“S… sorry, I just… just saw there were houses here, and wanted to come in to take shelter and rest for a bit,” the man stammered in explanation. Facing this smiling young girl, he could not bring himself to say anything harsh.
“You can stay here. We also provide food and water, as long as you have crystal cores. The prices are very affordable,” Miao Suisui said, her eyes sparkling.
When the man heard about food and water, he instinctively swallowed and pointed at the cakes in the bakery.
“Are these real too? Can they also be bought with crystal cores?”
Miao Suisui nodded and pushed open the glass door of the bakery. “Everything has a price tag. Just buy whatever you want. There’s also a restaurant and a general store ahead. If you want to cook for yourself, you can also buy ingredients from me.”
The man’s eyes widened at this point. He understood every word Miao Suisui said, but when they were put together, he could not comprehend them at all. If not for the wounds on his body reminding him, he would have started to suspect that he was dreaming.
He followed Miao Suisui to the restaurant ahead and ordered a bowl of shredded chicken noodles. It only cost five Level 1 crystal cores. As soon as the steaming hot noodles were served, the man could no longer care about anything else and began devouring them.
Even though the heat of the noodles made him open his mouth from time to time to cool off, the springy noodles, the rich chicken broth, and the tender chicken made it impossible for him to put down his chopsticks.
In the end, he could not bear to waste even the soup and tilted his head back to drink it all.
On the way to look at the housing, the man toured the few buildings in the town. He also saw the poultry wandering freely in the farm behind, as well as the bountiful vegetables, wheat, rice, and the apple trees heavy with bright red fruit.
Had he come to heaven? the man thought.
Miao Suisui brought him to Building D, which was currently unoccupied. After touring the room, the man decisively paid the crystal cores required for one night’s stay.
Miao Suisui left happily with the crystal cores in hand.
After she left, the man stood in the middle of the room for a long time before walking to the water pipe in the corner. He filled a cup and drank it in one gulp. The water tasted sweet and cool.
The man froze for a long while before opening his backpack and taking out an empty bottle, filling it with water.
After leaving Building D, Miao Suisui went to check on Yu Juan. Han Wei was not home, so their eldest son, Han Xiaojun, had taken on the responsibility of caring for his mother.
When Miao Suisui entered Yu Juan’s home, Han Xiaojun was stumbling through cooking under Yu Juan’s guidance. It looked somewhat presentable, but the food in the pot was… rather hard to describe.
“He’s so young, and you’re already letting him cook on his own?” Miao Suisui asked in surprise.
“His father is even planning to take him out to hunt zombies and mutated beasts after some time. There’s no choice. His father and I could be gone at any moment. The more he learns now, the better. At least he won’t starve after we’re gone,” Yu Juan said, supporting her large belly as she welcomed Miao Suisui inside, explaining as she walked.
Hearing this explanation, Miao Suisui immediately felt that she had made a fuss over nothing. In the apocalypse, there were probably many families like this. It was her own way of thinking that was unusual.
After asking about Yu Juan’s health and feeling the baby’s movements, Miao Suisui politely declined their invitation to stay for a meal. After all, she truly could not bring herself to eat the strangely colored food cooked by Han Xiaojun, nor could she lie and praise it as delicious.
Before leaving, she thoughtfully asked Yu Juan if she wanted her to bring back some food from the restaurant outside, but Yu Juan declined with a smile. Miao Suisui could not help but sigh at the greatness of maternal love.
It was not until dinner time in the evening that the newly arrived man finally came out of his room. He ordered a meal at the restaurant and sat next to Miao Suisui.
During their casual conversation, Miao Suisui learned that his name was Lu Lin. He no longer had any family. Previously, he had been living in a base to the west and had joined a team. This time, he had come out on a mission with his team but had gotten separated from them. Fortunately, he knew the mission location, and the team had agreed to regroup there.
Hearing that Lu Lin would be leaving the next day, Miao Suisui felt a bit regretful, but she could understand. People always preferred to stay with those they were familiar with.
The next morning, when Miao Suisui woke up, Lu Lin was outside shopping at the general store and bakery, preparing to bring some things back to his teammates.
After finishing his purchases, he was ready to leave.
Miao Suisui gave him a bright red apple and told him to come again in the future, and that he could even bring his teammates to settle down here.
Shi Qiang held the apple that still carried a faint fragrance. After a long while, he nodded, then strode away.
Just as Miao Suisui bought some buns and was about to head back to eat, the usually quiet system suddenly emitted a beep.
“An emergency mission is now issued. Please proceed immediately to the designated location to rescue town residents and ensure their survival. For each resident who dies, five hundred Level 1 crystal cores will be deducted. Successful rescue will grant a special reward.”
Miao Suisui was stunned. “System, are you sure this mission is correct? You want me, a weak woman with no strength, to go save people?”
“To ensure the host’s safety, a team of security robots will be dispatched, along with a personal protective shield to provide comprehensive close protection. The system will also provide an express train trial version, ensuring the host’s time will not be wasted on travel.”
