Frequent sudden weather disasters had made everyone well-versed in the evacuation process long ago. They knew clearly what to bring and what not to bring, so the security checks generally went smoothly.
Ning He observed carefully.
The vast majority of people had brought sleeping bags and a few days’ worth of rations.
It was much as Ning He had anticipated.
When it was Ning He’s turn, the security personnel inspected the cart she was pushing, listened to her report the noodle shop’s name, and checked the system information. Confirming everything was correct, the officer waved a hand and pointed to a sign erected nearby:
“Follow the directional signs and do not linger in the fire-prohibited zone. Otherwise, face the consequences at your own risk.”
Ning He glanced at the words on the sign:
True enough, it was the Number 8 Centralized Dining Area the proprietress had mentioned.
She understood immediately.
It must be a designated separate area for vendors who needed to use fire, gathered together so that in the event of any fire emergency, it could be resolved at a fixed location.
Following the instructions, Ning He pushed her cart along the signs and entered the underground passage.
The shelter was located six or seven floors deep underground. Ning He pushed her cart through a series of ramps, turning left and right for ten minutes until her hands were so sore she could barely hold onto the small cart, before finally reaching a square sluice gate entrance.
Armed personnel guarded the entrance. After undergoing another comprehensive security check, Ning He was guided by a young soldier to the vendor gathering area.
Ning He glanced around at the surrounding signs.
The arrow on the left pointed toward the Fourth Ring District, the right pointed toward the Third Ring District, and another sign marked the wartime command post directly ahead.
Extending in all directions, it really was a good location.
“Over here!”
A familiar voice reached her ears. Following the sound, Ning He saw the proprietress Connie waving at her from not far away on the left. Standing next to Connie was a man wearing the same vendor administrator uniform as Kam.
Quickly catching on, Ning He pushed her cart over to Connie’s side.
“The load was heavy, so I walked a bit slowly,” she specifically explained.
Seeing that she knew how to act, Connie let out a sigh of relief.
“She’s here. This is our head chef.”
The administrator glanced at Ning He and nodded.
The photo on the chef’s certificate made it easy to match at a glance.
“You should all be familiar with the regulations, but I will remind you of a few points.”
“You may apply to use refrigerators to store ingredients, but you must pay a daily fee of twenty credits per refrigerator. In addition, all meals must not be sold higher than their original prices, and violators will be heavily penalized. Do not move around casually once your stall is fixed in place, and the stall carts must not leave the centralized area. If the military needs to requisition any items, you must cooperate unconditionally.”
Connie was naturally familiar with these rules and had no objections. After finishing his instructions, the administrator walked on to the next stall.
Seeing him walk away, Connie looked at Ning He and said with a touch of annoyance, “Why were you so slow?”
“I had quite a bit of stuff, which delayed me,” Ning He chuckled.
Seeing Ning He lift the bedsheet to reveal two baskets of vegetables underneath, Connie looked both surprised and suspicious.
“You’re running a small food stall, so why did you stock up on so much merchandise? Aren’t you afraid of taking a loss? And where did you get the money? All these vegetables aren’t cheap!”
“I’m just inexperienced and bought too much, aren’t I? I ran into someone dumping stock on the road just now at a massive discount, and I couldn’t help myself…”
Ning He fabricated a lie.
Connie rolled her eyes impatiently.
“Everyone used to say you were overly shrewd, calculating even a single leaf of cabbage down to the smallest detail. But I think they were all blind. With a brain like yours, it’ll be pure luck if you don’t lose everything! Still, I’ll say this again: I can’t guarantee everything will sell, and you can’t blame me if you take a loss.”
Ning He nodded hastily. “I understand, rest assured!”
Seeing her being sensible, Connie said nothing more, instructing Ah Hu nearby to set up the stove on the ground, get the soup pot ready, and organizing the other items on her stall cart herself.
With nothing to do, Ning He took the initiative to take an empty bucket to fetch water. Connie glanced at her and did not stop her.
Carrying the bucket, Ning He strolled around the vicinity to familiarize herself with the environment. She memorized the locations of the restrooms and emergency exits before drawing a full bucket of water at the water station and walking back leisurely.
Halfway back, a group of fully armed soldiers suddenly appeared around the bend ahead.
The leader was tall and robust, with thick eyebrows and sharp eyes. He wore a dark blue uniform, with two bars and two stars embroidered on his shoulder epaulets, and a black handgun of an unknown model along with a communicator tucked into his waist.
