Everyone subconsciously turned their heads, only to see Pan Yong, the officer who had appeared at the entrance earlier, scanning the four of them.
His gaze finally settled on Lu Shiyan.
"Are you the ones who just passed the city entry inspection?" Pan Yong walked up to them.
Seeing this, the female staff member quickly stepped forward and respectfully explained, "Yes, Captain Pan. These survivors have successfully completed all inspections and registration procedures."
Pan Yong nodded slightly, but his gaze remained fixed on Lu Shiyan: "My name is Pan Yong, and I am the Captain of the Third Squad of the Base Guard Team. I just looked at your registration information; your team has three ability users, which is a very good power configuration."
Xiao Han grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth, and chuckled, "Captain Pan, you flatter us. We just got lucky, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse, barely scraping by."
Pan Yong, however, seemed to ignore Xiao Han's banter, looking intently at Lu Shiyan and getting straight to the point: "The base is currently very short-handed in all aspects, especially for ability user teams with strong combat power like yours, which are scarce resources. If you are interested, you can report directly to my Third Squad. I can guarantee that the treatment will be absolutely preferential."
This... was this openly poaching, directly recruiting?
Xiao Han and A Mo exchanged surprised glances.
Lu Shiyan's expression remained calm, and he spoke in a detached voice, "Thank you for Captain Pan's kindness. However, we are new here and not yet familiar with the base's situation. We would like to settle down first and get acquainted with the surroundings before deciding."
Pan Yong seemed unsurprised by this answer. He simply gave Lu Shiyan a deeper look and nodded: "Alright. My offer is always valid. This is my private contact information. If you change your mind, or encounter any unsolvable trouble in the base, you can contact me through this."
With that, he pulled a thin metal plate from his pocket and handed it to Lu Shiyan. A short string of numbers was etched onto the metal plate using a special process.
Lu Shiyan reached out and took it; it felt cool to the touch.
"The interior of the base is not as calm as it appears on the surface. Various forces are intertwined, so you must be careful in your actions." After Pan Yong left this meaningful remark, he said no more and turned to stride away.
Xiao Han rubbed his chin, watching Pan Yong's tall figure gradually disappear, and clicked his tongue in wonder: "Hey, this guy is quite interesting! He seems to have a lot of foresight, actually extending an olive branch to us."
Su Wan's eyes flickered slightly.
"Let's find a place to stay first, and we'll discuss other matters later," Lu Shiyan said in a low voice, putting the metal plate into his pocket.
After days of continuous travel and exhaustion, they indeed needed a safe and comfortable place to rest properly.
Especially Su Wan, who was pregnant, could not afford any more mishaps.
An indescribable mixed scent permeated the air.
Rotten garbage, excrement, and a desperate sour smell.
They walked through winding, so-called "streets" patched together with rags and plastic, with dense tents on both sides.
The tents were packed tightly together, leaving almost no gaps.
Sewage flowed across the muddy ground.
Several sallow-faced children squatted in the mud, grabbing something with their grimy little hands and putting it into their mouths.
Su Wan's stomach churned, and she almost couldn't control the urge to dry heave.
She forced herself to look away, her face a little pale.
"My goodness, is this place fit for humans?" Xiao Han whispered, his voice filled with disgust, "Even a pigsty is cleaner than this."
Lu Shiyan's face was expressionless; he merely quickened his pace.
Lu Shiyan frowned deeply; it was clear that the environment in Zone C was unacceptable for Su Wan to stay there for another second. He stopped a passerby who looked relatively well and exchanged a small piece of compressed biscuit for information: "If you want to live in a better place, you have to go to the residential registration office ahead, but it's not cheap there."
After thanking him, the group quickened their pace, bypassing the suffocating Zone C. As expected, at the edge of a relatively cleaner area, they saw a still-intact, low-rise concrete building with a sign that read 'Residential Registration Office' hanging at the entrance.
A staff member in a dirty uniform was leaning back in a chair, dozing, not even bothering to lift his eyelids at their arrival.
"We want to register and rent a place. We want to rent the best possible accommodation for a month. How much does it cost?" Lu Shiyan's voice was steady.
The staff member lazily lifted his eyes, about to routinely state the difficulties, but his gaze fell upon the several pure, glowing crystal cores Lu Shiyan had placed on the counter.
His eyes instantly widened, and he shot up from his chair, rubbing his hands together. He carefully picked up a crystal core, breathed on it, wiped it with his sleeve, and his voice changed pitch: "Distinguished guests!"
"Th-these high-quality crystal cores... The best A-zone apartment, a month's rent is two thousand five hundred contribution points. Your crystal cores are worth at least three thousand points! More than enough, more than enough!"
The procedures were completed very quickly.
After getting the key, they followed another staff member through many twists and turns, finally arriving at the so-called A-zone apartment.
It was called an apartment, but it was actually just a two-bedroom, one-living-room unit in an old residential complex.
The paint was peeling off the walls, the furniture was decrepit, and it smelled of old mildew.
But at least, it had walls, a roof, and a private bathroom.
"This is the best they have?" Xiao Han kicked an empty soda can rolling on the floor, making a clanging sound.
"Be content," Su Wan sighed, "Compared to what we just saw, this is practically heaven."
Su Wan walked to the window; the windowpane was dirty, and she wiped it hard.
Outside, she could see some equally old buildings, but at least they were cleaner and tidier.
Xiao Han and A Mo went out to inquire about the base's situation.
"Damn it, this godforsaken place, even the air smells sour," Xiao Han cursed under his breath, raising a hand to fan the air.
A Mo followed behind him, silently observing their surroundings.
Occasionally, people in ragged clothes hurried by, their eyes either numb or wary.
They turned into a relatively livelier alley, which resembled a pre-apocalyptic black market.
Low sheds, patched together from various scraps, stood one after another.
Some people were hawking chunks of mutated beast meat, still covered in unknown viscous liquid.
Others were exchanging fragmented parts, clinking together.
More people simply leaned against the walls, staring blankly at the comings and goings.
At the end of the alley, one stall stood out slightly from the surrounding chaos and dilapidation. The stall was relatively tidy, and a semi-worn wooden sign had the words 'Wan Shi Tong' written on it in fairly strong handwriting.
The stall owner was an old man wearing worn-out glasses, unhurriedly wiping something, a contrast to the anxiety or numbness of the other vendors, making him particularly noticeable.