"Let's go out and look around." After entering the room, Lu Heng placed his belongings inside and prepared to explore the base, first observing the reactions of ordinary people.
Sometimes, the most inconspicuous things can reveal the most unusual information.
As for the unlocked door, it didn't matter. His belongings were all ordinary items, and when he left, he could use his metal abilities to create a simple lock to secure the door.
"Yo, you're down so soon? Thirty Level 2 crystals each. These things are getting rarer by the day. You guys can even reuse them. Huh? What..."
The sleazy man at the front desk, who had been there earlier, started shouting loudly as soon as he saw Lu Heng and the others descend. However, before he could finish, Lu Heng, pulling Lu Bai along, had already left the inn.
"Tsk, they'll come back to buy from me sooner or later..."
After leaving the inn, Lu Heng asked around and learned there was an entertainment venue that sold food and other daily necessities, as well as some post-apocalyptic entertainment.
Longcheng didn't have such entertainment venues in its early days. But recently, as the surrounding threats lessened, they added places for people to unwind in order to attract more ability users to live there.
However, Lu Heng was currently doubting whether the base's management was truly from the original military.
Looking at Pingcheng and the soldiers Lu Heng had found elsewhere, none of them had made their bases so commercialized.
Could it have been Lin Yu's father's idea?
...
In a basement within Longcheng Base.
Lin Zhongshan sneezed heavily. He pulled his clothes tighter, "What's going on? It's not cold here?"
"Did you deliver the food today?"
A man wearing a hood and standing in the shadows beside Lin Zhongshan asked in a low voice.
"We did, but he still doesn't seem to have much appetite."
"Hmm, did he say anything to you?"
"No, everyone usually doesn't dare to get close..."
"Useless!"
"It must be that the food you found didn't suit his taste. Find something fresh."
"Yes." Lin Zhongshan's cold sweat broke out after the roar, and he instantly felt a chill down his back.
The hooded man stood there for about ten minutes, seemingly listening to something or thinking about something.
The person beside him stood in fear, afraid to disturb him, and no one made another sound.
...
"Yo, new faces. Are you here to eat, or for some entertainment?"
"Let's eat first. But can you introduce the entertainment options?"
"It depends on what you want to play." The man sized up Lu Heng and the other person meaningfully, judging by their clothing that they could afford some of the activities.
After all, they were young men full of vigor, and many entertainment options were suitable for them. Besides, young people in the apocalypse always needed a place to vent.
Many people like Lu Heng came here.
"If you're eating, I'll take you to the restaurant first. You can watch performances while eating, so you'll need to pay a ticket fee. The specific meal costs will depend on what you order in the end."
"Ticket? How much is it?"
"Hehehe, the ticket is twenty Level 3 crystals per person."
"That's not cheap. Won't the food be even more expensive?"
"No, the minimum per person for dining is only ten Level 2 crystals."
"Alright."
To gather information, one had to go to these crowded places. People here were here to relax, and it was easiest to hear things they wouldn't normally hear at such times.
After paying the crystals, Lu Heng and the other person were led into a large theater.
The entire theater had been modified. The stage at the front was still there, but the seating areas had been converted into small private rooms. Each room had a large opening facing the stage.
Presumably, when the performance started, people in the private rooms would be able to see it.
The decor here had clearly taken some thought.
"In about ten minutes, the next show will start. Please order some food first," the man said enthusiastically as he led Lu Heng and the others in.
"This, and this. One of each." Lu Heng ordered two set meals. The food here was definitely not as good as what he had in his spatial storage, so there was no need to dwell on it.
Besides, he intended to discreetly swap out the dishes later. Since they were in a private room, people outside wouldn't know what they ate.
Soon, the two set meals were served. It seemed this type of food was commonly ordered by people here, so it was prepared quickly.
"Enjoy your meal, sirs. If you need anything else during dinner, just order using this. We outside will know."
"Are you arranging for people to eavesdrop on our meal?"
"Hehehe, you're joking. We're not near the private rooms. We do our best to guarantee your privacy." After saying that, the man couldn't help but smile, but Lu Heng found the smile rather unsettling.
"The new show starts in about two minutes. Please enjoy your meal."
After the man left, Lu Heng frowned at the slightly dim environment of the private room.
"What do you want to eat?" Lu Heng looked at Lu Bai.
"Fried chicken, salted chicken, white cut chicken, roast chicken, grilled chicken..."
Lu Heng...
He cleared the food on the table and brought out the food Lu Bai had ordered.
Then, he ate while listening to the thoughts of the people around him.
He could sense that there were many people here. The private rooms in the front few rows were all full.
He wondered what kind of performance was being staged here to attract so many viewers.
"The last performance was okay, just that the woman was a bit old."
"You can say that again. Her maintenance isn't as good as before. Didn't you see the many wrinkles on her face?"
"I wonder who will be on next? Those two men I saw at the city gate today, could they be here to apply for a performance? Their skin was really good."
"Mmm..."
"Oh my, you eat everything? Aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Hahaha, what am I afraid of? I live one day at a time, and that's a profit. In this damn world, these zombies are endless." The man spat after speaking.
"Mmm, woo woo..."
Occasional whimpers, accompanied by someone's quiet sobbing, could be heard around them.
"Master, I hear crying," Lu Bai, with his keen senses, communicated with Lu Heng while eating.
"Don't mind those sounds. There'll be a performance soon. See if you like it."
"Mhm." Lu Bai, having devoured the food like a whirlwind, had already finished two whole chickens.