"Let's go to the lounge."
Leader Yu arranged a single room for Su Cheng on the eighth floor.
Lin Xi nodded and didn't ask any more questions. Su Cheng's single room was different from a shared room, so there was naturally space to store her belongings.
Su Cheng carried the sack up the elevator to the eighth floor, while Lin Xi waited in the living area on the third floor.
The elevator doors opened, revealing a long corridor lined with rooms on both sides. Each room had a number on it, and facial recognition was required to enter.
Su Cheng arrived at the room that had been assigned to her.
The space is small and simple, but it has a bed, bathroom, and kitchen.
She first checked every corner of the room to make sure there were no listening devices or cameras before putting the protective suit from the sack into her Smart Bag.
He then left the room and met up with Lin Xi.
The three-story living area includes a canteen, public toilets, and a medical room, and is open to all evacuees.
It was lunchtime, and people were already lining up to eat in the cafeteria, chatting with each other, and it quickly became noisy.
When Su Cheng came up, Lin Xi pulled her to join the queue at the cafeteria window. "It's exactly five o'clock now. The window has the most food when it first opens. If you come after six o'clock, there will only be leftovers."
She continued, "Meals are served individually, and you get your meal based on your identification. The number of dishes you can choose from will be determined by your contribution to the shelter."
"Where do you want to go after we finish eating? I'll go with you. This is a task that Team Leader Ye assigned me privately." Lin Xi smiled.
Have you ever seen a place where spores gather and burn?
"You want to go to such a dangerous place? Oh, I forgot you're not afraid of spores." Lin Xi said with surprise, then continued, "Actually, there's nothing to see there. I've seen it from afar. It's just that the collector's pipes are connected to a large furnace, and then a specialist pours in fuel to burn it."
"The person in charge of this incineration work will receive a high contribution value, since the probability of being accidentally parasitized by spores during the process is quite high."
What is N92 Fuel like?
Su Cheng actually had a question: why could the Fire-Attracting Art kill the parasitic spores?
The Fire-Attracting Art can only burn supernatural entities; could it be that the parasitic spores contain supernatural entities?
How could supernatural entities appear in a normal dungeon...?
If the parasitic spores truly contain supernatural substances, could the N92 Fuel that can burn them also kill other Ghost Entity?
"I've never seen it. N92 Fuel is very precious and is generally not displayed to the public." Lin Xi shook her head. "If you're curious, you can ask Team Leader Ye. Even if we go to the incineration room, we don't have the authority to see the fuel."
"Okay, I understand."
Before they knew it, two people had reached the front of the line.
Behind the window, there were three meat dishes and four vegetable dishes. The meat dishes included eggs, chicken, and duck, and the portions were noticeably only half the size of the vegetable dishes.
However, each dish looked quite good, with appealing color and aroma, demonstrating the chef's skill.
Lin Xi was in front; she scanned the face on the scanner.
After the application was approved, the cafeteria lady said, "You can choose two meat dishes and one vegetable dish."
Lin Xi made a quick choice.
When it was Su Cheng's turn, she was given the option to choose three meat dishes and two vegetable dishes.
This was clearly a perk offered by the shelter, since she had only just arrived and had no idea how to earn contribution points.
Su Cheng is now like a "parachuted-in technical staff member" who has returned from studying abroad. They are given sufficient benefits and treatment, and they just hope that she will be satisfied and stay.
After ordering a few dishes, she and Lin Xi sat down at an empty table.
Su Cheng wasn't a picky eater, and besides, the food wasn't too bad; she hadn't had a fresh, hot meal cooked in a big pot for a long time.
After they finished eating, Lin Xi took her on a walk around the various locations in the shelter.
There are designated positions in each part of the shelter, and people are performing their duties in an orderly manner.
"When the apocalypse came, I hadn't even arrived at the shelter yet. My loved ones were missing or had become mutants and died," Lin Xi said with a bitter smile. "Those were the most difficult six months of my life, so I cherish the days I have now when I can at least eat."
"I firmly believe that humanity can weather this difficult period and emerge victorious from this disaster," Lin Xi said softly.
Su Cheng patted her shoulder to comfort her, and couldn't help but wonder what it would be like if a disaster struck her real world...
The thought flashed through her mind, yet it made her heart skip a beat.
She wanted to capture this thought and analyze it carefully, but something was blocking her from getting to the desired result.
"What's wrong?" Lin Xi patted Su Cheng, bringing her back from her daze.
"Nothing."
Lin Xi was about to ask where else they were going when she saw the communicator flashing red. She picked it up, answered, and then hung up, her face suddenly darkening. " Team Leader Zhang is back, but he's the only one who came back."
The team consisted of ten people. Apart from Lin Xi and Li Cheng, who returned early after losing contact with the team due to a sandstorm, only Zhang Yuwen survived the rest of the eight.
"I have to go to the seventh floor, do you want to come with me?" Lin Xi wiped her dry eyes.
Even though I've experienced many separations and deaths before, I still feel heartbroken at this moment. Those companions I spent every day with will never return...
"Go." Su Cheng remembered the small meeting that Leader Yu had mentioned, and guessed it was about time.
