Chapter 33: The Current State of the Qin Family
Qin Family Mansion
In the lavish dining room, Qin Jun was enjoying dinner with his family. The room was not crowded, with only seven people present.
Apart from Qin Jun and his father, Qin Yuan, there were also his three uncles: Qin Shanglong, Qin De, and Qin Ming, and his two aunts: Qin Yue and Qin Li.
These seven constituted the core members of the Qin family. The Qin family was an ancient and powerful family, with strict rules and a clear hierarchy.
The main branch controlled most of the family’s resources, while the collateral branches had to rely on the main branch, forming a pyramid-like structure.
This structure supported the towering entity that was the Qin family. Qin Jun’s three uncles and two aunts held high positions in the government before the apocalypse.
Qin Ming was the First Secretary of the Office of the Prime Minister, a candidate for one of the seven top positions.
Qin De was the Minister of Commerce.
Qin Shanglong was the Commander-in-Chief of the Southeast Military District, with the rank of General.
Qin Yue was the Director-General of the National Energy Administration, controlling the country’s vital resources.Qin Li was the Executive Deputy Governor of East Capital, effectively the city’s top official.
The core members of the Qin family were all at the ministerial or vice-national level, showcasing the terrifying extent of the family’s influence!
Even before the outbreak began, the Qin family had keenly sensed the danger—by then, the number of infected in the capital had exceeded 3,000.
Thus, the high-ranking members of the Qin family quickly left the capital and returned to East Capital, escaping the catastrophe.
Many people might think that in the apocalypse, the power structure would be reshuffled, and those bigwigs would be rendered insignificant, while the small people would rise.
This viewpoint is, frankly, quite… naive.
Families like the Qin family, with their enormous power and resources, had access to information far earlier and more extensively than the ordinary populace.
When ordinary people were still clueless about the unfolding events, these powerful families had already prepared for the danger.
When the apocalypse struck and societal order collapsed, they used their power and status to seize resources and monopolize wealth, becoming the new rulers.
Indeed, they were the beneficiaries of the old era, but they did not depend on it. In fact, the apocalyptic era suited them even better, allowing them to thrive….
Those eliminated by the apocalypse were merely nouveau riche families like the An family of Jiangjing, who lacked deep foundations….
However, there was one variable—the emergence of innate abilities. In the apocalypse, the true aristocrats would be the evolved ones.
Fortunately for the Qin family, most of them had awakened their abilities. No other family in the world could simultaneously possess both the power of evolution and political influence like the Qin family….
Other top families generally did not awaken abilities. Their power and wealth were illusory. Most of those who did awaken abilities were of humble origins, starting from scratch….
The Qin family, a family of chosen ones, was destined to dominate the apocalyptic world!
Dinner was sumptuous.
Dishes included pan-fried cod, red date and white fungus soup, stir-fried Arctic surf clams with cuttlefish slices, soy-steamed turbot, and other exquisite top-tier Chinese cuisine.
Not only were the raw materials carefully selected, but the cooking methods were also luxurious, all at the level of state banquets—after all, the Qin family’s chefs were national banquet masters.
Even in the apocalypse, where food acquisition had become extremely limited, it did not affect the lifestyle of the ruling class like Qin Jun….
“Xiaojun, you’re already a Level 2 Evolver?” Qin Shanglong looked at Qin Jun with admiration, his face beaming.
Human adaptability to the apocalyptic era was remarkably quick. In just a month, humanity had deciphered the evolution system from the Black Obelisk and other sources.
Abilities were classified from F to SSS level, with higher levels indicating stronger capabilities and greater potential.
Evolvers themselves also had strength levels, from 1 to 12. Most evolvers were still at Level 1, but Qin Jun had already reached Level 2, showcasing his extraordinary talent, which thrilled the Qin family.
In the era of evolution, the Qin family’s real reliance was not on their tens of thousands of troops or their endless wealth.
It was their own strength.
Qin Jun nodded and smiled, “I owe it to those energy crystals.”
The energy crystals he mentioned were found in the bodies of zombies and monsters, containing pure energy that could be used for cultivation.
The Qin family had established a large research laboratory, gathering over a thousand researchers to study the evolution system and supernatural powers. They even conducted human experiments….
While other evolvers were still fumbling around, unsure about their cultivation, the Qin family, with absolute scientific resources, had already mastered the methods of cultivation, leaving other evolvers far behind!
This was the power of combining evolution with political influence!
Over the past month, the military of East Capital had conducted several expeditions to the surrounding towns, systematically wiping out zombie hordes to collect energy crystals.
However, these crystals were extremely rare. The army dared not venture too deep; after exterminating tens of thousands of zombies, they obtained only about six hundred crystals.
Ambitious ordinary people also joined these extremely dangerous expeditions, suffering a casualty rate of over 70%!
The few energy crystals they managed to obtain were handed over to the Qin family. In return, the Qin family paid them with merit points, which had no real cost….