Chen Xiao was in a great mood. After tallying the haul, he estimated there were at least a thousand pieces of clothing like the miniskirt across the eight warehouses—dozens of styles, every size. Wasting them would be a crime in the apocalypse; supplies mattered more than sentiment, and Chen Xiao wasn't about to let good loot go unused.
He followed the two girls down to the Jianghe Building lobby. The reception room was alive with a strangely domestic scene: two figures—one big, one small—were sprawled on the sofa, playing a console game.
"Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A!" one shouted."Why do you have thirty lives and I only have three?" the other complained.
Chen Xiao chuckled and leaned on the sofa. "Fatty, living the good life, huh."
The big player dropped the controller and beamed. "Chen Xiao! Finally back! You have no idea how hard it was to get from Cangzhou to Jiangbei!" The little monk also put his controller down and hopped up. "Chen Xiao, play with me—I'm awesome!"
Chen Xiao ruffled the little monk's head. "Have fun, but keep training. Don't let comfort ruin you." The kid blinked, embarrassed, then nodded earnestly. One reminder was enough; potential like his shouldn't be wasted on endless gaming.
At the round table, only one person sat: Jiang Yunhan, bent over a map of Jianghe. Seeing Chen Xiao, he looked up. "Chuxue nearly turned to stone waiting for you. Even I—her brother—am a little jealous, 'Brother Chen Xiao'."
There was a hint of sourness in his tone; his sister had become oddly attached. Jiang Chuxue hurried over and clamped a hand over his mouth, then plopped down with a pout.
Jiang Yunhan rose and pointed to Dachang on the map. "Dachang is still the top city in the Sanjiang Basin. You saw Star-Moon Base—luxury consolidated by eight forces. Only such a force could host that auction. We've gained the top three families' legacy, but we need time to build."
He hesitated, then asked, "About base rules: letting one A-rank bring three family members is strict. Maybe change it to five per person?"
Chen Xiao shrugged. "I don't fuss over ratios. The base I want will be full of talent; a 1:5 ratio is too small."
Jiang Yunhan frowned. "Expansion's slow—supplies outstrip demand right now."
Chen Xiao grinned. "Don't worry. In a few days, demand will spike." Jiang Yunhan blinked. "What do you mean?" Chen Xiao laughed: "I cleaned Dachang out. Many Awakened Ones will be looking for a new home. Jiangbei Triangle will be the obvious choice."
The little monk and Fatty drifted over as the conversation turned to debts. Tang Shirou piped up, worried: "You only took two people to Dachang—your Evolution Points can't cover everything, right?"
Jiang Yunhan added, worried: "How much do you owe? The base can only cover up to 20,000 Evolution Points and 9,000 sets of clothing. We can't spare more."
Chen Xiao waved a hand. "If clothes are the worry, take twenty thousand sets." With a thought, he opened the Mountain and River Map.
In an instant, the lobby's outer area filled with clothing—stack upon stack, a literal mountain. Twenty thousand sets, piled so high they seemed to blur the ceiling. Red, black, heavy coats, delicate dresses, armor-like tactical jackets—everything. The sight stunned everyone.
"W-what is this?!" someone stammered. The little monk squealed. "Chen Xiao, does stealing count as a class for the mortal world? You must take me next time!"
Jiang Yunhan's face went pale with suspicion and dawning understanding. "Did…you rob Dachang?"
Chen Xiao didn't bother denying it. "Among civilized people, we call this borrowing." He gave Jiang Yunhan a casual look that said returning it wasn't part of the plan.
Jiang Chuxue squealed with delight. "Brother Chen Xiao! You really did rob Dachang?" The Fatty and the little monk pressed closer, eyes wide.
Chen Xiao smiled and clapped Jiang Yunhan on the shoulder. "Doctor Jiang, now do you see why I said Jiangbei Triangle won't lack people? When word gets out what I did at the auction—and what I can offer—everyone will come knocking."
Jiang Yunhan could only stare at the mountain of clothes, speechless. Around them, the base buzzed—today supplies had appeared from nowhere, and with them, the promise of a flood of new faces and new power. Chen Xiao watched the reaction and felt quietly pleased: the base's future was about to get very busy.