PSW - Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Host: Zheng Yi
Saint Points: 41
Inventory Slots: 6
Special Abilities: Water/Healing (Beginner)
After being out for nearly a month, Zheng Yi's Saint Points had barely increased in the latter half. After all, each person could only contribute Saint Points three times a month. No matter how devout they were, the total wouldn't be much after the points were halved.
Zheng Yi reviewed her records and was a little speechless to find that the few words she had said to Yu Yinan back then had also been judged by the system as a saintly act, earning her one Saint Point.
What, was being a psychological counselor also part of a Saint's duties?
If she didn't hate doing it so much, she could probably open a free counseling office in the shelter. The apocalyptic upheaval had likely left many people struggling to adjust their mindsets, and they were in desperate need of psychological support. With one Saint Point from each person, and since it would be free, she could probably talk from morning till night, raking in Saint Points like crazy. After all, there was no monthly limit in that line of work.
Of course, given Zheng Yi's temper, if some people proved impossible to counsel, she might get frustrated and want to use physical counseling, and before breaking character, she'd kill… ah, no, she'd provide free, obligatory salvation.
Upon arriving near the shelter, Zheng Yi put the motorcycle away. She and Yu Yinan then walked into the shelter on foot, presenting their ID cards for verification. Afterward, they went straight to the mission center to turn in their cleanup missions.
Zheng Yi didn't ask for any contribution points. She still had over three hundred, and with no other expenses, the occasional three-point meal at the cafeteria was more than enough. In contrast, Yu Yinan had spent her contribution points down to just seventy, with almost no other income.
Yu Yinan wanted to refuse, but when her eyes met Zheng Yi's, she didn't know how to speak. Zheng Yi simply took the ID card from her hand, passed it to the front desk, and quickly explained how the contribution points should be allocated.
The reward for clearing nearby areas was 40 contribution points, but for the border areas between Pujie and other cities, it was increased to 50. Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi had taken on almost all the cleanup missions, leaving other squads with nothing to do for a long time. Fortunately, after the heavy rain, the shelter introduced squad patrol missions. These were also divided by area, but the reward was reduced to 20 contribution points.
Patrolling involved monitoring areas that had already been cleared, so the safety level was much higher. Even ordinary people, if they were bold enough, could accept the missions. Although the reward was lower, it was very popular among squads with average strength.
After all the missions were tallied and paid out, Yu Yinan instantly received 1,280 contribution points. She was suddenly rich.
As for the map bounty, Yu Yinan planned to give the address directly to Chu Yi and settle the payment then. If she added that three hundred, the total earnings from this trip would be 1,580 contribution points.
In that case, Yu Yinan's contribution points would reach the high sum of 1,656.
"Didn't we find some supplies during our missions? Why don't we turn some of them in for contribution points? That way, we'd have two thousand, enough to buy a car." Almost as soon as she finished calculating her income, Yu Yinan turned to Zheng Yi with a serious expression as they walked out of the mission center.
"It's not just because you like it. The safety and performance of that sedan really can't compare to a modified car. Aren't we going to leave the shelter later?" As if anticipating that Zheng Yi would be quicker to refuse if she said it was for her, Yu Yinan earnestly stated her thoughts, analyzing the pros and cons.
"No need. We'll have a car in a few days." Zheng Yi wasn't very interested. In a few days, the Saint Points progress would refresh. Yu Yinan alone could provide 30 points, and with her current balance, buying a modified car from the system store would be more than enough. "You can browse the stalls. If you see anything you like, just buy it." Perhaps because they were walking on the street, Zheng Yi's tone was relatively pleasant.
…Why would they have a car in a few days? Yu Yinan was silent for a moment, guessing it had something to do with Zheng Yi's ability. She looked at Zheng Yi. "So, in a few days, do I need to make offerings… worship… have faith in you?" She tried a couple of different words, but they still didn't feel quite right.
[She catches on quick,] Zero One couldn't help but remark.
"Of course. I'll be counting on you then, Jiejie~" Zheng Yi pressed her palms together and gave Yu Yinan a playful bow, looking utterly goofy and cute.
"…" Even knowing it was a facade, Yu Yinan's heart softened. She thought she was probably a lost cause. But strangely, even knowing the malicious nature that lay beneath this disguise, she no longer felt a great sense of contrast or dissonance. The disguised Zheng Yi was also a part of Zheng Yi… right? "I'm going to find Chu Yi to give her the map. Do you want to come?"
Chu Yi? Zheng Yi waved her hand. Now that Yu Yinan knew the truth, her interactions with her felt different than before. It wouldn't be good if Chu Yi noticed something. "You go ahead. I'm going to the cafeteria."
"Okay." Yu Yinan said, then paused before adding, "I've been eating your food and drinking your water… Now that I finally have so many contribution points, I'll see if I can buy some vegetables or frozen meat later?"
"They're your contribution points, you don't have to ask me." Even if such things were for sale, they would surely be exorbitantly priced. The heavy rain before should have allowed the shelter to harvest a crop of vegetables and grains, right? They were probably for sale, but it just wasn't cost-effective to buy them with contribution points.
But since they weren't staying here long anyway, spending them was fine. It was still a better deal than spending Saint Points on such things.
