Chapter 34 Finding People
Early in the morning, frost covered the roof of the base.
Ruan Ning pulled her coat tighter around herself as she stepped out of the apartment, her breath condensing into white mist in the air. She went first to the base's information dissemination hall—the most well-informed place.
The press conference hall was bustling with noise, and new faces always attracted attention.
As Ruan Ning stepped into the hall, a middle-aged man wearing a faded old suit and with his hair neatly combed greeted her. He wore a perfectly balanced smile, neither overly enthusiastic nor off-putting.
"Is this your first time here, miss? My name is Lao Dao, and I specialize in helping people with all sorts of 'information needs.'" He handed over a simple business card with only a handwritten number on it.
Ruan Ning didn't take it, but just looked at him indifferently.
Old Dao wasn't embarrassed. He naturally put away the business card and lowered his voice: "Judging from your demeanor, you must be a new superhuman. It's normal to want to ask about things when you're new here. The base is a complex place, and some information can't be obtained through official channels alone."
"For example?" Ruan Ning finally spoke.
Old Knife narrowed his eyes, like a shrewd old cat: "For example, which superpowered team is worth joining, where are the missions that are lucrative but low-risk, or... what kind of person are you looking for?"
The last sentence made Ruan Ning's eyes flicker slightly. Lao Dao immediately noticed this detail.
“Finding people is my specialty.” Old Dao’s voice was even lower. “Thousands of people come and go from the base every day, and the official registration is full of loopholes. But I have my own channels. As long as the person is still in the base, I can find them.”
Ruan Ning took out a piece of chocolate wrapped in tin foil from her pocket and weighed it in her palm: "Looking for two people, a mother and daughter, Lin Jiaojiao and Lin Wanyun, from the northern district of Jiangzhou."
Old Dao stared at the chocolate, his Adam's apple bobbing. "We have a name, we have an origin. Is there any more information? Age, physical characteristics, whether they've awakened any special abilities?"
Ruan Ning described the basic characteristics of the two women, but omitted their possible relationship with Ruan Chenyang.
Old Dao carefully noted it down, then held up three fingers: "Three days. Regardless of whether we find them or not, we'll pay half the deposit first. If we find them, we'll pay the remaining half; if we don't, the deposit is non-refundable."
"Too expensive." Ruan Ning pretended to take the chocolate back.
"Wait!" Old Knife said hurriedly, "Seeing that you are a straightforward person, here's another piece of news for you—someone in the base has been secretly inquiring about water-type ability users recently, so please be careful."
Ruan Ning paused, tossing the chocolate to Lao Dao: "Two days. I live in Building 7, Room 203, Block B."
Old Dao caught the chocolate, quickly stuffed it into his inner bag, and smiled with a much more genuine expression: "Deal. Also, a free reminder: avoid the East District market area lately, it's not safe there."
Watching Lao Dao disappear into the crowd, Zhou Min suddenly appeared out of nowhere: "Is he reliable?"
Ruan Ning gazed in the direction Lao Dao had left: "This kind of person values his reputation the most. The fact that he dared to accept the job means he has connections."
"Is someone inquiring about water-based ability users?" Zhou Min frowned.
Ruan Ning's eyes turned cold: "It seems that not everyone in this base is a stranger."
The two walked out of the hall, and Ruan Ning wrapped her coat tighter in the cold wind. Old Dao's last words had made her wary—had Lin Jiaojiao and the others already arrived at the base? Or was someone else looking for her?
The net of clues has been cast; now all that's needed is patience. Before that, she needs to find out who exactly is inquiring about water-based ability users.
After leaving the message release hall, the two went to the mission hall.
The bulletin board was covered with tasks:
"Collect winter clothing: No special abilities required, points awarded based on the amount collected."
"Clear the zombies on the east side of the base: Only for those with special abilities, reward 100 points"
"Seeking Medical Supplies: Special Treatment"
A staff member recognized Ruan Ning: "Miss Ruan? There just happens to be a mission suitable for a water-based ability user. The base hospital needs clean medical water, and the compensation is excellent."
Ruan Ning's heart skipped a beat: "The hospital? Can I go see them?"
At the hospital, she pretended to help purify the water while secretly observing the wounded and medical staff coming and going. But she didn't see any familiar faces.
After leaving the hospital, Ruan Ning went to a residential area for ordinary people.
The ordinary residential area secretly alarmed her. At least five hundred people were crammed into a six-story apartment building, and balconies were covered with tattered clothes that fluttered like banners in the cold wind.
The stairwell was crowded with people sleeping on the floor, and when they saw Ruan Ning, they all reached out their hands to beg:
"Give me some food..."
"My child has a fever, please have mercy..."
A gaunt old man was starting a fire in the stairwell using a salvaged wooden door panel.
"No fires allowed!" the patrolling soldier shouted sternly.
The old man knelt on the ground and pleaded, "It's too cold, just keep burning it for a little while..."
Ruan Ning noticed that many ordinary people were shivering in the cold wind wearing only thin clothes, their lips turning purple from the cold.
At the water supply point, Ruan Ning witnessed an even more heartbreaking scene.
Ordinary people lined up in long queues, each only able to get a small cup of murky water. A mother fed her child her share of water, licking her own chapped lips.
"Make way! Those with superpowers get priority!" The staff pushed aside the queue.
Several people with superpowers walked straight ahead and quickly filled the water jugs. The ordinary people dared not speak out in anger and could only watch silently.
In the evening, Ruan Ning returned to her room and took out a mutton hot pot, an alcohol stove, and all the hot pot ingredients from her spatial storage. Wisps of white smoke rose from the pot, and the broth was boiling inside.
Ruan Ning picked up a slice of mutton, dipped it in sauce, and ate it, feeling incredibly satisfied. Not only were her taste buds satisfied, but she also felt very warm inside. Eating hot pot in winter is truly a treat. After finishing the steaming hot pot, Ruan Ning simply collapsed onto the sofa, not wanting to move at all.
Faint cries could be heard outside the window; I wondered which family had frozen to death again.
That day, she didn't find out any news about her enemy, but she did see the truth about the base: those with superpowers enjoyed privileges, while ordinary people struggled to survive.
But the harsh winter has only just begun.
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