Chapter 373 Opening Time.
After seeing off another wave of survivors who had consulted and joined the base, He Zhuo leaned back dramatically in his chair and let out a long sigh.
"I've been talking until my lips are sore... Luckily, our flyers clearly stated 'limited purchase per person,' otherwise, given the situation this morning, I feel like all our supplies would have been gone by noon!"
Gu Wan: "Yes, limiting purchases is a wise move. But Nan Nan..."
She turned to Lu Nange, her tone tinged with worry: "Even with purchase restrictions, at this rate of consumption, the supplies we got from that logistics park probably won't last long, right?"
Lu Nange: "Based on the trend this morning, we should be able to hold out for a month without any major problems. However, the variety of supplies will definitely decrease later on, and the options will become less available."
He Zhuo gulped down half a bottle of water, wiped his mouth, and said, "Hey! These days, having something is good enough, what's there to be picky about!"
Gu Qi: "People from Rock, Edge, Dawn, Starlight, and Zefeng have all inquired about bulk purchases. Now, only Dragon Soaring has not received any inquiries!"
Chi Yanzhou: "What's meant to come will come."
By 11 a.m., the market was already packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.
Zhang Ao and his team firmly guarded the entrance and began to implement flow control measures, requiring later arrivals to wait outside and be allowed in in batches.
The opening hours are clearly stated in bold font outside the main gate and on the previously distributed flyers: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM.
As the clock struck 11:50, He Zhuo grabbed the megaphone and shouted, "Attention! Last ten minutes! The market will close promptly in ten minutes! Survivors who didn't manage to buy anything, don't panic, we'll reopen at 2 PM sharp!"
The crowd stirred again.
Complaints, urging, and anxious inquiries mingled together, and the decibel level suddenly rose.
He Zhuo frowned: "What's all the noise about! Quiet down! Rules are rules! If you keep making noise and disrupting order, believe me, we'll just shut down the market permanently! And no one will be replaced!"
The phrase "permanent closure of the city" possesses absolute magic.
The boiling scene was instantly suppressed, and everyone fell silent as if they had been choked.
The team moved forward silently, each person completing the final transaction as quickly as possible.
Outside the gate, Zhang Ao resolutely refused to let anyone else in and loudly explained the afternoon opening time to the disappointed crowd outside, trying to calm their emotions.
Just a few minutes past midnight, the last group of survivors left with the supplies they had acquired.
With a loud bang, the door slowly closed and locked, finally shutting out the morning's hustle and bustle.
The market fell silent instantly, leaving only the beams of sunlight and the lingering, mingled scents of human gatherings in the air.
Chi Yanzhou: "Thank you all for your hard work! Chi Qi, take them back to the base canteen for lunch! Meet here at 1:50 PM to prepare for the opening!"
"Yes!" Chi Qi responded, then turned to the staff who had been busy all morning and shouted, "Everyone, assemble! Follow me!"
......
The moment the Flameheart Gate closed, the survivors outside stopped and crawled back into their various modified vehicles.
The roar of engines echoed one after another, kicking up clouds of dust as they sped away...
Almost at the same time the Flameheart Gate closed, about one kilometer away from the market, on the top floor of an abandoned high-rise building, several figures quietly put down their high-powered telescopes.
"Old Fu and the others have headed to the rendezvous point..."
"Let's go over there too, don't keep the boss waiting."
The group moved swiftly and quickly disappeared into the shadows at the stairwell.
About ten minutes later, about two kilometers away from the Flameheart Base, there was a street-front commercial area.
One of the shops had its door sealed shut with a golden shield, appearing no different from the other ruins.
But if you listen carefully, you can faintly hear breathing sounds and subtle movements inside.
"Knock, knock-knock—knock, knock." The rhythmic knocking sounded outside the door, the agreed-upon signal...
A doorway appeared in the Golden Shield...
Six men and women dressed in drab gray clothes, carrying various supplies, slipped in sideways.
The shop's interior space is quite large, but it felt somewhat crowded at the moment.
Hundreds of people stood or sat in complete silence, all eyes fixed on the six people who had just entered.
Deep inside the shop, a burly man sat imposingly on a wooden stool.
He raised his eyelids slightly, his gaze falling on the man at the head of the group who appeared to have a slightly hunched back.
"Old Fu, how's it going?"
Old Fu quickly stepped forward and respectfully replied, "Boss, there are more kinds of food, medicine, daily necessities... than we imagined."
Most importantly, as soon as a stall is about to run out of stock, it's immediately restocked, a constant stream! There must be a spatial ability user involved!
The burly man: "Hmm, where are the guards?"
Old Fu: "There are two patrol teams, totaling twenty-five people. The people guarding each stall, plus those responsible for restocking, make up about fifty people in total. There are fifteen people guarding the cash register, and a total of ninety people are on the market."
After listening, the burly man nodded slightly without expression, then turned his gaze to another woman: "Wan Mei."
"Boss, the market is about five or six hundred meters away from the main gate of Flameheart as the crow flies."
The entire area was surrounded by golden shields, with the watchtowers and main combat personnel concentrated at the Flameheart Gate.
The group of people Lao Fu mentioned patrolling the area outside the market are just average in frequency and intensity.
My assessment is that if we are well-prepared and act quickly enough, we can seize the supplies before the reinforcements at the Flameheart Gate arrive!
The burly man tapped the armrest of the chair, making a dull "thump-thump" sound, and then looked back at Lao Fu: "Lao Fu, what do you guys think?"
Old Fu: "Boss, Wan Mei's observation was indeed correct; the defense is basically as described..."
However, we overheard a lot of discussions while mingling in the crowd.
It's said that the dozen or so young people sitting at the cashier's counter stormed into the Blade Base, killed Mu Jin and his group, and returned to Flameheart unscathed...
Upon hearing this, Wan Mei scoffed, her tone tinged with disdain: "Old Fu, you believe the rumors? A dozen or so people stormed into a base and managed to escape unscathed? Is that even possible?"
A younger man next to Lao Fu said, "Sister Wanmei, it's true! Everyone at the Fengren Base is saying so!"
It's said that those people were all level four or higher ability users, and they walked out swaggeringly after killing Mu Jin! Now, many members of the Blade Blade want to join Flameheart!
Wan Mei: "Even if ten of those ninety people are level four ability users, we don't need to be afraid, right?"
Old Fu: "Wan Mei, don't forget, they entered our base like it was their own backyard...they scattered leaflets everywhere!"
The burly man remained silent, his eyes deep and unfathomable; no one knew what he was thinking...
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