PSW - Chapter 150
Chapter 150
Yan'an actually showed signs of human activity. The place had been picked clean; almost no supplies remained. Even recyclable metal and furniture had been stripped from the buildings. On the other hand, this made the area extremely safe. There were no mutated beasts or zombies. The only thing that might frighten someone was the eerie silence of the empty streets if they were traveling alone.
Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan rested there for a night before driving directly into Changping the next day.
The captain of the Dawn Research Institute's... special squad, Chi Heqing? Zheng Yi wondered if her squad had returned to Changping or if they were still out searching. But given their protective suits and equipment, even if they found a meteor fragment, they probably couldn't get close to it, let alone take it with them.
As she pondered this, Zheng Yi observed the architecture of Changping. Before the apocalypse, the city must have had a very modern look, with skyscrapers soaring into the sky, some likely reaching fifty stories high.
It was clear that no earthquakes or other natural disasters had struck here during the apocalypse; all the buildings were remarkably well-preserved. Although the entrance to the city was unguarded, there were simple barricades in place.
However, after turning a street corner, they were met by several ability users in uniform rushing toward them. They seemed to be a squad, and their coordination was seamless. They didn't immediately attack the modified vehicle. Instead, they drew out trees from both sides of the road, extending their branches to block the vehicle's path.
"May I ask why you two have come to Changping?" one of the ability users called out loudly. "If you have no specific business, you can take the small road to the west to get back on the main route. The old highway can still take you to other cities."
"Just a little further ahead is our Changping's Dawn Base. Many ability users and ordinary people have gathered there. If you wish to visit, we can escort you."
Compared to Yongdu, Changping certainly had the proper way of welcoming guests.
"Excuse me, is Chi Heqing in the base?" Zheng Yi offered a sweet, brilliant, and utterly harmless smile. She rolled down the window and leaned out slightly. The golden sunlight caught the tips of her hair, casting a dreamlike glow around her.
It truly left the ability users stunned for a moment.
"I believe she is... Ms. Chi Heqing, the special squad captain from the Dawn Research Institute?"
After Zheng Yi slowly added Chi Heqing's details, the ability users snapped out of their daze. "We know her. You're here to see Captain Chi?"
Before Zheng Yi could answer, they exchanged a look, thought for a moment, and said, "How about we lead you to the base first so you can rest? As for Captain Chi's whereabouts... she was definitely in the base a few days ago, but as for today... we'll have to check once we get back."
It seemed Chi Heqing had returned. That made sense. Supplies were limited out in the Wasteland. After surviving periods of extreme heat and cold, it was only natural to return to resupply, consolidate information, and report back, regardless of what they had found. Zheng Yi wondered if they had learned anything about the other meteor fragments.
"Okay, thank you for your trouble~" Zheng Yi said sweetly before pulling her head back inside the car. These ability users weren't driving a typical four-wheeled vehicle on their patrol; they were using two-wheeled electric scooters.
Seeing that Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan had agreed, the wood-type ability user decisively retracted his power. Then, with two people per scooter, they trustingly led the way for Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan.
The main gate of the Dawn Base was quite similar to that of Humanity's Light. Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan got out of the car outside the gate and, for convenience, stored the modified vehicle directly into her space. With her current power level, there was no need to deliberately hide her abilities. A certain amount of exposure would actually make it easier to get information about the meteor fragments from Chi Heqing.
The ability users who had led them there were slightly taken aback when they saw Zheng Yi effortlessly store the vehicle, but they didn't ask about her abilities. They simply guided them into the base. "Here, if you two are just looking for someone, you can fill out this simple registration form for our records."
"If you don't want to reveal too much, you can leave the ability section blank."
Zheng Yi took the form and pen and glanced over it. The required information was very simple, not much different from the form she had filled out when entering Humanity's Light: name, gender, age, abilities...
Zheng Yi filled everything out truthfully. When she got to the ability section, her eyes flickered slightly as she wrote down "Water-type," "Healing," and "Storage Space."
"Feel free to look around, just don't enter any guarded areas. Those tallest buildings over there are for residents. If you want to rest, you can go to the one with the red notice board by the entrance on the first floor. You just need to pay with a certain amount of food, water, or other resources." They didn't look at the two registration forms, simply handing them to one person to deliver to the person in charge of ability user entry and exit. Another person gave Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan a brief introduction to Changping before taking his leave. "We still have patrol duties to complete, so we won't stay. We wish you a smooth visit."
The squad of ability users seemed to have only intended to escort them. After bringing them into the base and having them register, they showed no intention of lingering. They quickly got back on their electric scooters and returned to their post to continue their patrol.
