Apocalypse King: Recruiting S-Tier Beauties With My Ruler System
Chapter 118: Preparing The Base

Chapter 118: Preparing The Base

John (POV)

March 18th, 20xx — 5:42 PM

Zone 3A-Δ – Tenth Floor — Jiang Roulan’s Apartment

———

The sunlight started to fade, lowering over the horizon, creating a beautiful orange hue that refracted off the reinforced window. I could feel the soft warmth of Mu Qinglan’s body cuddling against my chest.

"Nn..."

I could feel Qinglan’s warmth blowing against my chest as I opened the system panel with a mental command.

’System, how many floors can I convert into a Safe-Zone?’

[System Message: Host can convert all remaining floors with your current rank.]

[Convert all floors into the host’s territory?]

[Yes/No]

I couldn’t hesitate yet, or waste time... sex was amazing.

But life came first.

People were waiting.

Survivors who’d risked everything. Although the feeling of Qinglan curling against me felt amazing, this wasn’t the end. It was just a break between battles.

I closed my eyes and leaned back into the soft bedding. The slight ache from Mu Qinglan’s bite and kiss marks made me a little irritated. However, the slight improvement in my cultivation made me quite happy.

My gaze flicked over to the status page and allowed me to feel relaxed.

▼ STATUS

Name: John Wang

Title: Harbinger of the Lunar Beast

Titan Marrow Sutra—Stage 2: 27% [Steel Frame]

’Convert them all.’

[Safe-Zone Expansion Complete — All Floors Now Under Host Control]

[Automatic Dismantle Option Available for Remaining Collapsed Floors: Levels 2, 3, and 4]

"I don’t have to do it manually?"

This news was wonderful!

I swiped the interface open again and selected the dismantle function.

The building rumbled faintly beneath me — distant groaning of steel, stone, and piping being stripped into raw components by system energy.

[Resources Gained — Floors 2–4]

• Wood: +125

• Metal: +115

• Plastic: +122

• Glass: +60

• Cloth: +130

▼ Total Resources.

Wood: 295

Metal: 115

Plastic: 120

Glass: 270

Cloth: 275

It wasn’t enough to outfit all thirty-one people with full quarters.

But it was a start.

I reached over and gripped Qinglan’s hip gently, squeezing her soft meat.

She twitched.

"Mmm... don’t..." she mumbled into my chest. "I’m sore..."

I exhaled.

The cold, deadly Mu Qinglan — now reduced to a stubborn pillow warmer.

With a sharp smack, I slapped her ass once. Her whole body jolted, the soft flesh jiggling under my palm.

"Hnnn—!" She cracked one eye open, those piercing blues glaring up at me, her face flushed.

"You’ll recover," I said.

"I won’t forgive you if I limp in front of Roulan..."

"You’ll be limping for better reasons."

She groaned.

I kissed the top of her head and then slipped out of bed. She grabbed my hand, but I broke free. But when I looked back, Qinglan’s blue eyes gazed at me, frowning with her brows furrowed.

"...are you leaving me, John?" Her voice was soft, like silk and warm like honey...

"Don’t be cheeky, get some rest... this floor will be ours in the future."

It was my choice...

Only the women who became my lovers would be allowed onto the tenth floor in the future, just like how normal people in the group could only use the first four floors.

It was a sign of importance that Qinglan held to me.

"Nn... then don’t take too long, or I’ll come get you. Naked!" For a moment, her blue eyes turned red, while she smirked, wrapping herself in the blankets like a sleepy cat.

"I promise."

I wore a simple pair of jogging pants and a black tank top. "Hmm?" I noticed the blue rose on my chest looked more saturated in colour, with a black stem, but it seemed bigger and more vivid.

Mu Qinglan didn’t speak again—her breathing became calmer as she fell asleep.

It was my chance to escape from her.

—

Zone 3A-Δ — First Floor – Shared Space

—

The elevator doors hissed open.

The air hit different down here — thicker with tension, movement, and heat. The smell of smoke from someone cooking something too hard. Metal. Sweat. Hope.

The first floor had become a holding space, with people huddled on makeshift bedding, mats, and tarps. Thirty-one survivors. Shen Yifeu stood near the central wall, her spear tied to her back, with her arms folded.

She noticed me instantly.

"You’re late."

"Needed a shower," I replied.

"Haha... sure you were. Idiot... you smell like Qinglan."

"I do?"

Surprised, I sniffed my body.

