Only after seeing that Chen Xu and the others had received timely treatment did Miao Suisui have the time to attend to the newcomers.
“Hello, I’m the mayor of Hope Town. The town provides food, water, and housing…”
“Mayor, we’ve been starving for days. Please, be kind and give this old woman something to eat first,” the older woman among the three interrupted before Miao Suisui could finish.
The smile on Miao Suisui’s face did not change. “Of course. There’s a restaurant over there, and also a bakery. As long as you have crystal cores, you can purchase anything. If you prefer to cook for yourself, you can also buy fresh poultry and produce from me.”
“How could an old woman like me have that many crystal cores? You have so many supplies, giving us a little wouldn’t hurt, right? You look like a proper young lady, so why don’t you understand respecting the elderly and caring for the young? There are so few humans left now, shouldn’t we help each other?” The older woman spoke as if she were making a reasonable argument, though her reasoning had long gone astray.
“That’s enough, Auntie Zhou. Those resources belong to her. Don’t try to morally pressure her here.”
The younger couple looked embarrassed and quickly interrupted her. “Sorry, Mayor. That young girl already explained things to us earlier. We have crystal cores. Can we stay here?”
Miao Suisui took a deep breath and forced back the curse that had risen to her throat, then nodded. “Yes. How long would you like to stay? It’s twenty five Level 1 crystal cores per day. There are discounts for longer stays.”
The young couple’s eyes lit up. “We’ll pay for half a year first.”
The young man took out forty three Level 2 crystal cores and eight Level 1 crystal cores from his pocket and handed them to Miao Suisui.
Auntie Zhou curled her lips at the side. “You two are too young. You didn’t even look at the place before paying. What if several families share one room? Then the price wouldn’t be worth it.”
“Auntie Zhou, we’ve already done our best by bringing you here. From here on, you’ll have to figure things out yourself,” the young man said, trying to keep his tone controlled, though his patience was clearly running thin.
“How can that be? You’re just going to leave me? How is an old woman like me supposed to live?” Auntie Zhou looked stunned.
“We were never obligated to take care of you. We only helped because we pitied you. Along the way, you’ve eaten so much of our food and water. If you want to make a fuss, we can calculate how many crystal cores all that was worth.”
“What kind of logic is that? Did I beg you to save me? How much could I have eaten? Why are you so stingy?” Auntie Zhou slapped her thigh and started making a scene, her voice rising several levels as she even reached out to shove the young woman.
A security robot quickly rushed over from not far away, its gaze fixed on her, the electric baton in its hand crackling.
Auntie Zhou instinctively stepped back.
“I forgot to mention, causing trouble isn’t allowed in our town,” Miao Suisui said with a bright smile, her mood improving.
Seeing that the baton was no joke, Auntie Zhou was finally intimidated. “I… I’ll stay by myself then. I… I want to see the room before paying.”
Miao Suisui shook her head and led them toward the row houses.
She brought them to Building D and first completed the housing procedures for the young couple. During the facial recognition setup for the door lock, Auntie Zhou tried to squeeze in, but Miao Suisui noticed and quietly blocked her.
The door to Room 101 in Building D opened, and the entire room came into view. Like everyone else, the couple was stunned by what they saw.
They had originally thought the living conditions would be similar to those in other bases, but instead it was a small yet fully equipped home.
“How many families share one unit?” the young woman asked.
“Only your family. Even if you have a baby in the future, it will still be enough. Of course, if someone feels they can’t afford the cost, they can arrange to share with another family,” Miao Suisui said considerately.
The couple’s eyes were filled with delight.
“Really… really just for us?” the woman’s voice trembled.
Miao Suisui nodded, briefly introduced the basic functions of the room, then thoughtfully closed the door, conveniently shutting Auntie Zhou outside as well when she tried to edge in.
“You’ve seen the room. Are you staying?” Miao Suisui asked directly. She had no intention of showing Auntie Zhou another room.
“I’ll stay, of course I will. I’ll pay for one day first,” Auntie Zhou said, her eyes darting around as if plotting something.
After paying, she saw that toiletries required additional payment and muttered complaints for quite a while, saying that before the apocalypse such things were free in hotels. In the end, she did not spend any extra crystal cores.
After finally settling Auntie Zhou into her room, Miao Suisui rolled her eyes outside the door. There really were all kinds of people. She could not understand how someone with Auntie Zhou’s personality had managed to survive so long in the apocalypse.
After leaving Building D, Miao Suisui went to the Hope Clinic. Chen Xu and the others had already completed their treatment. Their hands and legs were wrapped in bandages, and they were still asleep.
