Although Liu Yang's main purpose in coming here wasn't to inspect potato seedlings-he couldn't care less about agriculture-he still had appearances to maintain.
As the boss, he couldn't let his subordinates think his mind was constantly filled with lust.
They didn't know he possessed a System, or that expanding his bloodline was simply his path to becoming stronger.
To them, he would just look like an unbridled pervert.
So putting on a proper show was necessary.
Liu Yang followed Scarface Mouse to the farming zone.
The extensive grounds of the villa district had been completely transformed into fields.
The former soccer pitches, volleyball courts, roadside green belts, and lawn spaces between the villas had all been dug up into neat, orderly plots.
Every field was densely planted with potatoes.
The green shoots had already grown half a meter tall, looking vibrant and lush under the bright sunlight.
Green represented hope.
Yellow represented maturity and harvest.
Every survivor longed for the day the green leaves turned yellow.
Seeing how methodically the base was being managed, Liu Yang offered Scarface Mouse and Old Wang a word of praise:
"Not bad, not bad at all. You've done well. The base is moving in the right direction. Before long, everyone will be self-sufficient and won't need to risk their lives scavenging for food."
Scarface Mouse grinned and scratched his head, saying, "Hehe, it's all thanks to you, Boss! If it weren't for you, we'd all be dead by now!
"The better the base gets, the more grateful the survivors are to you.
"Lately, plenty of people who used to pray to God have switched to praying to you instead!"
"Mm," Liu Yang nodded, then asked, "Do you remember that matter I mentioned to you last time?"
"I remember! I remember!" Scarface Mouse nodded vigorously, but then tilted his head and pondered for a long moment, an embarrassed look washing over his face. "Boss... which matter do you mean exactly? You've assigned me quite a few tasks..."
"The matter about the young beauties!" Liu Yang said, pulling a stern face.
This damned guy. During his last visit, Liu Yang had specifically instructed him in private to safeguard any young, attractive girls and keep them from being mistreated. Did the bastard really forget?
Scarface Mouse suddenly realized and blurted out, "Oh! Oh! You meant that, Boss! I didn't forget, I swear! I handled it perfectly!
"Any pretty, attractive girls aged eighteen to twenty-five who've never had a boyfriend-I moved them straight into the villas instead of the shantytowns by the outer walls!
"I even cleared out an entire building just for them. It's packed with young beauties and strictly off-limits to men!
"There are thirty girls staying there right now! Once it fills up, I'll clear out another one!"
Hearing this, Liu Yang's stern posture relaxed.
"Mm! You really know how to handle business. But... I don't recall telling you to add that 'no boyfriend' rule?"
Scarface Mouse gave a bashful scratch of his head.
"That was my own rule, Boss. You're handsome, imposing, and a true dragon among men. Even celestial maidens above might not be worthy of you.
"Women who've already had boyfriends? I wouldn't dare present them to you, Boss. That'd shorten my own lifespan!"
"You little rascal! You really..." Liu Yang pointed a finger at Scarface Mouse, a wide grin spreading across his face. He chuckled several times before adding, "You certainly know how to get things done!"
Seeing Liu Yang so pleased, Scarface Mouse beamed, rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Hehe! Thank you for the praise, Boss!"
"Come on," Liu Yang said. "Take me to the beauties' villa."
Scarface Mouse quickly replied, "Right away! This way, Boss, follow me!"
Led by Scarface Mouse, Liu Yang arrived at the dedicated villa. The thirty young women inside were indeed striking-fair-skinned, beautiful, and boasting stunning figures.
Scarface Mouse had handpicked them from among hundreds of female applicants.
When the women heard they might be selected to serve Liu Yang, they had clamored to apply. However, the 'no boyfriend' rule alone filtered out ninety percent of them.
Of the remainder, half were rejected for not meeting the physical standards.
After rigorous screening, only these thirty remained.
Liu Yang inspected the thirty beauties and nodded with deep satisfaction. "Good! Very good! In a bit, I'll bring you all back to my main villa. You're all doing this willingly, right?"
