Chapter 57 Identity Card

More than thirty survivors lined up around a large pot, their eyes fixed eagerly on the noodles inside. Thin noodles swirled in the thick broth, dotted with green leafy vegetables and pink luncheon meat. Just the aroma alone made their long-starved stomachs ache with hunger.

The superhuman handed the bowl of noodles to the first person in line: "Here you go, there's plenty left in the pot, eat slowly and be careful not to burn yourself."

The person who received the bowl of noodles gratefully stretched out their dirty hands to take it, saying, "Thank you, thank you."

The person who received the noodles couldn't wait to find a place to sit down. They grabbed their chopsticks and started stuffing large mouthfuls of noodles into their mouths. The noodles were scalding hot, and some soup accidentally splashed onto their glasses, causing tears to well up in their cloudy eyes behind the glasses.

Delicious, so fragrant! I never knew that soft noodles could be so tasty, that having food to eat felt so wonderful, and that being able to survive was both so hard and so lucky.

Watching the people devour their noodles, the superhumans felt a mix of emotions. These individuals, too, had experienced hunger and knew its taste all too well. Who would willingly abandon their dignity to live unless truly driven to desperation?

These survivors were Li Bin's relatives, friends, and colleagues. Before the crisis, they had decent jobs. Even in a place like City C where land was incredibly expensive, they could live a comfortable life.

But now they were ragged and disheveled, each one emaciated. If Jiang Rong and the others didn't show up soon, this group of people would surely die.

Li Bin took off his glasses and carefully wiped the lenses with the dirty hem of his shirt. "After City C fell, my relatives and friends and I formed a convoy to evacuate City C. The car ran out of gas as soon as we crossed the bridge, and we've been stuck here for more than a month... living in fear every day."

Thinking about what he had gone through during this period of time, Li Bin's body trembled uncontrollably.

Having grown up in peacetime, Li Bin had never witnessed the wickedness of the world. During this period, they not only had to be wary of mutated plants and animals, but also had to find ways to avoid the high temperatures and search for any supplies that could help them survive.

Their hands, accustomed to holding mice and pens, were no match for the ferocious mutated plants and animals. Even a roadside weed could leave them helpless. Food in the convoy was dwindling, and people's morale was plummeting.

External threats were manageable; the most terrifying thing was the internal division. Their group split, with one team taking most of the food and medicine while the other half slept.

This was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the remaining people, making their already difficult days even worse. Before Jiang Rong arrived, they could only scavenge for rotten fish and shrimp by the river to fill their stomachs.

They ate dead food and drank river water that always tasted strange no matter how it was cooked. The number of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people in the group increased, and Li Bin's hair turned white day by day from working so hard.

The lenses became clearer, but Li Bin's vision grew increasingly blurry. He cried out in anguish, "Engineer Jiang, do you know what it feels like to watch your relatives and friends die? My wife was just cut by some roadside weed, and she's been getting weaker and weaker every day..."

Jiang Rong nodded slowly: "I know." Without medicine, even a small wound can be fatal.

Li Bin turned his head and sniffled: "When we left City C, we were full of confidence, thinking that with everyone's strength, we could find a safe place. We naively thought that the difficulties were only temporary, and that once the storm passed, we could all live normal lives again. We never expected that before we even got back to our hometown, the team of more than 100 people had dwindled to only 35 people."

The road to escape was difficult, and Jiang Rong had walked the same path Li Bin had in his past life. Jiang Rong had also witnessed the ugliness of human nature that Li Bin had seen. Therefore, Jiang Rong could understand Li Bin's feelings and his pain.

Seeing Li Bin with tears in his eyes, Jiang Rong comforted him, "Please accept my condolences."

Li Bin, his hands trembling, put the glasses back on. He forced a smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "Thank goodness I met you all, thank goodness... Engineer Jiang, I'm sorry. When I was giving you the drawings, I even laughed at you for being overly anxious and overreacting. Now I realize you were the smartest one. If I had your foresight, we wouldn't have suffered so much, and my wife and sister wouldn't have died..."

