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The base was vast, resembling a comprehensive small town. Rows of neatly arranged houses came into view, including single-story homes, two-story buildings, and small villas, evenly distributed throughout the area. The survivors each had their roles, some hurrying about, others leisurely moving through the streets.
It had to be said—for humans to have the ability to establish such a base was truly remarkable.
Along the way, Zhong Xiaofeng introduced the entirety of the Crimson Base to Jiang Ci, pointing out the residential areas, the marketplace, the mission hall, and other facilities, all of which were well-developed and interconnected.
Standing from a high vantage point, Jiang Ci couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
She was now in Zhong Xiaofeng’s personal residence, which also served as the meeting place for the Blaze Squad. The third floor was Zhong Xiaofeng’s private bedroom, the entire second floor had been converted into a training room, and the first floor was a living room and kitchen.
“The base leader isn’t at the base right now and won’t be back until tomorrow,” Zhong Xiaofeng said, assuming that was the purpose of Jiang Ci’s visit.
“No problem, I’m just here to distribute flyers,” Jiang Ci said without concealing anything, directly pulling out a thick stack of flyers from her backpack. “It’s also a good chance for me to go out for a walk.”
In the entire post-apocalyptic world, perhaps only Jiang Ci could make going out sound as casual as taking a stroll.
Zhong Xiaofeng took the flyers from Jiang Ci and glanced at them, immediately saying, “Simple, I’ll have someone distribute them for you. If you want to go to other bases to hand them out, I can take you there too.”
“No need, let’s just do it at the Crimson Base for now. I’ll visit the other bases next time,” Jiang Ci replied. There was still plenty of time, and the hotpot shop couldn’t be left unattended for so long. She would visit other bases when she had another mission.
Zhong Xiaofeng nodded, then asked Jiang Ci to sit for a while before stepping out, taking the flyers from Jiang Ci’s hands with her.
When she returned, the flyers were nowhere to be seen.
“I had someone help distribute them. Are you hungry? I’ll go get some nutrient solutions for you to try,” Zhong Xiaofeng said, already heading for the door.
“I’ll go with you,” Jiang Ci stood up and followed Zhong Xiaofeng out of the villa.
The survivors were somewhat curious about Jiang Ci, and some who had been to the hotpot store recognized her, greeting her with excitement.
Jiang Ci turned and saw Zhou Lin, Xu Yan, and Gu Qi approaching from the direction of the gate, likely having just returned from outside.
“Boss, what brings you to our base? Is the shop not open today?” The three of them were clearly delighted.
Seeing them, Jiang Ci also smiled. After all, they were store’s very first customers and had visited several times, making them familiar faces. She felt quite warm seeing them again.
“I’m here to promote the hotpot store,” Jiang Ci explained briefly.
“You didn’t have to come personally. We could’ve spread the word, and I’m sure many would’ve rushed to visit,” Zhou Lin said. He had actually thought about helping Jiang Ci promote the shop before but wasn’t sure if she’d approve, so he held off on the idea. Later, he got tied up with missions.
“It’s fine. I thought I’d come and take a look,” Jiang Ci replied, though in her mind, she thought, I have no choice. The system’s task forced me to come.
“That’s true. Staying in the hotpot store every day must get boring. Stay at the base for a couple of days and have some fun. We’ll go turn in our mission and then come find you,” Zhou Lin said without waiting for Jiang Ci’s response, hurrying off with the other two. They carried large, bulging backpacks, likely filled with items from their mission.
“They’re always so lively,” Zhong Xiaofeng said with a laugh. “Let’s go, we’ll head to the cafeteria first.”
As they walked, Zhong Xiaofeng chatted with Jiang Ci, her tone friendly but not overly ingratiating. Jiang Ci enjoyed talking with her.
Although it was called a cafeteria, the area wasn’t very large, with only three windows. Previously, each window sold nutrient solutions, but now they also offered the mineral water purchased from Jiang Ci’s shop, priced at one third-level crystal per bottle. It wasn’t too expensive.
“We’ve stocked some in the cafeteria, with a limit of one bottle per person. The sales numbers have been looking great. We’ll probably need to restock from your shop soon,” Zhong Xiaofeng said.
Regarding the price increase, Zhong Xiaofeng was quite straightforward. Zhong Chu managed the entire base and wasn’t running a charity, so she needed the crystal cores to maintain operations. Plus, the markup wasn’t excessive either.
Nutrient solutions also varied in price. The expensive ones came in different flavors, such as apple, banana, and rose, while the cheaper ones had only one flavor.
Seeing Jiang Ci’s curiosity, Zhong Xiaofeng bought her a bottle of each flavor.
The nutrient solutions were stored in small glass bottles, appearing thick and viscous. Different flavors were tinted with corresponding colors, making it hard for Jiang Ci to imagine their taste.
Taking the apple flavored solution, she first brought it to her nose and sniffed, confirming there wasn’t any strange odor.
After the system confirmed it would have no adverse effects on her body, she finally took a sip from the glass bottle.
As soon as the nutrient solution entered her mouth, Jiang Ci’s face scrunched up. How should she describe it? This apple flavored nutrient solution had nothing to do with apples. The texture was like thick phlegm or snot, and Jiang Ci couldn’t quite put her experience into words. All she knew was that it was incredibly hard to drink, with an inexplicable fragrance, as if some out-of-place perfume had been mixed in.
