Stockpiling Supplies / Chapter 50: Setting Out for Yangcheng Base

Su Bai was destined to be the star of the day. From the moment his results came out until he left school, everyone's eyes were on him.

Even the radiance of Xueqing, the little princess of Yang City's bloodline clan, the Xia Family, was overshadowed by him!

A commoner background, first place in the Campus Tournament, the record holder for Yang City's college entrance exam results... Each accolade left his classmates far behind.

"This is insane!"

With his clothes in disarray, Su Bai fled the school with his backpack. His frenzied classmates had nearly torn the shirt right off his back.

"Hehe, you're a celebrity at school now. Of course they worship you." Xia Xueqing gave him a mischievous smile.

It seemed she only let her true nature show when she was with Su Bai, setting aside her usual quiet demeanor.

Su Bai smiled helplessly. He was just about to speak when he saw Chu Yuan approaching.

"So, have you thought it over? Do you want to come with me to the Wasteland Zone?"

"Of course!"

Su Bai grinned, eagerness in his eyes!

Chapter 49: Stockpiling Supplies

"Teacher Chu, could you take me along too? I'd like to see the Wasteland Zone." Hearing their conversation, Xia Xueqing suddenly chimed in.

Chu Yuan froze, then his face brightened with delight.

"Of course. Ninjas from your Xia Family are in high demand as teammates at the base. A ninja squad without enough strength can't even recruit a Byakugan user. But..."

"But what? Please, go on, Teacher Chu." When Xia Xueqing saw the delight fade from his face, she immediately asked.

Chu Yuan shook his head and gave a bitter smile. "Your status is different. I don't think your family will agree to you coming with us."

Although he would have loved to have a Byakugan teammate with exceptional scouting abilities, the thought of Xia Xueqing's noble status made Chu Yuan suppress his longing.

She was the Xia Family's little princess. If anything happened to her while she was with his squad... It would be a real problem.

Xia Xueqing tilted her head and thought it over before speaking.

"I'll go ask them right now. Wait here!"

With that, she trotted off and was soon out of sight.

Chu Yuan sighed, then turned to Su Bai with a smile. "You're something else, kid. You've already lined up a Byakugan teammate in advance."

"Oh? From the way you put it, Brother Chu, the Byakugan is important?" Su Bai knew the reason, but still wanted to hear it from a "professional."

"Of course," Chu Yuan said. "A Byakugan can spot Magic Beasts dozens of kilometers away, improving the whole squad's chances of survival. So, would you say that's important or not?"

Good heavens, dozens of kilometers?

Su Bai rolled his eyes.

This world was getting more and more ridiculous. How far could the eyes scout in the original story?

One kilometer? Or two?

He couldn't remember, but it was nowhere near as ridiculously powerful as the Byakugan on Blue Star.

Still, he had already seen plenty of absurd "things," so one more didn't make much difference.

After arranging to meet at a certain place the next day, Chu Yuan drove away.

Su Bai didn't go straight home. Instead, he took a bus to the City Center and headed straight for the Chakra Conductive Equipment Store he'd visited last time.

The school had awarded him a hundred thousand Federal Coins in scholarship money. He was going to turn it all into combat strength and improve his odds of survival in the Wasteland Zone!

Without hesitation, he spent forty thousand to buy a long knife, roughly the same as the two secondhand D-Class "Chakra Conductive Equipment" items he'd looked at last time, and a vest resembling a bulletproof vest.

[D-Class Chakra Conductive Weapon, capable of penetrating a D-Class Magical Beast's defenses. Price: 20,000 Federal Coins. (Officially certified by Yang City as having 40% damage; usable.)]

[D-Class Chakra Conductive Armor, capable of greatly reducing the damage inflicted by D-Class Magical Beast attacks. Price: 20,000 Federal Coins. (Officially certified by Yang City as having 40% damage; usable.)]

After that, he went to a Ninja Sundries Shop and bought two Storage Scrolls. He'd been wanting to buy these for a long time.

He'd bought ordinary Storage Scrolls, each with ten cubic meters of space. They were extremely convenient for storing items and essential for a ninja's survival in the wilderness.

Storage Scrolls were common and cost ten thousand Federal Coins apiece, so Su Bai could afford to buy two.

The reason he bought two was that there were plenty of supplies in the Wasteland Zone.

