Chapter 166 Accommodation Arrangements

Lin Xi twisted her sore neck and heard her stomach protesting.

As they walked out of the lab after the disinfection process, they suddenly realized that the road was unfamiliar, and they were already at the base.

The senior students had arrived at the base before her and had already settled into their accommodations, but she only arrived today. After passing through security, she went straight to the lab, and now she doesn't even know where she lives or where her luggage is after work.

Xiang Xin is not around.

Lin Xi took out her phone to send a message when a familiar, cold voice appeared: "Lin Xi."

At 2 a.m., the base entered energy-saving mode, and the lights were very dim, just enough to make people visible.

Lu Wei had taken off his military uniform and was now wearing normal casual clothes. Lin Xi was too tired and sleepy to notice him.

She stepped forward and confirmed that only Lu Wei had come.

Seeing through her intentions, Lu Wei said calmly, "The laboratory is a key area, Xiang Xin can't come in."

"Um."

At this moment, Lu Wei's eyes were also a little dull, with two faint dark circles under his eyes. He handed over a brown paper sealed bag and Lin Xi's backpack: "Inside are your temporary ID card for the base and the key to your residence."

The backpack was the one Lin Xi brought; besides the necessary personal items, it also contained some compressed biscuits.

Lin Xi opened the brown paper bag. The ID card inside was rather simple; it was a magnetic card like a meal card. Many places in the base required card verification for entry. In addition to the information that an ID card should have, there was an additional note on it: "Nanhua Biological Research Institute".

Lin Xi picked up the key: "Where do I live? With Xiang Xin?"

Lu Wei: "You will be staying with the research institute for the time being. The base is strictly managed, and personnel cannot be changed at will. You will not be able to see Xiang Xin for the time being. If you need anything to pass on, you can let me know."

That's really troublesome. Lin Xi is used to contacting Xiang Xin first when something happens.

Lin Xi hesitated, "Aren't you...very busy at the base?"

They had agreed that one would go into the military or politics, and the other would pursue medical research. Although Lin Xi was just a junior colleague doing odd jobs in the lab, she was highly regarded by Song Heng.

Lu Wei has already reached the rank of captain and is independently in charge of temporary shelters outside. Now that he has come to the base, he will likely be given an important position.

My main job is busy enough, and I also have so many group chats to take care of.

If everyone asks him to deliver things, he might as well quit his job and become a courier station.

However, Lin Xi only kept these thoughts to herself and didn't say them aloud.

Lu Weiwei shook her head slightly: "We also work shifts."

Lin Xi shrugged, indicating they weren't talking about the same thing, and remained noncommittal.

As they were talking, Lin Xi's stomach growled a few more times. She had left in a great hurry that afternoon, leaving the truck to Xiang Xin for registration and processing. As for her bag, it was also with Xiang Xin.

She entered the laboratory area alone, just like a refugee who had fled without any possessions.

In the dead of night, any noise is very noticeable, and the rumbling of the stomach is hard to ignore.

Lu Wei: "Xiang Xin only packed compressed biscuits in your bag."

The thought of that dry texture made Lin Xi's stomach ache from hunger.

Lu Wei handed over a meal card: "The base canteen offers late-night snacks, but they are only given to staff on duty. You can use my card."

Lin Xi: "We're staff members too, don't we?"

Lu did not shake his head.

Due to the shortage of supplies, the base's late-night canteen only offers two staple foods: porridge and noodles.

But there's no other choice; eating plain noodles is better than going back to the dorm and gnawing on dry biscuits.

While Lin Xi was eating noodles, Lu Wei told her some things about the Dawn Base:

Dawn Base is still under construction, with a small open area, less complete facilities than Dawn Base, and limited supplies. Only staff maintaining order and soldiers fighting zombies outside receive some preferential treatment.

All the other residents who move to the city will gradually start working, including jobs that provide basic necessities such as construction, farming, cleaning, cooking, and textiles, as well as some more technical jobs.

The scientific research work in the laboratory is just one of many tasks at the base, and the staff are treated the same as the base's engineers and ordinary doctors.

Xiang Xin is temporarily living in a regular refugee area. Later, depending on her personal wishes, she can choose to stay in the city to work or join the army like in her previous life.

Lin Xi: "She has wanted to touch a gun for a long time, and she will definitely choose to join the army."

She wanted to reach for the gun in her pocket, but then remembered that she had returned it to Liang Hui during the base security check and hadn't taken it with her when she left.

This item is still contraband within the base; ordinary people are not allowed to possess it, and only military personnel and police officers are permitted to have it.

Seeing through her intentions, Lu Wei said, "It's in your bag."

Lin Xi understood—

Lu Wei did indeed come to deliver a "package," but he made a special trip because there was a gun in his bag that he couldn't just leave unattended.

There aren't many unsafe factors in the base, but she feels safer here alone if she has a gun.

"I'll probably stay in the lab and won't be able to go out on missions with you guys."

Lin Xi chose the path of scientific research and had to stick to it. Assisting Song Heng in the laboratory gave her access to firsthand information about zombies, and she continued to improve her studies in her spare time. Although she couldn't get a degree normally due to the apocalypse, the knowledge she gained was real.

This is a tedious and hopeless path, but since we've chosen it, we can't work on it half-heartedly.

After exchanging a few words, Lin Xi returned the meal card to Lu Wei and then took her ID card to the dormitory management office to collect her belongings. Although her bag contained spare clothes and some everyday items, it did not contain bedding.

The base arranged for all researchers to live in dormitory area E near the laboratory. Junior staff members like Lin Xi lived in a six-person female dormitory, and almost all of their roommates were former colleagues.

Dormitories in Area E dormitories do not provide showers; students must use the public restrooms outside. Currently, the dormitory area...

When Lin Xi returned, all the beds were occupied by people, so she hastily made up a bed for herself and lay down.

I took out my phone to send a message to Xiang Xin to let her know how I was doing and to remind her to take good care of herself.

Once the conditions at Dawn Base improve and they accumulate more points, they might have the opportunity to be transferred to live together.

As soon as I opened the green bubble app, I was surprised to find that Xiang Xin had already sent me a message:

"My dearest San San, by the time you see this message, I'll already be fast asleep in our dorm room. Brother Lu said we'll be separated for a while. Take good care of yourself over there, drink plenty of water and try not to stay up too late, or you'll end up with a receding hairline like Old Man Song. Even if you become receding hairline, we'll still love you, but..."

Lin Xi scrolled down a bit before finishing reading the instructions, which were clearly copied from somewhere else.