Chapter 131 Settling In

"No matter which side you're on, they all use points." He shook his wrist. "Working, killing zombies and handing in crystal cores, submitting supplies, and completing official missions can all earn you points. They're stored in your identity card, and you use them for everything—eating, drinking, sleeping, and everything else."

He pointed to some relatively neat two-story buildings by the roadside: "Those are rental houses, where you pay points every month. There are single rooms and shared rooms. They're better than prefab houses, but more expensive. Further in, there are even more expensive courtyards, detached houses with small storage rooms. Only teams of people with superpowers or rich people can afford to live there."

The street was bustling with people, most of them ragged and expressionless. Occasionally, a small team in uniform and carrying weapons would pass by, and pedestrians would quickly give way.

“Those are the patrol team, from the committee. Don’t mess with them,” the boy said. “The ones over there staring at us are probably lookouts from the ‘Business Alliance.’ And those squatting in the corner, they’re probably from the ‘Hunter Alliance’ waiting for work, or they’re just about to die.”

He led Ruan Ning and the others into a narrower alley, where sewage flowed freely. "It's closer if we go through here. The Seventh District Management Office is right next to that big warehouse up ahead."

“If you want to find work or get information, you can go to the mission halls in each district, or to the taverns and exchanges run by the ‘Hunter Alliance’ and ‘Merchant Alliance’. But newbies are prone to getting taken advantage of.” After the boy finished speaking, he stopped and pointed to a drab building in front of him with a long queue at the entrance. “That’s the Seventh District Management Office. Queue up to register and get your prefab apartment number. My work is done.”

Ruan Ning nodded and didn't ask any more questions. The boy, clutching the dried meat, quickly disappeared back into the alley.

Zhou Min frowned as she looked at the crowd in line: "The conditions in the prefab houses must be terrible."

Sun Hong and the other women discussed it.

They didn't have many crystal cores; most were attribute-less crystal cores from ordinary zombies, with a few Tier 1 cores. These cores were to be saved for exchanging for necessities like food and medicine, and the newly awakened ability users also needed them to cultivate and stabilize their abilities.

Living in a rented house is a significant and ongoing expense for them.

“We’ll stay in the prefab houses,” Sun Hong said to Ruan Ning. “They’re free, so let’s settle in first. We’ll save up points later.”

Ruan Ning nodded, offering no further advice. This was the practical choice.

She turned to Zhou Min and Lin Yan: "The three of us, plus Da Huo, will rent a house. I'll exchange crystal cores for points."

Lin Yan immediately said, "I also have some crystal cores here."

Zhou Min nodded: "I have one too."

“Use mine first,” Ruan Ning said. “We’ll talk about it if we need more.”

Ruan Ning and the other two parted ways with Sun Hong and the others, saying they would come back to find them after they had settled in.

Instead of queuing for the prefab houses, they went to the "Supplies Exchange and Affairs Hall" in the outer city's third district. It was a building converted from an old gymnasium, and people were coming and going at the entrance.

The lobby was noisy and divided into different windows. There were signs for "Points Redemption", "Task Handover", "Housing Rental", and "Supplies Application".

Ruan Ning and the other two first went to the "Points Redemption" window. Inside, a staff member was sitting, with a terminal and scanner in front of him.

“Exchange for points,” Ruan Ning said.

"Bring up the crystal cores. Calculate the price according to the base's latest exchange rate." The staff member said without looking up.

Ruan Ning took out a small cloth bag from her purse and poured out a pile of crystal cores. Most were second-tier, attribute-less crystal cores, a small number of first-tier ones, and a few third-tier, attribute-less ones. She didn't take out any attribute-based crystal cores or those of higher tiers.

Staff scanned each item one by one using a scanner and operated the terminal. "Second-tier, no attribute, 10 points each. First-tier, no attribute, 5 points. Third-tier, no attribute, 50 points. Total 670 points. Confirm transfer to identity card?"

“Confirmed.” Ruan Ning handed over the identity bracelet.

After the staff member finished operating the device, they handed the bracelet back: "All done. Next."

With their points, they went to the "Housing Rental" window. It was less crowded there.

The staff member behind the window was a middle-aged woman. She looked at them and said, "Renting a place? Outer city residential area. Prefab houses are free, beds in tenement buildings are 20 points per month, single rooms are 50 to 100 points, and detached houses start from 200 points. One month's rent as deposit. Which type do you want?"

"A detached house, accommodating three people, with a yard. It's permitted to keep registered, domesticated mutant beasts," Ruan Ning said.

The woman checked on the terminal: "Edge of Zone 5, B-17, two-story building, three rooms, with a small yard and well (water quality needs to be tested by the owner). Monthly rent: 280 points. Allowed to keep registered and tagged non-aggressive mutant beasts. One month's rent as deposit, one month's rent in advance, totaling 560 points. Need it?"

“Yes, I need it.” Ruan Ning handed over the ID card again.

The woman swiped her card, then had Ruan Ning sign her name on the electronic screen, and printed out a rental certificate and two keys. "The address and lock usage instructions are on the certificate. The basic facilities of the house are in good condition, but you need to take care of the furniture yourself. There is a designated person to collect the garbage disposal fee every week, and the settlement is made monthly. Water and electricity quotas are allocated according to the number of residents and the house level. Any excess must be purchased separately. If you have any problems, please contact the neighborhood management office."

The formalities were completed quickly.

They found B-17 according to the address on the voucher. The location was similar to what the boy had described, near the edge of District 5, and relatively quiet.

The door was opened with a key; it was empty and covered in dust, but the structure was indeed intact.

"Finally, we have a place." Lin Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Zhou Min began to plan: "Let's do a simple cleaning today, and get some necessary furniture tomorrow."

Ruan Ning stood in the center of the empty first-floor living room, raising her hand with her palm facing upwards.

Tiny droplets of water vapor gathered above her palm, quickly forming a swirling, transparent mist. The mist spread out according to her will, evenly permeating every corner of the room—the walls, ceiling, floor, and window frames.

Her fingers twitched slightly. The mist began to swirl rapidly, like countless tiny brushes, carrying away dust, cobwebs, and stains, peeling them away from every surface. The whole process was quiet and swift, without wetting anything. The dirt, swirled in the mist, condensed into a murky ball of water, suspended in the air.

Ruan Ning walked into the courtyard, waved her hand, and the water ball fell into the drainage ditch, spreading out and flowing away.

The room was completely refreshed; although it was still empty, at least it was clean. The air was also much fresher.

"Let's pack our things," Ruan Ning said.

The three men opened the backpacks and packages they had brought with them. They mainly contained weapons, ammunition, some tools, first-aid supplies, a small amount of spare clothing, and some unopened canned goods and compressed food they had collected earlier. There wasn't much, and they quickly sorted and put everything away.

The fire carried its special bag of dried meat to a corner and lay there guarding it.

By the time they finished, it was already dark. A few lights flickered on the outskirts of the base, mainly from candles or homemade oil lamps. The building they rented had electricity, but it was only available for two hours a day, and it was clearly not time yet.