36. Missing Person

In the small room, the charcoal in the brazier was burning brightly. Fu Yunong handed the cherry tomatoes to the group and said bluntly, "Shi Dong and I have already decided to head north. We're going to the highlands. If the three of you have other plans, you can still tell us now. We won't force you."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Linfang, Lin Songsong, and Huangfu Jinrang were all stunned.

Xiao Linfang snapped out of her daze, immediately shook her head, and said firmly, "I'm sticking with you! I'm so grateful for your care along the way. Besides, I don't know where I'd go on my own."

Fu Yunong smiled and shook her head, "What are you saying? It was Sister Lin who took care of us more along the way."

Lin Songsong grinned, twirling the piece of metal between her fingers, "I'm going too! I want to go with Sister Yu Nong and Sister Shi Dong, I want to be with everyone."

All eyes turned to Huangfu Jinrang. She lowered her head and remained silent for a few seconds before saying firmly, "I joined you a long time ago, of course I'll be with you." Maybe she'll even run into her parents when they reach the highlands.

Seeing that they all agreed, Fu Yunong smiled genuinely. After spending so much time together, she had come to regard them as close companions, and she would be very sad if any of them left.

Over the next two days, Sun Hui used various excuses to hang around Fu Yunong and the others, and gradually became somewhat familiar with them. Only Wang Dajiang remained arrogant, showing disdain not only towards Fu Yunong and the others, but also giving Sun Hui and her group a cold shoulder. He would often adopt the airs of a "special envoy" and lecture them, leaving everyone bewildered.

Shi Dong could guess a bit of it. There's a saying that goes, "What you hate is what you crave most." It might not be entirely true, but it fits Wang Dajiang perfectly. As an ordinary person, he clearly longed for the other people's superpowers, but because he couldn't obtain them, he always put on a disdainful act.

However, nobody took this clown seriously.

That afternoon, Sun Hui came to our door with a bottle of wine in her hand, a polite smile on her face. "Yunong, this is a good wine that I got from my boss. I was thinking of sharing it with you so you could try it."

Fu Yunong, Xiao Linfang, and Huangfu Jinrang all waved their hands, stating that they wouldn't drink. Shi Dong also shook her head. She used to love drinking and had a high tolerance, but she had given it up after the disaster. Firstly, she didn't have the means, and secondly, she was afraid that drinking would cause trouble.

Sun Hui wasn't embarrassed by their polite refusal and simply put away the wine bottle. She hadn't actually come to deliver wine; her real purpose was to inquire about their special abilities. She casually asked Fu Yunong, "Speaking of which, Yunong, your special ability... is it a spatial ability?"

Huangfu Jinrang was displeased upon hearing this, and frowned as he retorted, "Why are you asking so many questions?" This person has no sense of boundaries and asks about everything.

Fu Yunong gently pressed Huangfu Jinrang's shoulder and smiled at Sun Hui, "Little girl, don't mind her." But instead of answering her question directly, she changed the subject, "How did you get from the highlands? I heard the central region is now a vast expanse of water. Was it safe to cross the river?"

Sun Hui could only go along with her words and answer, "We were escorted by the base team before crossing the river. When we crossed the river, we drove directly across the ice, but the situation there was a bit strange..." She paused, successfully arousing the curiosity of the group.

Seeing that everyone was staring at him, Sun Huicai continued, "A tall forest actually grew on the ice. The trees were all species we had never seen before. They were as tall as a building, and a single leaf was bigger than a person. We were scared at the time, but luckily we made it through without encountering any danger."

Fu Yunong and the others fell silent after hearing this. Was it a mutated plant? Xiao Linfang was the first to react. She stood up and said to Sun Hui, "Thank you for telling us all this. It's cold outside, let me see you out."

Sun Hui stood at the door, stunned for a moment, before belatedly realizing that she was the one who had come to gather information, wasn't she? And what did she mean by "it's cold outside, so I'll send you out"?

When it was time for dinner, an even more enticing aroma wafted from the small room—they were eating roasted meat!

Fu Yunong is a barbecue enthusiast, but this was her first time eating here. It was too cold, so she didn't go for too many options, only buying pork belly, beef, mushrooms, and lettuce, and setting up the grill. The selection wasn't large, but it was definitely enough!

The four men in the corner of the warehouse immediately began to rumble with hunger. Wang Dajiang, his hand trembling, took a swig of wine, cursed angrily, and his eyes were full of resentment.

Cai Yun, being young, couldn't help but tug at Sun Hui's sleeve, pleading pitifully, "Sister Hui, could you go ask again? Even just a bite would be nice, it smells so good..."

Sun Hui looked at Ouyang Peng; although he didn't speak, his eyes conveyed the same meaning. Sun Hui sighed helplessly, patted Cai Yun's shoulder, and remained silent.

Wake up! The stuff belongs to someone else. They have nothing to exchange for it now, and they can't beat them. They shouldn't go looking for trouble.

The snow showed no signs of stopping; on the contrary, it fell even heavier.

Watching Fu Yunong and the others train so hard every day, as if they were on steroids, Sun Hui and her group felt both envious and frustrated. They wanted to train too, but they couldn't even get enough to eat, so where would they get the strength? Especially when they saw that Huangfu Jinrang had broken through and reached level two, Sun Hui felt even more bitter.

