Star Calendar 336, Flame Season Day 68, morning. Xu San San had just left Barracks 8-006.
The map showed the Refugee Camp wasn’t very large in area, but actually walking through it, she realized how naive she had been.
The Refugee Camp was divided into 9 districts, each with Barracks 001-009, making 81 barracks in total.
Each barracks covered at least 1,000 square meters, so touring the entire Refugee Camp would take at least 3-5 hours – an impossible task.
Xu San San crept into District 5, walking stealthily while secretly observing her surroundings, occasionally peeking through door cracks to check inside the barracks.
Strangely, from District 8 to District 5, she rarely saw any refugees moving about outside.
The barracks in District 8 were mostly filled with emaciated elderly people lying down, while Districts 5-7 barracks were nearly empty. The few people inside were either sleeping or constantly vigilant, watching their surroundings warily.
Probably because she hadn’t fully adapted to her new identity yet, Xu San San still subconsciously considered herself an outsider.
So… she… she didn’t want to be discovered by others.
When she sneaked up to a side door of a barracks in District 5, bent over with her bottom stuck out, squinting to look inside, she suddenly met a pair of fierce eyes.
They were a man’s eyes!
When the man detected the gaze from outside, he swiftly protected a bag behind him with one hand while grabbing a stone at his feet with the other, as if ready to attack the doorway at any moment.
Damn!
Xu San San stiffened, startled by the sudden eye contact. Without hesitation, she pulled back her head, dodged around the corner behind the outer wall, and quickly reached for the Surgical knife at her waist, preparing for a potential confrontation.
Though her movements were fierce and decisive, internally she kept repeating:
“Don’t be discovered, don’t be discovered…”
But heaven seldom fulfills our wishes – the more you don’t want something, the more likely it is to happen.
“What are you doing! Sneaking around!”
A Guard Team Member in blue Training uniform happened to pass behind Xu San San. Seeing her hiding and skulking about, looking suspicious, he promptly stopped her.
Crap! Such bad luck!
Xu San San cursed her unfortunate start.
She awkwardly turned around, forcing a smile uglier than a ghost’s, and explained:
“N-no, I, I sprained my ankle, so walking, is a bit…”
The Guard Team Member before her seemed to only want to scare her a little, without any real intention of causing trouble.
He scanned Xu San San up and down, then waved her away:
“Must have too much time on your hands. Already living in the Refugee Camp, yet still wandering around outside with nothing better to do. Don’t you know to conserve energy…”
Xu San San gave herself full marks for her quick thinking, though her slightly trembling legs betrayed her panicked state.
After the Guard Team Member left and she confirmed the man from the barracks hadn’t chased her out, she finally exhaled in relief.
It seemed she had been too careless – being overly sneaky had instead aroused suspicion and alertness.
Don’t make eye contact with strangers!
Xu San San quickly learned from the experience, adjusted her strategy, and decided to temporarily conclude today’s reconnaissance of the Refugee Camp.
To maintain the newly established persona, she had no choice but to limp toward the southern gate of the Base.
The sun past 9 a.m. was scorching, and she had already broken into a sweat on her forehead after walking only a short distance.
Was this the climate of this world’s Flame Season?
Checking the alert on her Bracelet, it was already over 35 degrees. If it continued to heat up like this, wouldn’t it be unbearable by noon?!
Xu San San glanced uneasily at the sun overhead, then followed the sunlight and gazed into the distance.
A few hundred meters away, a metallic city wall shimmering with a cold gleam stood tall. Above the wall, a faint, almost imperceptible white light shield enveloped the world within.
So this was the Base City!
Staring at the colossal structure before her, she couldn’t help but marvel inwardly:
So vast, one pot couldn’t possibly hold it all…
Ahem…
The white light shield above reflected a dazzling array of colors under the sunlight, creating a stark contrast with the dark gray metal wall below.
The light shield emitted a soft glow in all directions, growing fainter the farther it extended, until it completely vanished three kilometers outside the Base.
It seemed this light shield was the protective barrier the Base relied on for survival.
She quietly drew this conclusion in her mind.
Since she had no intention of further exploring the environment, Xu San San chose the shortest route and soon arrived at the southern gate of the Base.
The southern gate was massive, wide enough for four to five trucks to pass through simultaneously.
At the gate, military trucks occasionally came and went, their thick metal armor layers looking incredibly sturdy.
Xu San San withdrew her envious gaze and turned her attention to the paths beside the gate.
Among them were some simple and primitive tools, such as open-air tricycles and the handcarts she was particularly familiar with…
Contrary to her expectations, there were no armed guards stationed at the gate. The flow of pedestrians was sparse, with few leaving the city and even fewer entering.
However, most of those entering the city came from the same direction—the Shantytown.
Some wore cool cloaks, hiding themselves completely; others donned large woven straw hats and wrapped scarves tightly around their faces, leaving only their eyes exposed.
People like her, dressed in tatters, carrying nothing, and almost completely unarmed, were few and far between.
After observing the gate for a few minutes, Xu San San imitated the others and waved her right hand as she approached the entrance. A “beep” sounded, and a mechanical voice came from her Bracelet:
“Entry permitted!”
It seemed that with an Optical Brain, one could freely enter and exit this Base City.
Xu San San felt relieved by this discovery and quickly followed a passerby ahead, striding into the Base City.
According to the map, the area immediately adjacent to the southern gate should be Outer City Zone Z.
The exact boundaries of Zone Z were unclear, but based on what she saw, Xu San San felt she had finally returned to familiar territory.
Unlike the refugee camp barracks outside the city, everything here felt incredibly comforting to her.