During his time trapped in the industrial park, Li Bin was filled with regret. If only he had had the foresight to build a large, sturdy house and stockpile plenty of supplies, would his family have been spared their constant displacement? Would their loved ones have been able to survive safely?

Hearing Li Bin's choked words, Jiang Rong said sympathetically, "Engineer Li, the dead cannot be brought back to life. Those who survive must look forward. What are your plans for the future?"

Li Bin's eyes were blank: "I don't know either..." He wanted to go back to his hometown, but even if he could, what would be there to support their survival? They were unarmed; an adult couldn't defeat a mutated wild dog. Not to mention, they were hundreds of miles from their hometown, and in their current condition, they couldn't even walk ten kilometers.

Jiang Rong considered carefully and said, "Engineer Li, I don't know if you would be willing to go to our base. The base is just starting out, and many facilities are not yet complete. If you go, your quality of life will definitely not be as good as before the Great Crisis, but at least you will be able to live comfortably."

A small glint appeared in Li Bin's eyes: "Spark Base?" During their escape, they had heard of many survivor bases, but they never expected that Jiang Rong was actually a member of one of them.

Jiang Rong said slowly, "Yes, but if you want to go, you will have to work for the base, and all your belongings will have to be handed over to the base. Of course, the base will provide you with basic living support and guarantee your personal safety."

Li Bin replied without hesitation, "Go!"

If they hadn't been stuck in the industrial park for over a month, Li Bin and his colleagues would still be arrogant. It was precisely because they experienced hardship that they understood the importance of having a place to stay.

In this day and age, just surviving is difficult enough. Having a place to stay and enough to eat and wear is already a great comfort to them. As for their belongings, they only had a few vehicles and some tattered clothes. Their gold jewelry and luxury watches had already been taken by their colleagues. They were incredibly grateful that the base had taken them in and given them a decent meal.

Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Okay, then you guys eat first, and after you finish eating, take a shower and get some rest. We'll take you with us after we finish our mission."

Li Bin excitedly grabbed Jiang Rong's hand and shook it repeatedly: "Engineer Jiang, thank you, thank you."

Unexpectedly, the person who saved him at the critical moment was Jiang Rong, whom he had only met a few times. Thinking that he hadn't given Jiang Rong a single penny of discount when he provided her with the drawings, Li Bin felt full of guilt: "I'm sorry, I haven't used the 300,000 yuan design fee you gave me. I will definitely find a way to pay you back when I get to the base."

Jiang Rong was both amused and exasperated: "Why are you bringing up design fees at a time like this? Besides, it's what you deserve." Li Bin's design for the house was excellent, and as the user, Jiang Rong was very satisfied. It was precisely for this reason that Jiang Rong had actively sought him out.

If Li Bin and his colleagues are willing to join in the construction of the base, their construction will proceed more smoothly.

However, when it came to the blueprints, Jiang Rong did have something to ask Li Bin. He leaned close to Li Bin's ear and whispered, "Engineer Li, I have a favor to ask. Don't tell anyone else on the site about the house design you're giving me, and don't reveal any details about the house. Is that alright?"

Li Bin knew the importance and urgency of the matter, and he quickly swore, "Don't worry, Engineer Jiang, I won't tell anyone."

Jiang Rong left a few people to look after the survivors, while the rest ventured deep into the industrial park to carefully search for the materials they needed.

Just as everyone had expected, the warehouses of these material processing plants were piled high with materials, enough to build their base warehouses. Leilei and the other space-type ability users quickly filled their spaces, and after a few more trips, the materials would be returned to their places.

Logically, once they found enough materials, Jiang Rong and his team could return to base. However, Jiang Rong wanted to take a walk along the riverbank; there were several industrial parks there, and perhaps they could find some good stuff.

The search yielded quite a few results. However, these were all chemical raw materials, and only professionals knew how to use them. Jiang Rong sealed up the warehouse; although they might not need them now, they might come in handy in the future.

After checking the time, Jiang Rong instructed, "Let's stop looking and go back." They've found enough today, enough for the base to use for a long time. If they need any other materials, they can come back later.

