They were standing in the outer perimeter of the base, patrols everywhere, ability users drilling nearby. Jiang Lin was scanning the surroundings when she felt a gaze she couldn’t ignore.
She turned toward it and found herself looking straight into a pair of deep, penetrating eyes. Something about them felt familiar, though she couldn’t place why.
A gust of wind and sand swept past, knocking loose her loosely tied headscarf and revealing her dry yellow hair and small, pale face.
In the distance, Wen Yan’s expression shifted. So, a girl. The first time he’d seen her, he’d noticed only the pair of eyes above her face wrap, sharp, like a little wolf cub, and had assumed she was an underdeveloped boy.
The wind and sand stung Jiang Lin’s exposed face, but her worn clothes wouldn’t stay wrapped properly no matter how she tugged at them.
“Just bear with it a little longer, you’ll get your patrol uniform up ahead,” Lin Dehou said, noticing her struggle.
She nodded and did her best to shield her face with the gauze until they stepped into the building ahead, where the blinding sun and howling wind vanished at once. Only then did she let her grip on the cloth relax.
“Xiao Xu, get me the smallest patrol uniform we’ve got,” Lin Dehou said as he brought her to the registration desk.
“A new patrol member?” Xiao Xu looked up. The wind outside had left a few small cuts on her face, standing out starkly against her pale skin.
“The smallest size might still be too big for her,” she added.
“It’s fine,” Jiang Lin said. She genuinely didn’t care whether the clothes fit, what she was wearing now was a scrap-fabric patchwork, barely enough to keep out the endless summer sand.
“Then come with me.” A friendly smile brought out faint dimples on Xiao Xu’s round face, making her look warm and approachable.
Jiang Lin followed her in silence.
“I’m Xu An’an. This is your wristband, this month’s salary is already loaded, 1,500 points total. Salaries go out on the first of every month from now on. A junior patrol member makes 3,000 points a month, room, board, and three meals included.”
She kept explaining as they walked, and Jiang Lin listened closely.
“The wristband’s very important, it’s got navigation and payment built in. You can use points to buy daily necessities at the market, or survival gear.”
Xu An’an stopped in front of a room. “Wait here, I’ll grab your clothes. Oh, what’s your name?”
“Jiang Lin. Jiang like ginger, Lin like ‘timely rain.'” [1]a reference to a legendary figure nicknamed “Timely Rain,” known for always showing up to help exactly when needed jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2752203_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2752203_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], }); Her voice came out slightly hoarse, she couldn’t remember the last time she’d spoken to another person.
Xu An’an nodded and disappeared, quickly returning with a set of black clothing and a silver badge.
“This is your work badge, name and ID number. The changing room’s just ahead. I’ll wait here.”
The changing room was small, like a staff locker area, with several narrow stalls. Jiang Lin picked one at random.
Xu An’an had been right, even the smallest uniform hung loose on her. Patrol members, regardless of gender, tended to be tall and solidly built, Jiang Lin was simply too thin. Before the apocalypse and after, she’d never gotten enough nutrition, and she’d missed the years she should have been growing.
She flexed her limbs experimentally. No restriction, and the fabric felt cool against her skin, though she had no idea what it was made of.
When she came out, a large box sat at Xu An’an’s feet.
“Seasonal clothes, daily necessities, and your helmet.”
Xu An’an looked her over. “Still a bit big, but it’ll do. Where’s your badge?”
Jiang Lin handed over the silver plate. Xu An’an slotted it into a recess on the uniform’s left sleeve.
“That’s where it goes.” Then she pressed the helmet against Jiang Lin’s thigh, and it clicked into place.
“Indoors, you can pop the helmet off and clip it right there.”
She patiently walked Jiang Lin through every small detail.
Back in the main hall, the intelligent brain at Xu An’an’s station projected a 3D map of the base.
“Right now there’s only one dorm room left with a stasis pod,” Xu An’an said, zooming in on a small room.
“Anything without one? I don’t really like stasis pods.”
“There are plenty of rooms without them, most patrol members just prefer the pods, since recovery’s better.”
Jiang Lin shook her head. She disliked the feeling of being sealed inside something, it stirred up memories she’d rather leave buried.
“Then I think you’ll like this.” Xu An’an pulled up a small courtyard on the map, a house behind a wall about a person’s height.
“But the location’s not great. Far from the trade district and your workplace, and the neighbors are a bit of a mixed bag.”
“I’ll take it,” Jiang Lin said. She didn’t expect there to be a private courtyard available at all.
“Shuttle buses run through there from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. If you get lost, use the wristband’s navigation.”
“Also, do you have an intelligent brain? If so I need to link your info to the network for mission notifications.”
Jiang Lin glanced at the small sphere on her shoulder, not sure whether it could still function as a normal intelligent brain after being “invaded.”
“I do, but it’s an old model. Not sure it can even connect,” she said, taking it off and handing it over.
