Despite saying that, Lei Qi wasn't really that scared. With his boss and Boss Sang by his side, he had food, weapons, and a place to stay, so he felt alright.
He felt particularly comfortable during these days of missions, even less busy than when he was in the Guard, where he couldn't even sleep well.
By the time Sang Luoluo arrived home, she could sense a considerable number of mutated animals. There were many mutated animals active within a 100-meter radius. Of course, they weren't just on the surface; they were also underground. Many mutated animals were very good at digging burrows. The base had to rely on instruments to monitor them constantly so that they could pinpoint the true location of the mutated animals.
"It's more serious than I imagined." Sang Luoluo felt a little sad. Such a large base, which was so prosperous just a few months ago, has suddenly fallen into this state in such a short time.
Sang Yunpu and He Fei opened the door and were relieved to confirm that there were no mutated animals around.
Sang Yunpu breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing that Sang Luoluo and the others were unharmed, he could finally relax. They had already felt the power of those mutated animals while keeping a close watch on them at home these past few days.
Sang Luoluo asked, "How's everything at home?"
Sang Yunpu: "Everything is fine. We're all together, with food and weapons, so we can protect ourselves. The lab has contacted us several times to ask if we need any help."
"Go home and get some rest. You must be exhausted from being out here these past few days." Sang Yunpu closed the door, Qi Xue was already starting to cook in the kitchen.
When Qi Xue saw Qi Feng return, she happily said, "Hurry up and wash your hands and get ready to eat. Try my cooking; I've learned several dishes these past few days!"
Cooking is addictive.
Sang Luoluo to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and looked at the ingredients. They were almost all used up. The meat was still in the refrigerator, and the vegetables that couldn't be stored for long had been dried by Sang Yunpu and stored away.
Sang Yunpu took out the food that wouldn't keep for long and let everyone eat it first. The food that could be stored for a few more days was eaten gradually. The food that couldn't be finished and couldn't be stored was made into dried vegetables.
As for bottled water, Sang Luoluo left them enough bottled water before she left. Of course, they only used it for eating and drinking; they used the villa's water supply for washing.
Water pipes in some parts of the underground city have been destroyed by mutated animals, causing water supply to stop in some areas and making water sources in the base a problem.
Fortunately, their villa still has a water supply.
Nearly a month has passed since Sang Luoluo observed that Sang Yunpu has processed all the available ingredients into dried vegetables. Now they eat stir-fried dried vegetables with meat every day, along with the canned food that Sang Luoluo had left for them.
There's still a lot of canned food left, but not much dried vegetable or water.
In another room, Sang Yunpu and the others continued to buy food from the Farm App every day. Although the quantity was small, the purchased items were stored separately in a separate room.
With so many supplies, even if she doesn't come back in time, it will allow them to hold out for a little longer.
Seeing that Qi Xue had just cooked a dish, Sang Luoluo quickly took out several fresh vegetables. They could be eaten right after being chopped, and hardly needed to be washed. The vegetables produced in the space were free of pesticides and dust, so it was very safe to eat them.
"Since everyone's here today, let's cook a few more dishes and have a good get-together."
As Sang Luoluo spoke, she took out a plate of fruit, oranges and dragon fruit. These can be bought on the Farm App.
Fresh rice, the bucket refilled with Spirit Spring Water — Sang Luoluo said, "Cooking rice with this water will make it very fragrant."
Qi Xue stared, her eyes wide. "This is too extravagant."
Sang Yunpu came over to help chop vegetables and said to Sang Luoluo, "I'm used to doing these things, let me do them. You guys go wash up and rest before eating."
Sang Luoluo said, "Brother, make more. Everyone ate a little something for lunch today and hasn't eaten anything since."
Sang Yunpu: "I understand, go quickly."
Qi Xue watched as Sang Yunpu skillfully prepared vegetables in the kitchen and asked, "When are you going to tell your sister and brother about our situation?"
Sang Yunpu was taken aback, then said, "How about we talk about it over dinner? It's nothing serious."
Qi Xue frowned upon hearing this. "This is no small matter."
Sang Yunpu said, "I'll talk about it later."
Sang Luoluo to her room, took a hot bath in her spatial dimension, fed Chuanchuan some food, and then came out to eat.
Lei Qi and Qi Feng took a shower together in Sang Yunpu's room. They had been away for so many days, and this was the only time they could take a proper shower at Base No. 32. They hadn't had time to take care of themselves the rest of the time.
After dawdling for a while, I came out to find the food already prepared.
Sang Luoluo looked at the table full of dishes and felt very hungry, preparing to dig in.
Sang Yunpu suddenly spoke up, "There's something I need to tell everyone."
Everyone turned to look.
Especially Qi Feng, Sang Luoluo, and Lei Qi.
As for He Fei and Xiao Li, their gazes were somewhat evasive.
