Level System: The New Rules of the Base!

Upon seeing the contents of the flyer, Xue Feng frowned. The flyer was not advertising any supermarket sales or promotions, but rather was a recruitment notice for survivors. It stated that there was a survivor stronghold on Qingyun Mountain, to the west outside the city, established by several powerful individuals with supernatural abilities. Any survivor who made it there would receive free medical care and food. Survivors with abilities would be treated with even greater privilege should they choose to join.

Reading these promises, Xue Feng sneered. It sounded appealing, but what was the reality? Only those distributing the flyers would know the truth. In these apocalyptic times, every resource was incredibly precious. He didn’t believe anyone would share them unconditionally. The descriptions painted the place as a paradise, but did paradise truly exist in such times? Xue Feng shook his head.

He was more curious about how the flyers had been distributed to begin with, blown here by the wind. Did they use a helicopter? Yet he hadn’t heard any helicopters overhead. With that, he folded the flyer and tucked it into the storage compartment.

Xue Feng started the armored vehicle and began his return. This time, he paid special attention to whether there were more such flyers along the road. Sure enough, he found several similar ones, all handwritten with the location of the base clearly marked, often placed at the most conspicuous spots. Some even emphasized the presence of ability users within the base. Most described themselves in glowing terms—a lifeline for any survivor who found them.

But Xue Feng wasn’t fooled. He still remembered those he had encountered earlier in the supermarket, who lured survivors in only to poison and eat them. The rows of cured meat hanging in the storeroom had left a deep impression on him. In the apocalypse, humans were not necessarily safer than zombies—often, they were even more vicious. Even if not destined for the dinner table, newcomers might just end up as slaves. Most of these bases were likely traps.

Still, Xue Feng did not completely rule out the existence of genuine survivor bases. But any leader bold enough to openly reveal their location must be extremely confident. This made Xue Feng realize that the competition among survivors had truly begun, and he needed to accelerate the development of his own base.

Gu Xiaoqian, blessed with a talent for management, was well-suited for the role of steward. Her show of authority yesterday had already cowed the newcomers. Yet in terms of strategy, she was still lacking. Xue Feng needed someone to devise plans and provide counsel—a military advisor of sorts. Otherwise, he would have to handle everything himself.

However, when it came to dividing food and allocating resources, Gu Xiaoqian was more than capable. So the first thing Xue Feng did upon returning to the shelter was assign her to manage the distribution of food and other essentials.

What would be the standards for distribution? Xue Feng decided to establish a hierarchy among the members, classifying everyone from E to S rank. The newly joined girls were all designated as E rank—the lowest—receiving only the bare minimum to sustain themselves and maintain necessary nutrition. If they wished for better treatment, they would have to earn promotions step by step. With each ascent, they could enjoy side dishes, drinks, and other privileges.

An Xiaowei, You Haoyun, Wang Xinyu, and others were all ranked A. At this level, the benefits extended beyond food: unlimited access to hot water, priority in equipment allocation, and higher status within the base. But it was important to note that mistakes would result in demotion. In truth, Xue Feng’s system bore the shadow of a caste system—dividing people into strict tiers, much like certain countries had done for thousands of years before the apocalypse. The brainwashed masses could only hope for a better position in their next life, enjoying the privileges of the elite.

Yet Xue Feng, to his credit, at least left a path for those at the bottom to rise. As for himself, he was not merely S rank, but the supreme SS rank—standing above all as the sovereign leader of the base.

At the dining table, Xue Feng announced the hierarchical system he designed. No one voiced any objection. On the contrary, An Xiaowei and the others raised both hands in support. They all wanted to get closer to Xue Feng and secure their standing. Until now, their status had been ambiguous—no one knew where they stood in Xue Feng’s eyes. Now, with a clear system in place, everything was straightforward.

From now on, everyone’s position within the base depended on their rank. Those of higher rank would naturally enjoy greater privileges. All the women began to ponder how they might advance to S rank, while those assigned to E rank didn’t dare utter a word of protest. They had already been conditioned to believe that Xue Feng was the god of the base, the supreme ruler. His word was law, and all they could do was listen and obey. For them, this was also an opportunity: with good behavior, promotion was possible. Having arrived at the base as the lowest tier, being classified as E rank was no cause for complaint.

Beyond establishing the hierarchy, Xue Feng instructed Gu Xiaoqian to clearly divide the villa compound into functional areas: storage, living quarters, energy section, and so on, reserving space for farming and defensive facilities. There was no rush to build everything immediately; it would be a massive project, at least five months before completion.

“From this day forward, our base will grow larger, and our management ever more professional!” Xue Feng concluded in his summary. He had noticed that other survivor bases were plastering slogans everywhere, all vying for the remaining survivors. The greater the numbers, the stronger the base.

“If you have any suggestions or concerns, speak up now—they can be included in the base’s future plans,” he added.

At these words, Zhao Weisuo immediately stood up and pointed out the base’s severe lack of firepower. They only had a few guns, which sufficed against ordinary zombies but were woefully inadequate when facing ability users or mutants. Zhao Weisuo was unwilling to sit by as she had today, watching Xue Feng fight alone. She wanted to contribute as well.

Xue Feng nodded and made a note of it, promising that future supply runs would prioritize weapons. Nie Xiaoyue added that the laboratory was woefully under-equipped; further research on the crystal cores would require more advanced equipment.

“There are surely even greater secrets hidden within the crystal cores!”