Yu Yinan took that as Zheng Yi's agreement. She smiled, feeling that this new way of interacting with Zheng Yi was also quite nice.
Yu Yinan had Chu Yi's address. When she didn't see her in the small ability user registration room, she went directly to her home and knocked politely.
"Who is it?"
"Yu Yinan, here to deliver the map," Yu Yinan answered formally. The door was immediately opened. Chu Yi stood there with messy hair, wearing a short-sleeved pajama set. Since she wasn't wearing her glasses, she had to squint at Yu Yinan for a couple of seconds before stepping aside to let her in.
"You two are really efficient. You've turned in all the cleanup missions too?" She yawned, went back to her room to put on her glasses, and then came out. "Your sister isn't with you?"
"She went to the cafeteria to get some congee," Yu Yinan said softly, handing over the meticulously drawn map of Pujie. It had special notations for certain places, like the hospital teeming with zombies and Sugui Mountain, where mutated plants grew.
"A mountain… right. Even the newly sprouted apple trees in the planting area could uproot themselves and run away. How could a mountain forest that used to be a tourist spot not be dangerous." Chu Yi looked at the notations. Yu Yinan had marked out each small area according to the Humanity's Light Shelter's divisions, making the map very convenient to read. Once the map was distributed, if a problem arose in a certain area, it could easily be reported using the area number. "Fortunately, Pujie doesn't have many mountain forests." Not many rivers passed through Pujie either, and it wasn't near the coast. As for the artificial lakes in some parts of the city, even if the ornamental fish in them mutated, they probably wouldn't be that powerful.
"The contribution points will be transferred to your account later," Chu Yi said, yawning again. "I'll make a few copies of the map first and then look it over slowly. The higher-ups will review it too. As for the share of contribution points from its future sale and distribution, I'll probably send it to you once a month. I'll also keep a copy of the revenue details. If you want to check them, you can just come find me."
"Thank you for your hard work!" She patted Yu Yinan's shoulder with genuine sincerity. "Are you going to the cafeteria to find your sister later? Wait for me a bit, I'll change and walk down with you, see you off."
Yu Yinan wanted to say that most of the credit belonged to Zheng Yi, but she was afraid that saying so would be detrimental to Zheng Yi's persona and cause her trouble. So, she remained quiet and, after hearing Chu Yi out, simply said, "Okay."
Chu Yi went back to her room to change and came out quickly. The pajamas had been replaced with a white shirt and jeans, giving her a casual look. She put on a pair of white sneakers at the door and left with Yu Yinan.
"You know Zhu Lanyuan, right? After you and your sister left on your two-person mission, Grandma Xu was invited to temporarily join Zhu Lanyuan's squad for an expedition." Chu Yi remembered this and mentioned it to Yu Yinan, since Xu Lanjun had been with them on their last mission. Before Grandma Xu left, she had also asked Chu Yi to pass on the message. "Zhu Lanyuan is the captain of that missing squad. Two of her original members died."
"It was our mission that we didn't take Grandma Xu on. Speaking of which, it was my fault." Yu Yinan didn't mind such things; it wasn't like a squad had to be tied together for every single mission. As for Zhu Lanyuan and her team… Yu Yinan lowered her eyes in thought, then asked curiously, "Did Zhu Lanyuan and her team kill someone while they were out?"
Chu Yi raised an eyebrow, surprised that Yu Yinan knew about that gossip. Then again, Yu Yinan and her sister had still been in the shelter at the time, so it was normal for them to know. Which ability user didn't? She smiled. "They aren't cruel people. A small conflict wouldn't lead them to kill. However, that man who went crazy did go missing outside for over a week. Maybe he had bad luck and ran into some other kind of accident."
Yu Yinan gave Chu Yi a deep look, somehow sensing a hint of Zheng Yi in her explanation. After a moment's thought, she too spoke with sincerity, "Perhaps some other ability user, zombie, or mutated beast couldn't bear to see him continue suffering in the wasteland, so they delivered him to salvation."
Chu Yi couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing. As she laughed, she patted Yu Yinan's shoulder. "You're absolutely right. Once he's been missing a little longer, I'll write that down as the reason."
"Do the other higher-ups really not care?" Laughter aside, Yu Yinan was still curious about the attitude of the shelter's leadership.
"What is there to care about? The shelter doesn't currently have the power to suppress and manage every conflict between ability users. Intervening rashly could easily make us the bad guy, pleasing no one," Chu Yi shrugged. "The fact that the rule against killing inside the shelter can be enforced is already pretty good. These things… will probably need more time to develop. At the very least, we need to wait until everyone is settled and no longer struggling for survival before we can make further improvements."
"This is far enough. I won't walk you any further." Just as they exited the dormitory building, Chu Yi waved her hand. She had the map and needed to go make copies to give one to each of the higher-ups. They would also need to send people out to test the map's accuracy, which naturally wouldn't be posted as a mission for ability user squads.
Yu Yinan waved back, about to say goodbye to Chu Yi. Suddenly, a dark figure flashed by on the roadside. Before Yu Yinan could even react, the person dropped to their knees with a thud. Without a word, they kowtowed forcefully several times, their head hitting the ground with audible thumps. When they looked up, blood from their forehead was streaming down their nose, smearing their face.
Get instant access to all the chapters now.
Comments
Post a Comment