Too many crystal cores!

Hao Yifei trembled all over, her body overwhelmed by an intense surge of excitement.

It felt as though every single pore had prepared itself to welcome Xue Feng.

She surprised herself by realizing how deeply she yearned for this moment to arrive.

It felt as natural and inevitable as breathing.

"You are truly beautiful," Xue Feng couldn't help but praise.

A wave of profound joy washed over Hao Yifei upon hearing those words.

Who doesn't cherish being complimented?

Compared to admiring her own reflection in the bathroom solitude earlier, being pinned under Xue Feng's intense gaze right now filled her with a uniquely intoxicating sense of fulfillment.

"It's coming..." Xue Feng said slowly.

Hao Yifei gripped Xue Feng's back fiercely, her expression a mix of exquisite agony and sublime satisfaction.

...

More than an hour later, Xue Feng and Hao Yifei lay side by side, resting.

"I can't believe you were still a virgin," Xue Feng remarked with genuine surprise.

He had certainly heard his fair share of gossip regarding the entertainment industry.

On the surface, those celebrities appeared glamorous and pristine, but behind closed doors, their lifestyles were shockingly wild.

Casual hookups with fans had long since become commonplace—merely the baseline of indulgence.

Some would purchase luxurious villas abroad specifically to house a small entourage of personal playthings.

This behavior wasn't limited to male stars; female celebrities participated just as eagerly.

For instance, a certain well-known actress who, following her divorce, lived extravagantly in Thailand, surrounding herself with multiple men who catered to her every whim until leaked photographs exposed the affair.

"What's that supposed to mean? Don't let the chaos of the entertainment industry fool you—it all depends on the individual," Hao Yifei said, pouting slightly as she began to explain to Xue Feng.

The entertainment industry was essentially divided into two tiers: those who walked in the light of mainstream respectability and those who lingered in the shadows.

The average person recognized perhaps fewer than a hundred familiar faces of actors on screen throughout the year.

Yet the total population of aspiring actors numbered in the millions.

The vast majority struggled within the lower rungs—an overabundance of people fighting for a scarce few resources.

Trading intimacy for a role was a depressingly common occurrence.

Even established celebrities often traded favors and slept with wealthy magnates simply to secure influential backers.

Furthermore, actors working on prolonged location shoots would spend months confined to the same environment with members of the opposite sex.

It was virtually inevitable that professional proximity would blossom into romance.

"At least things are relatively tame domestically. The overseas scene is absolute chaos!" Hao Yifei sighed.

Take South Korea, for example, where practically every performer was treated as little more than a disposable plaything.

A certain actress who died by suicide had left behind harrowing accusations detailing how she was forced to service clients in bed every single day.

Even during her menstrual cycle, she was fed medication to suppress her body so she could continue.

She wasn't even granted rest on the anniversary of her parents' passing.

The Western entertainment industry was an even worse disaster zone, where coercion and force were routinely employed.

The number of female stars stepping forward to accuse powerful figures of assault was immeasurable.

"Have you ever been threatened?" Xue Feng asked.

"Of course! The head of my previous agency told me that if I didn't accompany him on an overseas trip, my upcoming album would be permanently shelved!" Even the mere memory of the incident left Hao Yifei seething with residual anger.

An overseas trip with the boss—the implication couldn't have been more transparent.

It was nothing more than a thinly veiled demand for sexual compliance abroad.

Domestically, too many people knew her, and the risk of someone capturing compromising photographs was simply too high.

Abroad, however, the vast expanses and sparse populations meant no one would ever question who you were or what you were doing.

This was precisely why so many celebrities and powerful executives loved traveling abroad together.

Furious, Hao Yifei had walked out on the spot and subsequently transferred to a different talent agency.

Only then was she finally able to release her album and achieve overnight stardom.

Ever since that day, Hao Yifei had vowed never to bow to anyone's threats again.