Within days, Sun Hui and her group were running out of food again. Having no other choice, she had to swallow her pride and go to Fu Yunong again. Fu Yunong didn't make things too difficult for her, taking out a piece of special paper from her spatial storage and handing it to Sun Hui, "You said you'd write an IOU, so write it here."

"Two level-one crystal cores for a piece of tofu, two level-one crystal cores for a cabbage, two level-one crystal cores for a potato," Fu Yunong announced the prices. She chose these items mainly because they were cheap.

Sun Hui quickly took the paper and pen and readily wrote down the amount owed and her promise to repay. What she didn't know was that this paper was a special item that Fu Yunong had drawn from the system. Once the IOU was written, it would automatically take effect. Unless Fu Yunong crossed it out herself, she could keep tracking the debtor's location as long as she wanted.

As the snow fell heavier, Sun Hui wrote more and more IOUs, and her relationship with Fu Yunong and the others became increasingly close. That morning, Sun Hui knocked on the door of the small room again, her face more serious than ever before, "Yunong, I want to talk to you about our cooperation."

Fu Yunong wasn't surprised. In her interactions with Sun Hui over the past few days, Sun Hui had already subtly hinted at her plan to head north. She knew that a large-scale exchange of system points wouldn't be possible with just the few of them; establishing a partnership with a major base like the Watchers would undoubtedly be much more efficient.

She asked calmly, "Tell me, how do you want to collaborate?"

Sun Hui took a deep breath and finally revealed her true thoughts, "To be honest, what I hope for most is that you can come back to the Watchers Base with me, and ideally, you can be officially enlisted as superhumans. You are all so strong, as long as you are willing to join, the base will definitely offer you generous benefits, and I can also make a great contribution through this." She spoke frankly, her eyes filled with expectation. This was not only to complete the mission, but also because she genuinely wanted to bring these powerful helpers to her side.

Fu Yunong, Shi Dong, and the others exchanged glances but did not immediately express their opinions. Fu Yunong pondered for a moment and said, "Why don't you tell us about the situation at the base, such as how it operates and the treatment of people with superpowers? We can discuss it together."

When Sun Hui saw that she had relented, she was overjoyed and quickly told them about the situation at the base. Only then did they realize that there was a river running through the Watchers base. Its flow was so large that even if it rained acid, the river water could quickly dilute the pollutants. No wonder it could support so many people.

She paused, then added, "The treatment of superhumans at the base is based on their level. Superhumans of X4 and above are assigned private rooms. As for me, in addition to room and board, I also receive a monthly salary and a fixed supply coupon. If I have free time, I can also go to the mission hall to take on missions and earn extra money. As for security, you don't need to worry. There's a five-meter-high wall around the base, and there are people patrolling and guarding it 24 hours a day."

"Supply coupons?" Fu Yunong asked with a hint of curiosity.

Sun Hui immediately explained, "It's a material ration coupon issued uniformly by the base. Whether it's for receiving food, exchanging clothes, or buying things in the small shops within the base, it all depends on this coupon."

Next, Fu Yunong, Shi Dong, and the others asked some questions they wanted to ask. Sun Hui answered very frankly, explaining all the details she could, showing great sincerity.

Fu Yunong and the others listened attentively, occasionally interjecting with questions, gaining a clearer understanding of the Watchers' Base. After Sun Hui finished speaking, Fu Yunong nodded slightly, "Okay, we'll go to the base with you once the snow stops."

"That's great!" Sun Hui excitedly reached out to shake Fu Yunong's hand, but just as she got close, Hua Hua growled softly beside her. She looked up and saw that Hua Hua had grown even bigger than a few days ago, with thicker and stronger limbs, and sharp fangs faintly showing at the corners of its mouth. It looked less like a cat and more like a little lion poised to pounce.

Sun Hui was so startled that she quickly withdrew her hand and gave an awkward smile.

For the next five days, the wind and snow continued unabated until noon on the sixth day, when it finally quieted down outside.

The group pushed open the warehouse door, and a blinding white expanse filled the air. The SUV parked at the entrance was buried under snow, with only the roof visible. Ignoring the cold, Sun Hui and the others immediately grabbed tools and began digging the vehicle out.

Fu Yunong stood under the eaves, watching the icicles hanging down from the roof, crystal clear, just like the winter in her hometown in the original world.

I wonder how my parents and grandma are doing...

The snow was still very soft, and even if they dug it out, the car couldn't drive on it and would easily get stuck. The group had no choice but to retreat to the warehouse and wait a couple of days to see if it would snow again, and also to wait for the snow to freeze solid.

Once the snow on the road had frozen solid, the group began packing their belongings and preparing to set off.

While packing, Shi Dong glanced at Sun Hui and her group but didn't see Wang Dajiang. At first, she didn't think much of it, assuming he was just being lazy or had gone to relieve himself nearby. But when everything was ready and they were about to leave, Wang Dajiang was still nowhere to be seen.

Shi Dong's heart immediately filled with suspicion, her brows twitched, and she quietly tugged at Fu Yunong's sleeve...