Lined along the city wall were rows of low-rise buildings made of cement and stone bricks, the tallest no more than six stories high, the shortest only two.
Next to the buildings was a small street. Though not as wide as the main street leading directly to the southern gate, it was perfectly suitable for vehicle traffic.
Across the narrow street stood similar low-rise buildings, likely running parallel to the city wall and encircling the entire Base in a full ring.
Some structures bore signs, while others were completely bare, devoid of any markings.
Those with signs typically had partially open storefronts on the ground floor, presumably shops set up for business.
This was practically a small town in the making!
Xu San San felt a surge of excitement, as if her future had suddenly brightened!
She completely forgot the predicament of being unable to afford rent and facing forced eviction from the Base later that day.
It had to be said, the transportation planning within the city was quite convenient—every few clusters of buildings, a road perpendicular to the small street led toward the center of the Base.
The closer one looked toward the Base’s center, the taller the buildings became, and the construction materials seemed to exude an increasingly futuristic, technological vibe.
The Base had a large radius, and Xu San San stood on tiptoe, straining to get a clear view of the center.
Yet, the distant buildings always appeared indistinct—the deeper she looked, the blurrier they became, as if a thin veil deliberately obscured her vision.
Fortunately, she had no intention of probing further. With just one life to her name, it was wiser to keep a low profile as a newcomer.
Firmly adhering to the principle “the less you know, the longer you live,” she strolled along the small street for only a short while before heading straight to her rental unit, Z-7-4566.
Following the map’s guidance, she arrived at a six-story concrete building.
The building’s exterior was remarkably plain, featuring nothing but a central main entrance and a few small windows on each floor.
The main door didn’t appear to be locked. On a whim, Xu San San stepped forward and casually waved her right hand in the air.
With a “beep,” the door slid open.
Inside, she was met with a stairwell and a corridor lined with rooms on both sides. Thankfully, each door was marked with a room number. She quickly deciphered the numbering pattern, made her way to the fourth floor, and found 7-4566 at the end of the hallway.
Even before opening the door, a pungent, sour stench assaulted her senses.
Well, it was directly opposite the public restroom.
Though the smell was overpowering, it was certainly convenient…
Xu San San repeated the earlier motion, using her Bracelet to unlock the door to 7-4566.
The room was a cramped cubicle of less than 10 square meters. The small window was shut tight, and the dusty air inside quickly mingled with the fermented odor from the corridor.
“Ugh!”
An indescribable discomfort made her retch dryly a few times.
She hurriedly closed the door and opened the window, finally catching her breath enough to survey the room’s contents.
Well… there wasn’t much to speak of—
The only sizable item was a single folding bed positioned opposite the window.
On the bed lay a tattered straw mattress, topped with a faded, washed-out blanket.
Beneath the bed was a pile of miscellaneous items.
In the corner diagonally across from the folding bed stood a severely discolored plastic bucket with frayed edges. On top of the bucket rested an equally weathered plastic basin, inside which were a metal lunchbox dented from repeated impacts and two empty plastic bottles.
Aside from a patched cloth bag hanging behind the door, these appeared to be the previous tenant’s entire possessions.
While not exactly destitute, it was undoubtedly a picture of utter poverty.
Sighing heavily, she walked over to the small bed, crouched down, and pulled out the clutter from underneath to inspect it.
Amidst the clutter, Xu San San unearthed five large metal plates, six metal pipes, and several sheets of fairly flexible plastic tarps.
It seemed the previous occupant had already prepared to move out and set up a tent outside.
Beyond that, she was pleasantly surprised to discover a flatbed cart over a meter long hidden under the bed!
The cart was small, with tiny wheels less than 10 centimeters in diameter.
Though it was essentially just a thick metal plate with four wheels attached, tying it to the nearby hemp rope made it perfectly functional!
Who would have thought the previous occupant was a vehicle owner!
Xu San San was overjoyed, pulling the cart back and forth several times in the small room. Only after expressing great satisfaction did she conclude this thrilling “test drive.”
Fortunately, each floor had a water room next to the stairwell, providing both drinking water and utility water.
Carrying an empty plastic bottle, she filled it completely and gulped down more than half in one go.
Clearing her throat, she finally regained her voice properly.
Since there were no spare clothes to change into in the previous occupant’s room, Xu San San fetched a large bucket of water, fished out a rough small towel from the large cloth bag behind the door, and washed herself from head to toe. She then scrubbed the clothes she had changed out of and hung them to dry directly below the window before noon.
After all the busywork, she finally wrapped herself in a small blanket and collapsed onto the folding bed.
Hmm, the straw mat was a bit prickly, but at least it was soft…
The Bracelet’s alarm woke the person on the bed at 4:30 p.m.
The clothes drying under the window were already dry and slightly warm to the touch.
After changing into the dried clothes, Xu San San began packing up.
There wasn’t much to pack, really.
She placed the metal plates on the cart, set the plastic basin under the plastic bucket, inserted the metal pipes into the bucket, folded and rolled the small blanket into the straw mat, wrapped it all in the plastic tarp, and stuffed it into the bucket. Then, she folded up the folding bed, placed it on the metal plates, slung the cloth pouch over her shoulder, and was ready to move out.
The whole process took less than 10 minutes.
Just as she enthusiastically pulled the cart out of Room 7-4566, her Bracelet suddenly emitted a “beep-beep-beep” warning:
“Warning!
The tenant has no right to remove the bed from the room!
Please return it within 30 seconds!
29…28…27…”
Holy crap!
So the folding bed actually belonged to the landlord?!