The people from A City Base were assigned quarters next to the main building. They were quite impressed with the environment, but since the place was found temporarily and not in a high-class neighborhood, it truly looked like a refugee camp.
As they followed the base personnel over, seeing the bare surroundings, someone couldn't help but grumble, "Your place really is like a base. The environment is so poor, does Mr. Shen also live somewhere like this?"
"Mr. Shen's living quarters are certainly better, but our base's environment is indeed a bit lacking. If you are dissatisfied with this place, you are welcome to find your own accommodation."
A subordinate behind the man chimed in with dissatisfaction, "Is this how you treat your guests?"
"Haven't you heard the saying, 'Guests should follow the host's customs'?"
The other man, infuriated, balled his fist. The person leading them opened the door, "There are three bedrooms inside, please make do. Your companions are next door. The base provides two meals a day: main meals are from ten in the morning to twelve noon, and dinner is from six to eight in the evening. We do not serve late."
"No breakfast?"
The man desperately wanted to roll his eyes but restrained himself. "Our base cannot compare to your wealthy base, we do not provide breakfast. Apologies."
His words held only disdain, no apology. He pointed to the faucet, "Hot water is available from eight to nine in the evening. Drinking water is downstairs, with a limit of two bottles per person per day. The drinking water can enhance physical fitness, restore supernatural abilities, and aid in cultivation. You'd best not use it for washing your feet or face; once it's gone, it's gone."
After speaking, he produced several temporary identity cards, "You need to swipe your card to get water and dine in the cafeteria. If you lose it, it's gone too. Please take care of them."
He then gave a sarcastic smile, "If you find this unsatisfactory, you don't have to take them."
The man from before snatched the identity card. It was a simple magnetic stripe card with no attractive printing, purely white, a far cry from the ones worn on the chest of the person in front of him.
After explaining the important matters and a few taboos, he left. The others started arguing indignantly. The man grew annoyed, "All of you, shut up. If you don't want to stay, go find lodging in the city yourself."
He truly felt like he was on a business trip.
"Go invite Cao Jin Nan."
Cao Jin Nan was that fool who, despite having a similar family background, chose to become a special forces soldier. He awakened his supernatural abilities first after the apocalypse arrived, a fact that Jiang Yu Heng had been jealous of for a long time, until he awakened his own abilities.
This mission, the other party had not only failed but almost didn't make it back. He had initially planned to mock him thoroughly, but now it seemed they were in the same boat. Su Dan Novel Network.
Cao Jin Nan arrived with his two companions. Seeing him, he reacted little and asked, "How did your negotiations go?"
Jiang Yu Heng's handsome face was etched with frustration, "Not well. They wouldn't budge, and we couldn't use force. We probably can't bring the person back."
"As expected."
Jiang Yu Heng raised his leg as if to kick him, but Cao Jin Nan grabbed his leg and tossed it aside, "You don't want me to chop it off for you."
Jiang Yu Heng retracted his leg. "I heard you were seriously injured. Are you going to die or not?"
"I'm almost recovered, thank you for your concern."
"Heh, I'm not concerned about you. You've been here for almost a week, have you learned anything useful? Have you met that Mr. Shen? Damn it, they sent a manager to see me, making me lose face."
"You're the one who's stupid. And that manager was the former president of the Jin Corporation in S City, a fourth-tier ability user. If it weren't for the apocalypse, you might not have even been able to schedule a meeting with him."
"Fourth-tier!"
Although he couldn't defeat him, Jiang Yu Heng had guessed that the other party's ability level was not low, but hearing it still made him envious and jealous.
"Not just him, this base has many third and fourth-tier ability users. There was a team of over a dozen special forces soldiers with the same rank as us, all fourth-tier, retired from the Chu Nan Military Region."
"So many!?"
Cao Jin Nan signaled him to be quiet. "That's just a portion. Anyway, there are many. As for the Mr. Shen you mentioned, it's possible that all the ability users in this base combined might not be able to defeat him. And there's a woman by his side whose ability is particularly bizarre. In short, don't even think about using force; I don't want to die."
"That powerful? And there's a woman?"
"She is very powerful. As for that woman, she's not here now, and you won't find her." Cao Jin Nan recalled the scene when the two women appeared. Whether it was Shen Zhong Yan's girlfriend or the woman who could open rifts, they were definitely beyond their ability to confront.
Jiang Yu Heng hadn't heard about this and wasn't very interested. He was more interested in the spiritual spring water.
"What about the spiritual spring water? Where did it come from?"
"This base has several spatial ability users. Among them is a woman, Jin Wen Ye's wife. Her space contains a spiritual spring, which is rumored to be able to grow things, though no one has confirmed this. The spiritual spring water comes from that spring; it can heal injuries, enhance physical fitness, and rapidly restore supernatural abilities."
Jiang Yu Heng didn't know who to be jealous of. "No wonder Jin Wen Ye's ability level is so high. It turns out he had the advantage of proximity. Why are they so lucky?"
A unique Mr. Shen, a unique spiritual spring space, it was hard not to be jealous.
Cao Jin Nan didn't voice his more astonishing speculation, only saying, "In any case, taking the person back is unlikely. And with the spiritual spring water here, they should be able to research it faster. That Mr. Shen is not an unreasonable person; if they research it, we will also benefit. There's no need to confront them."
Confronting them would mean losing, as they couldn't win.
With his analysis, Jiang Yu Heng immediately understood the situation. If he had held out a sliver of hope before, he now realized they had no chance of reclaiming the person.
"Alright, I understand."
They sat in silence for a while, and Jiang Yu Heng started another topic. "That spiritual spring is so powerful, and they just let people take it? It's a waste."
"It's not pure spiritual spring water; it's mixed with water released by water ability users, but it still has an effect. Two bottles per person per day. The construction department issues additional supplies. The first principle of this base is fairness. To conserve resources, everyone eats in the cafeteria now. Those with contribution points can buy other things, but everything is centrally managed by the administration. You can collect clothes when the season changes, receive medicine if you're sick, and get supplements, fruits, and infant supplies or formula for the elderly, children, and pregnant women. Private trading or exchange is prohibited, especially for food. If caught, the penalty is a deduction of contribution points for minor offenses, or expulsion from the base for severe ones."
Jiang Yu Heng gasped. "So strictly managed? Can't even that Mr. Shen be an exception?"
"It's more or less the same, mainly between ability users and ordinary people. It's basically fair. When the aliens invaded, ability users were responsible for resisting. At other times, they train. If they volunteer for work, they can earn contribution points. Ordinary people, in addition to their daily tasks, can also earn contribution points for other work."
"Sounds pretty good." Jiang Yu Heng suddenly thought of something and turned to stare at Cao Jin Nan. "You're not planning to stay here and not go back, are you?"