Seeing Jiang Ci’s delicate face contort, Zhong Xiaofeng laughed. She opened a bottle of rose flavored nutrient solution and downed it in one go. It used to be her favorite flavor, but perhaps because they had just enjoyed a hotpot meal with fresh and delicious ingredients, this nutrient solution—which they had grown accustomed to—now tasted unpleasant.
Jiang Ci recapped the bottle after taking a sip. As someone from another world with normal eating habits, she simply couldn’t accept this strange taste.
Seeing this, Zhong Xiaofeng directly took the bottle from her hand. “If you can’t get used to it, don’t force yourself. I’ll keep it as a midnight snack.”
“But I already drank from it,” Jiang Ci said, feeling a bit embarrassed.
“What’s the big deal? At a time like this, who cares about such things?” Zhong Xiaofeng waved her hand, completely unfazed.
After leaving the cafeteria, Zhong Xiaofeng took Jiang Ci to the nearby mission hall.
The mission hall was a two-story building. Accepting and turning in missions were handled in separate areas. There were quite a few people inside, and Jiang Ci even spotted Zhou Lin and his two companions among the crowd.
Jiang Ci also took a look at the mission acceptance area. There was a large whiteboard with rows of locations and mission details written on it.
Next to it was a hand-drawn map, much rougher than the one the system had given Jiang Ci, but still recognizable as a map of this world.
When someone accepted a mission, its details would be erased and replaced with new content.
Some missions were issued by the base authorities, while others were posted by individuals, with private missions clearly marked.
Survivors gathered around the whiteboard, discussing with their teammates which missions to take. The rewards varied widely, ranging from crystal cores to food, medical supplies, and more.
Everything seemed new and fascinating to Jiang Ci, her eyes filled with curiosity.
The survivors on the mission completion side looked much more disheveled, many of them injured, but their expressions were noticeably more relaxed.
After Zhou Lin and his two companions completed their mission, they joined Jiang Ci and Zhong Xiaofeng. The four of them took Jiang Ci on a tour of the base. The mission had been completed early, and by evening, Jiang Ci bid them farewell, ready to return to the hotpot restaurant.
Zhong Xiaofeng wanted her to stay the night, but Jiang Ci declined. She had had enough fun outside, and since the mission was done, it was time to go back. Earning money still made her feel more secure.
Zhong Xiaofeng and Zhou Lin’s group escorted Jiang Ci all the way to the gate. They watched as she took a foldable electric scooter out of her backpack, waved at them, and rode off into the distance.
It took Zhou Lin and the other two a while to regain their composure. “Sister Zhong, what kind of person is the Boss? She’s like Doraemon, always having all sorts of strange and wonderful things.”
In truth, Zhong Xiaofeng was also very curious about this question, but she simply waved her hand. “Don’t ask. Just remember not to offend her and try to win her over. Who knows, we might just be able to buy other things from Boss Jiang in the future.”
Having completed her task and spent a day out, Jiang Ci walked contentedly towards the hotpot restaurant.
*
pls do not share this anywhere or u will always stub ur toe when u walk past a door frame !! this translation has been stolen from mioscorner.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
Meanwhile, at the Black Eagle Base on the other side of the city, news of Zong Tao’s death had spread quickly throughout the base that day.
Since Zong Tao had left the base many days ago without any news, his brother Zong Hai had temporarily taken over as base leader.
When Zong Hai learned that Zong Tao had died in front of a hotpot restaurant, his mind immediately started working.
In fact, Zong Tao’s death was good news for Zong Hai. Everyone wanted to be the base leader, and if it weren’t for Zong Tao’s superior combat skills and extreme, crazy personality, Zong Hai wouldn’t have been content to remain as a mere subordinate. But now that Zong Tao was dead, it was finally Zong Hai’s time to rise.
However, on the surface, he was still full of anger and sorrow, preparing to gather other survivors to go to the hotpot restaurant to avenge Zong Tao.
At face value, it was about revenge, but privately, someone had already informed Zong Hai that the hotpot at that restaurant was delicious and the ingredients were all fresh. With so many resources, seizing them would give him more authority in the Black Eagle Base.
While Zong Hai was busy scheming, Jiang Ci finally arrived at the hotpot restaurant as night fell.
Looking at the house with white walls and green windows, Jiang Ci felt a sense of belonging that came from having a home in her heart. She was finally back.
Upon opening the door, the interior was just as she had left it.
After putting away her things, Jiang Ci opened the doors of the hotpot restaurant. It was still early, not yet eight o’clock, so there still might be some people coming for hotpot. She didn’t return to her room but stayed at the counter.
Jiang Ci opened the task panel and saw that the task of distributing a hundred flyers was already marked as completed. She had also received the task reward: egg fried rice
The egg fried rice was priced at one second-level crystal per bowl, and according to the portion size given by the system, a bowl of it was definitely not small.
This task must have been the fastest for her to complete, and she didn’t even have to do it personally herself.
Just as Jiang Ci was feeling pleased, the system issued her the sixth task: to serve ten big eaters in the restaurant, with a minimum consumption of five fourth-level crystals per person in order to unlock the vegetable platter.