There was gold and jewelry from before the apocalypse, as well as Chakra Conductive Metal Ore that had appeared after it. Either way, he wanted to get his hands on them.

There were too many things he needed money for now: his younger sister's medical bills, a bigger home in the safer City Center for his family, and ninjutsu and equipment...

In short, without money, he couldn't take a single step.

After buying some Military Ration Pills to replenish his stamina and restore his chakra, along with some basic survival supplies, Su Bai finally headed home.

Xia Family Manor.

In the largest room, an elegant, middle-aged beauty sat beside a middle-aged man, her face clouded with worry.

"Honey, why didn't you try to talk Xueqing out of it? Isn't it too soon for her to go to the Wasteland Zone?"

Her name was Wang Yan. She was Xia Xueqing's mother, the wife of Xia Family patriarch Xia Hong, and also a powerful Jonin!

Xia Hong was tall and imposing, his presence commanding after years in a position of authority. He sat there with an intimidating air, even without showing anger!

His hairstyle did undermine his imposing presence a little. Just like his younger brother, Xia Ling, he was bald.

"Too soon?" Hearing his wife's words, Xia Hong put aside his stern demeanor and smiled warmly. "We weren't as strong as our daughter when we first went to the Wasteland Zone. Don't worry so much."

"But I'm not only worried about the Magic Beasts... I'm also worried about the lowlifes who are always watching our family's Byakugan. I'm afraid they'll make a move sooner or later. Especially that organization... They've been coveting the Byakugan for a long time."

Besides being able to train in its own specialized ninjutsu and Taijutsu, the Byakugan was also unbelievably powerful in combat and scouting. That had attracted plenty of ninjas who had their eye on it.

"They wouldn't dare!" Xia Hong shot to his feet, murderous intent rolling off him as he said coldly, "If they dare break their agreement and go after Xueqing, then I'll tear them out by the roots, even if it costs the entire family!"

"All right, I was just saying. Why are you getting so worked up? Honestly."

"But we can't let our guard down either. That organization is capable of anything. Last year, they even kidnapped a Lava Release bloodline ninja, and still haven't given the Federal Government an explanation."

Wang Yan rolled her eyes at Xia Hong and pulled him back down.

She knew their daughter was the apple of her husband's eye. They had only one daughter, and they cherished her so much they were afraid she might melt in their mouths or fall from their hands. If anyone targeted her, Xia Hong would absolutely lose his mind!

After sitting down, Xia Hong was quiet for a moment before speaking. "You're right, honey. How about I call Xia You back and have her second uncle make the trip himself?"

Xia You was Xia Xueqing's cousin, an Elite Chunin who had been responsible for secretly protecting Xia Xueqing on her way to and from school all these years.

"Have Xia Ling go?"

"That works. Then I'll feel better."

Xia Ling was the second strongest in the Xia Family, not much weaker than Xia Hong. Wang Yan immediately felt reassured and started talking with Xia Hong about other things.

Before long, a girl in a tight black leather suit with a military backpack on her back burst into the living room. She looked very capable.

"Mom, Dad, take a look. Is there anything else I need to prepare?"

"Hehe, Xueqing looks just like a ninja in that outfit." Xia Hong, who had been frowning over family affairs, immediately smiled and praised his daughter when she came in.

Xia Xueqing blushed and said coyly, "Dad, we're talking business. Stop praising me every chance you get!"

"Haha, I'm only telling the truth."

Xia Hong rubbed Xia Xueqing's head, grinning from ear to ear. He warmly offered her a few suggestions, which she happily accepted.

After chatting for a while, Xia Xueqing hesitated. "Dad, is Su Bai's Sharingan really going to be all right? I know you've always had people protecting me."

"It'll be fine. That cursed thing is something people avoid at all costs. No one would willingly turn themselves into a lunatic." Xia Hong spoke calmly.

"Oh, good. Then I can relax."

Clever as she was, Xia Xueqing had long known the value of her eyes, which was why she worried that someone might target Su Bai's Sharingan too.

Fortunately, the side effects of the Sharingan were so terrifying that every ninja who awakened it eventually went mad. So, ninjas on Blue Star had abandoned the Sharingan decades ago. Everyone avoided it. Why would anyone deliberately "seek death"?

Just as Xia Xueqing was about to leave, Xia Hong suddenly spoke, his tone serious.

