What's wrong with being a little arrogant in the apocalypse just to support my wife?

The subordinate reluctantly took over, "Yes...yes, she also said that they would never do anything to extort money."

Chen Mingzhang: "..."

They're not trying to extort money from him; they're just there to make purchases. You'd think they were trying to get him to settle accounts and get reimbursed.

Upon hearing the news, Zheng Lin hurriedly carried a piggy bank and opened the door with an air of dominance.

"Brother Mingzhang! I'll take responsibility for my own actions! I'll pay for the damaged parts myself!"

Chen Mingzhang crossed his arms and tossed the sheet to him with a smile, "Oh, really? Xiao Lin, you've grown up too."

The assistant next to him looked at the elementary school student who was over 1.8 meters tall, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"How many crystal cores could they possibly spend? Those people probably haven't seen much of the world!"

As Zheng Lin spoke, he happened to see the outrageously high bill, and his voice suddenly rose to the level of the last word!

"Who wrote this purchase order?! When did I smash three beds, five strange beasts, ten generators, twenty refrigeration units, seventy chickens, ducks, geese, and more than a hundred crystal cores?"

"How could they possibly fit all that stuff in that dilapidated house?! Nonsense, utter fabrication!"

"Even staged accidents don't go this far! This is burglary!"

I'm so angry! These shameless adults are driving me crazy!

"No way, I'm going to confront them! They're ripping me off! They want so many supplies and crystal cores, I don't have any!"

Zheng Lin turned around to throw a tantrum, but Chen Mingzhang stopped him, "Xiao Lin."

Zheng Lin stopped in his tracks, angrily accusing, "Brother Mingzhang, they've gone too far!"

"Giving it to them is not the time to turn against them yet. If things really escalate, the disadvantages will outweigh the advantages. Besides, if they join us, it will be a great help to us."

Chen Mingzhang always liked to weigh the pros and cons. "If such a small amount of resources can attract a level three ability user, I'm afraid any base would be willing to give up these resources."

Even in a large base like the Donggu Base, there are only two Level 3 ability users.

Apart from the one who stayed behind at the base, only Chen Mingzhang remained.

The reason Chen Mingzhang was sent here was because they unexpectedly learned that a third-tier zombie had appeared here.

To prevent the zombie forces from growing stronger and becoming an insurmountable threat, the base sent Chen Mingzhang to eliminate them.

Humans face far greater challenges in advancing than zombies. Zombies can absorb ability cores and crystal cores, while humans generally do not harm their own kind, though there are exceptions, such as some ruthless individuals.

However, just like how zombies absorb energy from crystal cores, it's far less efficient than absorbing energy from superhuman cores.

Humans also have a lower conversion rate when absorbing supernatural energy cores compared to absorbing crystal cores.

"But...they, I, I don't have that many crystal cores."

Zheng Lin's face turned ashen with embarrassment. He shook his piggy bank, realizing he didn't have enough crystal cores.

Chen Mingzhang shook his head and chuckled, "Go take care of your sister, you don't need to worry about these things."

"All my crystal cores are here. Brother Mingzhang, could you take me with you when you talk to them? I'd like to negotiate a lower price."

Zheng Lin knew the situation at the base and felt a pang of heartache, reluctant to part with it.

He wasn't a stingy person before the apocalypse, but the poverty of the post-apocalyptic world forced him to become like Scrooge.

"I can take you, but there's no need to haggle."

Chen Mingzhang was afraid that Zheng Lin would launch a counter-offer, haggle in return, and sell him out in the process, while he himself would be happily counting the money for the other party.

"Okay... then I'll go back and check on my sister." Zheng Lin left his piggy bank behind, looking back every few steps, still worried.

Chen Mingzhang didn't let him take it back, intending to keep it for him.

But as he was about to leave, Chen Mingzhang asked, seemingly casually, "How is your sister doing now?"

"It's nothing serious. Luckily you were with my sister before, otherwise she would probably be dead."

"Ah That's good."

Zheng Lin felt a chill run down his spine as he spoke of this, but as if remembering something, he turned back and asked another question before leaving.

"But Mingzhang, why are you still in my sister's room in the middle of the night?"

Chen Mingzhang's subordinate wanted to puncture his own eardrum on the spot; he didn't want to hear his boss's gossip at all.

Chen Mingzhang smiled innocently, "I just guessed that the other party might retaliate, so I prepared for any eventuality. I just didn't expect him to be so ruthless."

Breaking the barrier wasn't enough for Lu Yize; he still had the strength to launch a counterattack instantly.

If Chen Mingzhang hadn't been there to protect them, they probably would have lost one of their members.

"I see." Zheng Lin now realized why Chen Mingzhang valued Lu Yize so highly. "Third tier, that's strong!"

"You have great talent, far surpassing most people. You should cultivate diligently and reach the third level as soon as possible, so that you can protect yourself and your family in this apocalyptic world."

Chen Mingzhang has a habit of thinking five steps ahead before taking a single step, so he reminded Zheng Lin to improve his strength as soon as possible.

He always felt that the apocalypse came strangely, and some things that happened after the apocalypse made him vaguely uneasy.

Zheng Lin's speed of advancement in his superpowers is rare; it's no exaggeration to describe him as exceptionally gifted. At such a young age, his superpowers have already reached the second level.

At the Donggu base, due to the large number of people, it has been discovered that each person has different talents.

For crystal cores of the same level, people with lower aptitude may need a week or even half a month or a month to absorb them.

However, for those with exceptional talent, absorbing a single crystal core might only take a day or even a few hours.

Zheng Lin is the kind of person with exceptional talent. If supernatural abilities could be tested, Chen Mingzhang believed that his talent would definitely rank at the highest level.

But he was still young and playful. Zheng Lin was obedient, but he couldn't settle down. However, he readily agreed, "Okay, I'll start cultivating when I get back!"

Watching Zheng Lin leave, rubbing his hands together in anticipation, probably still thinking about how to get revenge on Lu Yize, Chen Mingzhang shook his head helplessly.

On the other side, facing the house that had been smashed to pieces, Xian Wenrui and Fan Jian were furious.

Fan Jian turned to Lu Yize and asked, "When are we leaving? They really don't respect us at all. That squinty-eyed guy's way of talking is infuriating."

Xian Wenrui chimed in, "That's right. He said the kid didn't know any better, but I didn't see him stop him. It's obvious that he allowed that little brat to do it!"

"Damn! You're absolutely right, how come I didn't think of that?" Fan Jian was even angrier when he heard that.

“If you can think of this, then no one can not.” Xian Wenrui looked at Fan Jian, whose intelligence was similar to Jiang Yue’s, with affection.

Seeing that look and hearing those words, Fan Jian slammed his fist on the broken table in anger, "Fatty, what do you mean by that?!"

Zhang Wenjing had just finished examining Jiang Yue and giving her basic first aid. She made a diagnosis based on the injuries on Jiang Yue's body.

"That kid was really strong; he must be a second-tier plant-type ability user."