He Lingyu found it strange. Based on how things had gone before, the moment she posted tasks, someone should have grabbed them right away.
But now everyone looked at each other, and no one moved.
After hearing her question, they hesitated, stammering, until one person finally mustered the courage to answer. “Boss, it’s not that we don’t want to take them, it’s just that we don’t have the strength!”
Strength?
He Lingyu stared at the task board for two seconds before it clicked.
The task she had posted was, “Go out and search for materials to renovate the inn.”
But there were zombies outside.
These people had come from the base purely because they did not want to starve, they came to eat. If they went out now, their personal safety would be even less guaranteed, so of course they were hesitant.
And that only made He Lingyu more determined to recruit an ability user as her next employee.
Yes, she had not rushed to fill the second employee slot, even after it opened up.
There were plenty of decent workers among these people, and many were good with their hands. But right now, the restaurant already had her and Auntie Yue. What she needed was an ability user who could handle things outside, and protect the restaurant at critical moments.
Even if the restaurant itself could not be harmed, it was still terrifying to be watched and coveted every day.
With zombies around, ordinary people were unwilling to go out searching for supplies. Only groups of ability users dared to.
“I didn’t think it through,” He Lingyu said. “For now, there aren’t any other tasks the restaurant needs. Everyone can wait for later updates.”
She paused, then added, “But there is one task that has no limit on how many people can take it, and it has no quantity cap either. You can take a look.”
She turned and pointed at the board behind her.
[Task: Expand visitor influence. For every ten people you bring to spend at the restaurant, you can claim one free meal.]
The moment the disappointed crowd saw it, their eyes lit up.
They could win by numbers.
So those who had already finished their work did not linger anymore. They accepted the task and hurried back to the base. People at the base were resources now.
Once they left, the restaurant finally quieted down. He Lingyu looked at the “go out” task on the board. In the end, she still did not cancel it.
She simply raised the reward, hoping that a heavy prize would tempt someone brave.
With the third floor cleaned, she and Hua Yue went up to check. It was the same layout as the second floor, more staff dorm rooms.
There were several rooms, but the employee slot still showed only one opening. He Lingyu figured future upgrades would expand hiring.
As for the unnamed building outside, it was farther from the restaurant. He Lingyu stared at it for a long time before she realized what it reminded her of.
Was that a pigpen?
Or some sort of livestock enclosure.
But it was just an empty structure with no access yet. She had no idea what it would eventually raise.
So, she still had to level up.
At this point she was not too worried about customer numbers. With that group spreading the word, she believed visitors would come eventually. What she needed to focus on now were the side quests.
One of them felt especially difficult. Renovating the inn rooms into different styles required a lot of materials.
She would need design plans, and all kinds of renovation supplies.
No wonder the game had given it a separate task column, even allowing each room to have its own mission.
She had assumed upgrades would automatically improve things, but instead, she had to complete tasks to unlock them. And right now, no one was taking those tasks, so she could only inch forward slowly.
Given time, ability users would probably come for tasks too. Even ability users needed to eat.
Thinking of that, He Lingyu suddenly remembered Yao Zhien and his group from the other day. She wondered if his wound had healed.
Since Qu Ming had managed to bring Pi San’s group here, Qu Ming must have been doing fine in the base. That meant he could also scheme in the shadows and target them.
Yao Zhien had said he would come support the business, but there had been no sign of him for days. He Lingyu could not help worrying.
She also did not know if they had reunited with Mu Qingfeng.
A full day passed without incident.
The next morning, He Lingyu got up early, waiting for customers to show.
One night should have been enough for the word to spread, right?
But when she went downstairs, she found Hua Yue already sitting in the hall, and there still was not a single customer.
“Auntie Yue, is it too early?” He Lingyu asked, still hopeful.
Hua Yue’s expression did not look good.
She had barely slept the night before, her mind churning. She had gotten up at dawn to wait. Now that even He Lingyu was downstairs and nobody had come, Hua Yue knew her fear had come true.
Pi San must have reported everything to Yuan Gaofei, and Yuan Gaofei must have ordered the base residents not to come here.
Yuan Gaofei was vindictive, ruthless, and he never let grudges go. Being banned from the customer flow would be the best outcome. What Hua Yue truly feared was what came next.
Hua Yue told He Lingyu her worries.
He Lingyu frowned briefly, then relaxed.
It was frustrating that the customer source they had just built up had vanished overnight, but she quickly talked herself out of it.
There were plenty of bases out there. It was not as if only Gaofei Base had people.
Besides, a game that was too easy was not fun.
So He Lingyu sat close to Hua Yue, looped her arms around Hua Yue’s, and soothed her. “It’s fine, Auntie Yue. If they won’t come, others will. We have food, how could we not have customers?”