When the two arrived at the seventh-floor office, besides Ye Zi, Zhang Yuwen was also sitting in a chair, head down, saying nothing.
He was a burly man, nearly thirty years old, with messy hair and a minor abrasion on his face.
When he looked up and saw Su Cheng, his expression suddenly tightened, and he stared at her for a long time before looking away.
" Su Cheng is here too. This is Zhang Yuwen, the leader of the timely shelter team and also the captain of the exploration team," Ye Zi introduced.
Zhang Yuwen seemed not to hear, and remained silent with his eyes lowered.
Su Cheng could sense the inexplicable anger emanating from him, directed at her. She found it all baffling and didn't bother to respond.
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward.
Ye Zi frowned imperceptibly, wanting to glare at Zhang Yuwen, but then refrained from doing so, considering that Zhang Yuwen had returned from a near-death experience.
She led Su Cheng to the door in the wall. " Leader Yu was just about to call you to a meeting, but I didn't expect you to show up so conveniently."
Su Cheng turned around and saw Lin Xi already sitting next to Zhang Yuwen, whispering something.
Inside the inner office, besides Leader Yu, there were three men and three women, completely filling the small office.
Su Cheng attracted attention the moment she appeared.
Leader Yu: "This is Su Cheng. Let's all get to know each other."
The six had already heard from their leader about Su Cheng's special abilities. Although they were extremely surprised, they also understood the significance behind them, and their gazes toward Su Cheng became much more eager.
"Hello, my name is Yi Ze, and I was previously the squad leader of the fifth detachment."
"Hello, my name is Xuewen, and I was previously the squad leader of the Ninth Squad."
Hello, my name is...
The six people took turns introducing themselves, creating a very harmonious atmosphere.
Leader Yu continued, "This operation, including Yuwen, will consist of eight people. I hope Su Cheng will be the team leader."
"Isn't it Team Leader Zhang...?" Yi Ze whispered in surprise. Whenever there was a slightly more difficult mission, it was always Zhang Yuwen who led the team. The six of them did not expect that Su Cheng was so highly regarded by the leader.
Before Leader Yu explain, Su Cheng refused first. "I'm not familiar with everyone yet. The captain needs to be familiar with each member's strengths and abilities, which isn't suitable for me."
Leader Yu was speechless. Su Cheng's reasoning wasn't without merit. She changed her mind and said, "Alright, Yuwen will remain the captain for this operation, and Su Cheng will be the vice-captain."
This decision was not rejected by anyone.
After calming himself down, Zhang Yuwen went into the office and began discussing the plan for the operation with everyone.
Su Cheng did not make any comments throughout the entire process. When Leader Yu asked her how she was doing, she simply said she was fine.
This performance made her appear to be inept at preparing and making battle plans, and gradually, no one asked her about it anymore.
Once the plan was finalized, it was time to determine the departure time.
"It was drizzling when I came back," Zhang Yuwen said.
Leader Yu: "I've received information that a heavy rainstorm is expected the day after tomorrow, and it's projected to last for three days."
Heavy rain is not suitable for travel, and the period after heavy rain is a peak time for plants to release spores, so after thinking it over, the most suitable time is tomorrow.
"All the equipment is already prepared in the warehouse, and we can set off at dawn tomorrow," Zhang Yuwen made the decision in a deep voice.
"If this operation succeeds, the shelter will receive a large amount of support supplies from higher authorities, and will have priority in receiving N92 Fuel in the future. The future of the shelter depends on you..." Leader Yu sighed slightly.
After the meeting, everyone left.
Ruolin brought the medicine and water to Leader Yu and whispered, "Chief, you don't need to attend the meeting personally. Team Leader Zhang can handle it well."
Yu Wenzhe took the medicine, and upon hearing this, he felt a mixture of disappointment and exasperation. "Didn't you see his attitude towards Su Cheng just now? He's capable, but sometimes he makes silly mistakes!"
"I'm getting old, and I don't know how much longer I can hold on... If we can't choose a suitable person from among the four group leaders, the higher-ups will send someone to take over my position. Who knows what kind of person they send?"
"Leader..." Ruolin's eyes reddened. She had been taking care of Yu Wenzhe for almost five years, watching him work hard for the shelter and his health deteriorate.
Yu Wenzhe patted Ruolin's hand reassuringly, then revealed a smile, "The thing I was most worried about seems to have taken a turn for the better."
Each of the four group leaders has their strengths but also undeniable weaknesses, but today she discovered a new promising talent.
If it can be nurtured further, it will surely grow into a towering tree, providing shelter for the refuge day after day.
Su Cheng was stopped by Zhang Yuwen as she entered the room.
What's the matter?
" Lin Xi told me that you took her and Li Cheng to the shelter. Thank you for saving my team member."
" Lin Xi and the others have already thanked me."
Zhang Yuwen suddenly changed his tone, his eyes sharpening as he said with a hint of accusation, "If you had the ability to burn the spores, why didn't you appear sooner? Even in any shelter would have been better. If you had appeared sooner, so many people wouldn't have died!"