Shen Yifei’s lips curled into an amused smirk. "See?" It seems she outsmarted me this time, which made me feel a little bit stupid.

"Leader?"

Zhou Xue approached me with the bow I bought her slung over one shoulder with a smile, and a slight colour returned to her cheeks. Beside her, Liang Mei avoided my gaze with bright red cheeks while twiddling her fingers.

Old Zhou — her father — sat nearby on a crate, muttering to a cluster of younger men and women. Three children darted around a table someone had made from broken doors. Everyone looked tired.

But no one looked hopeless.

"We need space," Zhou Xue said, walking to meet me. "They’re packed like sardines down here."

"I know."

I opened the interface again.

[Upgrade Floor 2 and Floor 3]

[Floor 2: Medical Bay + Bedding Cost: Wood 90 | Metal 40 | Glass 50 | Cloth 80]

[Floor 3: Training rooms Cost: Wood 60 | Metal 30 | Plastic 10 | Glass 30 | Cloth 60]

▼ Total Resources

Wood: 295 --> 145

Metal: 115 --> 45

Plastic: 120 --> 110

Glass: 270 --> 190

Cloth: 275 --> 130

I didn’t even hesitate.

Confirm.

Resources burned away in a flash of blue.

And in the corner of my view, light flickered.

Two system notifications bloomed in the centre of the space:

[Floor 2 Converted: Medical Bay + Bedding]

Auto-assigned Beds x 26, Storage x 2, Large Kitchen, Baths.

[Floor 3 Converted: Training rooms]

Shared Shower, Training Room x 2, Common Room, Armoury

The light flickered above me as the upgrades locked in.

Blue glyphs spun across my system HUD. The air shimmered faintly, barely noticeable to anyone else.

But I saw it.

Felt it.

The building was changing — not brick by brick, but spirit. The second and third floors had gone from silent concrete tombs to something more... alive.

No one here had noticed yet.

But they would.

Zhou Xue blinked. "Did the lights just...?"

"Just a power ripple," I said.

She narrowed her eyes slightly — not buying it, but not pushing.

For now.

A few survivors shifted around me, watching, hopeful but wary. I walked toward the centre where a burned-out steel drum had become the floor’s unofficial heater. A child glanced up at me — a girl, no more than six — before darting behind a tarp.

Shen Yifei crossed her arms tighter, lips tugging into a half-frown.

"You planning to actually tell us what you’ve been doing upstairs?" she muttered under her breath, walking beside me.

"I just did."

She raised an eyebrow.

"By not telling us?"

I smirked.

"It’ll make more sense when you see it."

Because teasing Shen Yifei wasn’t helping, I raised my voice.

"Everyone! May I have your attention?"

The thirty people, much brighter than the day before. I gave most of the useless food and tins we gathered to Yifei and Roulan to distribute and increase their standing with the people to avoid future issues.

"I know you might be tired of sleeping all on one floor, so I want you to know that the second floor has been redesigned just like this one. It has a total of twenty-six beds. So I want you to split into two groups, ideally families together."

"Are you serious?"

"This... how is this happening?"

They looked shocked, with wide eyes, happy and hoarse voices mixed, while Old Zhou shook a half-empty bottle of whiskey and looked at me with a smirk.

"I cannot explain now, all you need to know is this building at least. Is safe!"

"Yifei, Deng Hua, Chen Xun! Can you help guide them? There’s a medical room on the second floor, so those with medical skills and experience should sleep on the second floor, those who perform work and tasks will ALL receive better rations starting from Friday, the twenty-first."

Murmurs turned into motion.

They slung bags over their shoulders. Blankets folded. Children clung to their parents while whispering questions with wide eyes. A few men stood and shook hands, trading nods as if something real had finally clicked into place.

Shen Yifei stepped forward with a sigh, already herding people like a tired drill sergeant. "Alright, families with kids first. Don’t shove. Don’t yell. This isn’t the apocalypse today."

Zhou Xue gently pulled Liang Mei toward the stairwell, guiding her with a soft hand on her back.

Old Zhou stood with a grunt and passed his bottle to a young man beside him. "Guess we’re movin’ up in the world."

And just like that—

The first wave started ascending.

Up into the unknown.

Into what I built.

The third floor would be ready by nightfall, and when they saw what was above that...

Maybe they’d start to believe this wasn’t just survival anymore.

Maybe they’d start to believe in me.

I watched them go, silent for a moment, before turning toward the hall.

There was still more to build.

More to protect.

And this was just the beginning.

"Meow!"

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