Ning He was very familiar with the style of the uniform—it was the mecha academy’s officer uniform.
And Ning He was also familiar with this person.
It was none other than the renowned Lieutenant Colonel Leo.
“…Registered population in District Four is two hundred ninety-seven thousand six hundred eleven, with a total of two hundred thirty-six thousand one hundred fifty-two currently entering the shelter. The progress is normal.”
“Registered population in District Five is sixty-nine thousand eight hundred fifty-six, with a total of forty-six thousand three hundred twenty entering the shelter. The progress is normal.”
With a solemn expression and unceasing footsteps, Leo asked, “How are the arrangements for the isolation ward going? Have the fire protection facilities been inspected? Have personnel been sent to receive people at all schools? Have the factory zones been shut down according to requirements?”
“Reporting to the officer, everything has been completed. There was a minor issue with the number seventeen fire hydrant, but it has already been repaired. All factories in the five industrial zones have been notified, and Level Two response has been initiated.”
Leo nodded. “Follow up further on the situation at the hospital to ensure that all vital instruments and equipment are successfully transferred, and that medicines are sealed into the cold storage in time without any room for error.”
“Understood, officer!”
One soldier acknowledged the order and left, while another stepped forward to continue the report.
“Officer, word came from the dean’s office. The city lord said he hopes you can go and garrison the command room in District One and District Two.”
Leo paused slightly in his stride, then continued walking forward with large steps. “Tell the dean and the city lord that I will be patrolling various districts over the next few days to ensure everything operates normally, so they need not worry.”
The squad gradually walked away, and Ning He cautiously slipped out from behind a pillar, carrying her bucket toward the stall.
“Officer, is something wrong?”
At the doorway of the office, a soldier looked at Leo, who had suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned around, and asked proactively.
The figure carrying a bucket ahead vanished from view. Leo frowned and withdrew his gaze.
“Nothing. You all go ahead with your work, and contact me immediately if any issues arise. Surface temperatures might exceed the threshold this time, so have the ground forces ready at all times.”
“Yes.”
Leo entered the command room; he still had many matters to tend to.
Ning He carried the water bucket back to the stall. Connie took it from her and casually pointed at a row of freezers not far away.
“The first one on the left. Put the vegetables inside. Since we’ve already paid the fee, don’t waste it.”
“Alright, many thanks!”
Ning He placed the two baskets of vegetables into the refrigerator. A preservation temperature of 2 degrees Celsius should hold up for at least two or three days, so they should be fine.
Returning to the stall with nothing to do, Ning He took out a small folding chair from a box, sat down, and looked around.
Taking such a close look actually allowed Ning He to notice a few things.
This vendor gathering area was clearly divided into left and right halves, separated by a wide open space in the middle—enough room for horses to gallop across.
The stalls originating from the Fourth Ring on the left were few and far to count; including Connie’s noodle stall, there were only five. But on the right, a rough count showed more than a dozen, and even their stall carts were a grade higher. They closely resembled modern integrated food trucks—clean, bright, and fully functional, complete with their own refrigerators and ovens, and decorated with a circle of flashing little colored lights that caught the eye.
Busy around the food trucks were not just head chefs, but servers dressed in unified restaurant uniforms. Even the tables and chairs brought out were tastefully arranged with decorative small vases.
It was practically the difference between regular troops and a militia regiment.
“Those are restaurants from the Third Ring. They’re loaded with money, and a single dish sells for a hundred credits. Residents of our Fourth Ring can’t afford to consume that.”
Connie’s slightly sarcastic voice pierced her ears. Ning He felt secretly startled and glanced again at the food trucks across the way. Seeing various meat dish patterns painted on the counters beneath the trucks, she began to understand the reason.
Although Connie’s noodle shop was level three, only one ancestral secret meat sauce dish contained meat. The dishes at the opposite restaurants were much more abundant, and the gap in strength and level was clearly vast.
However, the disparate pricing determined that their respective target consumer groups differed, and direct competition would instead arise among stalls of the same tier.
Although Connie had promised to let her take over once her own stock was sold out, who knew when she would finish selling?
With this competitive landscape, a tiny meat sauce dish would probably find it very hard to have an advantage!
Ning He let out a soft hiss, looked around the surrounding area, and decided to take the initiative to scout out the enemy’s situation.