Lu Lin nodded.
“What a waste of good things. So many resources, and she’s actually using them for charity. Women are just soft hearted, they can’t accomplish anything big. If I had resources like this, I’d have made a fortune already,” Niu Ge said, stroking his chin.
Lu Lin hesitated for a long time before speaking cautiously. “Niu Ge, I think the town’s owner is a good person. When the time comes, can you not hurt her?”
Niu Ge let out a mocking laugh. “What, getting soft? Don’t worry. Once we’re done having our fun, it’ll be your turn.”
After he spoke, Niu Ge and the men beside him burst into lewd laughter.
A trace of reluctance appeared on Lu Lin’s face.
At dinner time, before Miao Suisui had a chance to go out to eat, there was a knock on her door.
Outside stood Yu Juan, Han Xiaojun, and Chen Xu’s parents.
They were holding steaming dishes in their hands.
“We heard from Chen Xu. It was Mayor Miao who saved them at the critical moment. If it weren’t for you, they might not have come back. We don’t have much to thank you with. Qingqing’s mother said you like good food, so I made a few dishes. I hope they suit your taste,” Mother Chen said.
“This is something I cooked myself, braised noodles with green beans. My husband and Xiaojun both love it,” Yu Juan said as she handed over a large bowl of fragrant noodles. “You saved my husband’s life. I really don’t know how to thank you.”
As she spoke, Yu Juan’s eyes reddened slightly. It was clear that she and her husband shared a deep bond.
Miao Suisui had gone to rescue them mainly because of the system’s mission, and she had even hesitated at the time. Now, faced with such sincere gratitude, she could not help but feel somewhat undeserving.
“Take it. Don’t be polite with us. Compared to three lives, what we’ve done is nothing. Just remember to return the bowls,” Yu Juan said with a smile, pressing the bowl into Miao Suisui’s arms.
Miao Suisui swallowed, thanked them, and accepted everything.
It had to be said that both Yu Juan and Mother Chen were excellent cooks. Miao Suisui ended up eating until she was stuffed.
The next day, after waking up, Miao Suisui felt too lazy to move. She lay in bed playing a single player game until noon, when she was interrupted by sharp, noisy voices outside.
She got dressed and went out, only to realize it was not really an argument, but rather one sided troublemaking.
Auntie Zhou stood outside the row houses, hands on her hips, eyes wide.
Standing in front of her was the management robot stationed on the ground floor of each building.
The robot spoke calmly, “Ms. Zhou, your accommodation period has expired. Facial recognition access is no longer valid. Please renew your payment promptly.”
“Who said I’m not paying? I’ll pay in a moment. Open the door for me, I still have things inside,” Auntie Zhou said.
“Once payment is made and facial recognition is registered, the door will open. The cleaning robot has already cleaned the room, and no personal belongings were left behind.”
Watching from the side, Miao Suisui finally understood. Auntie Zhou had planned to stay in the room without paying.
However, she was destined to fail. The town’s robots were strict, truly emotionless working machines.
Having experienced the security robot’s power the previous day, Auntie Zhou did not dare make too much trouble. She could only glare in frustration and eventually paid for another day reluctantly.
After watching the scene, Miao Suisui slipped on her slippers and went to the restaurant. The farm produce shop next door was doing good business. Mother Su and Mother Chen chatted while selecting vegetables, smiles on their faces, clearly having become good friends.
The town would need more residents to gradually become livelier.
…
At the same time, on a street in Q City, a thin, cold faced woman was running frantically with a little girl. Behind them followed a massive mutated beast with sharp fangs.
From time to time, the woman released ice blades from her hand, briefly slowing the beast’s advance. Even so, she could not create enough distance, and the beast continued to pursue relentlessly.
The woman panted heavily. She glanced at the little girl beside her, who was gritting her teeth and running, her small face pale. The woman closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a trace of determination appeared in them, as if she had made up her mind.
“In a moment, when I tell you to run, just keep running forward. Don’t look back, understand?” the woman said as she ran.
The little girl looked up at the woman holding her hand, her face filled with confusion and fear.
A rare gentle smile appeared on the woman’s cold face. “Don’t be afraid. Hide well. I’ll come find you.”
The little girl nodded vaguely, biting her lower lip as tears welled up in her eyes.
The woman smiled, threw out another ice blade, and in the instant the beast’s movement was hindered, she pushed the girl forward. “Run!”
Hearing the command, the little girl ran forward with all her strength on her short legs.
The woman turned back to face the mutated beast.
Having been repeatedly obstructed, the beast was furious and wanted to teach this human a lesson.
It gathered strength in its legs and shot forward like a cannonball, its sharp fangs aimed at the woman’s abdomen.
