Only those electrical appliances that are not powered on or activated can continue to be used during the apocalypse.
Through the onsite manager, Ye Zi'an learned that many manufacturers and businesses had approached the Ye Group in recent days, seeking to establish a presence in the fortress ahead of time.
Did they think they were building an amusement park? Wanting to join in as tenants?
However, one should seize the opportunity when it presents itself. Ye Zi'an was more than happy to welcome them; his funds were already running low.
He immediately instructed the business department of the Ye Group to charge each business an initial rent of one million yuan.
All discounts would be promised first, limited to today only; the most important thing was to secure the cash flow.
Those benevolent manufacturers were offering to provide a series of electrical appliances and furniture for Ye Zi'an's fortress, saving him the effort of gathering supplies after the apocalypse.
The only downside was that the two hundred individuals he had lured under the pretense of recruitment seemed insufficient; there was a significant shortage of personnel in the fortress.
However, quality was more important than quantity. These individuals represented the maximum influence the first layer of the Tower of Babel could exert.
The more survivors there were, the greater the risk of greed and betrayal.
Although Ye Zi'an didn't care much about killing, large-scale massacres in the early stages would inevitably affect the stability and development of the base.
He intended to first allow a group of loyal beneficiaries to enjoy the thrill of power, gradually attracting survivors from other regions through incentives, and then have these vested interests manage the new arrivals.
Absolute equality and fairness were impossible, but as long as one worked hard enough, they could obtain everything they desired within the fortress.
With the help of these businesses, Ye Zi'an now had several hundred million yuan in liquid assets.
He quickly contacted nearby manufacturers to order several large generators, along with hundreds of tons of diesel fuel.
There was a gas station not far from the fortress that Ye Zi'an had previously planned to drain of gasoline at the first sign of the apocalypse.
Now, these hundreds of tons of diesel could be used to guard against unforeseen events.
The remaining funds could be used to renovate several buildings, starting with the construction of two cold storage facilities.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
Seeing the strange expressions on the faces of the responsible parties, Ye Zi'an couldn't be bothered to explain.
How could the sparrows understand the ambitions of the swan? They just had to follow orders.
With the electrical circuits destroyed during the apocalypse, he couldn't keep storing meat in the one hundred thousand cubic meters of space indefinitely.
He wondered if the Tower of Babel had storage capabilities.
Currently, the first layer only had residential functions, the ability to control four survivors, and gradually increase the favorability of nearby survivors.
The functions of other layers were still unknown and would only be revealed once activated.
With Ye Zi'an's orders, several construction teams entered the site to add freezing and refrigeration capabilities to the warehouses that had already been built.
The fortress's initial shape was now basically complete, with the remaining supplies to be gradually added after the apocalypse.
One cannot become fat in a single bite; Ye Zi'an understood this principle.
Having money made things easier. As Ye Zi'an was preparing to leave the fortress, he noticed several large trucks in the distance bringing in engines.
Dozens of workers were skillfully connecting the circuits and testing the generators for stable operation.
A total of eight large generators had been prepared, with two sets operating at a time while the other two remained as backups, and four more were stored in the warehouse for immediate replacement.
On the way back to the Ye residence, Ye Zi'an began to contemplate the upcoming plot.
The infrastructure of his fortress was now in place, capable of accommodating thousands or even tens of thousands of people, the only downside being the lack of manpower.
The customized cold weapons and the supplies he had stockpiled were still located within factories and cold storage facilities about ten kilometers from the fortress. Tomorrow, he could quietly transport these supplies into the fortress's warehouse without anyone noticing.
Su Chen was currently missing and had likely fled Xia City.
Ye Zi'an would continue to have his uncle handle the pursuit of Su Chen.
Moving forward, his uncle would still be responsible for secretly undermining all of Su Chen's opportunities while Ye Zi'an rapidly developed in Xia City, establishing a base solely under his dictatorial rule.
He wouldn't be like Su Chen, who allowed factions to proliferate within the base, which ultimately gave Liu Qinghuan an opportunity to ruin all his efforts.
As Ye Zi'an reviewed the early plot in his mind, he realized that aside from the male lead being replaced by himself, the other elements could be executed without major discrepancies—stockpiling supplies and gathering helpers remained the same.
In fact, his fortress was far superior to the villa Su Chen had rented in the novel.
Ye Zi'an dialed Li Wei's number and said, "Tomorrow, bring two women who are similar in size to Su Wei and Lin Qianqian to building A, room 501 in Century Community to wait for me."
Ye Zi'an had made up his mind to find two substitutes, kill them to disguise them as Su Wei and Lin Qianqian's victims, while also taking care of Li Wei in the process.
Su Chen would definitely go dark upon seeing their corpses, which would further deviate his actions from the plot.
Li Wei knew too much about Ye Zi'an's schemes; keeping him alive was a potential risk. It was better to eliminate him to avoid complications later on.
Though Li Wei was confused, he recalled the conditions Ye Zi'an had promised on the phone and immediately complied.
Upon returning to the Ye residence, Su Wei and Lin Qianqian still looked expectantly at Ye Zi'an.
It was easy to guess what was on their minds.
Ye Zi'an approached and forcefully gripped Lin Qianqian's chin, saying coldly, "You're mine now. Do you still dare to think about Su Chen?"
Lin Qianqian, frightened, didn't dare to respond. Since training with Ye Zi'an yesterday, her original pride was gradually being worn away.
"Remember our deal. I will find a way to handle Su Chen's offenses, but you two must stay by my side obediently from now on."
Lin Qianqian felt a bitter pang in her heart. She truly was unworthy of Su Chen now and could only nod helplessly.
Seeing Lin Qianqian resign herself to fate, Ye Zi'an said, "The matter has been settled. There will be no more warrants for Su Chen; he will live elsewhere. Just don't contact each other again."
With the situation as it was, Su Wei and Lin Qianqian had no choice but to agree.
Su Chen's reputation in Xia City was ruined, and living elsewhere was the best outcome.
When Liu Qinghuan saw that Ye Zi'an had finished speaking, she said, "The meal is ready; we can eat at any time."
Seeing Liu Qinghuan's obedient demeanor, Ye Zi'an felt a twinge of affection. He gently patted Liu Qinghuan's head and said softly, "From now on, just let them handle these matters. You should rest well."
He turned to Su Wei and Lin Qianqian, saying, "You two will follow Qinghuan's orders from now on."
Ye Zi'an stepped forward, his large hand covering Lin Qianqian's body.
With a sound of fabric tearing, a fair expanse was revealed, and Ye Zi'an teasingly said, "Now comes the punishment for still thinking of Su Chen earlier."
What was supposed to be a nice dinner had unexpectedly turned into a late-night snack due to the training.
•~~~•~~~•~~~•~~~•
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗕𝗼𝗴𝗱𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀𝗰𝘂' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝘁: '𝗝𝗰1202' 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗯𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝘆 $5 𝗧𝗶𝗲𝗿.
𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 35+ 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲:
𝙋𝙖𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙤𝙣.𝙘𝙤𝙢/𝗚𝗼𝗱𝗢𝗳𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