Apocalypse: Transmigrated with an Overlord System
Chapter 177: Are they cooking steamed buns?

Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Are they cooking steamed buns?

The team behind her finally emerged one after another—Xu Kai, Yang Ming, Lin Ci, Old Zhou, and the rest. All of them looked dirty but alive. Seeing the familiar faces waiting for them, even the most composed among them let out long, deep breaths.

"We found something," Xu Kai said as he came up beside Liora, his voice calm but firm. "A large wheat field. Untouched. Pure. We harvested all of it."

Everyone froze for a heartbeat. Then Yun Shou was the first to speak.

"A wheat field? In there?"

Zhao Ren’s eyes widened. "That’s not possible."

"It’s true." Old Zhou grinned as he lifted a piece of wheat from his pack and waved it proudly. "Real, clean wheat. Enough to last us for a month."

Gasps filled the air.

Chen Wei took a step forward, eyes fixed on Liora. "You brought it back?"

Liora simply raised her hand and, with a small pulse of spatial light, let a few golden stalks fall into her palm. "All of it. Safe and intact."

Joy rippled through the base like wind across a calm lake.

People began to cheer. Laughter and disbelief filled the air as everyone gathered around the returning team. They started talking all at once—about the forest, the battles, the lucky finds, and the mutant beasts they took down. The mood turned lively, even festive, as if the danger of the night had never happened.

Soon they all walked inside the base.

Kids ran around the edge of the dormitories. Relatives offered water and spare cloths. Survivors who had chosen to follow Liora’s team from the beginning looked the most excited—many of them crying from relief.

A few even knelt down and bowed toward the wheat bundles once Liora released them again in front of the canteen.

It was a bumper harvest—wheat, wild vegetables, herbs, mushrooms, and so many high-grade mutant beast corpses. And there were plenty of crystals, too. The team’s packs were full.

Mei had just taken a long sip of warm water when she turned and froze.

Old Zhou was standing nearby, patting dust off his pants while chatting with Lin Ci.

Her eyes widened.

"You... you’re an alchemist, right?" she blurted.

Old Zhou blinked. "Ah? Yeah, field medic for years. And became an alchemist after the apocalypse."

Mei gasped and rushed over. "Alchemy?! Do you know how rare that is now? I’ve been thinking of opening a clinic in the south wing. If you join me, we can build something real, not just wrapping wounds with dirty cloth!"

Old Zhou laughed loudly. "Slow down, young lady! You trying to recruit me before I even clean my boots?"

But he didn’t say no.

Zhao Ren, nearby, grinned and puffed out his chest. "You’re talking about healing, but who brought down that wild boar alone, huh? You should’ve seen it! I aimed straight for the eye, one hit, boom!"

"No one saw that," Ji Ming teased.

"I saw it," Zhao Ren insisted. "In my mind’s eye."

One by one, team members placed what they had collected into the metal slots at the terminal counters.

The terminal flashed a prompt:

"Wild mushrooms × 6 types, tested. Edible and high grade. 120 points credited."

"Mutant wild goat meat × 1, quality: Excellent. 560 points credited."

The line stretched, but no one complained. Even the survivors who had volunteered to help were rewarded. Their faces were flushed with pride as they scanned their cards.

At one corner, Liora stood quietly and began releasing the mutant beasts they had hunted.

A family of deer.

Two peahens.

Several massive black rabbits with claws.

Dozens of wild chickens the size of a small dog.

Even a muscular wild goat, freshly cleaned and wrapped.

The crowd went silent. Then gasps followed.

"That’s... that’s too much meat!"

"How did they get all this in one night?"

Someone touched the giant rabbit’s fur and whispered, "This is high-grade. We can make preserved jerky out of this..."

At the terminal, the team queued up, each of them holding two beasts to register at the canteen exchange counter.

"Choose wisely," Liora reminded with a small smile. "Only the ones that are worth it."

They only submitted the best ones. The ones with firm muscle, no rot, and thick fat layers. Everything else was left aside to be stripped for hide or traded later.

The system screen blinked again:

[Mutant wild chickens × 1 : Quality high, total weight 19.2 kg. Converted into 850 points.]

[Mutant peahen × 1, condition excellent. Rare species. 900 points credited.]

[Boar meat × 1: Grade A. Bones and organs intact. 930 points credited.]

Some survivors exchanged bundles of wild vegetables and shiny mushrooms they had picked, and were overjoyed when the terminal confirmed:

[Forest mushrooms × 12 units. Clean. 180 points credited.]

[Wild root vegetables: Nutrient dense. 170 points credited.]

Mei followed Old Zhou like a puppy, still talking about the future clinic.

Zhao Ren told his story for the fourth time—this time adding an explosion that never actually happened.

Inside the canteen, the air was already thick with anticipation.

Zhao Yuan cracked his knuckles. The muscular chef stood in front of the long metal prep table, a red apron tied carelessly around his waist. Beside him, Shen Yuqiao had already rolled up her sleeves, long hair tied into a tight bun, her sharp eyes scanning the pile of ingredients like she was sizing up battlefield enemies.

"You saw that goat?" she asked.

"Yes," Zhao Yuan grinned. "And I’m going to braise it with black mushroom and crystal salt. Let’s make tonight feel like before the world fell apart."

"Then don’t use too much spices," she replied without looking up.

The assistants—Li Qing, Si Manman, and Wu Qian—were moving fast. Pots clanged. Knives chopped. The induction heated up in a few seconds.

Li Qing was peeling wild root vegetables at a speed that made onlookers dizzy. Si Manman was already sorting the mushrooms by species and grade, carefully avoiding the bitter-tongue type.

Wu Qian moved between counters, organizing trays of mutant rabbit meat and sorting spices, all while balancing a clipboard against her arm.

Outside the kitchen window, the line was growing longer. And louder.

"I smell meat!"

"Are they frying something?"

"Are they cooking steamed buns?"