Zhuang Wugou

"Exactly, exactly, Sister, how can you still be like a child?"

Shen Qianqian was enjoying the spectacle and didn't mind stirring things up, teasing her own sister. After all, she already had her gift.

"Wow, a hairpin and you're bought over, even bullying your own sister now."

Shen Yiyue pretended to be ready to discipline Shen Qianqian, who quickly hid behind Ning Yu.

Peeping out from behind Ning Yu, she put on a brave face:

"Hmph, come at me, I have Ning Yu as my backing!"

The three of them were still in the midst of their playful banter when Ji Mengyao, who had gone back to submit a report, returned.

She was out of breath, clearly worried that the others had been waiting too long:

"I'm back!!"

She rushed to the group, stopping to catch her breath by leaning on her knees.

After a brief rest, she stood up again, adjusting her baseball cap and said:

"Let's go! I'll treat you to dinner!"

Ji Mengyao led the three to a buffer platform where the commercial center met the upper apartments, then crossed a skybridge to another building.

This area was noticeably less crowded, and the establishments were different:

There were hair salons, restaurants, and bars, all of which catered to needs beyond basic survival.

The people running these shops were skilled in their respective fields, all arranged by the Ark Base.

At the dinner table, Ning Yu realized that the so-called restaurant only provided ordinary dishes.

But in the apocalypse, having someone else cook and serve you was already a form of luxury.

There were no extravagant items, which was likely a deliberate setup by the base.

They didn't want to create too much class disparity but also didn't want things to be too mundane, aiming for a balance.

"Is this enough? Do you need more?"

Ji Mengyao looked at the dishes ordered by the group and felt there might be a shortage, ready to order more.

"It's enough, it's fine."

Ning Yu stopped her from showing off and, seizing the opportunity, asked a question:

"Are explorers given a lot of vouchers?"

Hearing Ning Yu's question, Ji Mengyao saw a perfect chance to promote:

"Of course! In the Ark, it's a simple rule: the more you work, the more you get."

"Every time we complete a mission or discover something valuable, we receive extra vouchers as a reward."

"If you're diligent, you'll never run out!"

She quickly tried to entice the two.

However, Ning Yu had already made up her mind and didn't keep her in suspense:

"We both intend to join."

"Really?!"

Hearing this great news, Ji Mengyao almost jumped onto her chair:

"That's wonderful! I finally have cute girls as teammates!!"

She leaned closer to the two, her hands on the table, her eyes full of excitement, feeling that this meal was worth every penny.

She then introduced the specifics of the exploration team.

Their actions were quite free.

For more challenging tasks, they acted as a team, such as hunting mutated zombies.

Usually, if there were no such challenging tasks, they took individual missions from the base.

She usually acted with Wu Di, the two seeming to have a good relationship.

The exploration team held a high status in the base, as they contributed significantly to the base's security and special resource exploration.

Not all members of the exploration team were awakened; many ordinary people also joined, armed and venturing outside the base for supplies.

Generally, only awakened individuals were assigned the more dangerous tasks, not the ordinary people.

Ning Yu naturally wanted to act with Ji Mengyao, as she was quite interested in Ji Mengyao's abilities.

She wanted to quickly raise her friendship with Ji Mengyao to friendly level so she could copy her ability, [Death Resistance].

Ji Mengyao didn't know Ning Yu's intentions, just happily that a girl had joined.

The dishes were served one by one, and Ji Mengyao, hearing such good news, splurged a bit more and ordered several additional dishes.

"Do we need to meet your 'Old Zhuang' before joining?"

Ning Yu asked a question she was also concerned about.

Ji Mengyao was eating when she looked up:

"Yes, you can, how about tonight? After dinner, I'll take you to see him."

Shen Yiyue hadn't heard Ji Mengyao's introduction about the base before, showing a puzzled expression.

Ning Yu then repeated what Ji Mengyao had told her on the car ride.

"This was all established and organized by one person, amazing!"

Shen Yiyue was also somewhat amazed after hearing the explanation.

"Then let's do it tonight, thank you."

Ning Yu nodded to Ji Mengyao, indicating it was fine.

After dinner, Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue first sent Shen Qianqian back to the apartment to rest.

Then the two of them, along with Ji Mengyao, headed to Zhuang Wugou's office.

The office was located at the highest point of Yida Plaza, with the entire apartment building not yet occupied by survivors, and he had set up his office here.

His entire research group, which he personally led, also seemed to be here.

However, the research group didn't seem to have many members, possibly because such talents were hard to find, especially in the apocalypse.

Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue stood outside, observing the busy people coming and going inside, young and old.

After a while, Ji Mengyao came out from inside, approaching the two and said:

"Let's go!"

The two followed her in, and the interior of the research group's experimental site was filled with various instruments, with unknown liquids flowing between them.

They walked through the corridor, separated from the inner site by glass, unable to get close to the instruments.

"Look, the preliminary purified virus collected is being processed in there!"

Ji Mengyao pointed to a rotating machine with many colorless liquid bottles arranged on it.

Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue didn't understand these aspects, just following her gaze to observe.

The research group members, used to such situations, didn't even glance at the three, just busy with their tasks.

"It's just ahead, Old Zhuang is inside."

She led the two to an ordinary room, first knocking on the door.

"Come in!"

A gentle male voice came from inside.

Ji Mengyao then turned the handle and walked in.

Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue followed her, finally seeing the core figure who had established the Ark gathering place.

He was a man in his mid-30s, busy writing and drawing something.

Occasionally, he would open his laptop and type in some information.

Despite being in his prime, there were clearly many white hairs mixed in with his black hair, a sign of constant fatigue.

Next to him were piles of documents, seemingly all related to the base's affairs.

Seeing people come in, he looked up, his gaze passing over the familiar Ji Mengyao and landing on Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue.

Ning Yu also scrutinized him, her amber eyes calm as water.

As Zhuang Wugou looked up, Ning Yu saw his appearance clearly:

He seemed indifferent to his appearance, with sharp features and some sparse stubble.

Wearing half-rimmed glasses, his deep black eyes behind the lenses were serene, reminiscent of a quiet night without stars.

His messy black hair cast shadows, making him appear somewhat absent-minded, as if lost in another world.

But a closer look revealed a deep-seated obsession.

"Hello."

He then showed a smile, completely different from his previous aloof demeanor.