Jiang Hong was a little stunned. She turned and asked again, “Does one person really only need to pay one Level 2 mutated crystal per month here?”
Tang Ye nodded. “Yes. That includes water and electricity. If you’re satisfied, you can come with me to register first and have your facial data and fingerprints recorded.”
Jiang Hong and Jiang Qing nodded so fast it was almost a blur. With such conditions and such a low cost in mutated crystals, where else could they possibly find a second place like this? If they refused, they would be fools.
After Tang Ye bound herself to the system and the shelter, a wristwatch had appeared on her wrist. It could connect to the system and all of the shelter’s central control equipment, allowing her to operate everything directly from it. It was extremely convenient.
Tang Ye activated the watch and pointed it at Jiang Hong and Jiang Qing. In just a few seconds, their entire bodies and information were scanned into the shelter’s system, granting them normal access within the shelter.
Once the scan was complete, their fingerprints could open the room they had chosen.
Although the watch on Tang Ye’s wrist was small, it had many functions. It could basically control the entire shelter. At the top left corner of the display, two green indicators showed the current capacity of the water purification room and the power generation room. If the capacity became critical, they would turn red, indicating that upgrades were needed.
In addition, information such as shelter personnel and maps could also be displayed.
After receiving two Level 2 mutated crystals, Tang Ye added, “As for food, each person can receive one portion for free per day. One portion is enough for a full meal. For additional meals, you can purchase them with mutated crystals. The price is not high, one Level 1 crystal per portion. Once the cafeteria is built, you can eat there, and there will be more variety.”
Seeing that the two seemed somewhat overwhelmed, Tang Ye knew they needed time to process everything. After waiting a moment, she asked, “By the way, for today’s meal, would you like noodles or rice?”
There were only two options, but it already surpassed ninety-nine percent of shelters. The two fell once again into a daze, overwhelmed by how incredible this shelter was and whether all of this was even real.
After a long moment of silence, Jiang Hong finally found her voice. “One portion of noodles and one portion of rice.” That way they could try both.
In the common area of their dormitory, there was a microwave-like machine specifically for heating food. After teaching them how to use it, Tang Ye left the survivor dormitory, giving them some space.
Jiang Qing and Jiang Hong had been traveling for a long time and were indeed hungry.
They still had some dry rations of their own, so they set aside the food they had just received from Tang Ye to eat later.
After eating, they went to take a shower. When they entered the bathroom, they had already prepared themselves for the possibility of limited water and only cold water.
But when warm water flowed down from the shower above, neither of them knew how to describe what they felt. At first there was joy, then their eyes turned red.
They thoroughly washed themselves from head to toe. Only when the murky water ran clear did they turn off the water.
After returning to their room, the two sat on the bed, their emotions still unsettled. The distance between the three bunk beds was fairly spacious. Each bed could be enclosed with curtains to form a private space. There were small night lights on the walls, as well as lockable cabinets that could be secured with fingerprints. Everything that should be there was there.
“It feels like we accidentally stumbled upon a really good place,” Jiang Hong said softly from the top bunk.
“Our luck is really good,” Jiang Qing nodded, touching the soft bedding beneath her, fully agreeing.
After returning to her own room, Tang Ye checked her current energy points on her watch. The two Level 2 mutated crystals had already been converted into two hundred energy points.
She did not use these points for now, planning to save them for building the cafeteria and other facilities. After all, food and water were the most important things in a shelter. The cafeteria required five thousand points, and she still had a long way to go. Fortunately, she already had food supplies, so she was not in a hurry.
“Congratulations, host, for successfully recruiting two survivors. Please keep up the good work,” the system said, appearing at just the right moment to encourage her.
Tang Ye checked the water and electricity indicators on her watch. With two additional people using resources, the blue bars had increased slightly. For now, there was no need to worry about upgrades.
It was still early, and seeing that Jiang Qing and Jiang Hong had settled in, Tang Ye took the elevator up to the surface.
The group of Level 2 zombies that had surrounded the area earlier had gradually dispersed, leaving only a few wandering outside.
“Zombies and poisonous creatures really can’t get in?” Tang Ye still found it hard to believe.
“Yes, host. Within the perimeter wall, zombies and poisonous creatures are absolutely unable to enter,” the system replied, its voice reassuring.