These days, it's not like whoever puts a label on a warehouse owns the contents. Without real power, even if they travel all over Jiangbei, they still won't be able to take anything with them.

The second half of the night was the coolest time of day. Li Bin and the others, who were fast asleep, were woken up by the superhumans: "Engineer Li, wake up, we're going back."

Li Bin rubbed his sleepy eyes and quickly got up to walk to the driver's seat of the RV: "Okay, okay!"

The RV had been filled with gasoline by the superhumans. After the car was started, the air conditioning turned on, and the vehicle, which had been parked in the industrial park for more than a month, slowly started moving.

The survivors cheered, "We're leaving! We'll never come back to this hellhole!"

The RVs couldn't keep up with the speed of the military vehicles and off-road vehicles, so Li Bin and his team kept close behind the convoy in their RVs, afraid of being left behind.

Li Bin's son looked at the large red sphere on the heavy truck with a puzzled expression: "Dad, what's that truck in front of us carrying?"

The survivors had noticed the large red sphere long ago, but they didn't know what it was. Li Bin pondered, "Perhaps it's some kind of supplies found by the superhumans? Is that red layer on top a net?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the little darling waved her vines at the cars behind her, making a heart shape with her fingers. The people in the cars behind turned pale: "Did you see that? That thing moves!" "It can even make a heart shape!"

Li Bin gasped, "My God, the Starfire Base is full of hidden talents!" So much time had passed since the major crisis, and while they were covered in dust and grime, Jiang Rong and her group were refreshed, had plenty of food, and now there were even strange, moving creatures on the truck. It seemed their decision to seek refuge with the Starfire Base was the right one.

As the convoy reached the bridge, dawn was breaking. Golden sunlight shone on the bridge's inscription, revealing a red plant that covered the suspension cables on both sides, stretching for hundreds of meters across the two lanes of traffic.

The survivors in the convoy were terrified: "What is that?!" "Holy crap, it's moving! It's moving!"

Jiang Rong looked up and was stunned for a moment. He opened the window and leaned out: "Little darling, you're blocking the billboard!"

Upon hearing this, Little Darling swayed its vines, and a huge billboard appeared on the bridge, clearly stating: "I am Little Darling, the Bloodthirsty Vine from the Spark Base. I am here on the cross-river bridge to protect pedestrians. Please do not attack me."

Jiang Rong was relieved: "Little darling, remember not to block the billboard next time, or you'll easily get attacked." There are always mountains beyond mountains and people beyond people. The Bloodthirsty Vine is not indestructible. If it encounters high-level ability users from other bases, it would be bad if Little Darling didn't reveal her identity in time and got accidentally injured.

Little Darling swayed on the vines in response to Jiang Rong: "Be good!"

The survivors were bewildered: "Attack it? Who would be so foolish as to attack it? We should be grateful it doesn't attack people."

The little darling hung lazily on the bridge, and everyone thought it looked much bigger than it had the night before. Jiang Rong asked curiously, "Little darling, what were you doing last night?"

A little creature, its tendrils swaying from the bridge, stretched out of the car window and pointed towards the vast river: "Eat..."

Jiang Rong was stunned for a moment: "You mean, after we left, you went into the water and fought with the mutated aquatic plants?"

The little darling calmly pointed at the vines: "There's a problem~"

The superhumans in the team felt a chill run down their spines: "My God, thank goodness we're Little Darling's teammates." "If we were to encounter an opponent like Little Darling, I'd rather just lie down and wait to die."

It can climb buildings and go underwater, and it has no burnout period; once it spots its prey, it will relentlessly pursue it. No wonder the Bloodthirsty Vine is a nightmare for those with superpowers.

However, the little darling at the Spark Base is completely different from the wild Bloodthirsty Vine outside; it's obedient and docile. As long as Jiang Rong is around, it's controllable.

Little Darling awkwardly twisted the vines and said, "Wait, wait..."

Just then, the sound of water breaking came from both sides of the bridge. Everyone turned to look out the car window and saw red vines slowly retracting from under the bridge. As the vines moved upwards, everyone quickly saw what was tied to them.