"Changping... seems to be developing very well," Yu Yinan couldn't help but murmur as she watched them leave. She looked at the surrounding buildings, thought for a moment, and took Zheng Yi's hand. "Should we walk around? Get familiar with the buildings and different areas?"
"Mhm," Zheng Yi agreed. "And find out the prices here while we're at it."
Had Changping not introduced a currency like contribution points? She recalled the ability users mentioning payment with food, water, or other resources. When it came to "water," she had a virtually endless supply. Even if water wasn't very valuable and she had to provide a large quantity, it wouldn't be a problem.
If Chi Heqing was in the Changping base, she would likely hear of their arrival and come to see them soon. If she wasn't... that wasn't a big issue either. Once Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan familiarized themselves with the place, they could easily enter the Dawn Research Institute and have a forceful two-on-one chat with its director.
"Paying rent with water?" In a room on the first floor of the residential building with the red sign, the person in charge showed no surprise at Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan's request. He simply stated calmly, "That will depend on how many days you wish to stay and on which floor." Changping didn't have electricity 24/7. While the elevators in the high-rises were functional, they only operated during specific hours. If you wanted to go downstairs at any other time and happened to live on the fortieth or fiftieth floor...
Even for an ability user, unless they had a special ability that allowed them to descend directly, climbing all those stairs would be exhausting.
"Are there any vacant rooms on the second floor?" Zheng Yi asked with a smile. "A one-bedroom with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom would be fine."
The person in charge couldn't help but give the two newcomers a few extra glances, thinking to himself that this was the first time he'd heard such a specific request. "Let me see... Yes, there is one. But the price will be a bit higher. How many days would you like to stay?"
"Let's rent it for a week first."
"So that's seven days." He did a quick calculation, then turned his wrist to check his watch. "Perfect, the power is still on. For a one-week rental, you just need to fill the thirty-five-cubic-meter water tank on the roof. You can fill five cubic meters a day, or you can choose to pay a portion with other resources."
Thirty-five cubic meters!
Yu Yinan was dumbfounded. Even Humanity's Light wasn't this outrageous!
But on second thought, she figured it might be because the floor was low and they had specific layout requirements. Sure enough, the man continued, "The higher the floor, the lower the price. A studio or a shared apartment would be even cheaper."
But thirty-five cubic meters was truly no problem for the current Zheng Yi. After all, making it rain was a trivial matter for her now. She smiled faintly. "Then I'll have to trouble you to show us the way. I'll pay for all the water today."
No matter how experienced the housing administrator was, he was momentarily stunned by Zheng Yi's words. Did she mean... she was going to create thirty-five cubic meters of water in one go?
In the entire Changping base, not a single water-type ability user would dare make such a boast! Forget thirty-five, even fifteen cubic meters would be a major strain for them.
But the young woman's eyes were curved in a smile, and though she didn't exude any particular aura, it was clear from her expression that she wasn't joking. The administrator was at a loss for a moment but quickly composed himself. "It's no trouble, this is my job. In that case, please follow me." He first took a set of keys from a drawer, then went to a back room and knocked, finding someone to take over for him before leading Zheng Yi and Yu Yinan to the elevator.
Fifty-two floors.
Yu Yinan held Zheng Yi's hand as they stepped into the elevator, feeling the slight sense of weightlessness as the small space ascended. She never thought she'd have the chance to ride an elevator again after the apocalypse. "Has this elevator ever malfunctioned?"
"We have dedicated maintenance technicians who perform routine checks every day," the administrator explained. "There have been malfunctions, but they've only ever gotten stuck midway and were repaired quickly. There have never been any casualties."
"Doesn't Changping have something like contribution points or another form of currency?" Zheng Yi asked curiously. "Is it all just bartering?"
"Our base does have contribution points, which can be used to exchange for other resources. It's just that bartering is more convenient for everyday transactions," the administrator said. "Compared to contribution points, food, water, and other supplies that people might need provide a greater sense of security. Of course, crops grown or water produced by the base, as well as electricity consumption, must be paid for with contribution points." It was just that people were accustomed to hoarding supplies and only exchanging them for contribution points when necessary.
"As for the rent, the base considered that some compatriots from afar might not plan to stay in Changping, so exchanging with resources is obviously more convenient and reassuring for everyone."
Zheng Yi nodded slightly.
The elevator rose without stopping and soon reached the top floor. The administrator led them around a corner and up a flight of stairs, pushing open a metal door to the rooftop.
"This is the residential water tank for this building." He dutifully recorded the current water level, pointed out the mark on the gauge corresponding to thirty-five cubic meters for Zheng Yi, and then stood obediently to the side. "You may begin."
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