Chapter 133 - 125: I Like a Superstar

Chapter 133: Chapter 125: I Like a Superstar

It was Wednesday noon, a little over four days before the apocalypse was set to arrive.

The Royal Caribbean International Cruise was about to dock.

All four guys from Yu Dong’s dorm had come to the port. They had called Sun Shan too, but he said he was off contacting some workers and couldn’t make it.

Liu Ye’ye was busy coordinating with the drone factory, handling all sorts of materials like training software, user manuals, and simple repair kits... It was a hassle.

’But if there was one thing that mattered most after his rebirth?’

’It was this: securing the cruise ship.’

Every plan Yu Dong had laid revolved around this cruise ship, which he had yet to see with his own eyes.

The plan was to use the cruise ship and A Port as their main base. They would live on the ship, while A Port would serve as a production center and strategic buffer zone.

They would stockpile massive amounts of supplies in A Port’s warehouses and shipping containers, ready to be used after the apocalypse began.

You could say the cruise ship was the cornerstone of their entire operation. Without it, none of their plans would matter.

As a ship’s horn blared in the distance, a colossal cruise liner appeared on the horizon, sailing toward them.

"We’re finally going to see our ship."

Even though Yu Dong hadn’t bought a single ticket, he already considered the cruise ship his team’s property.

Huang Zhiqiang clutched a thick notebook, already filled with notes. It contained all sorts of details about the cruise ship, information he had gathered over the past few days by visiting various professionals in charge of the ship’s logistics.

From minor details like waste disposal to major procedures like starting up the ship... he had compiled a comprehensive overview of its daily operations, leaving no stone unturned.

"It’s huge... like an aircraft carrier," Xufeng said. It was his first time seeing the ship as well.

"You can say that again! This ship is one of the biggest in Asia. It has a gross tonnage of 169,000 tons, is 347 meters long, 41 meters wide, and has 16 passenger decks with 2,124 staterooms. It can hold up to 5,622 guests!"

Huang Zhiqiang said, flipping through his notebook.

Zhao Youcai pursed his lips. "Being too big isn’t necessarily a good thing. It’ll guzzle fuel... Once we’re on board, we’ll have to shut down all the non-essential electronics. We can just keep a few rooms powered. Our fuel supply is limited, after all."

"Hey, look over there by the docks... What are those signs they’re holding? They look like fans."

Huang Zhiqiang pointed to the southernmost part of A Port. There was a special boarding area designated for cruise ships, with a dedicated channel that bypassed the stacks of shipping containers and led directly outside.

"Probably... Come on, let’s go take a look."

They made their way to the boarding area at A Port. After a short wait, the massive vessel slowly approached the pier, coming to a halt at its designated berth. Under the guidance of the port staff, it was securely moored.

As the four of them stood close, craning their necks to look up at the colossal cruise ship, they finally understood the meaning of the word... behemoth!

"It’s practically a floating castle!"

"Damn, it’s so imposing."

"Honestly... seeing the stats on paper doesn’t do it justice. Looking at it for real, my megalophobia is kicking in."

"Did humans really build this?"

"This is terrifying."

The four of them were completely stunned by the sheer size of the cruise ship.

Even the worldly Xufeng was seeing a cruise ship of this magnitude for the first time. The shock was even greater than when he’d first seen an aircraft carrier.

It was so damn big!

From a distance, you might mistake it for a residential complex built at the edge of the port.

At that moment, Yu Dong knew he had to have this ship.

’Isn’t this a veritable Noah’s Ark on the sea?’

Once it was fully docked, a swarm of crew members sprang into action. They connected the ship to shore power, opened three gangways, and extended the folding staircases onto the port’s paved surface, securing them firmly.

Throngs of passengers began to disembark in an orderly fashion from the three gangways.

Just then, a woman in sunglasses and a mask disembarked under the protection of her agent, only to be greeted by the exclamations of a crowd of over thirty people waiting below.

"Zixue!"

"Zixue’s here!"

"AHHH! I love you, Lin Zhixue! I’d die for you!"

