077 The Superstar Who Had No Choice!

"Yes, what requirements does your base have?" Hao Yifei nodded; she was already prepared to join. After witnessing Xue Feng's strength, she was convinced that wherever he was, safety was assured. With the capabilities Xue Feng had displayed, he must have stockpiled a tremendous amount of supplies. Yet, there was still one thing Hao Yifei worried about: whether there might be any special requirements. If they were too excessive, she would have no choice but to refuse.

"There are only two rules in my base," Xue Feng said, raising a finger. "First, no freeloaders." This was the most fundamental iron law. Anyone who stayed needed to prove their worth.

"That's only natural." Hao Yifei readily accepted this. The era had changed. Once, as a superstar, she had enjoyed luxury just by singing and dancing. In a single year, she earned more than an ordinary worker could hope to make in several lifetimes. But now, she too had to earn her food with her own hands. The drastic shift was difficult to accept at first, but gradually she became accustomed to it. Besides, being an ability user, she still had some influence.

"As for the second rule," Xue Feng continued, holding up a second finger, "in my base, you must obey me in all things. I am the supreme leader."

"Obey you? In what way, exactly..." Hao Yifei's cheeks flushed slightly. She could guess what that might entail.

"Of course, I mean following my orders. I won't force you into any... relations," Xue Feng said with a smile, seeing her embarrassment. After all, she was someone the system had marked as talented—he couldn’t go too far, just as he hadn't with Nie Xiaoyue.

"Alright! I’m willing to join you," Hao Yifei agreed almost without hesitation. She had no other choice before her.

"Good, let’s leave this place then," Xue Feng nodded. This trip had been fruitful: his space backpack was filled with dozens of large crates, though he hadn’t yet had time to check what was inside. He pushed open the warehouse door, cleared away the zombies at the entrance, and summoned the apocalypse armored vehicle. The sight of the high-tech armored car left Hao Yifei almost numb with shock.

She didn’t quite know what to say. It wasn’t until she was seated in the passenger seat that she realized this was no dream.

"You..." Hao Yifei wanted to ask what kind of ability Xue Feng had, but hesitated. Such questions were taboo; one couldn’t pry into another’s powers so casually.

"How many people are at your base? Are there many men?" she asked instead.

"About a dozen, and I’m the only man," Xue Feng replied, skillfully maneuvering around obstacles in the road. Driving at night was indeed more dangerous—he had nearly driven into a large pit moments ago. But even if he had, it wouldn’t have been a problem. He could simply store the armored car in his space backpack and take it out again.

"Just you? Are you building a harem?" Hao Yifei’s eyes widened, her gaze at Xue Feng changing. Wasn’t this a bit perverse, keeping only women around him?

"That’s entirely by accident," Xue Feng replied with a helpless smile. The system’s prompts had sent him these women as talents—it wasn’t as if he’d sought out only female survivors on purpose. Still, with the base as it was, it wasn’t convenient for other men to live there. In the future, he planned to divide the base into several areas as more members joined.

When they finally returned, it was past two in the morning. An Xiaowei and the others hadn’t gone to bed. If Xue Feng didn’t come back, they wouldn't have slept all night. To them, Xue Feng had become their one and only god. When they saw he’d brought back another woman, none of them were surprised—they were already used to it. The only concern was what level this newcomer would be assigned, and whether she would threaten their own status.

But as soon as An Xiaowei saw Hao Yifei’s face, she exclaimed in shock, "It's Hao Yifei! You’re Hao Yifei! I’m not seeing things, am I? I’m your fan!"

An Xiaowei bounced in excitement, and You Haoyun and Liu Qiqi joined her in squealing. The three of them hugged each other, having met their idol. Hao Yifei, known as the national goddess, was especially popular among young people—every new song she released went straight to the top of the charts.

"Who is she?" Nie Xiaoyue asked with a slight frown, not recognizing her. She had never been interested in the entertainment world, rarely listening to music or watching variety shows and movies.

"Sis, that’s Hao Yifei, the superstar!" Nie Xiaoxing explained excitedly. More than half of her classmates were Hao Yifei fans. Some had even paid thousands above face value to scalpers for concert tickets.

Hao Yifei was surprised; she hadn’t expected to have so many fans here, nor did she expect everyone to look so energetic and well. They didn’t look like they’d suffered at all—nothing like the other base, where women without abilities were just tools, worn out and exhausted every day.

Of course, not everyone in the group was excited. Zhao Weisuo and Shen Ruyan just pursed their lips. A superstar? So what? In the face of the apocalypse, everyone was equal.

"Alright, since you all know her, there’s no need for introductions. It’s late—why aren’t you all in bed?" Xue Feng urged everyone to rest; there were important matters to attend to tomorrow.

Hearing this, none of the women dared delay and all returned to their rooms. Only Gu Xiaoqian stayed with Hao Yifei, giving her a quick rundown of the basics and showing her to her room. She didn’t know what rank Xue Feng would assign Hao Yifei, but since she was a superstar, it was bound to be high.

Sure enough, the next morning Xue Feng announced that Hao Yifei would be assigned an A-rank.

"My lord..." Zhao Weisuo couldn’t help but mutter softly. She wanted to say that Hao Yifei hadn’t contributed much, but the words died in her throat. After all, Xue Feng’s decision was absolute in the base—no one could question it.

"Hao Yifei has contributed. She helped me acquire a lot of supplies and is an ability user herself, more than qualified to be A-rank," Xue Feng explained, knowing exactly what Zhao Weisuo—and probably the others—were thinking. To eliminate any doubts and reinforce his authority, he felt it necessary to clarify.