Tang Ye could not help but feel deeply moved. Even in other shelters, there was always the risk of being breached by poisonous insects, mutated animals, or zombies. But here, those problems could be completely avoided. The level of safety was likely the highest in the country, perhaps even in the world.
At that moment, on the other side of C City, a group of people were hiding inside a building, avoiding the masses of zombies outside.
“There’s an empty room here, quick!” Su Rui waved at his companions behind him, urging them to get inside and take cover while he stayed behind to hold off the rear.
The ones chasing them this time were Level 2 zombies, fast and highly sensitive to scent. Even though they had been running quickly, several zombies still caught up. Su Rui grabbed his weapon and smashed their heads, then quickly followed the others into the room.
Everyone was panting heavily, sitting on the ground as they tried to steady their breathing.
“There are too many zombies outside. The lower floors are probably already overrun. We need to find a way to get out of here,” said Zhou Wan, a short-haired girl, after resting for a while.
“That’s right. I observed the surroundings earlier. There’s a shorter building next to this one, with a fire escape that leads to the ground. There used to be a beam connecting the two buildings, but now it’s broken, leaving only steel bars and a few pieces of concrete,” Su Rui said. “This building falling is only a matter of time. If we want to survive, we have to get across. That might be our only chance.”
“I agree. Let’s take the risk,” said a muscular man, Chen Yu, as he stood up first. “If we don’t try, we’ll definitely die. If we do, at least we have a chance.”
“But… how are we supposed to cross something like that? It’s impossible to walk on,” another man named Wang Hui said hesitantly.
The once-solid beam was now nothing but exposed steel bars, and it was unstable. There was no way it could support the weight of an adult.
“If we don’t try, we’ll never know,” Zhou Wan also stood up, looking toward Su Rui, clearly waiting for his decision.
Su Rui walked to the window and studied the terrain before turning back to his teammates. “We need to reach that room first. Only from there can we access the crossing.”
The room he pointed to was separated from their current position by another room, and the corridor outside was already filled with zombies. Getting there would also be a challenge.
In the end, they came up with a plan to move across using the air conditioning units outside.
As the team leader, Su Rui naturally took the lead.
Although it was possible to cross using the external units, it was still dangerous. Years of disrepair had caused many of the screws to loosen or fall off.
Su Rui tied a rope around himself, with his teammates securing it to a sturdy object inside. Then he climbed out through the window.
The moment he stepped onto the first unit, he clearly felt it sway.
Inside the window, his teammates watched with tense expressions. Only after Su Rui carefully moved across and successfully reached the other room did they finally breathe a sigh of relief.
One by one, the remaining survivors began to move across.
Halfway through, something unexpected happened. From the room in the middle, a hand suddenly smashed through the window. A pale, rotting arm reached out, flailing wildly in an attempt to grab the survivors outside. One of them, who happened to be passing that spot, was caught off guard. Startled, he lost his footing and fell straight off the unit into the horde below.
His screams echoed through the area, attracting even more zombies from the city.
The death of their companion weighed heavily on Su Rui’s group. Although they successfully made it into the room, everyone fell silent.
At a time like this, morale was critical. Su Rui clapped his hands. “Alright, don’t get discouraged. We’ve already passed the first obstacle. As long as we reach the other building, we still have a chance to make it out alive.”
Although he said this, the expression hidden beneath his gas mask was far from optimistic.
After climbing out the window, there was still a gap before the steel bars that led to the other building.
The steel bars were arranged in a crisscross pattern, some of them broken. Su Rui began calculating how to reinforce them.
They searched the room. The floor they were on appeared to have once been an office. Most items had decayed into dust over time, but they still managed to find some usable materials that could help stabilize the fragile bars.
Su Rui once again went first, tying a rope around himself as he reinforced the broken bars with the materials they had found.
After watching him cross successfully, the remaining survivors carefully followed one by one.
Chen Yu walked at the rear, keeping watch, while Wang Hui was just ahead of him. Wang Hui was clearly afraid of crossing the makeshift bridge and moved very cautiously.
At that moment, another crisis arose. From behind them, the door they had come through began to shake violently, and faint zombie growls could be heard outside.
Startled, Wang Hui accidentally stepped on one of the newly reinforced bars, snapping it. The broken steel bar pierced through his thigh, and blood gushed out instantly, dripping down below.
With his scream and the scent of blood spreading through the air, the zombies outside became even more frenzied, and the door could no longer hold, cracks beginning to form.