None of them expected that the Starsea Base would be like this.
Jiang Li opened his backpack, took out a small bag of compressed biscuits, and stuffed it into the landlady's hand.
"Thank you for telling us so much. This is for you."
The proprietress looked at the small bag of compressed biscuits in her hand and repeatedly declined, saying that everyone knew this and she hadn't intended to take anything.
"No, no, I just said a few words..."
Jiang Li grasped the proprietress's hand.
“If I go out and ask others for this information, I have to pay them. If you don’t take it, I won’t dare to ask you again if there’s anything I want to know.”
A small bag of compressed biscuits, which is only enough for one meal, is really not much. The information the shop owner told her is completely sufficient.
Seeing that Jiang Li insisted, the proprietress did not refuse again.
"Thanks."
The proprietress had just finished saying thank you when Shi Yuan walked in from outside.
"Seeing Shi Yuan return, the proprietress said."
"You guys rest, I'll head out now."
After watching the landlady walk away, Gu Jin closed the door and locked it from the inside.
As usual, I turned off the lights and checked the room for any surveillance or eavesdropping devices. Only after confirming that there were none did I turn the lights back on.
There wasn't even a stool in the room, so Jiang Li simply took out a table and chairs from his spatial storage.
The group sat down at the table and exchanged information.
Shi Yuan's return after such a long time was not just to pay the hotel bill, but also to gather information from the little boy from earlier.
"The two of them are pretty much on the same page, so it seems that's the situation at Starsea Base."
As Jiang Li spoke, his expression gradually turned cold.
Fu Xiaxia nodded in agreement.
"It's already hard enough to survive in this world, and the Starsea Base still manages to do something like this."
Gu Jin chimed in from the side.
"The First Base does not look as prosperous and bustling as the Starsea Base. If given a choice, I believe most people would still prefer to live in the First Base."
The group nodded in agreement with Gu Jin's words; they did indeed prefer the First Base.
The next morning, after having breakfast, the group packed their backpacks and headed out together.
The room behind them had been restored to how it was when they checked in. The door didn't need to be locked, and everything inside belonged to the hotel, which they would take good care of themselves.
As soon as I walked into the store, I saw only a middle-aged man sitting at the counter. Breakfast was laid out on the counter. The breakfast on the table was very simple: a small dish of pickled vegetables of unknown origin and a bowl of watery seafood porridge.
I've already eaten more than half of the pancake in my hand. The pancake is a bit dark in color, so it's either made of sorghum flour or sweet potato flour.
Jiang Li guessed that this person must be the boss, and sure enough, the man soon confirmed her guess.
The man smiled when he saw the group of people come out.
"Hello, I'm the owner here. Would you like something to eat?"
The boss spoke in a very gentle tone, but what he said was incredibly honest.
"However, since we're a small business, we don't offer free food. If you want to order food, you'll have to pay extra."
You can also bring out some grain, and we'll help you cook it; we'll just give you a small service fee.
My wife is a pretty good cook.
Hearing the boss's words, Gu Jin smiled and thanked him.
"Thank you for your trouble, but we've already eaten and are planning to go out for a walk."
Even after being rejected, the boss's smile remained unchanged; instead, he gave Gu Jin a knowing look.
"You want to buy food, right?"
Um?
A hint of doubt flashed in Jiang Li's eyes, but he wisely refrained from asking.
Fang Qingxun, standing to the side, picked up the conversation even more smoothly.
"We were found out! I thought we were hiding it very well!"
The proprietress proudly raised her chin.
"I've seen plenty of people like you, so I can guess your intentions right away."
"While it's safer for you guys at the small base, and there's no hierarchy, all you can do is go out to sea to fish. You can't grow your own food, so you still have to buy it from the base, right?"
Upon hearing this, the group suddenly realized what was going on and remembered Wang Qingli's base, where they had previously mentioned coming to exchange food.
Gu Jin walked quickly to the counter.
"Since the boss sees things so clearly, could you point us in the right direction?"
To be honest, this is our first time visiting Xinghai Base, and we're not familiar with the place.
Our base sent a few of us over to scout out the situation first, since we're completely clueless!
"Don't worry, boss. We'll make sure you don't work for nothing."
The boss spoke with righteous indignation.
"What are you saying? Do you think I'm the kind of person who would covet your things?"
It's not easy for us to have survived until now! If we can help each other out, then we definitely should.
Just tell me, what do you want to know?
Gu Jin took a small bag of compressed biscuits out of her pocket and placed it on the counter.
"I don't know what I want to know. Why don't you tell me?"
"Then I'll see what you say!"
As the shopkeeper spoke, his hands moved incredibly fast, grabbing the compressed biscuits and stuffing them into his pocket. The speed was so fast that only a blur could be seen.
Even if such a small bag of compressed biscuits were given away for free before the apocalypse, not many people would be willing to eat it.
But now, for many people, compressed biscuits are a rare treat and a way to improve their diet.
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