【Host, the original intelligent brain functions still work fine. I’ve already upgraded it since arriving.】
【Will you be discovered?】 Jiang Lin asked silently, curious.
【No.】
“Connection successful. Your work schedule for tomorrow will be sent to your intelligent brain, keep an eye on it,” Xu An’an said, handing the sphere back.
“Thank you.” Jiang Lin’s voice still came out stiff, like an underdeveloped AI’s.
Xu An’an couldn’t help laughing at that, dimples deepening. “Want to add me as a contact?”
“Okay.” Jiang Lin opened the interface, and Xu An’an quickly entered her information.
“We’ll chat online then. Back to work for me.” She blinked playfully.
“All right.”
Jiang Lin put her helmet back on and left the hall, fiddling with the wristband, similar to the intelligent brain, but simpler and more portable.
Remembering what 110 had said about seeds, she set her destination to the free trade market.
“Preparing to depart. Estimated walking time: ten minutes.” The wristband’s voice came through the helmet’s earpiece, and virtual arrows appeared on the ground ahead.
Following the guidance, Jiang Lin passed ordinary people she hadn’t seen the likes of in years, no guns, no abilities, just walking slowly across the base’s stone-paved streets.
If it weren’t for the yellow sand still drifting on the wind, she might have believed she’d stepped back into the past.
The box wasn’t too heavy, but her courtyard was in the rear section of the base, far from both the patrol zone and the trade district, just as Xu An’an had said. She’d have to carry it the whole way, buy what she needed, and haul it all home.
She moved quickly. The free trade market came into view soon enough, a long, narrow glass building lined with makeshift stalls.
【Seeds detected at the second-to-last stall on the left.】
110’s voice sounded in her mind.
Two guards stood at the entrance. Everyone ahead of her swiped identification at the door, so she followed suit, raising her wristband to the black sensor.
“Verification successful. Welcome to the Free Trade Market.” The glass door slid open, and the bustling noise inside hit her all at once.
She was mildly surprised by how good the soundproofing was, she hadn’t heard a thing from outside.
She scanned the nearby stalls briefly, all sorts of goods, then headed straight for the one 110 had marked.
The stall owner was a middle-aged man. Through her helmet display, Jiang Lin quickly scanned the items on his table. A cloth bag in the corner caught her eye.
She picked it up and felt the grainy texture inside, she’d never seen actual seeds, only pictures in books, but this felt right.
“How much?” Her voice came through clearly via the helmet.
The man looked up slowly. “100 points.”
Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow under her helmet. Her average daily wage was barely 100 points.
Seeing her hesitate, he grew anxious. “These seeds are well preserved, buy them and I’ll throw in a planting guide.”
“What kind of seeds are inside?” She didn’t open the bag, worried she might damage the contents.
He stammered, unable to give a clear answer, and finally sighed. “Fifty points, seeds and the book. To be honest, I don’t even know what’s in there. My father left it to me. He was a botanist, before. There’s nothing wrong with these seeds.”
Seeing her still hesitate, he grew more anxious, seeds meant little to most people in the wasteland, and he was afraid she’d walk away.
“How do I pay?” Jiang Lin still didn’t fully understand the base’s payment system, and she couldn’t spot a terminal anywhere.
He tapped his watch a few times, and a blue payment interface appeared in the air.
【Pay 50 points to Huang Yi】
He motioned for her to swipe her wristband against his. She looked around, saw everyone else doing the same, and relaxed enough to complete the transaction.
“Payment successful. Remaining balance: 1,450 points,” the voice confirmed, and Jiang Lin let out a quiet breath of relief.
The man handed over the book along with the seeds, a flicker of reluctance crossing his face. “Please take good care of it,” he asked, almost pleading.
Jiang Lin was a little surprised, but she’d always taken care of her belongings. “I will.”
Hearing the promise, he finally relaxed.
【Mission completed. Reward: 0.5m × 1m planting bed.】
With her goal achieved, Jiang Lin didn’t want to keep lugging the box around. She packed her purchases in with the rest and followed the wristband toward the bus stop.
Walking home would take about an hour, so she settled in to wait for the shuttle. The stop had benches and a display board tracking every bus’s location.
Bus No. 8, headed to Area 99, would arrive in about ten minutes. She glanced down at the silver badge on her sleeve.
Her name and ID number were engraved cleanly onto it: 【Jiang Lin · 110】.
Her pupils shrank slightly. Could that really be a coincidence? Ever since binding with the system, she’d felt herself being steadily nudged forward by something called 110.
What exactly was its goal?
She tried to piece together everything 110 had told her, landing on one fact: when the system had bound to her, it had said every item in the shop could be exchanged for discarded batteries.
Discarded batteries were the most abundant, least valuable thing left in this world. Beneath this lifeless land lay countless buried ones, waiting.
“Beep, beep. Beep, beep.” The display chimed, breaking her train of thought. A bus with a glowing “8” on its front slowly pulled up.
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