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as translator, proofreader and editor!
“Why are there so few people today?” Jiang Ci asked in confusion while distributing the number tags. Normally, there would be at least a hundred people queuing outside by this time, but there seemed to be much fewer people today.
“A base in City M was attacked, and most of the survivors have gone there to help,” one of the survivors in line replied.
“Attacked? By zombies?” Jiang Ci frowned slightly. The tragic scene from that previous base still felt as vivid as if it had happened yesterday, and the thought of it made her feel uneasy.
“No, I heard it was attacked by other superhumans. The entire base was almost leveled to the ground, similar to what happened to that previous base.”
“The supplies weren’t even all taken by them; only the base was completely destroyed, with many human casualties. Made it seem like it was purely targeted at humans.”
As soon as the topic was brought up, everyone started chattering away, mainly because these two attack incidents were truly baffling.
Throughout the day, the survivors in the shop discussed the recent attack, their words and expressions tinged with a hint of fear. After all, with internal and external troubles looming, they never knew when death might come knocking at their own door next.
Jiang Ci had initially thought she was just a bystander in this matter, with little she could do. But unexpectedly, after closing up for the night, the system, which had never urged her to complete tasks before, suddenly prompted her to quickly finish the mission of delivering twenty delivery orders.
When Jiang Ci opened the task list, she saw that the ordinary task had now turned into a special one.
The delivery locations marked with red dots on the map were all in City M, and there were quite a few of them. Jiang Ci guessed this had something to do with the recent attack on the City M base.
So, she got up in the middle of the night to start packing the things she would need to take to City M the next day.
As soon as she got up, Song Jinchuan heard the commotion and came out of his room. “What’s going on?” he asked.
Jiang Ci explained that she needed to go to City M the next day. Without asking any further questions, Song Jinchuan threw on a jacket and helped Jiang Ci pack her things, then started packing his own.
This time, Jiang Ci stuffed a lot of food into her space. The system had even prepared a temporary tent for her to stay in, suggesting that this trip might last more than a day. She wondered if the shop could operate normally during her absence.
With these thoughts on her mind, Jiang Ci barely slept for the rest of the night. When she woke up in the morning, she had two big dark circles under her eyes.
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.wordpress.com, pls only read there i’m begging u :kneels:
The employees arrived early as usual. Jiang Ci informed them about her upcoming trip and mentioned that she could remotely monitor everything happening in the shop. Since they hadn’t been together for very long, Jiang Ci felt she needed to take some precautions.
“For the next few days, I’ll put up a notice saying we won’t be selling any mineral water, but everything else will operate as usual. The only difference is that you’ll have to use the kitchen ingredients to cook your meals during this time,” Jiang Ci patiently instructed. “Here’s the key to the shop. I’ll leave the opening and closing of the shop to you.”
Jiang Ci handed the key to Mao Qianqian, as her steady attitude and efficiency over the past couple of days had caught Jiang Ci’s eye.
“Alright, Boss, don’t worry. We’ll take good care of the hotpot store for you,” Mao Qianqian assured Jiang Ci, grasping the key tightly.
The others nodded in agreement.
Deep down, they were actually quite excited. They hadn’t expected the boss to entrust them with such a big responsibility so soon after starting work. They conveniently overlooked Jiang Ci’s earlier mention of being able to remotely monitor the shop, choosing to see this as a sign of her trust in them.
After making all the necessary arrangements, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan rode off on their electric scooter, leaving the hotpot restaurant behind.
Not long after they left, Jiang Ci decided to test the remote viewing feature.
She opened the hotpot restaurant’s surveillance app and immediately saw a bird’s-eye view of the shop from outside the main entrance.
She could see the line of people waiting outside and the entire hotpot store building. Through the windows, she could even catch a glimpse of the interior.
“Did I get the angle wrong? How do I see inside?” Jiang Ci wondered, tapping on the virtual screen in front of her. Ripple-like patterns appeared on the screen, but the video perspective didn’t change at all.
[Look carefully, host. There’s a small sliding ball that allows you to manipulate the moving perspective.] Following the system’s explanation, Jiang Ci placed her finger on the small ball and slid it forward. Sure enough, the perspective in the video began to move forward accordingly, transitioning directly from the outdoors to the indoors.
This game-like perspective intrigued Jiang Ci. By sliding the controls, she could encompass the entire hotpot restaurant and its surroundings within the view. She tried pulling the perspective to its farthest extent and found that it only reached the warehouse, still within the confines of the hotpot restaurant.
The business inside the restaurant was still bustling. Everyone was diligently working at their respective posts without slacking off. Jiang Ci felt a sense of relief.
Seeing that the hotpot restaurant was operating normally, Jiang Ci confidently turned off the screen.
As they approached City M, Jiang Ci noticed that the surrounding buildings and roads became increasingly dilapidated, as if deliberately destroyed by someone.
