The group of people stopped in their tracks, staring in disbelief at the middle-aged man who was staggering towards them.
The man was probably in his forties, wearing a faded blue work uniform. Although the clothes were old, he clearly took good care of cleaning them and had probably ironed them properly.
Her hair was neatly combed back with hair oil, and her eyebrows and sideburns were carefully groomed; she was a presentable person who paid great attention to her appearance.
The name tag hanging on the pocket of his work clothes reads: Workshop Director Song Xiaogang.
Song Xiaogang jogged up and blocked Lu Sheng and the others' path, frowning as he looked them up and down. "Are you guys here to apply for temporary jobs? We provide room and board, and it's four thousand a month. The job is to help transport steel every day, and if you work full hours, you get an extra two hundred yuan."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Lu Sheng and the other girls with a hint of disbelief, "The work here is quite tiring, and young girls may not be willing to do it. Have you thought it through?"
Lu Sheng and the others looked at each other, somewhat bewildered.
"Uncle... is your factory still hiring?" Zhang Xiaojuan gasped, asking with a blank expression.
Song Xiaogang's face hardened. "Are you looking for trouble? There's a job posting right outside our door. If you don't want to work, then leave now and don't delay our recruitment."
"That's strange. In previous years, there should have been many people coming to do odd jobs at this time, but why is there not a single person this year?"
Song Xiaogang turned his back to the crowd, waved, and walked towards the factory office building, muttering to himself.
"Is this guy really stupid or is he pretending? It's been so long since the apocalypse, who would still want to do odd jobs? Zombies are practically at our doorstep, what's the point of working here!" Zhang Xiaojuan was completely bewildered.
Su Zheng looked up and glanced around, his gaze finally settling on the office building. "Look, there are people inside!"
Upon hearing this, everyone subconsciously looked up and followed Su Zheng's gaze.
The window is mottled and yellowed, and the window frame is covered with ivy that is so green it looks black. Several middle-aged men dressed as workers are moving things around the bed while chatting and laughing.
Just like a very ordinary workday, office workers steal a moment to slack off.
Just as they stopped to observe, several workers came out of the office building and walked towards the factory not far away, laughing and joking.
"I'll get paid this weekend and go home to buy my wife a new dress. She's been nagging me about it for weeks, so I'd better buy her something to shut her up."
“I overslept in the dorm last month and was late twice, so I was fined 200 yuan.”
"Oh, it breaks my heart."
As the group passed by Lu Sheng and her friends, they glanced at them out of the corner of their eyes, but soon resumed their lively conversation.
Lu Sheng and the others stared at the receding figures of the group, their nerves involuntarily tensing.
Lin Xiaobei was dumbfounded. "How come these people seem completely unaffected by the apocalypse? They're still going to work and receiving their salaries as usual, and from their conversations, they're all in contact with their families."
"You're even buying your wife a dress? Where are you going to buy a dress at a time like this?!"
The group looked at each other, unsure of what was going on.
"Do you believe in parallel universes? Could we have accidentally traveled to a parallel world?" Han Rui's mind, filled with romance novels, was filled with wild and imaginative fantasies.
"Maybe this is a gateway to a parallel world, where the apocalypse hasn't happened yet?"
Lu Sheng made a quick decision: "Let's go in and take a look."
"Yes, let's go in and take a look." Lin Xiaobei scratched his head in a dilemma. "After all, there are so many people watching. We can't just move all the steel in front of them."
Having made up their minds, the group immediately perked up and headed toward the factory office area not far away.
The office area is a dilapidated two-story building with a very large floor area, almost seven or eight hundred square meters.
Inside, the building is in the typical state-owned enterprise style of the 1980s and 90s, with white-on-top and green-on-bottom painted walls, and each floor's rooms are perfectly symmetrical. The corridor windows are small, making it somewhat dim even with the lights on.
The old wooden floorboards creaked with every step, making one unconsciously tread lightly.
The group stood close together, not daring to fall behind.
Every room on both sides of the corridor had its door open, and most of the rooms inside were offices for two or four people, with old-fashioned maroon matching desks and chairs. There was also a freshly boiled electric kettle and tissues on the desks. There were even a few unopened packages at the door of the office to Lu Sheng's right.
Groups of two or three staff members were all wearing uniform loose-fitting work clothes. Some were working intently at their desks, while others were chatting in various offices with snacks in their hands.
It was like any ordinary workday before the apocalypse, with everything proceeding smoothly and in an orderly manner.
“These…could they be ghosts…” Han Rui nervously grabbed Lu Sheng’s shoulder.
Her words instantly brought the atmosphere to a freezing point.
The remote factory is out of place, and the group of workers seem to have never experienced post-apocalyptic life before. No matter how you look at it, it is eerie.
"Don't talk nonsense. Do you have any revolutionary songs on your phone? Play a few to boost your courage." Zhang Xiaojuan grabbed Han Rui's shoulder and pulled her to her side.
Han Rui pouted and complained softly, "What's the point of me listening to revolutionary songs?"
“If ghosts really exist, could there be any ghosts more powerful than our martyrs on the land of China? Come on, let’s start by listening to the Big Sword March.” Zhang Xiaojuan finished speaking and simply started humming it.
Lu Sheng calmly observed the employees coming and going in the corridor.
These people could see them; many of their eyes lingered on Lu Sheng and his group.
And when those workers passed by, she smelled a whiff of chive pancakes. Surely ghosts don't eat chive pancakes, right?
The group wandered aimlessly down the corridor and soon bumped into Director Song Xiaogang again.
Upon seeing Lu Sheng and his group, Song Xiaogang immediately put on a stern face, "What exactly are you guys doing? And the rest of you, you're just being left to wander around."
"If you want to do short-term work, register your information with the Human Resources and Social Security Department. If you don't want to work, leave quickly. This is a legitimate place to work."
“Master, we would like to do short-term work. Please help us register first.” Lu Sheng agreed without hesitation.
To build the pipeline system, they need to get steel from here. Right now, they have no choice but to sneak into the factory to find out what's going on.
Song Xiaogang looked the group up and down again, then reluctantly led them to the nearby Human Resources and Social Security Bureau office.
After a simple registration, Song Xiaogang handed another registration form to Lu Sheng, saying, "Let's each take one as proof. Don't worry, our state-owned enterprise will definitely not delay your wages. You guys do your jobs well."
After saying that, he looked up at the time and said, "It's time for lunch. Go to the cafeteria and grab a bite to eat."
A ringing bell rang, signaling the start of the meal service. Lu Sheng and the others followed the workers to the canteen.
It was a bit cold in the cafeteria, and as soon as you entered, you could smell a damp, musty odor.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