Sang Luoluo asked, "What's wrong?"
Sang Yunpu calmly replied, "You were on a mission before, and I was worried that talking about this would affect your work, so I thought I'd wait until you got back to tell you. Qi Xue and I are married."
Sang Luoluo: "What!"
Qi Feng: "What did you say?"
After quickly glancing at Qi Xue, who showed no remorse whatsoever, Qi Feng was surprised and began to wonder what had happened at the base while they were away.
Then Sang Yunpu continued, "After you left, there was a particularly severe beast tide at the base for a period of time, resulting in many deaths. The authorities announced a sharp decline in the base's population and initiated an emergency breeding program to ensure the base's normal population."
"It's not that Qi Xue and I just reached the age, so we thought getting married would save us a lot of Crystal Core. Xiao Li and He Fei are also approaching that age soon. Qi Feng is already at that age, right? You just got back, so you'll probably receive official information from the base tomorrow."
Sang Luoluo suppressed her surprise. "So you two got married just to pay the fine? Since you're on a breeding mission, what about you two?"
Sang Yunpu said, "The marriage age has now been raised to 18. Previously, the base stipulated that if a person did not perform breeding tasks, they would have to pay a fine of 10,000 points per year. Now it has been increased to 20,000 Crystal Core. We calculated that the two of us can save 20,000 Crystal Core a year. Since we will still have to live in the base in the future, it is more cost-effective to get married. Moreover, there is no problem with our genetic compatibility."
Sang Luoluo was shocked. "But we have Crystal Core, brother, sister Xue! If you don't want us to, we can pay a fine. 10,000 Crystal Core a year isn't that difficult."
Qi Xue said, "That's no small amount. Since we'll be carrying out breeding missions anyway, it's better to stick with our own people. Besides, your family is very nice, and I like them a lot."
These words made Sang Luoluo blush. What did this mean? Judging from their reactions, was there chemistry between them? Or was it just a fake marriage?
Sang Luoluo understood. "Actually, I think the two of you are quite suitable. I have no objections. As long as you think it's good, that's fine."
Then, looking at Qi Feng, she asked, "What do you think, Captain Qi?"
Qi Feng glanced at his sister. "I have no objection. After all, we siblings are the ones who benefit."
Qi Xue: "..."
Sang Luoluo continued, "What about the breeding mission... what about you?"
Qi Xue said, "The base has already notified us that arrangements will be made as soon as the beast tide is over. Our names are already in the queue."
Sang Luoluo said confidently, "If you have a child, then have one. We can afford to raise it."
Sang Luoluo herself didn't want to have children; surviving in the wasteland was difficult enough, let alone raising a child. However, she supported her brother and sister-in-law's desire to have a child. Having a sister-in-law with such explosive fighting power as Captain Xue was something she could dream of.
Both Sang Yunpu and Qi Xue were a little embarrassed.
Lei Qi said, "What should I do? I'm 18 too! But I don't want to get married so early. I haven't even made any plans for my future life yet."
He Fei chimed in, "Yes, Lei Qi and I were orphans from a young age. The base raised us, and we've been with the boss and the others in the Guard ever since. We've never even met our own parents. Now that things are so turbulent outside, I don't want my future children to be born without ever seeing me."
After these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.
Because He Fei said was true.
Sang Luoluo said, "Don't worry, everyone. I happen to have some Crystal Core here. As the boss, I can help you pay your fines in advance. You can go pay them whenever you want to get married or have children."
Xiao Li said worriedly, "But it will take a long time to earn 10,000 Crystal Core. And there are fines every year."
Lei Qi reassured him, "Don't worry too much. With Boss Sang and the boss, I think earning Crystal Core won't be a problem. This trip was too short. If it were longer, we could have earned quite a few more Crystal Core."
Qi Feng glanced at Sang Luoluo and said, "Like them, I don't want to get married for the time being. You can pay for the Crystal Core for me first, and I will try my best to work as much as possible to pay it back as soon as possible."
Sang Luoluo smiled and said, "No problem, no problem. Everyone, let's eat first. We still have to go out and clear out the mutated animals tomorrow, and there's a lot of work to do."
Qi Feng said, "I just got back from the lab. Dr. Wang assigned some tasks to Boss Sang. They might be a bit tricky, so we'll need to work together."
Qi Xue: "Great! I haven't been out in ages. Maybe this time we can really pull off something big!"
Chapter 192 Boss Sang, you're too awesome now!
After dinner, the group took a quick rest. Xiao Li and Sang Yunpu took night duty; the two of them were perfectly capable of handling any mutated animals that came rushing in from nearby.
Before going to bed, Sang Luoluo went to check on the mutated black bear as usual. It was still very irritable, but when it saw the Spirit Spring Water appear, it immediately calmed down and even looked at Sang Luoluo more pleasingly.