“Everyone, don’t be anxious. Once we get back to the town, as long as you have crystal cores, there will be plenty of food and water.” Miao Suisui noticed the longing in everyone’s eyes and offered a few words of reassurance.
Hearing this, some people revealed delighted expressions, while others looked somewhat dejected, likely having been reminded of the family members they had already lost.
Miao Suisui sat down in the front row and closed her eyes to rest, though in reality she opened her personal panel.
The special mission was marked as completed. When she opened the reward bundle behind it, two small shops suddenly popped up. The exterior walls of the shops were painted with cartoon cats and dogs, making them look very cute.
One of the small signboards bore several large characters, “Hope Pet Shop,” while the other read “Hope Pet Hospital.”
Miao Suisui’s eyes lit up. Who could resist such adorable furry little animals?
She dragged the pet shop and pet hospital next to the clothing store, then opened the System Shop. As expected, a new “Pets” category had appeared.
Inside were quite a variety of kittens and puppies, including breeds she had long coveted even before coming to this world, ones she had never been willing to buy before due to their high prices.
There were also pet supplies such as cat beds, dog beds, cat food, dog food, canned food, and all kinds of items pets might need, everything one could think of.
After purchasing everything that would be placed in the shop for sale, Miao Suisui could not resist picking out a puppy she liked for herself.
An hour and a half later, Miao Suisui and the others finally arrived at the entrance of the town.
The town’s signboard had not changed much from when she first arrived, except that the characters were larger and more eye-catching, making it easy to notice at a glance.
Looking at the town’s sign, Miao Suisui felt an unusual sense of familiarity. Not long after arriving in the apocalypse, she had already come to regard Hope Town as her home.
The people in the vehicle also craned their necks to look around. The town seemed quite lively, with many buildings, though it was still unclear what they were used for.
The scene before them eased the unease in their hearts somewhat.
There were also many robots moving about within the town. The group could not help but widen their eyes, finding it very novel, even forgetting their earlier fear and panic.
Miao Suisui asked them to get off at the entrance. The express train circled behind the houses and then disappeared.
The group walked on the soft grass, feeling somewhat unaccustomed.
“The town provides housing, but for now there are only sixteen units. If you have acquaintances, you can live together, and you can also share the crystal cores,” Miao Suisui said as she walked ahead.
After walking for a while, they saw neatly arranged single-story houses.
The sixteen houses were arranged in four rows and four columns, like a perfectly cut block of tofu, so orderly that even someone with obsessive tendencies would find it satisfying.
Because there were too many people, Miao Suisui did not intend to take all of them to view the rooms. She only gave them a verbal introduction.
What she described sounded so fantastical that even after she finished speaking, everyone remained standing in place, stunned.
The family of three walking beside Miao Suisui was the first to decide on a house, directly paying half a year’s worth of crystal cores.
Seeing this, the others snapped back to their senses and rushed forward to pay their crystal cores as well, afraid that if they were too slow, there would be no houses left. Houses like these at such a price could not be found anywhere else in the apocalypse.
Some families lived together like the family of three, some who had lost relatives and friends lived together, and some chose to live alone.
Those who had enough crystal cores almost all paid for half a year, those with fewer paid for one month, and those who could not afford it shared with others. In the end, after everyone had been arranged, only one house remained.
Miao Suisui finally understood what it meant to collect crystal cores until one’s hands went soft. It seemed as though she was putting the crystal cores into her backpack, but in reality they were directly absorbed by the system into her personal account panel, so no matter how much she put in, the seemingly small backpack never filled up.
In the end, there were simply too many people, so she had to take out a small notebook to record everything.
Only after everything had been written down did Miao Suisui quietly let out a sigh of relief.
“When the town reaches level ten, it will unlock a fully automated one-stop service, including guiding residents, introducing the town, and handling check-ins,” the system’s mechanical voice brought Miao Suisui new hope.
They continued walking forward, and various shops appeared before them. Exclamations and sounds of amazement kept rising behind Miao Suisui.
Up ahead, there was a shop almost filled with people. Miao Suisui’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t this the Hope Pet Shop she had just placed in the town?
Through the transparent glass, she could see kittens and puppies inside wagging their tails continuously. Miao Suisui immediately felt as if her heart had melted from the cuteness.
“There’s even a pet shop? Are these pets not mutated?” someone in the crowd exclaimed.
“Yes, if you like them, you can go to the pet shop later and purchase them with crystal cores. However, in our town, buying pets requires an evaluation. Only those who truly love animals and have the ability to care for them are qualified to purchase,” Miao Suisui explained.
This was stated in the introduction under the town’s pet shop. Miao Suisui felt it was a good system. Before she transmigrated, in the residential community where she lived, there were often stray cats and dogs found dead, and in very tragic conditions, clearly abused to death.
Later, the culprit was caught, and it turned out to be a teenage child. According to him, it was because he was under too much psychological pressure, but beneath his seemingly obedient appearance, Miao Suisui saw madness and obsession. She inexplicably felt that something was wrong with the child’s mental state, and if left unchecked, who knew what he might do in the future.
Yet the child’s parents were completely unaware, and when faced with everyone’s accusations, they even said things like, “They’re just animals, so what if they die.”
That was why Miao Suisui thought such requirements were very good. It also prevented those with psychological issues who might try to take out their anger on pets from slipping through.
…
Among the crowd behind Miao Suisui, quite a few people were tempted, but at this moment they did not dare to move about freely. They waited for Miao Suisui to finish handling their check-ins before coming back to properly explore the town.
Another person walked out of the pet shop, holding a snow-white kitten.
The kitten’s eyes were a clear blue, giving it a noble and aloof appearance. It was extremely beautiful.
Cui Yingying held the little creature in her arms, her fondness evident in her eyes. When she saw Miao Suisui, she walked straight over to show off her cat.
“Look at my Snowball, isn’t she adorable? I bought her for five second-level crystal cores. I also bought imported cat food and canned food, and her cat bed is a villa. Snowball will definitely be very happy with me.” Cui Yingying stroked the kitten in her arms, and the kitten let out a soft, milky meow, incredibly cute.
Miao Suisui swallowed, feeling tempted. So well-behaved, she really wanted to pet it.
After showing off, Cui Yingying left proudly with the kitten in her arms.
There were also people who left the pet shop feeling disappointed, such as Han Xiaojun.
Yu Juan held her belly as she walked through the crowd, quietly trying to persuade him.
“What’s wrong, Sister Yu?” Miao Suisui asked.
“Xiaojun wants a puppy. I want to wait until the child in my belly is a bit older before buying one. I’ve heard that dogs shed a lot,” Yu Juan said helplessly.
“If we wait, it might get bought by someone else,” Han Xiaojun said reluctantly, turning back to glance at the glass display.
“It’s alright, Xiaojun. Tell me which dog you like, and I’ll reserve it for you,” Miao Suisui reassured him. She could understand those who loved pets as if they were their own children, and she could also understand people like Yu Juan, who had little experience with pets and had their concerns. No one was wrong, they simply had different lifestyles.
Han Xiaojun pointed to a curly-haired dog. Miao Suisui immediately patted her chest and guaranteed there would be no problem. With her assurance, a smile finally returned to Han Xiaojun’s face.
After this small interlude, the survivors from Tiancheng Base were finally led by Miao Suisui to move into the ordinary houses one by one.
When they opened the doors to the rooms, they were immediately attracted by the facilities inside. When they saw that there was even a small television, one man could not help but step forward and turn it on. Music immediately began to flow out, and the clear images held their gaze.
Everyone was drawn to the television and stood watching. If Miao Suisui had not reminded them, they would not have known how long they would remain there.