When Hua Yue thought about it, she agreed. In the apocalypse, food was everything.
Then she caught herself. Wait, why was she getting dragged off topic?
Wasn’t she worried Yuan Gaofei might bring people here?
But He Lingyu looked so calm, as if she had a plan. Hua Yue decided she would stop tormenting herself with what-ifs.
They had expected today to be nothing more than harvesting, planting, and feeding Xiao Bai.
But near noon, the restaurant door was pushed open, and Xiao Bai’s barking followed.
“Aiyo, oh my goodness, Boss, where did you pick up this dog? It’s small, but the temper sure isn’t!”
Someone came.
That catchphrase sounded familiar.
He Lingyu stepped out and sure enough, it was Yao Zhien. Jun Buyan was with him, and the two of them were following behind a man.
He Lingyu studied the man carefully.
Bronze-toned skin, a buzz cut, handsome and sharp, the kind of face that screamed trouble. He looked nothing like the “sooty” man she had seen before.
Was this their boss?
But their boss was supposed to be Mu Qingfeng, the man she had described as looking like he got blown up by a gas canister, tattered clothes and all. This person seemed completely different.
Then he spoke, and He Lingyu immediately confirmed it was the same man.
“Hello. Do you remember me? You still owe me a meal.”
He Lingyu gave a dry laugh. “Mu Qingfeng, right? Come in. What do you want to eat?”
“I see your place looks very different compared to a few days ago,” Mu Qingfeng said. “I assume your food has gotten better too.”
“It has. Our menu upgraded again,” He Lingyu replied.
Hua Yue brought over a menu at just the right moment. After Pi San’s intimidation yesterday, He Lingyu had written it out by hand as soon as she had time, leaving blank space for future additions.
“Aiyo, oh my goodness! You even have roast duck?” Yao Zhien looked like he was about to explode with joy. “Boss, I want roast duck!”
“Alright,” Mu Qingfeng said. “One roast duck, and three servings of meat dumplings.”
“Boss, I want one serving all to myself,” Yao Zhien protested immediately. “If you want to eat too, order another one. I won’t have enough!”
Mu Qingfeng choked on his words. Jun Buyan rolled his eyes.
“Glutton,” Jun Buyan muttered.
“Hey, Jun Buyan, that’s not right,” Yao Zhien argued. “Food is the most important thing in life. Don’t you want to eat?”
Jun Buyan shut his mouth and stopped responding. Talking to this fat guy always made his blood pressure rise.
Mu Qingfeng sighed. “Fine. Two roast ducks, three servings of meat dumplings, and one farmhouse stir-fry.”
“Got it,” He Lingyu said. “It’ll be right out.”
She turned to head to the kitchen, but Yao Zhien called out, “Boss, don’t you do pay first, then serve? We haven’t paid yet.”
“I owe him a meal,” He Lingyu said with a smile, “and you two helped me too. How could I let you pay? Today is on me.”
Seeing them safe finally eased her mind. She really had worried they might be targeted for revenge.
Before the food even arrived, the smell filled the room.
“Aiyo, oh my goodness,” Yao Zhien said, craning his neck toward the kitchen. “This is too fragrant, my mouth is watering!”
The other two stayed quiet, but they were swallowing too. Nobody could ignore the scent of crisp, tender roast duck.
When the dishes were served, He Lingyu did not stay behind the counter like usual. She sat down at a nearby table instead.
“To be honest,” she said, rubbing the back of her neck with an awkward laugh, “I have something I want to ask.”
“We’re friends,” Yao Zhien declared, patting his chest. “Ask. If I know, I’ll tell you everything!”
Before she could speak, Mu Qingfeng cut in, “You want to ask why no one came to eat today.”
He Lingyu nodded, no longer trying to be coy. “Yesterday I had a conflict with someone named Pi San. I’m guessing he said something after he went back. But today, there wasn’t a single customer until you arrived. I want to know exactly what happened.”
Yao Zhien had a dumpling in his mouth and answered through it, words muffled, “Last night they announced an emergency rule. It wasn’t Pi San, it was Yuan Gaofei. He banned people from coming here to spend money. Anyone who disobeys gets kicked out of Gaofei Base.”
He Lingyu nodded. It matched her guess, and it was annoying.
She had acted confident while comforting Hua Yue, but the truth was, other bases were farther away. Getting people to come here would not be easy.
Zombies aside, she had no way to send the news out.
Still, she kept it off her face. She was the boss. If she looked anxious, Auntie Yue would feel even more uneasy.
He Lingyu tried hard to keep her emotions in check, but Mu Qingfeng still saw it.
He set down his chopsticks and looked at her. “Are you still hiring? I’m a level three ability user.”