"You two aren't office staff from our district, are you?" Chen Yu and Lin Lele had just reached the entrance of the annex building when two burly men stopped them, looking wary.

"Hehe, we are new residents of the Third District. We are grateful for the relief we received, but we don't want to be idle and freeload all day, so we came here to see if we can find a suitable job and do our part for our Third District," Chen Yu explained.

“It’s commendable that you two have this intention.” One of the burly men’s expressions softened slightly. “However, we currently have enough staff in our district and do not need to hire more. Please leave!”

"You idiot, we're working here and you don't care who pays our salaries. Having one more person makes things easier for the others, doesn't it? Why would anyone complain about having too many people?" Lin Lele retorted, dissatisfied.

Chen Yu did not stop Lin Lele, but looked at her with the same puzzled expression.

"Gentlemen, you've misunderstood. It's not that we don't want more people to make the work easier," the burly man patiently explained. "However, we have a basic policy in our Third District: to do the most work with the fewest people. Everyone else should rest in bed after eating and avoid strenuous exercise in order to save food."

Upon hearing this outrageous answer, Chen Yu and Lin Lele were both stunned.

"You mean, let everyone eat their fill and lie in bed without moving, so as to reduce energy consumption and thus save food?" Lin Lele repeated incredulously, his voice filled with shock and confusion.

The burly man nodded and said solemnly, "With natural disasters raging now, every grain of food is precious. Only in this way can we ensure that more people do not starve to death."

"Didn't they say the resettlement area is backed by the Nandu Grain Depot, and there's enough grain to last for several years?" Chen Yu asked, puzzled.

"We don't know about that, but in any case, food should not be wasted meaninglessly," he shouted.

"Then why don't you just put a tube in everyone's mouth and feed them directly through the tube when it's time to eat? That way, no one will have to go to the cafeteria for every meal, and they'll burn less energy," Lin Lele joked.

Upon hearing this, the burly man said with a solemn expression, "Our Third District Resettlement Chief did indeed raise this suggestion with his superiors some time ago, but now that industrial production has come to a standstill, finding so many hoses is a bit unrealistic, so... alas, it's a pity, if only we had enough hoses..."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yu and Lin Lele secretly complained, "Is this a problem with the materials? Anyone with a sound mind wouldn't agree to this approach, would they?"

“However, we are now preparing to close the large cafeteria and set up smaller cafeterias in each building. This way, we can also reduce everyone’s consumption,” the big man added.

"Uh... okay, never mind." Lin Lele was speechless.

Seeing this, Chen Yu gently patted Lin Lele's shoulder, signaling him not to get too excited. Then he turned to the big man and said sincerely, "I quite agree with this approach. The person who came up with such an idea must be an extraordinary person. Brother, could you let me meet your resettlement area chief in person?"

“That won’t do. Our district chief is very busy with official duties and has no time to receive guests.” The big man refused directly. “Besides, since you have joined the Third District, you should prioritize saving food. Wandering around and wasting food is tantamount to murdering other people.”

"Go back to sleep! Look at this huge stadium, and there are still a few idle people loitering outside. You've made us waste so much energy here!"

"Considering you've just arrived and need time to familiarize yourself with the environment, we won't pursue this further. Just be more careful next time."

After saying that, he closed the office building door.

Chen Yu and Lin Lele exchanged a glance, both wearing wry smiles.

Even Lin Lele found this method of "saving food" absurd, which shows that it was indeed a bit too exaggerated.

Looking at the empty stadium, Chen Yu and his companion, not wanting to be conspicuous oddities, hurriedly returned to their dormitory.

The dormitory was quiet. Everyone was lying on their wooden beds. The return of the two people did not attract anyone's attention. Only the occasional snoring of one or two people could be heard. Obviously, everyone was asleep.

It was late in the afternoon, and so many people were sleeping so soundly. Chen Yu was speechless. This Third District really had a bunch of pigs who only knew how to eat and sleep!

Looking at the rudimentary living conditions, Lin Lele looked disgusted. If it weren't for the tattered cloth separating each person, she wouldn't even want to get into bed.

Lying on the wooden bed, Lin Lele stared blankly at the bed board above her for a while. Because she had already exhausted a lot of energy from traveling in the morning, and had only drunk a small bowl of porridge at noon, she soon felt the double attack of hunger and fatigue.

"Oh my god, what sins have I committed to deserve this suffering with Chen Yu?" Lin Lele couldn't help but lament in her heart.

Suddenly, she heard a faint noise next to her, like the sound of a mouse gnawing on something.

Lin Lele suddenly felt a chill run down her spine; this place was simply not fit for human habitation.

She tried to force herself to stop thinking about these things. She was sure she was hallucinating because she was so hungry. Otherwise, how could any rats survive in such an extremely cold environment?

However, the faint gnawing sound, like a nightmare, kept echoing in her ears, making it impossible for her to ignore it.

Soon, she couldn't bear the pressure and crawled into Chen Yu's bed next to her.

"Sir, did you hear something?" Lin Lele's voice trembled slightly as she gripped Chen Yu's blanket tightly, trying to find some comfort.

"What's that noise? Get back to your bed right now!" Chen Yu hissed, though his tone seemed a little guilty and his voice was somewhat muffled, as if he had something in his mouth.

Lin Lele immediately noticed something was wrong and pulled off Chen Yu's quilt.