“The method of destruction here is strange. It resembles the abilities of human ability users, but it also seems like the kind of power possessed by mutated beasts or zombies,” Song Jinchuan said with confusion. Having been in the apocalypse for so many years, he had encountered at least a thousand or more superhuman ability users and considered himself to be very familiar with their powers. Yet, what he saw before him felt unfamiliar.
It was already the tenth year of the apocalypse. If there were any new supernatural abilities, they should have all appeared by now.
Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan followed these traces toward City E. Along the way, they saw numerous corpses of humans, mutated beasts, and zombies.
It seemed they didn’t just attack humans; other species were indiscriminately targeted as well.
By the time Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan reached the mission location marked on the map, it was already past one in the afternoon.
This was an abandoned base. The surrounding walls had varying degrees of damage, which led to its abandonment. Now, some of the surviving survivors and those who had come to rescue them were temporarily staying here.
The survivors from City M weren’t very familiar with Jiang Ci, so she was thoroughly questioned before entering. It wasn’t until a regular customer who knew her came forward to vouch for her that she was finally allowed into the abandoned base.
The moment she entered, a new task appeared in Jiang Ci’s task log. To summarise, it was to ensure that everyone here had a hot meal.
Jiang Ci’s mind flashed with the thought that this was indeed expected. Fortunately, she had brought plenty of ingredients.
The reward for this temporary mission was a bag of seeds, which Jiang Ci could plant in the plot of land she had cleared in the backyard.
The survivor who came to greet her was from the neighboring city of City C and was a frequent visitor to the hotpot restaurant. He looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept all night. “Boss Jiang, are you here to deliver takeout? Several of us survivors have placed orders.”
Her arrival didn’t seem to surprise this regular customer.
Jiang Ci nodded. “I’ve brought all your orders.”
When the regular customer heard that Jiang Ci also planned to cook for the surviving survivors, a look of surprise crossed his face, as if he hadn’t expected her to do so.
“Boss Jiang, you’re truly a great person,” the survivor said with a touch of emotion in his voice.
Jiang Ci smiled modestly, replying, “Oh, it’s nothing, just a small gesture.”
The survivor gave her a thumbs-up, his eyes even reddening slightly. They had all been in tough situations before, so he couldn’t imagine how comforting it would have been to have a steaming bowl of food placed in front of them back then.
“Could you please go and call the survivors who ordered takeout?” Jiang Ci asked, turning to the survivor beside her.
The survivor nodded and quickly ran off. He also wanted to spread the word about Boss Jiang’s noble act. How could someone who did such a great and generous deed possibly remain anonymous?
Unaware that she was about to become famous, Jiang Ci found an open space and began setting up the cooking utensils, dishes, and ingredients she would need.
This area was inside the abandoned base, another section that had been cordoned off. Since the space was relatively small, Jiang Ci could see people everywhere she looked.
She also caught the scent of blood. Many survivors, whether lightly or seriously injured, wore the same defeated expressions as the survivors from the small base she had seen earlier, as if nothing else around them could affect them.
There were also survivors carrying medical kits, rushing through the crowd to treat the wounded.
Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan struggled to find an open spot. Just then, the survivor they were familiar with returned with a group of people.
“Boss Jiang, I’ve asked around. These are the people who ordered takeout.”
Jiang Ci glanced at the map and confirmed that they were all gathered here.
So Song Jinchuan began distributing the egg fried rice as well as the the pot helmet stewed in braising sauce one by one.
The survivors here hadn’t ordered hotpot but had opted for quick and convenient meals.
The commotion naturally drew the attention of many. When they saw the food in the survivors’ hands and caught the aroma, a flicker of life appeared in their otherwise lifeless eyes.
If they weren’t mistaken, that was braised dishes! And rice!
The survivors, who had already been hungry for most of the day, were all drawn over irresistibly by the aroma. Slowly, Jiang Ci found herself surrounded by people.
While Song Jinchuan handed out the takeout, Jiang Ci collected crystal cores based on the amount they owed. These survivors had all come to help with the rescue efforts and had been busy for days. Starving, even nutrient solutions couldn’t satisfy their need for real food, which was why they had resorted to ordering takeout.
Jiang Ci also gave each of them a cup of sweet milk tea with plenty of toppings. As she handed it to them, she said warmly, “You’ve worked hard.”
Those words nearly brought the survivors to tears. No matter how tough or exhausting things had been, they hadn’t shed a single tear, but their heart couldn’t withstand such gentle care.
Seeing the other survivors watching eagerly, Jiang Ci and Song Jinchuan quickly set up the large pot.
Just like before, she prepared pot helmets with hot soup, simple yet filling.
Song Jinchuan skillfully began frying the pot helmets with oil, while Jiang Ci started boiling the soup.
Even with just a clear soup base from the hotpot seasoning packet, the aroma was enticing. Paired with various ingredients like mushrooms, vegetables, and meat, the delicious scent soon wafted through the air.
The survivors who had come to help couldn’t even finish their own takeout before rushing over to lend a hand.
the translator has nothing to add ◡̈
