Tonight I'm Treating

It was late into the night.

Finally, Ning Yu found some free time to continue feeding the Crimson War Blade.

The cut she made this time was more random and rough, looking like an accidental scrape.

This would avoid others misunderstanding that she was being abused.

Shen Yiyue sat next to her with a pained expression, as if the cut had been made on her own body.

She was carefully combing Ning Yu's hair:

"Ning Yu... how much longer do you need to feed this blade?"

Upon hearing this, Ning Yu glanced at the progress:

【Task: Day of Broken Sword Reforging progress updated 44%】

【Task: Day of Broken Sword Reforging progress updated 45%】

"Just a few more days, it's almost done."

Her slender silver hair, cascading from between the comb's teeth, had been combed until it was incredibly silky.

Shen Yiyue looked up and down at Ning Yu's hair and asked:

"Ning Yu's hair has grown longer again, want to change your hairstyle?"

"Huh?"

Only then did Ning Yu notice that since the last time she cut her hair to neck length in the supermarket, several months had passed.

Her hair had grown long, draping over her shoulders, adding a touch of demure to her demeanor.

But now, the impact of her hair on her fighting was minimal, so she said nonchalantly:

"Do whatever you want, I'm fine with it."

"Really?!"

Shen Yiyue was so excited that she almost shouted, barely holding onto the comb in her hand.

"Which one should I choose, hmm... pigtails are pretty good, ah, a bun would look cute on Ning Yu too! I'm having trouble choosing..."

Then she fell into endless chatter, starting to plan Ning Yu's new hairstyle.

Ning Yu, with an indifferent look on her face, yawned out of boredom while sitting next to her.

In the bedroom, Shen Qianqian, who had been put to sleep by her sister, was suddenly awakened by the need to pee and got up to go to the bathroom.

Just as she cracked open the door, she noticed something amiss:

There were no lights on in the living room to save electricity, and in the dim light, her sister was actually close to Ning Yu!

Upon closer inspection, it seemed that she was combing Ning Yu's hair, and her movements were so gentle.

She was usually so forceful when hitting me.

Wow, they're so close and intimate, what's going on? I feel like I'm shipping my own sister with another sister.

《About Me Shipping My Sister and Another Sister》

Shen Qianqian couldn't help but let out a chuckle, tiptoed to the bathroom, not wanting to disturb the two.

Ning Yu had noticed Shen Qianqian getting up to go to the bathroom a while ago, but she just glanced at her and didn't say anything.

Shen Yiyue behind her had started to tie up her hair into a small bun, unsure of what hairstyle she was trying to create.

...

The next afternoon, a whole day had passed.

The so-called isolation had ended, and now they could move freely around the Ark Base.

"Knock, knock, knock"

There was a knock on the door, and without thinking, she knew who it was.

Ning Yu was still browsing the system's mall, thinking about how to spend her points, when she heard the sound and went to open the apartment door.

"Hello, it's me!"

As expected, the person outside was Ji Mengyao.

Today, she changed her baseball cap again, this time to a deep purple one, adorned with a broken black heart.

She wore a slim-fitting white floral tracksuit, paired with dark blue hot pants.

Her golden hair was still tied up in the familiar, fluffy twist braid, giving off the vibe of a trendy sporty girl.

A youthful and adorable smile graced her pretty face:

"Let's go, you must be bored staying in all day, let me show you around!"

Without any hesitation, she put her arm around Ning Yu, behaving as if they were already best friends.

The faint scent of her perfume wafted into Ning Yu's nostrils.

Ning Yu recognized it, it seemed to be the scent of Darjeeling tea.

Before long, Ning Yu and the others followed Ji Mengyao out of the apartment.

Finally, they had some free time to get a good look at the entire Ark Base.

The area above the central buffer platform was purely residential, not much different from before, about one-third occupied.

To save electricity, usually only one elevator was in operation. Since they were all going downstairs, they simply took the stairs.

When they reached the area below the buffer platform, which used to be a shopping mall, it suddenly became lively.

They hadn't seen it last time as they had taken the elevator straight up.

Many of the mall signs had been removed and the area was redivided.

Ji Mengyao started introducing them one by one:

"Look, over there is the food exchange area. If you know how to cook, you can exchange fresh ingredients with your vouchers there."

She pointed to an area that looked like a former restaurant, divided into several windows, with quite a few people lining up.

They exchanged vouchers for vegetables and meat with the staff at the windows, then carried them away in their reusable bags.

"Eh, but there's no gas, how will they cook?"

Shen Yiyue asked curiously.

"There is, it's something the research team came up with, but the method is a bit gross, I won't go into detail! We're about to eat soon."

Ji Mengyao only mentioned it briefly, then pointed to another area:

"Over there is the free trade area, in addition to exchanging items with the base using vouchers, you can also barter freely."

"That area is also a key focus for the security team, as occasionally there are dishonest people who want to force sales."

Everyone looked in the direction she pointed, where there was a large open area.

Some people set up stalls on the ground, others were whispering to each other, it was quite lively.

She then introduced various facilities and areas, including restaurants, bars, and even a library.

Places like restaurants and bars were a way for the base to recycle vouchers.

People are always greedy and unsatisfied, once basic needs are met, they desire more.

Those with greater abilities, who can contribute more to the base and earn more vouchers, can obviously afford to spend in such places.

As for the Ark Base, they are happy to recycle vouchers in this way, firmly locking in these talents.

As for the library, there was no need for exchange vouchers to enter; it was freely accessible with volunteers maintaining order.

Ning Yu felt somewhat moved: within this Ark base, not only were basic life and sustenance guaranteed, you even had the luxury to pursue intellectual needs.

Whether you were a capable individual or not, there was a way for you to live.

Of course, the premise was that you were willing to put forth a certain amount of effort to contribute.

Anyone who had witnessed the horrors of the outside world would likely be reluctant to leave this place.

Seeing the staff members each in their place, their expressions calm, it seemed they too felt that banding together for survival here was a very fortunate thing.

What Ji Mengyao had referred to as the so-called "common dream" seemed to have a certain resonance.

"Let's go, dinner's on me tonight!"

After introducing the place, Ji Mengyao took the three of them and prepared to head to a restaurant.