Chapter 368: The Future is Long
Su Tao closed her eyes, ending the shared vision with Black Sesame.
Everyone stared at her intently:
“Boss, how’s it going? What’s their next move—are they setting up camp, or what?”
Su Tao waved her hand dismissively. “Their next move is to seek death. They’re heading straight for Wu Zhen’s man-eating plant defense line. Alright, everyone, wash up and go to bed—danger’s over.”
Before anyone else could leave, she yawned and headed back herself.
The others exchanged glances. On second thought, there really wasn’t much to worry about—those unlucky fools probably had no idea Tao Yang had planted a whole circle of man-eating plants.
With that, they all waved goodnight, yawning.
Only Wu Zhen was too excited to sleep. He rushed to the surveillance room to take over the operator’s job—he had to see his research claim its first victim with his own eyes.
Zhuang Wan quickly caught up with Su Tao.
“Boss, shouldn’t we thank Gu Mingchi?”
Although she didn’t have the best impression of Gu Mingchi, credit where credit’s due—he was the first to alert them about the sudden situation tonight.
Su Tao nodded. “I’ve taken note of it, along with the favor for the RV. Once the construction in West District Three is done and we move on to the East District, I’ll repay him in kind.”
Zhuang Wan acknowledged this, hesitating slightly before adding, “Gu Mingchi also asked over the phone if Major Shi lives in Tao Yang—I found it a bit odd.”
Su Tao paused, sensing something off. When she got home and questioned a certain ghost, that ghost seemed quite pleased.
“Yep, I answered Gu Mingchi’s call,” Shi Zijin admitted cheerfully.
Su Tao was puzzled. “Why are you so happy? I’m interrogating you here.”
Shi Zijin smiled brightly. “I’m happy as long as you’re talking to me—go on, ask away. I’ll tell you everything.”
Su Tao couldn’t even stay mad. Flopping onto the bed, she pointed a finger at him.
“I know what you’re up to—you could’ve ignored the call, but you answered on purpose just to annoy him, didn’t you?”
Shi Zijin, caught red-handed, showed no shame. Instead, he lay down beside her with a grin.
Su Tao turned to face him. “I never realized you were this shameless.”
She reached out to touch his face.
That small gesture felt like a dream come true for Shi Zijin—something he never dared to hope for.
The words he had been holding back for so long could no longer be contained:
“Tao Tao, when I truly wake up… can you give me another chance to pursue you?”
Silence—just the sound of gentle breathing.
“Tao Tao?”
Shi Zijin propped himself up and saw that she had already fallen asleep.
He froze for a moment before breaking into a helpless smile, pretending to hold her in his arms.
It’s fine—there’s plenty of time.
*
Less than two hours later, Su Tao got up again. Qi Yunlan and Wu Zhen reported good news: the man-eating plants had devoured quite a few people, sending the rest fleeing in terror, completely routed.
Now, they just needed a team to clean up the battlefield.
Su Tao was still a little dazed. It was the first time their base had been ambushed—but the threat had ended in less than a night, and Tao Yang hadn’t even shown their hand.
She couldn’t help but feel a bit smug—was this what it felt like to be invincible?
Shaking her head quickly, she reminded herself to stay humble. After all, in the apocalypse, there’s always someone stronger out there.
When Granny Yu woke up and learned about their victory, she paced around twice before immediately seeking out Wu Zhen to praise him. Then, she turned to lecture Su Tao. As a leader, she warned, it was crucial not to become arrogant over a single victory.
Su Tao humbly accepted the lesson.
After delivering her lecture, Granny Yu couldn’t resist adding, “Please maintain your current excellence.”
Su Tao beamed. “I will!”
Two hours later, the man-eating plants spat out the bodies one by one.
The victims didn’t die instantly but rather suffocated slowly, leaving their faces twisted in agony.
Xu Qi counted—there were about 80 corpses, including six ability users.
He extracted the crystal cores from the ability users and burned the rest of the bodies to ashes.
Among the six ability user cores, most were common elemental powers—but one stood out: “Dizziness.” This ability could disorient anyone within a three-meter radius, rendering them unable to use their powers or even discern directions, like headless flies.
Su Tao pocketed the crystal cores and instructed Qi Yunlan:
“Keep tracking the survivors. I doubt they’ll leave so quietly—they might be lurking, waiting to strike back. Also, remind our tenants not to leave Tao Yang or Dong Yang to avoid becoming targets of revenge.”
After the meeting, Su Tao brought the six ability user cores to Granny Yu.
Granny Yu’s expression was somber.
“Even though these people deserved to die, every time I see these, I wonder—why are humans still killing each other when zombies and mutants are everywhere?”
Su Tao shook her head. “I don’t understand either. All I know is—we’re not saviors. We can’t save everyone, so there’s no point worrying about it.”
Granny Yu gave her a long, thoughtful look.
“You’re surprisingly clear-headed for someone your age. Alright, I’ll take these cores and craft compatible weapons. Now, get back to work.”
Despite her exhaustion, Su Tao pushed herself to continue working.
The construction plans for West District Three were nearing completion, and most residents were already being relocated. Soon, she’d accelerate the final building phase.
Unexpectedly, the new urban layout freed up 5,000 square meters of open space.
Director Xie was incredulous. “Are you sure? How is there so much extra land?”
The engineer explained, “Because Boss Su can build high-rises, we can accommodate two or three times the previous population, which frees up this land.”
Director Xie turned to Su Tao for confirmation.
She nodded. “Twenty stories are no problem—but going higher will drastically increase costs.”
According to her system, construction costs doubled every five floors.
Director Xie was awestruck. Other districts couldn’t build high-rises due to limited materials, labor, and equipment—but Su Tao’s ability defied reality, making large-scale construction a breeze.
Sensing his thoughts, Su Tao grinned. “Director Xie, any plans for that 5,000 square meters in West District Three?”
He caught her meaning immediately.
“No special plans. If Tao Yang needs it, consider it our district’s honor—haha!”
Su Tao happily accepted the land, preparing to expand Tao Yang’s residential area.
Once the buildings were up and rented out, she estimated the system would reach level 7 by early next month.
And with that, she’d finally unlock the pharmacy—a resource she had long awaited.
