Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 76: Chapter 70: Arrived Home

The plane landed inside S Base. Tang Mo had originally wanted to land outside the base so she could get off and enter alone. If you’re going to put on a show, you have to do it right.

But the already reluctant Qin Ling refused. ’Are you kidding me? This distance isn’t even worth another takeoff and landing.’

The plane was the private property of the Qin Family, so it landed directly on their private airstrip.

As the largest base, S Base was almost the size of a small city.

The Qin Family’s territory alone was the size of Huacheng Base, equipped with every imaginable amenity and so luxurious it was dumbfounding.

The map didn’t show the layout of the Qin Family’s estate in detail. Unable to find the exit, a helpless Tang Mo had no choice but to stick by Qin Ling’s side and have him escort her out.

Tang Mo hadn’t covered her face with dark foundation this time. She just wore a baseball cap and kept her head down, hoping no one would see her.

’She only knew a few people in S Base. It can’t be that much of a coincidence, can it?’

”We’re right at my doorstep. Are you sure you won’t come home with me? My grandpa would definitely love you,” Qin Ling said, making one last attempt.

”Momo?”

Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out beside them.

Qin Ling looked up and saw Wen Jianshu, followed by a large entourage, staring at her.

’I’m so screwed.’

That was the first thought that flashed through Tang Mo’s mind.

”Uncle Wen,” Tang Mo greeted him, her expression one of grim resignation.

”This is my daughter,” Wen Jianshu announced, introducing Tang Mo to the people behind him. ”She’s been out fending for herself and just got back. Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”

”I just got back,” Tang Mo explained. ”I happened to run into a plane heading for S Base, so I hitched a ride. Heh.”

The crowd exchanged strange looks. Hitching a ride on a private plane... what a coincidence.

”Qin Ling? Momo, you know him?”

Only then did Wen Jianshu notice that the person beside Tang Mo was none other than Qin Ling.

Although Qin Ling was much younger, given the Qin Family’s standing in the Alliance, he didn’t need to be particularly respectful toward Wen Jianshu.

Besides, the young man was exceptionally clever. There was no telling how formidable he would become once he fully matured.

Wen Jianshu was an excellent judge of character, and he could see Qin Ling was no ordinary person.

”Not well, not at all! I just met him,” Tang Mo said, waving her hands dismissively as she scrambled to distance herself.

The moment she said this, the face of a certain young man beside her visibly hardened.

”I’m going to see my mom. You all carry on.”

Everyone present was sharp; the more you said, the more you’d get wrong. Before anyone could respond, Tang Mo beat a hasty retreat.

Seeing Tang Mo leave, Qin Ling simply nodded at Wen Jianshu before turning and heading back himself.

On his way home, he opened his ID Watch and sent Tang Mo a message.

[I hate you!] followed by an emoji of a little figure stamping its feet in anger.

[Hehe.] Feeling guilty, Tang Mo could only play dumb. ’It’s for the sake of family harmony,’ she told herself.

After calling Lin Yi to get her location, Tang Mo quickly found her way to the Wen Family’s main gate.

Along the way, she took the opportunity to observe her surroundings in S Base. In her past life, she had only ever scraped by in small and medium-sized bases, never once setting foot in the heart of the Alliance.

This place... it was even better than she had imagined.

The skyscrapers were all gone, replaced by tracts of small villas.

Of course, only the wealthy could afford to live in villas. Ordinary people lived in prefabricated foam houses that could be moved and disassembled at a moment’s notice.

They were a bit crude, but it was still far better than living in a tent or sleeping directly on the grass.

Most people in S Base had grown accustomed to going out on missions to trade for food and equipment. A small minority who lacked the ability to do so subsisted on daily relief handouts.

In this life, thanks to Professor Tian arriving at the research institute early, the nutrient solution made from Exotic Beast Meat and other plant-based fruits had also been developed ahead of schedule.

One tube per person per day was enough to sustain a person for twenty-four hours.

But this was merely survival, not living.

Everything here was orderly. Human adaptability is a powerful thing, and the people here had quickly grown accustomed to this way of life.

The Wen Family’s estate was much smaller than the Qin Family’s. It was also a compound of villas and open land, but it was probably less than half the size of the Qin’s property.

This wasn’t due to a lack of status, but simply because the Wen Family was so small they had no use for that much space.

Tang Mo had already learned from Lin Yi that Mr. Wen Sr. was quite old and in poor health, having stepped down from his position long ago.

Mr. Wen Sr. had three sons. The eldest, Wen Jianli, was about forty-five, a mild-mannered man who loved nothing more than tending to his flowers, drinking tea, and reading books.

The second son was Wen Jianshu, Tang Mo’s stepfather and the current head of the Wen Family.

The youngest son, Wen Jianming, was born to his parents late in life and was only in his early thirties. He was a businessman and a bit of a playboy, indulging in a life of pleasure and romance.

Back in the prosperous era, he was always busy juggling business and a string of love affairs.

Even after getting married and having a child, he showed no signs of changing his prodigal ways, causing no end of headaches for everyone.

However, Qin Ling had mentioned on the plane that he and Wen Jianming got along very well. They had met before the apocalypse through a business deal and had really hit it off.

’Hitting it off with a scumbag like that...’

Tang Mo’s look at the time had been very telling, forcing Qin Ling to spend the rest of the trip explaining himself, all the while silently cursing his big mouth.

The Wen Family sons all married late and had children even later.

With almost no collateral branches, the family line wasn’t particularly large.

It was unlike the Qin Family or the Li Family, who, despite not having many direct heirs, had a massive number of relatives and collateral branches.

Her eldest uncle, Wen Jianli, had a son and a daughter, both of whom had just started college and were still students.

Of course, they weren’t attending a normal university anymore. Instead, they had been enrolled in the Alliance’s newly established academy.

It was filled with the children of the rich and powerful, all learning skills more suited to the post-apocalyptic world.

Her youngest uncle, Wen Jianming, had a son who had just turned five and was at the age where he was just learning to talk.

As for Wen Jianshu’s child, it was even younger—still in its mother’s womb.

Lin Yi was already standing at the main gate of the Wen estate, waiting for her daughter.

”Mom! Didn’t I tell you not to come out?”

Seeing her mother standing there with her large, pregnant belly, Tang Mo rushed forward to support her.

”You’ve gotten so thin! Were you starving out there?”

Lin Yi scrutinized her daughter from head to toe. No matter how she looked at it, she was convinced her child had suffered, and tears began to stream down her face.

”I’m not thin, I’ve been eating plenty! Look, I’ve even got snacks in my bag right now!”

Knowing how sensitive pregnant women could be, Tang Mo quickly comforted her mother and helped her inside.

The brothers’ families, including Mr. Wen Sr. himself, all lived in separate villas. They rarely saw each other, gathering to eat at the old patriarch’s home only on major occasions.

Tang Mo and Lin Yi settled into the living room of their own villa and began to catch up.

Having been apart for so long, the mother and daughter had an endless supply of things to talk about.