There were more than a dozen large fish, each longer than an adult human. They were still alive, trying to break free of the vines. But the little darling was no pushover; it held the fish tightly, refusing to let go no matter how much they struggled.

Water dripped from the scales of the large fish, carrying with it a distinctive fishy smell. Chu Qiang, his hands trembling, picked up the walkie-talkie: "Xiao Jiang, did you see that? My little darling caught so many fish!"

Jiang Rong responded, "I saw it."

The large fish were neatly arranged behind the heavy truck. A small animal on the truck stretched out its vines and held down the wriggling fish, humming twice, "Little fairy~"

Captain White Cat once said that team members who are away from home should bring gifts back to those who cannot leave. It will bring back some big fish for the little fairy to soothe her pain of not being able to go out.

Chu Qiang stared blankly at the large fish wriggling in the trunk of the heavy truck. When Xiao Guaiguai put the last fish into the truck bed, he rubbed his eyes and asked, "Was that... a crocodile?"

That's right, the last one was indeed a crocodile. This crocodile was entirely bluish-black, with red vines binding its mouth and limbs, and was placed belly-up in the truck bed. The poor crocodile couldn't move, only able to swish its tail. However, before it could even swish its tail a few times, the little crocodile once again extended vines and bound it tightly.

The little darling, satisfied with placing the big fish in the car, shook its vines and said, "There's a problem!"

*

From the moment the convoy entered the cross-river bridge, the road conditions became exceptionally smooth. With good road conditions, driving became very comfortable. Li Bin couldn't help but press the accelerator; he hadn't driven so comfortably in a long time. After driving for about half an hour, the piles of vehicles on the roadside gradually decreased, and rolling hills appeared ahead of the convoy.

Li Bin was astonished: "This, isn't this the area around Lingshan Reservoir?" He had brought his family here for a trip before the major crisis.

However, when Li Bin came to Linshan Reservoir before, he took the highway and main roads. This time, the convoy took him on side roads. The further they went, the more they noticed that the broken-down vehicles on the road had disappeared, and the area appeared clean and spacious.

At this moment, a village appeared on the left side of the road, and a row of bright solar panels were installed on the roof of the buildings in front of the village.

Li Bin's son's eyes lit up: "Dad, look! Solar panels!" Solar panels mean electricity, and electricity means we can use household appliances. What an exciting discovery!

As everyone looked closer, a flash of red appeared at the village entrance. Upon closer inspection, a coral-like bloodthirsty vine clung to the wall leading into the village. A sign stood in front of the vine, which read: Xinghuo Base, Tangqiao Eighth Village.

Li Bin was stunned for a moment: "This...we've already arrived at the base?"

This base is different from what he imagined. In his mind, a base should be a fortress, right? Why does the Starfire Base look like a rural resort?

The number of vehicles on the road increased, and whenever they saw Jiang Rong's convoy, they would slow down and honk their horns. Li Bin was somewhat surprised; it seemed that Jiang Rong held a high position within the base.

Having spent years navigating the social landscape, Li Bin knew the importance of connections. If he could get an introduction from the base's higher-ups, their lives would be much easier after entering the base. His resolve grew stronger: following Jiang Rong was the right thing to do!

As they ventured deeper into the base, Li Bin and his team saw more villages. These villages were well-maintained and showed no signs of decay. Around the villages, people were operating machines to cultivate the fields. They were digging deep drainage ditches and meticulously preparing each plot of land into a neat, square shape.

After the major crisis, many trees died from the heat. The people at the base felled the dead trees, cut them into two-foot lengths, and neatly placed them on the trucks. Pickup trucks loaded with branches drove past them.

The people at the base were busy as bees, trying to do as much as possible while it was cool so they could enjoy the air conditioning and eat in peace later.

The convoy stopped in Fishery Village No. 3, where the activity center had expanded several times over. Jiang Rong and her group arrived early; the market was still open. The activity center was bustling with people, who happily carried their goods in and out.