The woman continuously released ice blades, but could only hold it off temporarily. Her ability was nearly exhausted. Even forming a single ice blade caused sharp pain in her temples.
The beast drew closer and closer. Seeing from the corner of her eye that the little girl had run far away, the woman felt relieved. She spread her arms, and another delicate face appeared in her mind. A faint smile curved her lips.
Just as she prepared to face death, the beast in front of her suddenly stopped. Then, with a loud thud, dust rose into the air.
The woman opened her eyes in shock and saw the beast lying not far from her, its body still flickering with fading flames.
Not far away, a small figure ran toward her with all its might, throwing itself into her arms.
The woman’s heart, which had been frozen, slowly softened.
“Are you alright?” a young man’s voice sounded behind her.
She turned and saw a group of seven people approaching. Leading them was a man in camouflage, his expression resolute and his presence imposing.
“Your ice ability isn’t bad. We saw everything just now. You were just a bit short on power, otherwise you could have sliced that stupid thing’s head clean off,” a bright, youthful looking man said with a grin.
The woman glanced at him, then lowered her head expressionlessly. “Thank you.”
The man scratched his head, suddenly feeling that the atmosphere had become awkward.
“Let’s go. If we don’t hurry, we won’t reach H City until tomorrow,” the leader said, preparing to leave with the group.
“You’re going to H City?” the woman asked, standing up.
The man nodded. “That’s right.”
The woman took out a handful of colorful crystal cores from her body, including several Level 7 and Level 8 ones, and handed them over. “These are all the crystal cores I have. Can you take this child to H City?”
Looking at the crystal cores in her hand and the pleading look in her eyes, the man frowned slightly.
A red haired woman with large waves stepped out from the group. Her appearance was striking and flamboyant, standing out even in the apocalypse. “No one in our team knows how to take care of a child. Don’t try to push this trouble onto us.”
The woman slowly withdrew her hand, about to speak, when the red haired woman added, “You come with us too. Whoever’s child it is, takes care of it.”
After saying that, she rolled her eyes and stepped back into the group.
The woman froze for a moment. Looking at the little girl clinging to her leg with complete trust in her eyes, her heart softened. In the end, she decided to go with them.
Along the way, she learned from their occasional conversations that the seven of them were a team.
They were heading to H City to retrieve the gallbladder of a mutated giant python, which was said to be worth ten Level 7 crystal cores.
After a long journey, they finally reached H City just as night was approaching.
Time moved back one hour. At that moment, more than twenty people appeared at the entrance of the town, one of whom was Lu Lin, whom Miao Suisui had seen before.
Walking ahead of Lu Lin was Niu Ge, holding a hammer.
As Niu Ge stepped into the town, the fresh air made him take a deep breath.
“Wonderful, just wonderful. Even the air smells better than outside. I can’t wait to take over this town.”
At that moment, Miao Suisui was squatting beside Su Qingqing and Su Lanlan, watching the older sister teach the younger one how to read.
Su Lanlan was learning seriously, following along stroke by stroke with a stick on the ground.
Just then, the system notified her that someone had entered the town.
Miao Suisui stood up and saw a group approaching, including Lu Lin, who had only recently left.
Before she could even put on her usual friendly smile, she noticed something off about the man in front, dressed oddly and holding a hammer.
The people behind him also seemed to be carrying various weapons.
Miao Suisui’s instincts had always been sharp. She quickly told Su Qingqing to take her sister back inside.
“What’s wrong? Do you need help?” Su Qingqing asked, her expression turning serious as she looked at the approaching group.
Miao Suisui felt uneasy, but thinking of the system backing her up and recalling the strength of the security robots, she steadied herself slightly and shook her head. “No need. The town has its own defenses. Take Lanlan inside so she doesn’t get scared. Or maybe I’m overthinking it. They might just be here to stay.”
Su Qingqing did not think so. Unlike Miao Suisui, she had seen much of the apocalypse and understood how dangerous people could be. The group’s arrogant demeanor did not look like that of guests, but rather troublemakers.
After a moment’s thought, she pulled her sister and ran back. Not long after, she returned alone to stand beside Miao Suisui.
Miao Suisui glanced at her. Su Qingqing shrugged, electricity flickering in her hand. “I’m quite strong. If something happens, I can help.”
Seeing her determination, Miao Suisui felt both helpless and touched, and could only let her stay.
The group approached and stopped in front of them.
Miao Suisui took a deep breath and put on a professional smile. “Hello, are you here to settle in our town?”
In the apocalypse, most women had sallow complexions and thin figures due to malnutrition. Seeing Miao Suisui, who was fair, delicate, and beautiful, the men stared at her with undisguised interest.
Niu Ge’s gaze darkened as he licked his lips. “Yes. I think your town is quite nice. I’d like to move in.”