Chapter Nine: A Daydream That Can Come True

Everyone fell silent. They had all witnessed the threat those strange plants posed; avoiding them was already a struggle, yet she intended to use them as protective barriers—how exactly? Plant them at the camp entrance?

Before anyone could finish their internal complaints, they heard Xu Nuo continue with her plans for constructing the camp. She spoke with eloquence and overflowing confidence, so much so that it left everyone awkward and at a loss for words.

After laying out the camp’s blueprint, Xu Nuo brought up her previous promise to improve their living conditions.

“…We’ll all have enough to eat, never going hungry again, and we won’t have to risk our lives scavenging in the city or fighting zombies.”

“We’ll have warm, sturdy clothes, and stay in a safe, heated camp to get through the cold and dangerous winter…”

At last, one of the younger men couldn’t hold back any longer. “Miss Xu, with all due respect, how exactly are we going to achieve any of this?”

“It’s simple.” Xu Nuo answered with poise, “For food, we’ll farm the land and be self-sufficient. As for the zombies, they’re nothing to fear—they won’t breach our defenses.”

As she spoke, Xu Nuo produced a Gatling gun. “Don’t worry, we’ve got plenty of firepower.”

She then revealed a pile of grains and vegetable seeds. “Farming really isn’t that hard.”

The others were dumbfounded. Where had this boss gotten all these things? Did she conjure them out of thin air?

Xu Nuo continued, “Any more questions? If not, I’ll start assigning work.”

The same young man couldn’t help but ask, “Miss Xu, we only have one gun. Will that really stop the zombies?”

Xu Nuo replied calmly, “Don’t worry.”

Viewers in the livestream couldn’t stay composed any longer:

[One gun isn’t nearly enough! Everyone needs to be armed if you want to hold out. Don’t play it safe, host. I’ve seen this game before—by the mid-to-late stages, the whole city gets overrun. This isn’t a viable long-term base.]

[Hey, spoilers!]

[Digital Flying Sword has retracted a comment.]

[Is the host really going to play a farming sim in an apocalypse survival game? Lin Shen has experience, maybe send the host a guide?]

[Daozhi Leaf has sent a reward: “Learn Farming in Thirty Days.”]

[Wrong! This is actually a dating game.]

007 couldn’t sit still either: [A dating game, this is a dating game! Stop encouraging our host to do all this! This is just a romance game!]

007 was quite satisfied with the current direction. The host and her target working together to build a safe, secluded base—the perfect little world for a couple to live sweetly, shutting out worldly troubles. It was pure, romantic bliss.

But some viewers weren’t pleased, leaving messages such as: [Host, go solo ten zombies in a horde and I’ll give you a mobile arsenal—plenty of weapons and ammo! You’ll have the zombies running for their lives.]

From the very start, they’d spotted Xu Nuo as a rising star; how could they just watch her settle into peaceful farming and a sweet romance with her love interest? Wouldn’t that be a slap in the face for them?

007 tried to dissuade her: [Host, don’t listen to them. With your target protecting you, you’ll be perfectly safe. You don’t need all those weapons, and besides, you don’t even know how to use them…]

Xu Nuo reassured 007, “Relax, trust me. Have I ever failed a task?”

Indeed, while her thinking could be unconventional at times, her efficiency was undeniable. Every previous task had been completed perfectly, and the progress on building the camp was already more than halfway done. Compared to other players, her speed was astonishing—after all, building a base camp wasn’t something that could be accomplished in just a few days.

This was a task meant for her and her target to complete together—supporting each other, deepening their bond, and building a loving home. How romantic and heartwarming it sounded.

After finishing her plans, Xu Nuo efficiently assigned work: clearing land, digging pits, each task meticulously organized.

The newly assigned workers were at a loss—were they really about to farm and chop wood? This leader seemed a bit unhinged. Was it too late to run?

Someone soon noticed something. “Hey, where are the ones with the surname Huang?”

“Yeah, their names weren’t called earlier.”

“Do they not have to work?”

“Oh, them,” Xu Nuo explained kindly, “They’re already working, but not in the same way as you.”

Curious, the others went to take a look and asked around, discovering that Huang and his men, once the former boss’s trusted lackeys, looked exhausted and resentful. They were being worked several times harder than the rest, yet still received the same old rations—overcooked, expired mush.

Comparing the situations, some couldn’t help but snicker. Huang’s crew had always used their status in the apocalypse to oppress and bully others, especially the weaker ones. Life had been suffocating for Xu Nuo’s group, but now seeing Huang’s downfall was a breath of fresh air.

And thinking back to their previous treatment as underlings, compared to now—having instant noodles to eat, no need to risk their lives scavenging, and no one bullying them—although Miss Xu seemed a bit eccentric, who knew how long this peace would last? For now, it was a vast improvement.

“What do you think?” Xu Nuo smiled at Gu Xingze, his face ever-cool.

Gu Xingze couldn’t be bothered to speak. “Hmm?”

“I don’t think my plan is a pipe dream. It’s entirely achievable,” Xu Nuo said.