“Yes, even if we don’t get paid in energy points, it’s fine. Living here already makes us feel very happy. Compared to the loneliness of relying only on each other before, being able to find this shelter is our good fortune,” Jiang Qing said sincerely.
“You’ll definitely be paid. What I need is for you to assist me in managing the shelter,” Tang Ye replied. “I still have many things to handle. When I’m too busy, tasks like receiving and guiding new survivors, taking them through disinfection, and explaining the shelter rules will need your help.”
“No problem. That’s nothing. We used to help out at our family’s supermarket, so we’re quite capable when it comes to dealing with people,” Jiang Hong said.
“For now, I’ll give each of you 5,000 energy points per month. We can adjust it later,” Tang Ye said after a moment of thought.
“Isn’t that too much?” Jiang Qing and Jiang Hong exchanged a glance. “Administrator, you only charge 100 energy points per person per month for accommodation.”
“It’s fine. Just do your job well. But if you betray me, I will deal with you without hesitation.” It was the first time they had seen such a stern and ruthless expression on Tang Ye’s face, and they quickly nodded.
“I swear I will never betray the shelter or the Administrator,” Jiang Hong said, raising her hand immediately.
“Me neither. We finally found stability. If we betray it, let us meet a terrible end.”
After their solemn declarations, Tang Ye’s expression returned to calm. “And thank you for trusting me. As long as you do your work well, I won’t treat you unfairly.”
After the conversation, Tang Ye watched them leave.
With this matter resolved, she could now focus on developing the shelter and improving her own strength.
By evening, the farm fence was finally completed. Tang Ye paid the workers for the past two days. Looking at the sturdy and orderly fence, the tension she had been holding finally eased.
She exchanged for a lock from the System and attached it to the wooden gate. It was a fingerprint lock, extremely durable, and could not be broken by force.
After another day, the vegetables had grown even more. By tomorrow, they should be ready for harvest.
Back in the shelter, the antidotes had already been produced. Their advantage was that after being taken out of refrigeration, they could be stored at room temperature for a week, and they were taken orally, making them very convenient. This meant survivors could carry one with them at all times.
Tang Ye packaged the antidotes and placed them into cold storage, then loaded another ten batches of materials into the machine.
She collected the other finished items and replaced them with new materials.
After several days of production, various experimental items had accumulated in sufficient quantities, so there was no immediate concern about shortages.
That night, as Tang Ye lay in bed preparing to sleep, the System suddenly notified her that survivors had entered.
At this hour, she could not call Jiang Qing and Jiang Hong, so she quickly got dressed to check.
Before she could even put on her shoes, red lights suddenly lit up throughout the shelter, followed by a piercing alarm.
“What’s going on?” Tang Ye’s expression turned serious. She had never heard this alarm before, but it clearly signaled danger.
“The shelter is under attempted intrusion. Please prepare for combat,” the System announced.
“How many people?” Tang Ye asked, frowning as she moved faster.
“A total of twenty six detected.”
As soon as she stepped out of her room, she heard noise in the corridor. Clearly, all the survivors had heard it as well.
“Administrator, what’s happening?”
Everyone looked anxious. Survivors from downstairs had also come up, crowding the Basement Level 1 corridor. Having finally found such a good shelter, no one wanted anything to go wrong.
“Don’t panic. It’s an intrusion alert. I’ll go check. Return to your rooms and rest. I promised to ensure your safety, and I won’t let anyone threaten you,” Tang Ye said.
Her voice was not loud, but it carried a calming authority. Gradually, the crowd quieted down.
Just as she was about to leave, the survivors spoke again.
“Let us come with you. If there are enemies, we should do our part.”
“That’s right. We can’t let you face them alone. There are over two hundred of us here. Those who can fight, come with me. Take up your weapons and defend our home!”
At once, people responded, drawing their weapons and preparing to follow her.
“You can come, but don’t act recklessly. Follow my instructions. Otherwise, we’ll fall into chaos before the enemy even gets in,” Tang Ye warned.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Tang Ye took the elevator to the surface, followed by a large group of survivors.
As she moved, she discussed countermeasures with the System in her mind.
Meanwhile, outside, Luo Hu stood near the shelter’s main gate with several subordinates.
The gate was extremely sturdy and tightly sealed. Despite working on it for a long time, they had failed to open it.
Luo Hu stopped, breathing heavily, and grabbed a bruised and battered man from the group. “You’re sure it’s here?”
The man’s face was unrecognizable, his speech slurred. “It’s really here. I wouldn’t dare lie. The insect repellent I had was bought from this shelter by our base’s logistics department.”
He was filled with regret. His team had encountered Luo Hu’s group while traveling. They had initially appeared friendly and helpful, only revealing their true nature after seeing the insect repellent.
They had killed his teammates, taken the repellent, beaten him severely, and forced him to lead the way.
He hated them deeply, but he had no choice but to comply for now.
“What’s wrong with this door?” Luo Hu said irritably. “We’ve tried everything and still can’t open it.”
“They used fingerprint or facial recognition to unlock it,” the man replied weakly.
“That’s impossible. Electricity is scarce. Who would waste it on a door?” Luo Hu scoffed.
“It’s true,” the man insisted.
“Then find the power source, cut it off, and pry the door open,” Luo Hu ordered. “And don’t alert the people inside.”
“Once the door opens, throw in smoke bombs to block their vision, then kill anyone we see. That’ll make looting easier,” Luo Hu added casually, as if such brutality was routine.
His men nodded and continued working on the door.
Standing guard, Luo Hu suddenly noticed the fenced area to his right.
After confirming no one was around, he walked toward it and turned on his flashlight.
The moment the light illuminated the area, he froze, then widened his eyes in disbelief. “Are those… vegetables?”
He grabbed one of his subordinates. “Look. Are those vegetable seedlings?”
The man followed his gaze. Under the flashlight, he saw the thriving crops and stammered, “Y-yes, Boss Hu. Those are vegetables. They look almost ready to harvest.”
Another subordinate leaned in, excited. “Boss Hu, if we take these back, we’ll be rich!”
“Forget the gate. Let them handle it. We’ll climb over here,” Luo Hu said, grinning.
They believed they were unseen.
However, inside the shelter, in a room near the gate, survivors were crowded into what resembled a control room, watching everything clearly on large screens. Even the intruders’ conversations were audible.
Tang Ye had just spent 30,000 energy points to unlock this surveillance room. Fortunately, it required no construction time and was immediately operational.
Previously, she had focused only on essential facilities and overlooked it. The System’s reminder had come just in time.
Now it proved invaluable.
Located beside the main gate, the room was not large, but it displayed a full 360 degree surveillance view of the shelter’s exterior.
The survivors were astonished. It had been so long since they had seen anything like this.
Tang Ye sat at the center, with several control buttons at her side, asking the System about their functions while observing the screens.
“Administrator, they’re trying to climb into the farm,” the survivors said anxiously. Fortunately, the fence prevented easy access.
“Should we rush out? There are only about twenty of them.”
“They’re armed. Going out now would risk injuries. Stay calm,” Tang Ye said, reassuring them as she finished understanding the controls.
Outside, Luo Hu and his men climbed the wooden fence, but in the darkness, they failed to notice the spikes and were stabbed, falling heavily to the ground.
As they prepared to try again, sharp whistling sounds suddenly cut through the air.
One by one, the men working on the gate collapsed.
Luo Hu panicked instantly. What was happening? He had not even seen who attacked. In the blink of an eye, only he and two others remained standing.