Even so, Miao Suisui swallowed as she looked at the two zombies passing by outside the railing. She was still extremely afraid.
“Host, please make a decision as soon as possible. The residents’ life values are decreasing,” the system’s emotionless mechanical voice made Miao Suisui’s heart skip a beat.
She closed her eyes, then nodded forcefully as if making a desperate decision. “Alright, I accept the rescue mission.”
Time was urgent, and Miao Suisui did not have time to prepare anything. Carrying the buns she had just bought, she headed straight toward the town gate.
“Mayor Miao, heading out?” Yu Juan’s voice came from behind. She was taking a walk with her large belly, supported by Han Xiaojun.
Miao Suisui opened her mouth, her gaze falling on Yu Juan’s belly. “Yes, I have something to take care of.”
“Be careful on the road,” Yu Juan said, waving at her.
After responding, Miao Suisui turned and walked away, her steps becoming more and more resolute.
Behind her, Yu Juan’s gentle voice could still be heard. “Your father has been gone for almost a day, hasn’t he? Why hasn’t he come back yet?”
When Miao Suisui reached the gate, she saw a vehicle with a pointed front and a silver body, resembling a train engine, its exterior full of futuristic design.
As soon as she got on, she met a pair of round eyes in the driver’s seat.
It was the same familiar setup, the same familiar robot. Miao Suisui was already used to it.
The interior of the vehicle was similar to the high speed trains she had ridden in her own world. However, since it was smaller than the trains she had seen, there were fewer seats. On the left side was a row of single seats, while on the right side were double seats.
Excluding the driver’s seat at the front, there were a total of five rows.
Miao Suisui chose a single window seat in the front row. As soon as she sat down, she could immediately feel how soft the cushion was.
The windows of the entire carriage formed a continuous panel. There were small skylights above for air circulation and filtration, placed at intervals, so even inside the carriage, the air remained very fresh.
“Is this the kind of transportation our town will unlock in the future?” Miao Suisui asked, a little excited.
“This is an express train unlocked after three upgrades. As long as the host works hard to upgrade, you will have it.”
The system once again presented its familiar promise, but Miao Suisui had to admit that it was very tempting.
After fastening her seatbelt, Miao Suisui watched as several uniformed robots filed into the vehicle.
A total of seven boarded, all sitting properly in their seats. Their short legs could not even reach the ground, yet their expressions were extremely serious, making Miao Suisui suppress the smile that had almost escaped.
Once the security robots were seated, the vehicle started. Before Miao Suisui could even wonder whether the driver knew where to go, the vehicle shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
Due to inertia, Miao Suisui leaned back as the scenery outside the window rapidly receded. Zombies and mutated animals and plants did not even have time to react before the vehicle had already sped far away.
After adjusting to the speed, Miao Suisui pressed herself against the window and looked outside. This was the first time she had truly seen the outside world since arriving in this apocalypse.
Although H City was in ruins, traces of its former prosperity could still be seen. Skyscrapers stood densely packed, but now they had become the territory of mutated animals and plants.
The vehicle was moving too fast, so Miao Suisui could only get a rough impression. Soon, she began to feel dizzy and had no choice but to turn her head and rest against the seat, closing her eyes.
Meanwhile, Chen Xu and the others were indeed in a very difficult situation.
The three of them were locked inside a cage about half a person tall. They could only squat or sit, unable to lie down. Their bodies had been stripped down to just a pair of shorts. Liu Dong’s hand was bent at an unnatural angle, clearly broken. The other two also had injuries that looked quite serious.
Outside, two men were rummaging through their backpacks.
“Brother, there’s meat in these cakes!” one man exclaimed, his voice breaking with excitement.
“There’s bread too. I haven’t seen bread in who knows how long. We finally caught some fat sheep. Not like those people before, they were poorer than us,” another voice said, equally excited.
Time rewound to three hours earlier.
Chen Xu and the others had just left the base. They still had no news about Liu Dong’s daughter, Taozi, and the three of them could not help but feel down.
“It’s fine. Maybe we just came too late, and Taozi and the others went somewhere else. Or maybe they never came to this base at all. No news is also good news,” Chen Xu said to comfort the somewhat dejected Liu Dong.
“Chen Shi is traveling with a child. How far could they have gone? Maybe they already…” At this point, Liu Dong squatted down in despair, covering his face with his hands, his voice choking up.
“Chen Shi’s ability isn’t weak, and Taozi has a spatial ability. There’s food in her space too. She’s a very sensible child. Maybe she’s hiding somewhere waiting for us to find her. How can you, as her father, give up first?” Han Wei said roughly, patting Liu Dong’s shoulder.
Liu Dong wiped his face. Thinking of his obedient and sensible daughter, his gaze became resolute once more. That was right, he could not give up.
The three of them pulled themselves together and prepared to return to Hope Town first.
Not long after they started heading back, Liu Dong faintly heard a weak cry for help.