Miao Suisui asked about their condition. A nurse robot held a medical report and explained in a mechanical voice.
In summary, all fractures had been properly set. After a period of rest, they would fully recover with no lasting effects. Their family members had also been notified and could come visit.
Miao Suisui looked around but did not see the blue uniformed robot at the front desk.
Just as she was thinking about it, hurried footsteps sounded from the entrance. Miao Suisui saw Yu Juan and her son, along with Chen Xu’s parents, rushing in with anxious expressions.
Behind them followed the robot in blue.
“Mayor Miao, we heard… we heard that something happened to Han Wei?” Yu Juan asked.
“Don’t worry. You’re still pregnant. The three of them were indeed injured, but after treatment at the clinic, they’re fine. They just need to wake up and rest at home for a while,” Miao Suisui reassured her.
Yu Juan let out a sigh of relief. “As long as he’s fine. It’s my fault for not listening carefully to what the robot said earlier. I only heard that Han Wei was injured and rushed out in a panic.”
“Let’s go see them. Mayor Miao, which room are they in?” Mother Chen asked.
“They’re in the first room. All three of them are inside.”
After watching them enter the ward, Miao Suisui left.
Back in her own house, she opened her personal panel. Thanks to the young couple’s six month housing payment, along with the crystal cores confiscated earlier from the two criminals, the town had already upgraded to Level 4. Even after upgrading, she still had more than two thousand Level 1 crystal cores left.
The next upgrade required ten thousand Level 1 crystal cores. Miao Suisui sighed. She could only take it step by step.
The simple row houses in the town had increased to eight buildings. The farm had unlocked cattle. In the purchase interface, she saw that there were two types of cows, dairy cows that produced milk, and yellow cattle raised for meat. Each cow cost fifty Level 1 crystal cores. Since she did not have many crystal cores at the moment, she bought five of each and placed them on the farm.
Fruit trees had unlocked pear trees, and vegetables had unlocked green beans and green peppers. Miao Suisui bought some of each and planted them.
The image of fragrant braised noodles with green beans appeared in her mind. She hoped the restaurant would update its menu on its own and not disappoint her expectations.
In addition, a farm produce shop and a slaughterhouse had also been unlocked.
Items from the farm could now be sold there, and Miao Suisui no longer had to pluck feathers and butcher chickens herself.
She placed the farm produce shop next to the restaurant and the slaughterhouse behind it.
After arranging everything, Miao Suisui closed her personal panel.
An hour later, both the farm produce shop and the slaughterhouse were completed.
The farm produce shop was currently the largest shop aside from the library and clinic. It had glass doors, with half of the interior dedicated to shelves for fruits and vegetables, and the other half for cages holding poultry. There were also several hooks for hanging fresh meat.
After selecting items, customers could go to the cashier to check out.
The robots in the town each performed their roles and were highly intelligent. Miao Suisui could not help but wonder what kind of plane the system came from.
“With the host’s current physical condition, you cannot withstand the atmosphere of higher planes. Unless your body is modified, or your consciousness is transferred into a body from a higher plane, the system does have ways to let you visit,” the system answered patiently when she asked.
However, the methods the system proposed were too unsettling, immediately dispelling Miao Suisui’s curiosity.
She took out all the stock from the system storage and arranged it on the shelves. The farm produce shop instantly became well stocked.
Behind it, the slaughterhouse was a brick building. Upon entering, she saw robots wearing white aprons and gloves, holding knives. If not for the sign at the entrance, she would have thought she had walked into an operating room.
There were currently only two robots in the slaughterhouse, each standing at their respective stations, waiting for customers.
Slaughtering a chicken or duck cost two Level 1 crystal cores.
The row houses had increased by four more buildings, labeled E, F, G, and H.
The previously scarce housing suddenly became plentiful again.
Looking at the increasingly well developed town, a smile spread across Miao Suisui’s face.
At this time, in a high rise building in the center of H City, Lu Lin, who had left the town not long ago, walked to the rooftop.
“You’re back. Niu Ge was just talking about you,” the man guarding the door said, patting Lu Lin’s shoulder.
Lu Lin nodded silently and pushed open the door. Ambiguous sounds came from inside the room. He did not interrupt and simply stood to the side, waiting until the sounds ended.
Only then did Niu Ge walk out, fastening his belt, still holding his hammer in one hand. Even while dealing with women, his weapon had to remain within reach.
“You’re back? How was it?” Niu Ge lazily sat on the only chair in the room.
Lu Lin recounted everything he had seen and experienced in Hope Town. The people present listened with shining eyes.
Niu Ge suddenly stood up. “What you said is true? That town really has that many good things? And they’re selling them that cheaply?”