At his words, excitement and wild joy flushed across the girls' faces.
They nodded frantically like chickens pecking at grain.
"Of course! Absolutely!"
"Being able to serve God Liu is a blessing from our past lives!"
"Oh my god, God Liu is actually talking to us! Scarface Mouse! Thank you for not cutting me! You're my savior!"
Scarface Mouse held up his hands. "Don't say that. Being chosen by Brother Liu Yang is your good fortune. From now on, you'll be living a life of comfort I can't even dream of. I'll have to address you all as sisters-in-law soon, so don't call me Scarface Mouse anymore-I can't take that level of respect."
Despite his words, the women looked at him with profound gratitude.
Scarface Mouse treated everyone fairly in the base and generally cared for the survivors.
More importantly, being picked for this villa was the turning point in their fate.
Without his selection, they never would have met Liu Yang, let alone been taken away by him.
The young women bowed to him one after another in thanks.
"Thank you, Scarface Mouse!"
"Thank you, Scarface Mouse!"
"Thank you, Scarface Mouse!"
...
Watching them, Scarface Mouse's eyes grew slightly moist.
An aching sweetness filled his chest.
Is this how a father feels when giving his daughter away in marriage? he wondered.
Next time he picked young women for the villa, he would have to be even more meticulous.
Only then could he help change more lives and send them straight to the top.
When Liu Yang prepared to leave the base with the thirty young women, the remaining survivors watched with eyes full of envy.
A girl standing near her middle-aged father tugged on his arm.
"Dad, look! Those women are leaving with God Liu! Go say some nice things to Scarface Mouse! Give him a gift or something so I can get picked too! I want to go with God Liu!
"He's so handsome and strong! Just looking at him makes me so excited! I have to follow him! I have to be his woman! I won't marry anyone else!"
Her father frowned deeply. "Give it a rest! You're five feet tall and weigh a hundred and sixty pounds-from a distance, people think you're a Snorlax!
"Even if I sacrificed my old life to Scarface Mouse, I couldn't pull strings for you!
"You ate more than half the food our family gathered. Can't you eat a little less and lose some weight?"
The girl pouted unhappily, shaking her head so vigorously the fat on her cheeks wobbled.
"Waaah! But I just love eating! I have great potential! Once I lose weight, I'll definitely be a beauty! What if God Liu likes plump girls anyway?
"Besides, five feet on a girl is like six feet on a guy! Setting my weight aside, my height matches God Liu perfectly!"
"Forget it! Talk to me after you actually lose the weight!" the father grumbled impatiently.
She refused to back down. "Dad, did you forget who crushed that zombie to death by sitting on it and saved the whole family? Can't you put in a little effort for my happiness? Can't you just beg Scarface Mouse?"
The father sighed helplessly. "Sigh, fine, I give up! It's like I owe you in another life. Fine, I'll mention it to Scarface Mouse later."
The girl's eyes lit up immediately. She wrapped her arms around his, beaming. "Awesome! I knew you were the best, Dad! Don't worry, once I become God Liu's woman, I'll move everything out of his warehouse and bring it home. Then my little brother will be his brother-in-law, and I'll make him promote my brother to second-in-command of the base!"
The moment those words left her mouth, the middle-aged man's face turned terrifyingly cold.
"Get lost!" he snapped harshly. "Who do you think you are? If you dare speak to God Liu like that, you must be tired of living!
"A peerless power in the apocalypse isn't someone an idiot like you can manipulate!
"Forget it! I'm not going to Scarface Mouse for you!
"Starting today, your food rations are cut by two-thirds! Lose some weight, and drain the fat out of your brain while you're at it!"
With that, he turned and walked away briskly.
The girl stood frozen in shock.
Her father had always catered to her every whim. All it usually took was a bit of pouting to get her way. Even after the apocalypse struck and food became scarce, her weight had increased instead of dropping-a clear testament to how much her parents spoiled her.
Yet now, her father had just called her an idiot to her face.
She had never seen him so deadly serious...