"I was being a bit too sympathetic. I'll keep my distance from them once we get to the base."
I didn't mean to criticize you.
“I know you’ve helped me a lot this past year, making my life less difficult and making me forget that my original plan was just to live a little longer in this apocalypse.”
Xu Lin suddenly realized that she was gradually downplaying the fact that it was the apocalypse. From collecting supplies together with her neighbors in Building 3 and celebrating the New Year together, her heart had begun to soften.
After walking for two hours without realizing it, I saw an LED screen near the highway exit that read "Welcome to the Beijing Survivors' Home".
"We've arrived in Beijing!" Zheng Ming's excited voice came through the walkie-talkie.
"Huh? So fast!" Xu Lin had just dozed off when Zheng Ming's voice woke her up, and she realized they were already in Beijing. "LED lights can still be used here, so it seems that's still possible."
"After all, it's the largest base in the country, and it's located in the capital."
This time, Zhou Pin drove and led the way. We followed the signs and the road conditions were much better than before, which must have been done by the base leadership.
"Isn't the base in Beijing? Why are we heading towards Tianjin?" Zheng Ming asked over the walkie-talkie.
“Land in Beijing is incredibly valuable; they’ve already used every available space. It’s impossible to build a base in the city center,” Xu Lin said.
"How much further do we have to go? I can't wait!"
"It should be soon. The base in Beijing can't be built in Tianjin."
Xu Lin had just finished speaking when she realized that the destination was still ten meters away.
The base has a main gate with a lifting barrier and small gates on both sides for people to walk through. In this apocalypse, only a minority of people own cars.
Zhou Pin parked the car on the roadside not far from the entrance, and everyone got out and gathered together.
"Xiao Zhou, Zheng Ming, and I will go check the situation. The three of you wait here."
Ten minutes later, the three returned.
"The regulations are posted at the entrance: those with an ID card can stay in the dormitory for free for three days, while those without an ID card need to pay 20 jin of grain to get one," said Lao Zheng.
"I just asked the security guard, and the base is quite well-equipped. There are shopping and entertainment venues, so you can find a job or start a small business."
"Where are you staying?" Aunt Ning asked.
"Oh my, that's exactly what I was going to say. I heard they have all kinds of houses there: dormitory-style rooms, bungalows, multi-story buildings, even villas. This is the apocalypse, and there are still villas!"
"What are our plans now?" Old Zheng asked.
"There are six of us, and only you and Mom don't have ID cards. I'll get you two one in a bit. Let's go stay in a free place for three days and save as much money as we can."
"Let's ask if we can use red wine instead. Grain is precious, and we have plenty of wine!" Aunt Ning said.
"Xiao Xu, Xiao Zhou, let's go!"
"Uncle Zheng, Aunt Ning, it's like this, Zhou Pin and I plan to stay in the dormitory tonight and rent a place tomorrow, so we won't be traveling with you. We were just traveling together before, but now that we've reached our destination, it's time to part ways."
"Why don't we just stay together? We can rent houses together!"
"Since you've made your decision, we respect it. After all, we've been through this together. If there's anything your Uncle Zheng can help with, just let us know!"
Old Zheng could tell that Xu Lin and Zhou Pin were capable people, and they didn't like others interfering too much in their lives. Since that was the case, it was better to part ways amicably.
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