Chapter 239 - Inside The Base
What was the use of complaining if at the end of the day you were already dead? No use!
Wen Ru didn't even think twice as he put an extremely flattering smile on his face while closing the bag filled with rice and other types of food.
"Apparently everything is in order around here, two gentlemen."
Nangong Yi and Bai Zemin couldn't help but look at each other. The two men with age differences so great as to be father and son thought at the same time that there was one thing that had not changed: No matter whether it was in this new world or the previous one; without sufficient power one alone would be mocked and humiliated.
Would Wen Ru be acting the way he was acting now if not for Bai Zemin's demonstration? Of course he would not. Most probably, at this point, Bai Zemin and Nangong Yi would have lost all their belongings, and to make matters worse, they would have no place to cry about it.
Public complaints before the apocalypse broke out and the old society collapsed were basically useless, not to mention now that the society had fallen and the world was in chaos. Basically, as long as they didn't disturb the interests of the higher-ups and didn't cause a big stir, they could do whatever they pleased.
Bai Zemin could not help but feel that it was a pity that Shangguan Bing Xue could not witness this. He wanted her to see that the camp which was established by the government police forces was plagued with black spots.
Soon after, the two armed men had also carefully closed the bag where the high-calorie foods were before walking away from the table as if they were afraid that what was inside the bags would eat them and not vice versa.
"Two gentlemen, please fill out this form." Wen Ru walked over to a plain desk and took out some papers before handing them to Bai Zemin and Nangong Yi with both hands. The casual expression on his face that he had earlier was nowhere to be seen and there was only respect and precaution.
Bai Zemin read the document and realized that it was similar to the papers that his group delivered to Beginning Village every morning in the central square.
Basically, the document was for the survivors to fill out with their skills, abilities, knowledge, the type of job they had before the apocalypse, etc. There was even a special box where you had to check if you were a soul evolver or not.
Seeing the looks on the two men's faces, Wen Ru hurriedly explained, "The better your abilities, the better treatment you will receive. Also, since the two of you are powerful soul evolvers and even have some active skill, you will definitely be taken care of by the main forces of the base."
"I see." Bai Zemin nodded before calmly asking, "In case we fill out everything negatively and just put our names here, what will be the treatment we will receive?"
"This..." Wen Ru was speechless for a moment and did not manage to understand what that question was about. Although he didn't understand why on earth a person would prefer to receive the worst treatment when they could receive the best, he answered honestly, "If you leave all the spaces blank... I'm afraid that even if I want to give you good treatment, I won't be able to... You will only get a house on the west side of town, which is basically the poorest neighborhood where the law barely exists... Even the pigs wouldn't want to stay in that place, believe me."
"I see." Bai Zemin nodded and after writing his real name on the paper sheet handed it to Wen Ru.
"This..." Wen Ru was dumbfounded. He could not understand the reason behind the young man's choice in front of him.
Of course, even if Wen Ru banged his head against the wall several times he would never imagine that the two people in front of him had no intention of obeying the government nor were they in search of such "small" benefits.
What Bai Zemin wanted was to let Shangguan Bing Xue see the worst part of the establishment and then he would take everyone on a tour to the more luxurious areas. In fact, even he himself was curious as he wanted to compare the quality of this base compared to the one he had established.
Nangong Yi handed the form in blank except for his name as well. He put a false name instead of his real one.
The base had over 3000 survivors. It was extremely unlikely that anyone would recognize him unless he went to the luxurious area where he lived before; after all, as a powerful soul evolver, Nangong Yi and his younger sister Nangong Lingxin naturally enjoyed the best treatments the base could offer.
Wen Ru sighed and shook his head. He simply didn't understand what was going through these two people's heads but it was none of his business either.
"Two gentlemen, if you change your mind and wish to work for the base government, remember to report to the north side; all kinds of workers are taken there. On the strength of both of you, I think you will be able to get a good deal. Although it is not much, I will arrange to have you two and the two ladies outside taken to the house in better condition on the west side." Wen Ru said before saying goodbye to them.
Bai Zemin simply smiled slightly and walked out of the room with his backpack over his shoulder while Nangong Yi followed closely behind with the other backpack on his back.
When they came out of the building, they saw that Shangguan Bing Xue and Nangong Lingxin had already left and were currently waiting for them. Because the two women were only carrying personal clothes in their bags, the inspection went smoothly and without any problems. Also, because the people inspecting them were all women, there were no attempts at harassment or anything similar.
"Done?" Bai Zemin asked with a casual smile.
"Done." Shangguan Bing Xue nodded without changing her expression.
The situation of the documents was something the group had already expected so they had agreed earlier and all of them left the papers empty.
Soon, the group of four was escorted inside the base... Although basically they didn't see much as they were taken in the back of a truck covered by a large tarp on both sides and could barely see the rear view moving away.
A few minutes later, the group finally arrived at the place that would be their temporary residence.
The building was a two-story piece of junk. Most of the window panes were already broken and in their place were nylon bags or paper sheets covering them. There was also a small courtyard outside with a four meter high tree and rotten wooden fences that covered the view of the outside.
On the inside, there were three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living room, and what was supposed to be the kitchen. The problem was that except for a bed, the other two rooms had nothing. Also, while the bathrooms had toilets and showers, there were no toiletries such as soap and shampoo. As for the "kitchen"... Except for a wooden countertop, there was nothing else there.
Bai Zemin was fine with this arrangement. To be honest, except for the lack of furniture and the neglect of the property, this house was quite similar to his home in Changping District, Yanfang Town.
The two Nangong siblings looked at each other and both saw hidden bitterness in each other's eyes. Before the apocalypse, while they could not consider themselves rich, they lived a good life thanks to their jobs. Also, except for the first few days of the apocalypse, they had been sleeping in fairly luxurious apartments. Even so, neither of them complained because, although it wasn't their preference, they were used to sleeping anywhere.
After all, as soul evolvers who often went out in search of supplies, they did not always return to the base and sometimes had to sleep outdoors or inside dilapidated houses.
Shangguan Bing Xue did not have a big change in her expression either. Instead, she looked at the only real bedroom and asked coldly, "What shall we do with this?"
Bai Zemin was silent for a moment before concluding, "You and Nangong Lingxin can sleep here and share the bed."
"Good for me." Nangong Yi nodded nonchalantly and smoothly accepted Bai Zemin's idea.
Although the world had changed and neither of them hesitated to kill regardless of whether it was male or female to survive even 1 second longer, Nangong Yi and Bai Zemin still retained any man's instinct to protect women.
Leaving aside Nangong Yi who could not afford to let his younger sister sleep on the floor and could not take away the bed of a young girl who could practically be his daughter, even Bai Zemin was not willing to let two women sleep on the floor while he slept comfortably in a bed.
If they were two normal women, he might not mind too much. But since those two women were his life and death allies, then things were different.
Bai Zemin did not realize how complex his heart was and how chaotic his emotions were. Because of the skill Stone Heart, his emotions were susceptible to change rapidly depending on the state of the people involved.
However, Shangguan Bing Xue did notice something and realized that the only way this usually cold and indifferent young man who did not even hesitate to kill his enemies cared about others was when it came to allies. But not just any allies.
Allies who fought alongside him and guarded his back.
As for the rest.... They could basically forget about receiving even a little care from him.