After finishing her explanation, He Lingyu carefully observed everyone’s expressions. If anyone showed hesitation, she was ready to say they could take it slow.
But after waiting and waiting, all she got was Fatty asking, “That’s it?”
Brilliant. That light little question made it sound like she was the one lacking endurance.
He Lingyu shot him a look. “What else do you want? Isn’t that hard enough? This is only the quest to reach level four. Who knows how many challenges are waiting for us later?”
She absolutely refused to admit that she personally thought it was difficult.
In the end, Mu Qingfeng made the final call. “Leave it to us. Put it on the task board and let Fatty and Jun Buyan take it.”
Fatty opened his mouth to protest, but Jun Buyan immediately tugged him back. Did he not see how awkward Sister He looked? Why was he so oblivious?
He Lingyu lowered her head even more, quickly posted the task, and fled upstairs.
However, after some training, her skin was not as thin as before. So once the three of them departed, she came right back downstairs.
Losing face in front of Auntie Yue did not matter. She did not know what having a mother felt like, but she imagined it might feel something like this.
“Auntie Yue, you packed food for them, right?”
Even though she knew Hua Yue was thorough, she asked anyway.
“Of course. Three days’ worth for each. For long travel, fresh dishes will spoil, so I packed large steamed buns and water. And the flyers, two thick stacks.”
Now He Lingyu felt at ease. As long as they had enough food, there would be no issue. Mu Qingfeng and Jun Buyan were steady people. Fatty might act slippery sometimes, but he was reliable when it counted. This mission should go smoothly.
They were heading to Jiaowo Base, which was farther away. Rumor had it that it was officially governed and more orderly.
They might be gone for several days. But regarding Gaofei Base, He Lingyu felt she could not just sit and wait. She needed to act.
Of course, acting required strategy. She could not charge straight into the enemy’s territory.
Gaofei Base’s management style was unsustainable. Too many people had visited her restaurant before the ban. It was impossible that all of them would quietly obey.
Two days had passed already. The timing should be about right.
In a place where food distribution was unfair, someone would inevitably go hungry. Three days was the limit, in her estimation. Especially after tasting good food, who could go back to chewing roots and bark?
Her restaurant, standing here, was a deadly temptation.
When survival was on the line, obedience lost its meaning.
She was waiting. Waiting for the first brave person to step forward.
Where there was one, there would be two. Yuan Gaofei could not possibly kill everyone. Even if he wanted to, his subordinates might not agree.
As long as someone made it here, this silent war would be hers to win.
She would not rush. If she could not go to him, she could lure him over.
The restaurant was her home ground. She would wait here for Yuan Gaofei to walk into her arena.
By the time he came, Mu Qingfeng and the others would likely be back. It would be perfect for revenge.
Plan successful.
After thinking everything through, He Lingyu printed more flyers. Future customers could help distribute them too. Preparation was key.
As expected, the next morning, just after Hua Yue finished harvesting vegetables in the courtyard, two figures stumbled into the restaurant.
They were not exactly running. They looked half dead from hunger.
“Shang Da? Feng An? Why are you here?”
“Don’t ask. Just give us food.”
Shang Da shoved money into the payment box and collapsed into a chair.
“Didn’t you go back to the base? Yuan Gaofei banned people from coming. How did you get here?”
These two were the same men who had been choked by Pi San that day.
After returning to the base, Pi San, freshly healed, beat them severely and stole their remaining food.
At first, they thought he might spare them. But when they truly ran out of food, survival instinct took over.
They fled the base and came straight here, intending to rent a room long term if necessary. Future problems could wait. Survival came first.
“And that’s it,” Shang Da said between mouthfuls. “This is so good. I feel alive again.”
Feng An was no better, shoveling food in, rice grains stuck to his mouth.
He Lingyu listened to Hua Yue’s conversation with them. An idea gradually formed.
After they finished eating and leaned back, patting their bellies, He Lingyu approached.
“I have a task that rewards one month of free lodging. Interested?”
She smiled slightly. The two men shivered.
But one month of free lodging was a huge temptation.
“What’s the task?” Shang Da asked cautiously.
“It’s not hard,” He Lingyu said, pinching two fingers together. “Just a tiny bit dangerous.”
“How tiny?”
“You need to go back to Gaofei Base briefly. Even stepping inside and leaving counts.”
She held up the flyers. “As long as these make it inside, the task is complete.”
Shang Da and Feng An exchanged looks.
Tempting.
He Lingyu did not pressure them. It was voluntary.
After discussion, they agreed.
First, the reward was too attractive. They lacked enough money for long term lodging.
Second, the task only required bringing flyers inside, not distributing them in a specific location. They could flee before being discovered.
“We’ll do it tomorrow,” Shang Da said. “Going back today would be suspicious. Tomorrow, when ability users leave for supplies, we’ll slip in with them.”
“That works,” He Lingyu said calmly. “Whatever is convenient.”
She posted the task on the board and had them accept it.
On her interface, she saw the updated progress.
[Flyers distributed to two bases: 0/2]
Good. She could track it in real time.
The chessboard was set. Now she waited for the pieces to move.
The next morning, He Lingyu prepared early, packing food for Shang Da and Feng An.
To blend in with ability user teams, bribery was their only option. Food made a reliable offering.
And who knew? Maybe an ability user who tasted it would grow curious about her restaurant.
All her mental energy was focused on running the restaurant. She wondered when it would reach max level. Even if it did not send her back to the modern world, letting her live comfortably would be enough.
Meanwhile.
“Aiya, Boss Zhou, please make an exception for us. We really had no choice, we were starving, so we took the risk and went out. You see…”
Shang Da quietly slipped a large bun wrapped in cloth into Boss Zhou’s hand. Outsiders could tell he had given Boss Zhou something, but none of them knew what it was.
Only Boss Zhou could feel it. Warm to the touch. It was clearly food.
So he said calmly, “Since you had no other choice, you can come in with us. Just this once. There will not be a next time.”
“Of course! Please rest assured!”
Shang Da forced a smile and exchanged a glance with Feng An. Feng An did the same, smiling as he handed the food to Boss Zhou. Though there was a trace of reluctance in his heart, the thought that they would be able to sleep at the inn and eat at the restaurant every day for the next month quickly eased that small sense of loss.
The two of them followed the group back to the base without incident and headed straight for the Lower District.
In truth, they could have simply slipped in, tossed the flyers inside, and left immediately. Instead, they returned to the Lower District where they had always stayed.
The Lower District was filled entirely with ordinary people who had no abilities. From the moment they entered the base, they had been assigned there and strictly forbidden from going to the Upper District without permission.
Everyone here was struggling just to survive. With the mindset that saving even one person was worth it, Shang Da brought the flyers back with him.
Aside from the few who had gone with them earlier and already knew where the restaurant was, no one else had any idea. Even if someone tried to look for it on their own, they might take a wrong turn and never find it. So Shang Da came back to give them a sliver of hope.
Whether they could seize that opportunity was up to them. At the very least, Shang Da felt he had nothing on his conscience.
He and Feng An each pulled a stack of flyers from their clothes. “Everyone, listen. Take a look at what is written here. If you are interested, make sure you remember the restaurant’s location. This might be something that could save your life in the future.”
They did not dare raise their voices, so their progress was slow.
With all their attention focused on handing out the flyers, neither of them noticed that a man who had spotted them had already turned and quietly left the Lower District.