After entering the town, the robots finally set Cui Yingying down. Outside, the rhinoceros had lost its target and began wandering in circles.
“Are you alright?” A hand reached out in front of Cui Yingying, who was still shaken. She looked up and saw a pretty young girl smiling at her.
That smile seemed to carry a kind of magic, gradually easing the fear in her heart.
Cui Yingying placed her hand in the girl’s and used the support to stand up.
“Everyone, don’t worry. Once you’re inside our town, you’re safe,” Miao Suisui said. Then she turned to Zhou Xue, who stood at the back. Miao Suisui had clearly seen her supposedly subtle action. “How could you push someone like that? If I hadn’t been at the entrance, she would have died. Aren’t you traveling together?”
“I… I didn’t,” Zhou Xue still tried to argue.
“You were right behind me. I saw it clearly, and you’re still denying it? I thought you just had a foul mouth, but I didn’t expect your heart to be this vicious!” Cui Yingying gave her no face at all, questioning her sharply.
“You say you saw it, so it must be true? Then I could just say you’re slandering me,” Zhou Xue said, forcing herself to stand firm under everyone’s accusing gazes.
“Please leave. Our town does not welcome people with such poor character,” Miao Suisui said coldly. Minor flaws could be tolerated, after all, no one in this world was perfect. But someone willing to push others to death was nothing short of a ticking time bomb.
“Who are you to decide whether I stay or go?” Zhou Xue demanded.
“Because this town belongs to me.”
As soon as Miao Suisui finished speaking, a security robot stepped in front of Zhou Xue, clearly ready to drive her out.
Not a single person spoke up for her. Zhou Xue let out a cold laugh. “Fine. Very well. I’ll remember this.”
With that, she seized the moment when the mutated rhinoceros had moved away and quickly fled through the gate.
No one cared about her departure. If anything, they felt relieved.
Miao Suisui led the group further into the town, introducing the various buildings and facilities as they walked.
Her descriptions sounded almost like fantasy, yet what they saw with their own eyes made it all believable.
The aroma of food and the lively sounds of poultry brought their dulled senses back to life. Just looking around made them feel unexpectedly happy.
Even before seeing the housing units, Cui Yingying directly paid a full year of maintenance fees to reserve a room. She also purchased the cleaning service, something no one had chosen since the town first gained residents.
With the cleaning service, a dedicated robot would clean and disinfect the house daily.
These cleaning robots were the same kind Su Qingqing had once seen pulling cleaning cloths out of their skulls. They worked with meticulous precision, leaving no corner untouched.
Miao Suisui’s own cleaning robot required no payment, one of the perks of being mayor, and she found it extremely convenient.
Whenever new residents moved in, she would mention the service, but most people felt it was unnecessary. The houses were small enough to clean themselves, and the crystal cores were better spent on food.
As for Cui Yingying’s extravagance, everyone had already grown used to it. They each paid maintenance fees according to their means, some for a month, some for three months, and others for half a year.
When they finally saw the houses, they immediately felt the cost was worth it.
Though small, the houses were fully equipped. In the apocalypse, having a safe and comfortable home like this was almost a luxury.
Cui Yingying, however, was not as excited. After all, it was not even as large as the kitchen of her former villa.
Only when she heard that the houses could be upgraded did she show some satisfaction, making no effort to hide her prideful demeanor.
After completing their registration and facial recognition setup, Cui Yingying announced she was tired and went straight into her room, closing the door.
Once the footsteps outside faded, her arrogance fell away.
Fear, fragility, and pain surfaced on her face, intertwining.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, leaving streaks.
She bit her lower lip tightly, suppressing the sobs threatening to escape.
In a single day, she had lost her father, the person who loved her most, and her familiar base. She had nearly died to a mutated beast.
All of it was too much to bear.
In front of others, she maintained the facade of a spoiled young lady. But once alone, fear clung to her like a shadow, overwhelming her completely.
She took out a photo of herself with her parents from her spatial storage, held it tightly, and lay down fully clothed, eventually falling into a deep sleep.
The remaining four each took a room.
After settling them, Miao Suisui went to the convenience food processing factory.
The new workers had already worked half a day, and her storage now contained several boxes of instant noodles, instant rice, and canned fruit. She had already eaten a can of peaches earlier. It was not overly sweet, but refreshingly fragrant and juicy.
It took considerable restraint for her not to open another can.
It was now after work hours, and the cafeteria lights were still on.
When she arrived, she saw Su Qingqing’s parents packing two fried chicken legs.
Their trays, however, only held two portions of stir fried cabbage.
Seeing Miao Suisui, they smiled a little awkwardly.
Miao Suisui did not mind at all. In fact, she found their family life warm and comforting.
“Uncle Su, is your leg holding up after working this long?” she asked with concern.
“It’s fine, really. The job is easy. And the screen at the workstation reminds us to rest regularly,” Su’s father said with a cheerful smile.
“That’s good. It’s important to move around occasionally, otherwise your back will suffer,” Miao Suisui agreed.
“We really have to thank you, Mayor. Without this opportunity, how could we live like this?” Mother Su said, full of emotion.
After leaving the factory, Su Qingqing and Su Lanlan were waiting outside. As soon as they saw them, they ran over.
The family of four happily returned home with their fried chicken legs.
Night fell.
After dinner, Chen Xu went alone to the Hope Clinic to change his dressing. His injuries were the lightest among the three, so he did not need family accompaniment.
Because the wound was on his thigh, the nurse robot led him into a sterilized room specifically for changing bandages and asked him to remove his pants.
There were several beds in the room, each separated by curtains.
Once his bandages were changed, the curtain was drawn back.
Only then did Chen Xu notice that in the corner, another man, completely wrapped in bandages, had also just finished his dressing change. The nurse robot was lifting him into a wheelchair.
Chen Xu glanced briefly before looking away.
“Come back in three days for another dressing change, then we’ll remove the stitches,” the nurse robot reminded him.
Chen Xu nodded and responded. As he was about to leave, he met the gaze of the bandaged man. Seeing the man staring at him, he nodded politely and turned to go.
“Chen… Xu…”
A hoarse voice sounded behind him.
Chen Xu turned back in surprise and pointed at himself. “You know me?”
The bandaged man’s eyes showed a trace of bitterness as he slowly spoke.
“It’s me…”