by the bases. Whether it would collapse was still uncertain. When dealing with financial systems with poor stability, the best solution was to avoid them altogether.

Before the apocalypse, gold could bypass such systems.
Now, in the apocalypse, gold had little value — so the best bet was to find new hard currency.

“Mutated cores, mutated fruits, food, enhancement potions…” Nan Muran listed them out, word by word.

“I agree with you. These are indeed the most valuable trade goods,” Bai Mei nodded in recognition, and then continued,
“The items traded in Qihuaju will basically be the rarest and most precious things in the apocalypse. The prices will be too high for ordinary people to afford or even need.
So we don’t need to advertise widely. We’ll set a high threshold and turn Qihuaju into a membership-only model.”

Nan Muran nodded approvingly.

Bai Mei then explained her vision:
At first, Qihuaju would focus on high-priced direct sales because auction systems required an established buyer base. Once the clientele grew, they could occasionally release rare items through auctions.

As she laid out her detailed plans, Nan Muran became more and more satisfied.
“Mei-jie, you’re definitely going to do great.”

Bai Mei was confident too.
“Then this afternoon, shall we go check out the place you bought?”

Nan Muran was momentarily stunned, then instinctively looked at Jiawu beside Bai Mei.
“Wu-ge?”

“It’s fine. I’ll go with her,” Jiawu said easily. Seeing his wife so spirited after a long time, he supported her unconditionally.

“Alright then. After breakfast, we’ll pack up and head down to the Western City Safe Base. Let’s try to settle everything in one trip,” Nan Muran said, both happy and a little helpless, surrounded by such hardworking companions.

After breakfast, everyone bundled up in cold-weather gear and prepared to descend the mountain.

Nan Muran also brought along Xuanyue and Tank.
Since once Qihuaju officially started operating, it wouldn’t be convenient for Bai Mei to run back and forth, she figured these two could serve as trusted aides.

Because the Western City Safe Base had prepared for the severe cold in advance, the extreme weather hadn’t impacted its operations at all.

However, when Xuanyue and Tank jumped down from the vehicle, there was a distinct gasp from the surrounding people.

“Is that… a wolf?” Someone immediately recognized Xuanyue.

“So scary… Who are these people? How can they bring a wolf into the base? It’s terrifying!” Some began to quietly complain among the crowd.

But others weren’t bothered:
“I don’t think it’s scary. I think it’s cool! Look, there’s also a German Shepherd next to it. So handsome.”

Xuanyue, who had never seen so many humans gathered together, was curious but maintained a noble, untouchable bearing.

“Nan-jie!”
Chengcheng was the first to spot Nan Muran and ran over warmly from the other side of the square.

Seeing the giant wolf standing shoulder to shoulder with Nan Muran, Chengcheng wasn’t afraid at all — only full of admiration:
“Wow, is this a mutated beast? It’s so cool!”

Just then, Han Yingting, Shiwuwu (Fifteen), and Xiangxi also came over.

“Miss Nan,” Han Yingting greeted warmly.

Since completing missions where they had fought side-by-side, everyone had become noticeably closer.

When Jiawu carried Bai Mei out of the car, the group was momentarily stunned.

“This is Mei-jie, Wu-ge’s wife. You’re meeting her for the first time,” Nan Muran introduced.

“Hello, sister-in-law!”
Chengcheng and the others greeted her enthusiastically, even the normally aloof Fifteen hurried to greet her properly.

“We’re here specifically to handle matters for Qihuaju,” Nan Muran said.
“By the way, has Commander Chen agreed to the price I set?”

Han Yingting looked a little embarrassed as he nodded.
Commander Chen had been on the verge of panicking these past two days, afraid that Nan Muran would change her mind.
If he lost the twenty mutated fruits she promised, he’d be devastated. He had even started considering lowering the price himself.

Nan Muran nodded.
“Let him know. I’ll hand over the fruits today — and we’ll also settle the Qihuaju matters all at once.”

Commander Chen Jianguo, upon hearing that his lucky star had arrived at the safe base, grinned so hard it was harder to suppress than an AK rifle’s recoil.

An elderly man in his seventies standing nearby glanced over with some disdain.
“You’re not a young man anymore. Can’t you act a little more composed?”

“Chief, it’s twenty mutated fruits! How could I stay calm?” Chen Jianguo defended himself without shame.

The mutated fruits Han Yingting’s team had brought back — after keeping a dozen or so for research — had been distributed among the Special Operations Brigade soldiers.
The fruits that awakened abilities were practically guaranteed to succeed.

Because of this, the Western City military base had gained fifty new low-level ability users.
Since these soldiers were already elite fighters with rich combat experience, even at their initial awakening stages, they had combat power comparable to an ordinary early-stage second-tier ability user.

How could Chen Jianguo not be thrilled?

The old chief nodded understandingly. How could he not be excited?
These were real boosts to the base’s strength.

“Isn’t Wild Wolf and Eagle still sticking closely to that girl?” the old man asked.

“Yes, ever since they retired, they’ve been with her.
According to Han Yingting, Wild Wolf is a three-attribute ability user, with his strongest water ability already at level four.
It seems like that girl has mastered some secret method — everyone who follows her rises rapidly,” Chen Jianguo couldn’t help but sigh.

Hearing this, the old chief chuckled.
“Why don’t you say it clearly? The people around her from the very beginning were already the most talented.
Wild Wolf and Eagle had top-level talents. The entire Wolfhead unit — they were once in a million.
Then there’s Jiawu — a top mercenary king from an international mercenary group.
Even that little boy she later brought in is a natural talent.”

“Mastering techniques and having resources are part of it, but the innate talent of the people around her — that’s the real foundation of her strength.”

Chen Jianguo couldn’t help laughing at the old chief’s words.
“You’re right. In that regard, she really is extraordinary.”

“If you want to build a deep relationship with someone like her,” the old chief said seriously, straightening his military uniform,
“there’s only one trick.”

“What trick?” Chen Jianguo asked curiously.

Because when facing someone like Nan Muran, he genuinely wanted to forge a strong relationship — not only for the resources but for the stability of the entire Western City Safe Base.