"Well, you're under my threat now!" Xue Feng murmured, gently stroking Hao Yifei's smooth, bare back.

"What kind of threat is this? I'm completely voluntary," Hao Yifei murmured softly, resting her head against Xue Feng's chest.

Hearing this, Xue Feng couldn't help but chuckle.

He could certainly feel that the profound contentment on Hao Yifei's face was entirely genuine.

"You—how are you already..."

In the midst of this tender moment, Hao Yifei suddenly widened her eyes in disbelief.

"What can I say? My stamina is simply exceptional," Xue Feng laughed softly.

"Then I shall completely vanquish this adversary once and for all. Let me try using..."

Trailing off, Hao Yifei leaned downward...

The next morning, when Xue Feng awoke, the melodic sound of a piano drifted into the room from the living room.

Hao Yifei, still clad in her silk pajamas, was playing the instrument with intense concentration.

The notes were graceful and soothing, weaving together a gentle, tranquil melody.

"You play beautifully."

As the final notes faded, Xue Feng clapped his hands in appreciation as he walked out.

"If you like it, I can play for you every single day. I can even sing while I play," Hao Yifei smiled warmly.

"Well then, can you play basketball and dance at the same time?" Xue Feng teased.

"You little rascal..."

"Haha!" Xue Feng laughed heartily.

During breakfast that morning, anyone could tell at a glance that the dynamic between Xue Feng and Hao Yifei had shifted to a much more intimate level.

Gone was the heavy-hearted anxiety Hao Yifei had worn previously; instead, her face radiated with smiles.

Clearly, her physical needs had been thoroughly satisfied, allowing her tightly wound nerves to finally unwind.

Seated at the breakfast table were only Xue Feng and the other A-tier women.

The meal was relatively lavish, featuring freshly mashed potatoes and grilled sausages.

The potatoes had been harvested directly from the base's agricultural sector.

Though not yet fully matured, a portion had been harvested early specifically for the A-tier members.

As fresh crops, their flavor was worlds apart from the preserved rations they had grown accustomed to.

After breakfast, Shen Ruyan presented a progress report on the Homeland Project.

The overall results were promising, and outlying regions had shown an encouragingly proactive attitude toward eliminating zombies.

Every day, Shen Ruyan dispatched personnel to communicate intelligence with other survivors.

First, to ensure their loyalty and intentions remained stable.

Second, to inquire if they required assistance in dealing with overwhelmingly powerful mutant creatures they couldn't defeat alone.

Finally, to coordinate what supplies they lacked.

The base could then provide those resources in exchange for energy crystals.

"Sir, are we hoarding a bit too many crystals at this point?" Shen Ruyan finally asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

While the crystals were currently indispensable for generating electricity and powering the entire base,

which was crucial not only for human survival but also for supplying purified water to irrigate the crops,

their stockpile had already surpassed a thousand pieces.

At this rate, they had enough energy reserves to last for several years.

"It might seem like a lot right now, but in my view, the quantity is still far from enough," Xue Feng shook his head.

Not enough?

Not only Shen Ruyan, but the others as well, wore expressions of utter bewilderment.

"What is the most valuable commodity in the apocalypse?" Xue Feng asked.

"Food, of course," You Haoyun blurted out instantly.

That had long since become an accepted truth.

"For others, perhaps. But for our base, food can be cultivated sustainably; the only cost is time. Crystals, on the other hand, are a finite and truly scarce resource. In the future, the value of these crystals will multiply a hundredfold, and by then, anyone trying to buy them back will find it impossible," Xue Feng explained calmly.

"I understand! You are truly brilliant, sir!" Shen Ruyan's expression instantly shifted to one of profound admiration.

Among everyone present, only Shen Ruyan grasped the full implications of Xue Feng's foresight immediately.

Having previously served as a corporate CEO, she possessed a razor-sharp sensitivity to economic value.

"Um... could you explain it so the rest of us can understand?" Hao Yifei chimed in, blinking in confusion.