At that moment, a bald man emerged from the crowd, stood before her, and handed over a business card, flashing a smile that showed eight teeth—one of which was metallic. “Need security firm services?” he asked.
Xu San San, puzzled, took the card and looked at it.
Wow!
Shunfeng Security Firm!
Do they have logistics in the apocalypse too?
The bald man continued, “Miss, look, our Shunfeng Security Firm offers a wide range of services. Whether it’s the Wasteland, the City, or Free Missions, we provide an all-in-one service including Escort, Exchange, and Settlement. Of course, our services are diverse—we take both insured and uninsured jobs. How about it?”
Xu San San picked up on a few unfamiliar terms: “What do Free Missions include?”
The bald man replied, “Hey! No worries about that. We have channels for all Private Military Groups’ tasks and all VIP missions!”
“And what about this all-in-one service?”
“As soon as the Spaceship lands in the Base City, we can start providing Escort services. Of course, if you want it to start from the moment you board the Spaceship, that’s possible too, but it’ll cost extra. Rest assured, we guarantee that Contribution Points will be exchanged on the same day and transferred immediately!”
“Oh~~ So how do you charge?”
The bald man glanced around and whispered slyly, “That’s a trade secret. It varies case by case. But I can assure you, our Shunfeng services are the industry benchmark. Generally, we take a commission between 10% to 50%. It really depends on the specifics, you know?”
Xu San San nodded thoughtfully, then quickly shook her head. “Hmm! Sounds great! But I don’t really need it right now.”
The bald man didn’t mind, grinning as he took out his Optical Brain. “Not needing it now doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. How about adding me as a contact? You can reach out anytime you have a need!”
Xu San San thought, since she’d already added that girl named Tao Zi today, adding one more from a security firm wouldn’t hurt. So she took out her Optical Brain too.
“Beep. Already in contact list. Add again?”
The bald man was clearly taken aback, then smirked. “You’re pulling my leg! We’ve already made eye contact before?!”
Embarrassed, Xu San San withdrew her Optical Brain. It wasn’t her fault—who would have thought that “Jin Gui Feng” in her contacts was this bald man in front of her!
Jin Gui Feng probably also felt that his name lacked dignity, so he coughed twice. “Ahem, well, you can add a note. Just call me Chief Jin!”
Xu San San complied promptly, adding the note, though she still kept the “Gui Feng” part…
When making notes, it’s better to keep them as complete as possible.
She closed her Optical Brain and was about to put away the business card when Gui Feng stopped her.
Gui Feng smoothly took back the card and apologized with a smile, “Supplies are tight. Business cards are reused.”
Xu San San nodded thoughtfully once more, watching as Gui Feng, with his shiny bald head, went off to scout for the next client.
On the Spaceship, everyone guarded their spoils. Compared to many “big households,” the few plastic basins and cups on Xu San San’s Handcart seemed very inconspicuous.
And so, at 18:25, Xu San San finally returned home.
Passing through the fence and lifting the plastic sheet, Xu San San saw Xie Yuan weaving reed stalks by the sunlight filtering through.
Admittedly, the weaving technique was quite intricate, and the finished mat appeared thick and soft.
The temperature inside the room was also comfortable—it seemed Lao Qin hadn’t cheated her; the performance of this heat sink was indeed good.
Xu San San was very satisfied.
“Need to use the restroom?”
She was quite fixated on this matter.
Xie Yuan: …
Two minutes later, sitting on the public toilet seat, Xie Yuan deeply regretted why his legs hadn’t been the first to recover!
He had completely forgotten that even with functional legs, without the use of his hands, it would still be extremely difficult to accomplish this challenging task independently.
After using the restroom and fetching water, Xu San San finally began animatedly recounting the day’s thrilling experiences.
Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow, staring at the Nuclear Crystal in his hand, utterly astonished that she had managed to single-handedly kill an Infected and retrieve its Nuclear Crystal!
