Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Li Zongyu personally moved aside the large stone blocking the cave entrance, revealing a narrow opening barely over a meter wide.

He had returned to his human form and took the lead, crawling inside.

Zhang Yi remained cautiously alert, first sending two crew members in, then he followed with Zhou Ke'er and Zhu Yunque in the middle.

The crew from the West brought up the rear.

Inside the cave was very dim. The crew lit lamps that instantly illuminated the entire space.

It was warm and humid inside, and there was a noticeable smell of sulfur.

This was a common odor in hot springs.

Zhang Yi said with some surprise, "I thought it would smell awful here! How do you usually handle bathing and waste disposal?"

"There's a hot spring below to clean the body. As for waste, there's a specialized system to store it, which we use as fertilizer for growing crops."

He smiled bitterly as he spoke.

"Originally, we planned to implement a sustainable development strategy here. But since there are no farmers, we're not skilled at planting. Plus, the crop growth cycle is too long; we can't wait that long."

Zhang Yi looked at him calmly and said, "Your idea is a good one."

He asked himself honestly: If he were placed in such an environment, what could he accomplish?

No need to think further; the answer was already clear in his heart.

He wouldn't become Li Zongyu.

He would become Kun Bi.

After moving on for a while, Zhang Yi faintly saw a light source deep inside the cave.

It seemed as if there was a light.

The light didn't come from a fire or lamp but from a kind of green mineral embedded in the rock wall deep inside the cave.

They emitted a faint glow in the darkness, not very bright but enough to barely see the surroundings within two or three meters.

Zhang Yi followed alongside Li Zongyu and casually asked, "From so far away, how did you communicate with the Jiangnan Region? Was the signal reliable?"

Li Zongyu smiled faintly and pulled a Huawei Mate 600 from his pocket.

Zhang Yi nodded knowingly.

"So that's how it is. Their phones truly have world-class signal quality."

Li Zongyu scratched his head. "Actually, there's a base station on the island. Also built by Huawei."

Zhang Yi couldn't help but chuckle twice. "In this area, Huawei really leads by a wide margin."

Soon after, they arrived at the cave where Li Zongyu and the others lived.

At the entrance, two men holding guns were on guard.

"Stop! Who goes there?"

The two men raised their guns warily.

"It's me. I'm leading the rescue team here!"

Li Zongyu stepped forward and showed his face.

"Rescue team?"

The two men looked skeptical. Their eyes showed a trace of joy but mostly caution.

"Is this the rescue team from the Huaxu Kingdom you mentioned before?"

Li Zongyu nodded, "Yes, we're saved. We can follow their ship back to the mainland and never have to endure hunger and hardship here again!"

Zhang Yi raised his eyebrows slightly.

Li Zongyu thought too optimistically; life on the mainland wasn't necessarily better than on the island.

Once they were brought back, Zhang Yi and the Jiangnan Region would naturally arrange things for them.

At least they wouldn't starve to death.

However, the expressions of the two guards made Zhang Yi feel a little strange.

They reacted to their arrival with complex emotions.

What was going on?

When people meet their saviors in desperate times, shouldn't they be overjoyed?

He realized the situation wasn't so simple.

But it didn't matter to him.

He only wanted to take Li Zongyu—more precisely, the suspected Divine Source stone in his possession.

Li Zongyu turned his head, smiling as he said to Zhang Yi, "Everyone, please wait here a moment. Inside is where they live. It might be a bit messy. I'll ask them to tidy up so it won't bother you."

He pointed to several large stones on the ground.

"Please have a seat!"

Zhang Yi said calmly, "No need. We'll just wait here."

He stepped forward, looked Li Zongyu in the eyes, and smiled meaningfully. "If there's anything to discuss, let's do it quickly. Time waits for no one, and we can't stay here too long."

Li Zongyu swallowed and turned his face away awkwardly, somewhat embarrassed as he covered his mouth with his hand.

To hide his awkwardness, he licked his lips and brushed his hair with his hand.

"I'll just have them tidy up the place. Nothing else to worry about."

After speaking, Li Zongyu pulled the two guards and entered deeper into the cave.

Inside, the lighting was sufficient. It was a space of about two to three hundred square meters.

Tents, cooking utensils, and even clothes hung up to dry were everywhere.

The living area was tidy, with no feces or garbage scattered around.

At this moment, in the middle of the cave, dozens of people sat in a circle. The glowing mineral they had excavated illuminated the space in the center.

A short middle-aged man with a distinctive appearance stood in the middle of the circle, speaking with a firm and powerful tone.

"The current situation is only a temporary difficulty. I believe the apocalypse will soon pass, and we will be saved!"

"Yesterday was cruel, today is even crueler! But tomorrow will be beautiful."

"Most people died last night and will not see the sun tomorrow."

"So everyone must hold on and not lose faith. We must have hope for the future!"

His name was Ma Wenzheng, an entrepreneur in the team who now worked part-time as a priest and served as one of the team's spiritual leaders.

After his passionate speech, sparse applause broke out.

Though the surrounding refugees looked weary and numb, many of their eyes brightened after hearing his words.

When hope is lost, people need encouragement. They need others to tell them there is still a tomorrow.

Looking around, the team was composed of a diverse group of people, a so-called Rainbow Squad, with many nationalities represented.

In the apocalypse, they chose to band together for warmth and to endure the hard times.

Li Zongyu came in with his people and excitedly told everyone:

"Everyone, I found the people who will save us! The rescue team has landed and will take us back soon!"

Hearing Li Zongyu's words, everyone immediately jumped up and rushed over to surround him.

"Really? Someone's coming to save us? I knew it, I knew it would happen!"

Some people hugged their heads and cried out of excitement.

"Is it the Colombian naval forces?"

A man wearing gold-rimmed glasses was full of excitement.

"I knew Colombia wouldn't abandon its citizens. I sent them hundreds of rescue messages, and finally, they came!"

"Thank God, thank Colombia. It hasn't abandoned its people!"

The man with glasses knelt on the ground, tears streaming from his eyes, praying devoutly.

Author's Note