Li Bin parked his RV by the roadside, gazing absently in the direction of the activity center, lost in thought. He hadn't expected to see such a bustling market here. Just then, Jiang Rong knocked on the RV window and said with a smile, "Welcome to Xinghuo Base."

Li Bin felt like he was dreaming: "Jiang Gong, is this really the base?"

Jiang Rong smiled and said, "Would I lie to you? You can register here first, and then someone will come to meet you. Just follow them. I'm a little busy right now, please excuse me."

Li Bin quickly said, "Engineer Jiang, please go ahead with your work."

Jiang Rong and her group walked north along the road next to the activity center and disappeared in a short while. At this moment, a pretty girl appeared in front of Li Bin: "Are you Engineer Li Bin? I am Lin Meng, the recorder from the Xinghuo Base. Please follow me."

After saying this, Lin Meng turned and walked into the activity center. The activity center is now completely different from what it used to be; not only has the space been expanded, but several offices have also been added inside.

Li Bin and his team brought a total of five RVs, which will become the property of the base and be requisitioned. In return, each of them received a small card with their photo on it.

Lin Meng explained, "These are everyone's access cards in the base. Please don't lose them. Each adult entering the base has 1,000 points on their card, minors aged 10 to 18 have 500 points, and minors under 10 have 300 points. The cards can be password-protected using the machines in the activity center. When you need to exchange for supplies, you can go to the activity centers in each village to exchange for the corresponding supplies."

While queuing, Li Bin overheard people around him talking about points; in the Spark Base, points have replaced currency. Here, five points can buy a pound of rice, and 20 points can buy a pound of meat.

Housing will be allocated within the base. If you only use 1,000 points for food and clothing, it's enough for an adult to live comfortably in the Spark Base for a month.

Once you run out of points on your card, you'll need to find ways to earn more. There are two main ways to earn points: working and hunting.

For ordinary people, the most common and convenient way to earn points is through work. The base needs people to do things every day, and anyone who is able-bodied can find a suitable job there.

Finding out how many job opportunities are available is easy; just check out the Task Center in the Activity Center. The Task Center spans two floors, where both bases and individuals can post tasks. Task information scrolls across an electronic screen, with new tasks appearing daily.

The points earned vary depending on the type of work. Manual laborers can earn 100 to 150 points per day, while senior engineers like Li Bin can earn over 500 points per day.

As for hunting, that's the main way for superhumans to earn points. Superhumans go outside the base to search for things, and as long as they bring back supplies, after deducting the supplies they hand in, the remaining supplies can be exchanged for corresponding points. If they can bring back useful mutated plants and animals, they can exchange for even more points.

Everyone quickly understood the purpose of the points. In fact, even before the great crisis, people would work to earn money. The value of Starfire Base points was roughly the same as money before the great crisis, so everyone easily accepted its existence.

Li Bin carefully placed the card close to his body, and then he saw his son holding the card beside him. Remembering his son's forgetful nature, Li Bin couldn't help but ask, "Miss Lin..."

Lin Meng smiled and said generously, "Just call me by my name, Li Gong. Is there any problem?"

Li Bin asked sheepishly, "What if I accidentally lose the card?"

Lin Meng smiled and pointed to the ground: "If you lose your ID card, you can come here to replace it. However, each person only has two chances to replace it each year. If the card is stolen and used fraudulently during the replacement period, the base will not be responsible. So please be sure to keep your ID card safe."

"Also, our ID cards are newly activated, so there may be some bugs. If your ID card malfunctions, don't panic, just come to the registration desk to have it repaired."

Li Bin replied, "Okay, thank you."

Lin Meng gave a sweet smile: "Does Engineer Li have any other questions? If not, we'll take you inside the house."

As they were talking, several large tricycles slowly pulled up near the registration window. A large sign hung on each tricycle, reading "Pick-up and Drop-off for Newlyweds." Li Bin was astonished: "They even offer pick-up and drop-off services?"

Lin Meng smiled slightly, her eyes sparkling: "Yes, our base is very big, and it will only get bigger in the future!"

Author's Note:

The little darling rolled the crocodile toward the little fairy: Fish, fish!

Fairy: !!! I want to go out too! QAQ