Chapter 103 Four Identities
"Little Zhao!"
Qingyu shouted excitedly and hugged Xiao Zhao tightly.
That day, after he evacuated from the gathering point, he thought that Xiao Zhao and Han Shuo would arrive at the underground research institute soon.
Unexpectedly, this wait lasted for more than a month.
For more than a month, Qingyu had not seen the two of them, and she knew very well what that meant.
He had long assumed the two had died on the road; after all, a month outside was far too long…
Just a few days ago, Qingyu had already believed this fact, but she never expected that Bai Zichen would suddenly come over today to tell her that Xiao Zhao was back?
Filled with excitement, Qingyu rushed out of the room and saw Han Shuo and the other three as soon as she arrived.
Xiao Zhao really did come back alive!
Qingyu cared deeply about his subordinates, and after the cataclysm, he treated them all as his family.
...
"Captain, Captain, I, I'm finally, back!"
Xiao Zhao burst into tears.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back..."
Qingyu's eyes were red, and she kept repeating the same thing to herself.
The two embraced for a very long time.
Once she had calmed down, Qingyu turned her attention to Xiao Zhao, focusing her gaze on Xiao Zhao's left leg.
"Xiao Zhao, your leg?"
"Captain, I had a bit of an accident on the way and was ripped off. Thanks to Brother Han and the other two, they risked their lives to save me. I'm almost fully recovered now."
Xiao Zhao wiped away her tears and explained to Qingyu.
"Han Shuo, I broke my promise that day and didn't wait for you to return, but you kept your promise and brought Xiao Zhao here alive!"
Qingyu didn't ask any more questions. She walked up to Han Shuo, stretched out her arm, and expressed her heartfelt gratitude.
"Haha, Brother Qingyu, there's no need for such polite words. We all know you were forced to evacuate in an emergency, you don't need to do this."
Han Shuo stepped forward and grasped Qingyu's hand.
"Sigh—!" Qingyu felt a pang of self-reproach and let out a deep sigh.
"Alright, Brother Qingyu, actually I should be more grateful. You are my guide, showing me and my friends a new path. If we hadn't met you, the three of us would probably still be wandering around."
Han Shuo continued with a smile.
"By the way, Brother Qingyu, let me introduce you. This is the fat guy I was talking about, his name is Wu Chengbin. The other one is Li Shurou."
"Fatty, Shurou, this is Brother Qingyu."
Han Shuo introduced the three of them one by one.
"Hello, Brother Qingyu!"
The fat man and Li Shurou responded respectfully in unison.
They both knew that the person in front of them was not only a genetically engineered human, but also their true backer here.
"Haha, since you're friends with Brother Han Shuo, then from now on, you two are also my friends!"
Qingyu adjusted quickly and returned to her former self.
However, he didn't put on airs as the team leader and greeted the two fat men in a friendly manner.
"Alright, let's not chat here anymore, Han Shuo, let's go to my place first!"
"good."
...
Five minutes later, Qingyu led Han Shuo and the others to her residence.
Qingyu's subordinates were all there. Upon seeing Xiao Zhao return, they all showed joy and rushed to greet him.
"Xiao Zhao, why did it take you so long to get back?"
"Yes, we all thought you..."
What happened to your leg?
...
Qingyu smiled at everyone, said nothing more, and then turned around and led Han Shuo and the other two to his room.
"Han Shuo, let's skip the pleasantries. Now that the three of you are here, there are some things I need to tell you."
Seeing Qingyu say this, Han Shuo and the other two also became serious. There was still a lot they needed to learn about the underground research institute.
"Brother Qingyu, you can speak now."
"Yes, the total number of people here has now exceeded ten thousand. With such a large population, the underground research institute has its own management methods, rules, and order."
"Rules and order?"
Han Shuo muttered to himself. These two words were the first time he had heard anyone mention them since the cataclysm. The world was in chaos, and there was no law or order left outside.
However, he wasn't too surprised. Indeed, once the number of people increases, some means of checks and balances are necessary.
"Well, so first of all, if you want to stay here, you have to choose a suitable identity!" Qingyu continued.
"Identity? What kind of identity do they have?"
“Four types. There are four identities here, corresponding to four types of people. Although there are four identities, you can only choose three.” Qingyu smiled and held up the number four.
"The first type is the real insiders in the underground research institute, who are mainly composed of researchers and managers. They were also the first people to enter after the institute was established. You can think of them as the people in power here. Everyone wants this kind of status, but the conditions are very strict, and it is almost impossible to get in."
Han Shuo nodded, indicating that he understood.
"The second type is people like us, which are basically the guards. While maintaining order here, we go out from time to time to rescue survivors and find all sorts of supplies. Because we have to go out, there are certain dangers, but the advantage is that we eat and live well. The research institute will not mistreat us."
"The third type is the lowest level of people here. Most of them are survivors from outside who do odd jobs and earn just enough food to survive through their labor."
"And what about the last one?" Han Shuo asked.
"Free people, the last type can be called free people. The research institute will provide you with safe accommodation and will not drive you away, but you will have to find your own way to obtain food, supplies, and so on. In short, you can only rely on yourself."
"Damn, the outside world is in such a state, is it really necessary to be so strict about the hierarchy? We're all survivors gathered here, yet there's still a distinction between superiors and inferiors. Brother Qingyu, aren't those power holders you mentioned just like local tyrants? They don't have to do any of the dirty work, yet they control everyone here."
As soon as Qingyu finished speaking, the fat man couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up, his face full of indignation.
"Heh, people, no matter when, always like to categorize themselves into different classes." Qingyu gave a wry smile.
“That’s right, and I feel that these people in power have never left since the catastrophe, right? They can’t understand the hell on earth outside, they don’t know what we survivors went through to get here alive. They’ve long believed in their hearts that the research institute is theirs, and if you want to live here, you have to follow the rules they set.”
Han Shuo saw things more clearly and offered an explanation for the fat man.
"Can't we be a little more friendly to outside survivors? It sounds like the lowest-ranking survivors are treated like servants. We're all human beings, we're all lives."
Li Shurou also couldn't stand it.
Han Shuo glanced at her and said calmly.
"When has human life ever been worth anything?"
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