A Night of Restful Sleep
There was no storm or turbulence that night, only the silent musings of a man and a woman, and the gradually rising snoring of Yi Bai.
Honestly, Yi Bai found this kind of sleep incredibly satisfying. Lying next to a beautiful woman, nearly undressed, her smooth skin cool to the touch. He wasn't sure whether it was the cold air from the freezer or the sensation of their skin brushing against each other.
Though he wasn't a novice in such matters, there was a rare, subtle tension in him tonight.
"Sir? Sir..."
When Jiang Xiaoci's gentle voice rang in his ear again, Yi Bai opened his eyes to find the sun high in the sky.
"What time is it?"
He got out of bed and turned to see Jiang Xiaoci had changed into a red qipao and was arranging a lavish spread of food on the table.
"It's already 11:30 AM, Sir. You still have enough time for lunch."
Jiang Xiaoci walked over, helping him get dressed, a gesture Yi Bai wasn't quite used to. He was a man of the modern era—never had he experienced life as a feudal lord.
"Sir," Jiang Xiaoci seemed to notice his discomfort and softly added, "You must let me do something, to make me feel that I'm truly important to you."
"Alright."
Yi Bai had no choice but to relax, letting Jiang Xiaoci take the reins. After washing up, he sat down at the table and began enjoying the hearty lunch while asking, "What's the plan for today at the settlement?"
"Rest, remodel, clean."
Jiang Xiaoci served him more food while quietly reporting, "We've only recently occupied this building, so we need to tidy up the rooms on all floors. There are also a lot of supplies to be distributed carefully."
"We have over ten people now. It's not many, but we need a detailed management plan."
"So, I haven't arranged for anyone to go out today. Even Lin Yue isn't out scavenging. After all, we killed so many people yesterday, and there are likely people searching for us nearby."
Jiang Xiaoci paused, then smiled. "Well, we can take this opportunity to organize the house."
"Good arrangement."
Yi Bai nodded in approval, and Jiang Xiaoci continued, "To make things easier, I've designated the sixth floor and above as a restricted area. Only authorized personnel can go up."
"This way, those women won't be able to get close to you, and if we recruit more residents in the future, they won't easily meet you. This greatly ensures your safety."
Jiang Xiaoci hesitated for a moment, then tentatively added, "Of course, if you need anything, Sir, just let me know. I can bring up some trustworthy, beautiful women for you..."
"Bring them up for what?"
Yi Bai was startled and quickly waved his hand. "No, I'm not some starving lecher. We're all here to survive, not to live like some feudal king."
"Understood, Sir."
Jiang Xiaoci smiled and seemed pleased. Yi Bai, a traditional Chinese man, believed in the philosophy of living simply when poor and helping others when wealthy. If he had the ability, he was more than happy to lend a hand, but if not, he focused on surviving.
"The next thing, then, is to let everyone rest well."
Yi Bai put down his bowl and chopsticks, satisfied. "Tell everyone not to worry too much about the future. Let's live steadily. We'll provide what we can, but they need to understand that we don't tolerate ingrates. This is a different era. Don't mess things up and regret it later."
"Yes, Sir."
Jiang Xiaoci bowed her head and respectfully agreed. "I will set the rules and not trouble you."
"Xiaoci, you're really doing great."
Yi Bai nodded approvingly and patted Jiang Xiaoci on the shoulder. "Keep up the good work! The leadership has faith in you!"
"Yes, Sir."
Jiang Xiaoci smiled sweetly, fully in sync with Yi Bai.
After their conversation, Jiang Xiaoci tidied up the dishes and left the room. Though there was no exploration task today, there was plenty to keep her busy. Since Yi Bai recruited her, she had become the busiest person in the shelter, handling all the various matters. Yi Bai trusted her management skills far more than his own, so he delegated nearly everything to her. With the loyalty of his team secured, Jiang Xiaoci now held a position of great responsibility, second only to Yi Bai.
For Yi Bai, life had become easier with Jiang Xiaoci around. Sleeping next to a soft beauty, waking up to hot meals, and being waited on hand and foot—he only had to issue orders.
"Ah, this must be what it's like to live with everything handed to you."
Yi Bai sighed contentedly, lying on a reclining chair by the window, enjoying the warmth from the setting sun.
With the cold air from the freezer system in full effect, the room temperature was controlled at about 28°C, leaving Yi Bai feeling uncomfortably chilly. He felt a strange desire to bask in the sun.
It sounded absurd—people outside were struggling under the scorching heat, some dying from dehydration or heatstroke, while everyone else was scrambling to exchange small amounts of cooling resources to survive.
And here was Yi Bai, a freak of nature, wanting to sunbathe in the middle of a heatwave.
As Yi Bai drifted in and out of drowsiness, he suddenly noticed a flashing light in front of him. He sat up in a start, realizing that the time had come for a new talent reward to be delivered!
[Congratulations! You have triggered a talent reward: "C-Class Shelter Room - Crop Cultivation Facility" (ready for immediate installation).]
With the notification came a yellow blueprint that appeared in Yi Bai's hand. Looking at the design, he saw the following:
[Crop Cultivation Facility]: C-Class Shelter Room, can be placed in an available room within the shelter (requires two room spaces). Once installed, it will automatically generate a full farming environment. Three types of crops can be cultivated.
"Wait, a farming room?"
Yi Bai was startled. This meant he no longer had to worry about food!
With the freezer providing unlimited ice water, and now an entire room dedicated to farming, there was no need to go out scavenging for supplies anymore. He could just hunker down and live without a care!
"Let's see what this can do!"
Excited, Yi Bai opened the shelter's information panel and entered the building mode.
The available installation area was on the sixth floor, which had four rooms. Apart from Yi Bai's main room and the adjacent research room, there were two empty rooms left.
The reason he hadn't used those two rooms before was simple—he couldn't afford it! But now, with the reward blueprint, he didn't need to spend any extra resources or credits to install it; it could be placed directly.
[Install Now!]
[Installation successful.]
Once confirmed, the new facility was built.
Yi Bai looked through the iron door's crack and saw a flash of golden light. He quickly rushed out and entered the adjacent room.
When he opened the door, he was stunned. The room had been completely transformed into a vast farm!
The entire space was no longer divided into a bathroom, living room, or bedroom. It had been replaced by a spacious greenhouse with all the necessary farming equipment, including temperature control, ventilation, lighting, and sunlight systems.
However, the greenhouse hadn't been stocked with crops yet. As soon as Yi Bai stepped in, a new message appeared:
[The crop cultivation room is empty. Please choose your crops.]
Below was a list of available crops, vegetables, and fruits. There were about twenty options, mostly common varieties.
Yi Bai, feeling a bit adventurous, chose [Rice], [Sweet Potatoes], and [Oranges] as his first crops.
With a confirmation, a white light flooded the room. Within a few moments, a bountiful crop field appeared, filling the entire greenhouse.
[Crops confirmed, cultivation in progress.]
[Daily Fertilization: 1 time.]
[Fertilizer Options: "Survival Points 100" or "Normal Fertilizer Resources".]
[Fertilizing will accelerate the growth speed by double. Base maturation time: 3 days/10 kg per crop.]
"Whoa!"
Yi Bai widened his eyes, mumbling in disbelief, "This is a freaking miracle!"
"Fertilizing to speed up growth... Even without it, the base maturation time is only 3 days for a crop yield?"
"Damn! Does this mean I get free food forever?"