"We’re your Snowflakes! Can we get a picture?"

The group swarmed the woman, causing many of the other disembarking passengers to turn and stare.

Yu Dong and his friends: "?"

"Who’s Lin Zhixue? Is she famous?"

The four friends exchanged glances; none of them recognized the woman.

"I think she’s some B-list celebrity who’s gotten popular recently?"

Huang Zhiqiang did a quick search, then turned his phone around to show the others what he’d found.

After a quick look, they saw she did indeed have some online buzz and a bit of a following...

Zhao Youcai scoffed. "Back in the day, she’d just be a common performer. I don’t get what these simps are so excited about."

"She’s average. Her status is nothing special. The kind of person my family would hire for a private gig," Xufeng said, unimpressed.

"True. A-listers all have their own private yachts; they wouldn’t travel on a big public cruise ship like this, would they? But this Lin Zhixue is pretty good-looking, isn’t she?"

Huang Zhiqiang guessed, based on his experience as a movie buff.

Zhao Youcai pursed his lips. "No matter how pretty she is, she’s just a plaything for the rich. It’s all a glamorous facade."

"Big star, small star... it won’t matter once the apocalypse hits. At best, she’ll just be another ordinary survivor, fighting desperately to stay alive."

Yu Dong’s understanding of the apocalypse was clearly much deeper than his friends’. In four days, all of society’s honors and halos would vanish.

Zhao Youcai’s eyes lit up when he heard that.

"With all the preparations we’ve made, once the apocalypse hits... we’ll be the new rich and powerful! Right, Dongzi!"

"Dongzi, I’ve made up my mind. When the apocalypse comes, I’m going to get with an A-list celebrity!"

"I’m not bragging, but I won’t even look at an average-looking woman! It’s gotta be an A-lister!"

Zhao Youcai was getting worked up, feeling like his chances were pretty good.

This made the other three laugh.

This just so happened to remind Yu Dong of something.

"Youcai, make a call to this number. Her name is Xia Yao. In my past life, she was your... girlfriend. Send her a 10,000 yuan transfer and ask her to come keep you company for a month."

"Huh? This girlfriend of mine... is she, you know... legit?"

"Ah, don’t worry about that. If you don’t like her, you can just be regular friends. She’ll end up in our settlement eventually anyway."

"Is she pretty?"

"She’s alright... pretty cute."

"Tch. If she’s not a 9 out of 10, I’m not interested. I’m about to be one of the new elite; I only want A-list celebrities."

"There aren’t that many celebrities to go around... you’ll be lucky to find any decent woman."

From his past life, Yu Dong had come to realize something... A balanced ratio of men and women was extremely helpful for maintaining morale and stability in a settlement.

’Sex is a cornerstone of society.’

’To ignore sex is to ignore human instinct, and that’s just empty talk.’

’A proper gender ratio keeps people in a settlement stable and makes them easier to manage.’

’A single person can snap at any moment, but it’s different for someone with a family. The easiest people in the world to control are middle-aged fathers. They’re too scared to even die.’

’It might be a tragedy for the individual, but for the collective... it’s the foundation of stability.’

Now that Yu Dong was in a different position, he saw things from a different perspective.

While the tourists disembarked, Yu Dong and his three friends circled the ship, observing and taking notes.

They noted the locations of all the entrances and exits, the refueling port, the cargo hatch, the sewage outlet, and more.

Finally, they trailed some of the crew and noted where key personnel were staying.

Yu Dong scanned the crowd out of the corner of his eye and spotted the tall, thin man who had been following them that morning. The man had changed his clothes and hairstyle, but Yu Dong found him anyway.

Yu Dong gave no reaction, simply continuing on with their task.

With so many people around, however, it was impossible for the four of them to get inside the ship. They could only observe from the perimeter, watching the crew haul supplies on and off and dispose of the massive amount of trash that had accumulated.

There were also shore-based repair crews, already on standby, consulting with personnel from the ship’s engine department and documenting which parts needed to be repaired or replaced.

