Apocalypse: I Have A Multiplier System

She rubbed her forehead. That was going to be annoying. The military wasn't exactly easy to deal with. But if she wanted to expand, she had no choice.

She took a deep breath and used the satellite phone to call the military office.

Soon, the call was connected, and Liu Feng's voice came from the other end, "Hello? Boss Su?"

"I want to buy the land around my base," Su Jiyai said without wasting time. "I know the military still owns it. I need it to build more cultivation zones."

Liu Feng's eyes lit up. "You're in luck. We're ready to sell it."

She blinked in surprise. "Really? Just like that?"

He nodded. "Yes. We've already prepared all the paperwork. The price is one million federal coins. I can send the contract right now."

Su Jiyai was quiet for a second. Something felt off. It was way too smooth. She narrowed her eyes.

"There's no trick? No hidden fees? No random excuse to delay?"

Liu Feng gave a soft laugh. "No tricks. I promise."

Then she realized something. Dong Shin wasn't involved. That man, who had caused her so many problems before, must have been removed or too busy dealing with her "gift" from earlier.

Thinking of what she had done to Dong Shin, she let out a quiet chuckle.

"No wonder it's going so smoothly," she said.

"I suppose you're talking about Dong Xin?" Liu Feng asked with a knowing look.

Su Jiyai didn't answer. She just smiled.

Liu Feng scratched the back of his neck and looked a little embarrassed.

"Miss Su, I just wanted to say… I know the military has caused you a lot of trouble in the past. Honestly, it's a miracle you didn't take us all down already. We owe you a lot."

Su Jiyai raised an eyebrow. "You're thanking me?"

He nodded seriously. "Yes. If it weren't for your help, the military might've already collapsed. You gave us chances again and again. I just wanted to say I'm truly grateful."

Su Jiyai was quiet for a moment before speaking.

"I won't lie. I was close to wiping you all out more than once. But as long as the military doesn't scheme against me anymore, I won't take action."

Liu Feng smiled slightly and looked down for a second.

"I understand. And I'm not going to ask you to forgive us. Actually, I know you already dealt with Dong Shin. I'm not here to tell you what to do. If we betray your trust again, we deserve to be taken down."

Su Jiyai's expression softened a bit.

"You're more honest than I expected."

Then she suddenly remembered something.

"You just sold me all the land for one million federal coins," she said. "That's not even a lot. Why? You must've known how valuable that land is."

Liu Feng looked away for a second, then turned back with a serious face.

"Because I don't want money," he said. "What I want is help."

She looked at him carefully.

"Help?"

"Yes. I'd like to form a trade route between your base and ours. We don't need much, just food and basic supplies. The people in my base are struggling. If you could allow us to buy food from your base… I'd be truly thankful."

Su Jiyai leaned back and tapped her fingers on the table.

She didn't answer right away.

Finally, she said, "That's possible. But I might be able to do something even better. I just need some time."

Liu Feng's eyes brightened. "Really? You're willing to help?"

"Yes. But don't expect charity," she said, smirking. "I'll set fair prices. Your people can buy what they need. And I'll make sure you get a proper trade link."

Liu Feng nodded quickly. "That's more than enough. Thank you. I'm ready to wait."

She waved him off. "You won't need to wait long."

After the call ended, Su Jiyai stood up and looked at the land that was now officially hers.

That night, she made an announcement over the base's speaker system.

"All residents, return to your homes. No one is to be outside after sunset tonight. This is a direct order."

Her voice was calm, but the tone carried no room for argument. People listened immediately.

The streets emptied faster than usual, doors locking and lights dimming as everyone stayed inside.

When the last street grew quiet, Su Jiyai walked to the center of the base. The moonlight spilled over her, but her expression didn't change.

She called up the system interface in front of her, her blue hair fluttering lightly in the night breeze. Her fingers moved quickly over the holographic screen.

"Expand base area," she said softly.

The ground trembled. Slowly, invisible walls of energy began to push outward in all directions. Houses and fences shifted to make space, roads stretched longer, and empty plots began to form. The system's voice echoed in her mind:

[Expansion complete. Current classification: City.]

Su Jiyai stood still, watching. What had once been a small base with barely enough space for a few buildings was now wide, organized, and alive.

She let out a small chuckle. "From nothing… to this."

Her joy grew even more as she built additional cultivation rooms, arranging them in neat rows so that more people could train at once.

On the other side of the base, Ou Lin was having an entirely different kind of day.

He was sitting on a bench with Lianhua beside him. She had a bright smile and was holding two paper cups of hot soup.

"Here, drink this. You've been working all day," she said, handing one to him.

Ou Lin accepted it and took a sip. "You're too good to me."

Lianhua laughed lightly. "Of course I am. If I'm not good to you, who will be?"

She had arranged a job for him soon after they started getting close. Not just any job, but one that kept him busy and near the base, gathering resources like wood and stone.

At first, he thought it was strange. "Why am I carrying all this stuff back? The base has plenty."

But Lianhua had smiled mysteriously and said, "Think of it as… a test."

"A test?" he asked.

She nodded. "Boss Su wants to see if you're hardworking. She doesn't trust people easily."

Hearing that, Ou Lin threw himself into the work. If passing this so-called test meant staying close to Lianhua and keeping a good impression with Boss Su, then he would do it without complaint.

Today was no different. He had just finished hauling two loads of stone when he heard a voice he never wanted to hear again.

"Well, if it isn't Ou Lin."

Ou Lin froze. That voice. He turned slowly, and his expression darkened instantly.

Standing a few steps away was Su Rong.

Memories flooded his mind... memories he wished he could erase.

The bitter days when he was married to Su Yun.

The early days had been fine. In fact, he thought he'd made a good match. His family treated her well, and she had helped him get a connection to the agricultural department of Willow Base.

But that didn't last.

"Ou Lin," Su Rong said again, crossing her arms. "You look better than I expected. I thought you'd be rotting in some corner after the divorce."

Ou Lin narrowed his eyes. "You have some nerve showing your face to me."

Lianhua glanced between them. "You two… know each other?"

Ou Lin let out a humorless laugh. "Know each other? She's Su Yun's second sister."

Lianhua blinked. "Su Yun? Your ex-wife?"

"Yes," Ou Lin said through clenched teeth. "The lazy, selfish woman who made my life hell."

Su Rong rolled her eyes. "Don't blame everything on her. Marriage takes two people."

That made him snap.

"Two people? I gave her everything! And what did she do? Sat around all day, refused to help my mother with housework, demanded extra food for her family... your family... and brought them over uninvited during mealtimes just to eat our food and take more home."

Lianhua covered her mouth. "Seriously?"

Ou Lin nodded sharply. "Every week. Sometimes two or three times a week. And she never once thought it was wrong."

Su Rong looked annoyed. "It's normal to help family."

Ou Lin glared at her. "Helping family is fine. But leeching off someone's kindness until they're exhausted is not."

He went on, his voice rising. "Do you know she couldn't even cook when we got married? Burned everything she touched. And when she finally learned, she still took food from our kitchen to send to her maternal home without asking."

Lianhua frowned deeply. "That's… not right."

"And cleaning?" Ou Lin scoffed. "She said my mother should clean the house because she was the one cooking. Can you believe that?"

Su Rong tried to defend her eldest sister. "She's not used to such hard work."

She wasn't doing so out of kindness; instead, the reason was completely bizarre. She got to know from somewhere that the girl sitting beside Ou Lin was related to Su Jiyai!