Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies-Chapter 1085: Strengthening Security

Chapter 1085: Strengthening Security

Zhou Ke'er had been with Zhang Yi for a long time and understood his temperament well.

Therefore, she would report every strange occurrence at home to Zhang Yi, no matter how trivial.

Sure enough, upon hearing about the mutated cockroach at home, Zhang Yi's expression immediately turned serious.

"Cockroaches? That kind of thing is impossible inside the house. The Shelter has a very complete pest control system. If there were any, we would have discovered them long ago."

Zhou Ke'er said, "So we suspect it might have snuck in when we were entering or leaving the Shelter."

Zhang Yi interlaced his fingers and rested his chin on them, analyzing calmly,

"This isn't particularly strange. Haven't there been plenty of mutated creatures since the Apocalypse?"

"Animals, plants, they're all mutating in large numbers. Especially creatures with massive populations and strong survival capabilities are the most prone to mutation."

"After all, it's one of the most tenacious species in the world!"

The fact that a tiny cockroach made Zhang Yi so serious caused the others at home to exchange glances.

They hadn't considered things that far ahead.

Fatty Xu chuckled, "Boss, you're at the Epsilon-level now. What impact could a few measly cockroaches possibly have on you?"

Zhang Yi raised an eyebrow.

"Idiot, in the past, humans were also much stronger than cockroaches, but didn't they still give us headaches?"

"Maybe they aren't dangerous, but having a lot of these things around is definitely disgusting."

Yang Xinxin also said, "These things eat everything and can survive underground. So..."

She looked up at Zhang Yi, "Over twenty million people died in Tianhai City. If those cockroaches, or other mutated creatures, feed on them, then the population expansion rate must be terrifyingly fast."

Zhang Yi and Zhou Ke'er said in unison, "Just like the rat swarms back then!"

That was still only the early stages of the Apocalypse, and there were already large numbers of giant mutated rats.

Now, a year has passed since the Apocalypse began, and many people have long forgotten the initial zombie hordes and rat disasters.

But for Zhang Yi, those events remain vivid in his memory.

"It seems... there isn't a much better solution either."

Zhang Yi spread his hands helplessly.

No matter how powerful a lion is, it struggles to defeat a mosquito.

Even Zhang Yi, at the Epsilon-level, would probably find it difficult to deal with so many mutated insects.

He thought for a moment and said to Zhou Ke'er and the others, "The Shelter is very safe, but you all need to increase vigilance. Don't let those disgusting things get in again."

"Although they're just insects, the mutated ones are quite large. Getting bitten by one is no joke."

"Also, notify the other bases and tell them to be mindful of pest control."

Seeing Zhang Yi's seriousness, everyone quickly nodded, indicating they would handle this matter carefully.

The fact that a single tiny cockroach mobilized the entire Shelter would seem incredibly funny to anyone else.

But everyone understood Zhang Yi's temperament and didn't think that way.

If Zhang Yi hadn't always been this cautious, they would have died countless times by now.

However, precisely because not everyone is Zhang Yi, not everyone took the notifications Yang Xinxin sent to the various bases so seriously.

Qingpu Base.

Upon receiving Yang Xinxin's message, Xing Tian didn't overthink it. He immediately had people follow her instructions, paying attention to all movements around the shelter, especially watching for mutated insects.

He also initiated a cleaning campaign throughout the entire underground shelter to avoid pest infestations breeding due to poor environmental conditions.

Xing Tian wasn't a very smart person, but his clear recognition of this fact made him smarter than many intelligent people.

The problem isn't a lack of brains, but being self-righteous and overestimating oneself.

He was convinced that following Zhang Yi had a future, so he would carry out instructions from the Shelter faithfully, even if they seemed meaningless.

Over at Yangsheng Base, after receiving the order, Xiao Honglian also immediately had Zhuge Qingting take people to execute it.

However, when it came to Dawn Rain Base, Chen Jingguan frowned deeply upon receiving the message.

Dawn Rain Base's external activities were relatively frequent.

Their main food source was sea fishing.

Although fuel supply was limited, preventing frequent sea fishing expeditions,

a single trawler trip could catch enough fish to sustain the entire Dawn Rain Base for months!

Furthermore, according to Yang Xinxin's instructions, the best portion of these catches was reserved for the Shelter, with additional portions allocated for material exchange with Yangsheng Base and Qingpu Base.

Therefore, Dawn Rain Base's environment was perpetually damp and cold, and the base was often in an open state, making large-scale cleaning difficult.

Hearing that Zhang Yi's order stemmed from discovering a single mutated cockroach, Chen Jingguan frowned in thought for a while, then muttered to himself,

"Isn't Boss Zhang being overly cautious? Causing the entire Tianhai City to be on high alert over a single insect."

He looked back at the crates of fish being unloaded at the port and ultimately decided not to follow Zhang Yi's instructions strictly.

He just called some subordinates to put on a simple show of compliance.

However, as it turned out, Zhang Yi's worries—indeed, did not become reality.

For a period of time afterward, the entire Tianhai City remained calm and peaceful, with no major disturbances.

After returning from Mist Island, all external matters were naturally handled by Zhu Zheng.

Zhang Yi also, for once, welcomed a relatively long period of rest and recuperation.

However, during this time, he was certainly not idle at all.

Now that he had advanced to the Epsilon-level, his abilities had undergone a qualitative change, and his superhuman energy had also increased significantly.

However, just like a person who obtains a treasured blade must constantly practice to adapt to its weight and edge to unleash its maximum potential,

superhuman abilities are a unique kind of weapon that also requires continuous practice and exploration.

At home, Zhang Yi persisted in daily training. On one hand, he practiced blade techniques and close-quarters combat skills with Liang Yue; on the other hand, he was also developing the potential of his superhuman abilities.

After reaching the Epsilon-level, improving abilities became even more difficult.

Aside from killing powerful superhumans to obtain their origin, he had no better way to enhance his own abilities.

So, aside from refining his power and exploring his potential, there really wasn't a better method.

However, during this period, he had been continuously helping the others at home improve their strength.

Liang Yue and the others still had immense room for growth.

The technology Zhang Yi obtained from Blizzard City, combined with the method of supplementing superhuman energy using source sprites, allowed their strength to increase rapidly as well.

Among everyone, the one who progressed the fastest was naturally Liang Yue.

Her foundation was too solid, and her combat experience was incredibly rich. She only needed to fully absorb the source sprites, convert them into her own power, and she could quickly adapt, transforming it into combat prowess.

The second fastest in terms of progress speed was actually Old You.

After using the Divine Source fragment, Old You broke through his limits and became a Delta-level superhuman.

While this couldn't elevate his potential to the level of Zhang Yi or Liang Yue,

there was one thing he absolutely didn't lose to anyone in, and that was diligence!

Author's Note