"The Sharingan is an overbearing Kekkei Genkai. Even if he later digs out both eyes himself to stay alive, the chakra inside him will already have adapted to that bloodline. His mental problems will still erupt."

"So, sweetheart... we should stay away from that Su Bai. I'm worried he'll hurt you if he goes mad."

"Hehe, don't worry. I know what I'm doing."

Xia Xueqing chuckled and turned to leave.

Xia Hong and Wang Yan were left sighing and lamenting their bad luck in letting their daughter meet Su Bai.

Chapter 50: Setting Out for Yangcheng Base

Early the next morning, Chu Yuan arrived at the entrance to Yangcheng No. 1 High School. He, Su Bai, and Xia Xueqing lived in different places.

Su Bai lived in the suburbs, the farthest away, so he arrived last. By the time he got there, Chu Yuan and Xia Xueqing were already waiting for him at the entrance.

"Sorry I'm late."

"No problem. It's not time yet." Chu Yuan shook his head. Seeing Su Bai's backpack, he asked, "So, did you get everything ready?"

"Yep."

Su Bai patted his backpack. Inside were the equipment and survival supplies he'd bought at great expense.

"Good. Get in the car."

Chu Yuan called to the two of them. They got in at once, and he drove toward Yangcheng Base.

Yangcheng Base was the nearest supply station to the Wasteland Zone, and it was also the place the Base City was named after. Ninjas usually gathered there.

In the car.

Xia Xueqing and Su Bai sat in the back, both looking forward to the trip.

"Su Bai, don't worry. I asked my father, and your Sharingan will be fine." Xia Xueqing gazed calmly at Su Bai with her Byakugan. Today she wore a tight black leather suit, the kind Chang Rui liked, and looked very capable.

Before Su Bai could say anything, Chu Yuan spoke from the driver's seat without turning around. "Xueqing's right. The Sharingan's like a poisonous mushroom on the roadside. It's rare, but every ninja knows about it. No one's going to come after you, so don't worry."

They both knew Su Bai had the Sharingan Kekkei Genkai. Chu Yuan had only learned about it yesterday. When he first found out, he'd felt sorry for him, thinking a genius had fallen before he could even rise.

Su Bai relaxed when he heard that. "Good. Then I can relax."

At that moment, he was extremely grateful for the Sharingan's side effects. Otherwise, as a Sharingan wielder who hadn't yet grown powerful, he might not have been able to protect his own eyes.

Ninjas on Blue Star weren't like the ones in the original story, whose eyes anyone could simply transplant and take for themselves. Still, there were ways to do it.

Because of his status, Su Bai couldn't find any information about the Sharingan online, but Chu Yuan could.

The day before, Su Bai had asked around indirectly and discovered that the most advanced Sharingan on record in this world had only reached the Three-Tomoe stage. The ninja had gone mad the moment it awakened because his spiritual energy couldn't handle it. Even Chu Yuan had never heard of the advanced Mangekyo version.

Su Bai thought to himself that he had to keep his Yin Attribute under control, or the Sharingan's side effects might overwhelm him too, turning him into the person in the records.

After driving for more than two hours, Chu Yuan finally arrived at the base. As soon as they got out, Su Bai and Xia Xueqing were stunned by the sight before them.

A steel wall stood directly in front of them, at least 150 meters tall, stretching out of sight in both directions.

A silver-white gate over twenty meters tall stood open in the middle. Through it, they could see a stretch of lush green in the distance, overgrown with wild grass. It formed a stark contrast with the rows of high-tech-looking weapons mounted on the wall, many of which he couldn't even name.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

"When I first came here, I was just like you. Those hunks of metal scared me too. Haha!" Chu Yuan noticed their amazement and laughed as he explained.

According to Chu Yuan, the wall was made by mixing Chakra Conductive Metal with several high-strength alloys. The weapons mounted on it represented the pinnacle of human technology.

Although ninjas were the main force against high-level Magic Beasts, firearms hadn't become obsolete. They were still effective against many low-level Magic Beasts.

The wall's purpose was to stop large numbers of Magic Beasts from attacking and destroying Yang City.

According to Chu Yuan, the wall was only the visible part of the defenses. There was also an invisible barrier, the real linchpin of the defenses, surrounding all of Yang City. He didn't know what kind of barrier it was, though.

As Chu Yuan led Su Bai and Xia Xueqing to the meeting place for his ninja squad, he continued introducing the place to them, broadening their horizons.