Yu Dong also noticed a pipe running from B Port, connected to a thick hose that was inserted into the ship’s fuel depot to begin refueling.

’It’s too complicated. To keep this whole ship running, we absolutely need a team of professionals.’

Yu Dong had to secure people who could operate the cruise ship.

That evening, in Popeye’s Bar just outside A Port, a large number of crew members from the ship had gathered to relax with a few drinks.

In another three and a half days, they would set sail on their next voyage.

That night, Yu Dong and his three friends moved through the bar, casually drinking and chatting with the crew members, taking mental notes of their faces and jobs...

"Hey, handsome. I’m a little dizzy. Can you walk me back to my hotel? I’m so dizzy~"

A woman in black stockings and high heels rested a hand on Yu Dong’s shoulder, her breath warm against his ear. A downward glance revealed the pale expanse of skin exposed by her deep V-neck top.

As a server on the ship, she’d been at sea for half a month and was getting hungry. She was tired of the men on board and wanted to find something new... As she spoke, the woman’s hand slid from Yu Dong’s shoulder to his chest, her eyes hazy.

"Wow, you’re so built~~~"

Yu Dong flushed slightly and gently pushed her hand away.

"Sorry, I have a girlfriend."

"That’s okay~ I don’t mind~" she said, her hands starting to wander again.

"Well, I do. Sorry."

Yu Dong stepped away and moved to the side.

"Hmph. An interesting one."

The sexy server didn’t give it much thought and set her sights on another young, well-built man, leaning in close to him.

"Hey, handsome. I’m a little dizzy. Can you walk me back to my hotel? I’m so dizzy~"

Xufeng, who was in the middle of prying for information, was taken aback. "?"

"I have a date with a Western girl tonight."

The sexy server, not expecting to be shot down twice in a row, was a little annoyed and ordered herself another cocktail.

Just then, a timid voice spoke up beside her.

"Um... I’m free right now. If you need any help, I’m available," Huang Zhiqiang said awkwardly.

"Get lost, fatty!"

The server shooed Huang Zhiqiang away.

Seeing this, Zhao Youcai burst out laughing. "Huang, you can’t even get it done."

"If you’re so good, you go try! Damn it!"

"Tch, I wouldn’t waste my time on such common trash. I have high standards," Zhao Youcai said with disdain.

A little while later... as if acting on a strange impulse, Zhao Youcai dialed the number Yu Dong had given him.

"Hello, is this Xia Yao? Yeah... I’d like to purchase a month of your time. I’ve sent you 10,000 yuan via WeChat. Oh? You’re at the Shangri-La Hotel right now? Then come over to where I am. We can get to know each other... Don’t get me wrong, I just want someone to have a few drinks with. The money... it’s just a number. It doesn’t mean anything to me."

A short while later, Xia Yao, dressed in an adorable maid outfit, pushed open the door to the bar and walked in...

She found Zhao Youcai, gave him a big hug, and stood on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss on the lips, calling out in a sweet voice:

"Daddy~"

Zhao Youcai, the man who claimed he would only be with A-list celebrities, pathetically got hard on the spot.

"I... actually... ahem, I haven’t agreed to anything yet. Why are you calling me..."

"Then should I call you... Master? Yaoyao can perform any service you desire~ Does Master like Yaoyao?"

"*Hiss*~"

Having never experienced anything like this, Chunan Zhao Youcai immediately grabbed Xia Yao’s hand.

"Yaoyao, you’re so sweet."

"Then... does Master want to kiss Yaoyao?"

Xia Yao blinked her big, innocent eyes, staring at Zhao Youcai expectantly.

Zhao Youcai was completely hooked.

Watching from the side, Xufeng clicked his tongue. "Dongzi, it’s true what they say about women... they don’t have to be stunningly beautiful. As long as they provide enough emotional validation... a man will fall head over heels."

Yu Dong watched Zhao Youcai, who had been wrapped around Xia Yao’s finger in two separate lifetimes, and smiled faintly.

’Perhaps... Youcai never needed an A-list celebrity for a girlfriend. What he really wanted was a young girl who would worship him.’