At that moment, he felt immensely relieved that he had casually mentioned the weaknesses and key tactics for defeating the Infected to her last night.
But then, a wave of fear washed over him—she had to go out Scavenging every day. With just that small knife of hers, she might have succeeded this time, but what about the next time, or the time after that?
Yet, the apocalypse was merciless—one either starved or fought. He had no right or ability to demand that Xu San San avoid dangerous areas.
Sigh. He slipped back into his daily cycle of self-reproach.
“By the way, I ran into someone from a Security Firm today. He mentioned Free Missions. Are there tasks other than Scavenging available at the Base?”
Xie Yuan explained, “Actually, as long as you have a Spaceship and a Temporary Protective Shield, you can move around freely.
It’s just that Spaceships are extremely expensive to build, and Temporary Protective Shields are even harder to come by—priceless, really. So ordinary people don’t have the means or resources to move freely, unless they’re part of a wealthy Private Soldier Squad or are rich individuals with connections…”
Xu San San nodded in understanding, then let out a sudden cry of frustration:
“Damn! Who stole my toothbrush?”
Only four toothbrushes remained in the small plastic basin where a bundle had been…
“Don’t get too upset. That’s just how it is on Spaceships—almost everyone has had something stolen… Besides, you used two toothbrushes as bait and managed to protect the important Nuclear Crystal!”
Xie Yuan’s consolation clearly had an effect. Xu San San reflected on this profound philosophical truth:
Indeed, one must give up something to gain something. You can’t have it all—you have to learn to prioritize what truly matters…
…
That evening, she roasted an entire giant egg for Xie Yuan, but he insisted on only eating half.
“You were injured today—by rights, you should have it all.”
Xu San San waved her hand dismissively:
“Mine are just superficial wounds. You’re the one who’s genuinely injured and disabled, okay.”
…
After several rounds of back-and-forth, they settled on Xu San San taking a quarter, with the rest going to Xie Yuan.
After they each finished washing up, night had fully fallen.
Just then, the Optical Brain issued the next day’s Scavenging announcement—it was already 21:00.
Xu San San asked, “What do you think we should do with that Nuclear Crystal?”
Xie Yuan replied, “It’s your spoils of war. You’ll have to decide for yourself.”
Xu San San shrugged helplessly, “But I don’t know what to do…”
Xie Yuan didn’t want to overstep: “In the apocalypse, it’s the rule—no one has the right to interfere with how others handle their spoils, especially when it comes to Nuclear Crystals.”
Xu San San persisted relentlessly: “We managed to kill that Infected smoothly today thanks to your guidance last night. So technically, this Nuclear Crystal should have your share too. Now can you tell me?”
Xie Yuan clenched his fist. After eating those three-quarters of an egg, he clearly felt the strength in his arm had greatly recovered. It’s just a pity that his legs still…
He considered himself incredibly fortunate to encounter such a girl during desperate times…
“You could consider exchanging it directly for Contribution Points, or keep it for now and use it when urgently needed later.”
Xu San San showed her money-loving side: “Then how many Contribution Points is it worth?”
“Hmm… around 500, but the exact amount depends on the test results.”
“Does the Yellow Nucleus Crystal have any special energy? Like healing properties or something?”
Xie Yuan shook his head in the darkness: “No, the Yellow Nucleus Crystal is just the most basic Energy Nucleus Crystal, typically used as fuel for large machinery like Spaceships.”
Xu San San closed her eyes and turned over: “Hmm… I see. Now that we have a house, though it’s still missing a main door, I want to go to the Wasteland tomorrow, so I won’t have time to visit the Exchange Office. How about we keep it at home for now? You can be responsible for guarding our supplies during the day and be my strategist at night…”
…
“Guard supplies… be a strategist…”
Is she really entrusting such important things to me? Does she have no sense of caution toward people?
“Huuu~~ Huuu~~ Huuu~~”
Xu San San had already fallen asleep, leaving Xie Yuan alone in the darkness with countless thoughts swirling in his mind…