42. The Watcher
A short while later, Xiao Zhou led several young people carrying bedding and daily necessities upstairs.
"These are specially provided by the base for talents like you; they're all brand new," Xiao Zhou explained with a smile.
Several young people quickly made the beds, then stuffed the washbasins under each bed, and left without saying a word.
Just as Xiao Zhou was about to leave, Fu Yunong suddenly called her back, grabbed a handful of milk candies, and stuffed them into her hand, saying, "Thank you for making this trip."
Xiao Zhou was flattered and declined, but accepted it only after Fu Yunong insisted. She had received many people with superpowers, most of whom were arrogant and looked down on ordinary people, and some of the men were even more indescribable.
Her smile became much more genuine. "My name is Zhou Yuan. If you need anything, you can always come to the duty room downstairs to find me."
Fu Yunong smiled and agreed, then asked, "I saw on the gate that it says 'Administrative Headquarters,' are there any branches as well?"
Zhou Yuan thought about it and decided that it wasn't a secret, so he told him the truth.
Besides the administrative headquarters, the entire base is divided into five administrative districts, each with several streets. It is managed in a meticulous manner, and no one can move out of their area without permission. When going out on the street, one must carry identification for inspection.
"So, what about our accommodation building?" Xiao Linfang asked as well.
"You mean this?" Xiao Zhou smiled and explained: There are three buildings in total for the headquarters accommodations. One building is exclusively for people with superpowers, and it's all single rooms. The other two buildings are mostly double rooms, and some even have rooms for 4 to 8 people.
"Half of the rooms in this building are empty. At this time, everyone is at work."
Having obtained the information they wanted, Fu Yunong politely saw Zhou Yuan off, and the group each chose their own rooms to settle in.
They finally have a proper house to live in.
As night fell, Zhou Yuan arrived at the dormitory entrance with a flashlight. "Hey ladies, time to eat. Remember to bring your utensils."
Fu Yunong and Hua Hua each took an aluminum lunchbox and followed Zhou Yuan outside.
The canteen is located in a bungalow next to the dormitory building; you can smell the aroma of food as soon as you get close.
The canteen was quite spacious, with about thirty square wooden tables and several kerosene lamps hanging on the walls, their dim light barely illuminating the entire space. Many people were already seated inside, and some were still queuing at the windows.
"This way." Zhou Yuan waved to them, led them around to the window in the far corner, and whispered, "My aunt serves food at this window."
When it was their turn, Zhou Yuan smiled and handed a few meal tickets to the middle-aged woman inside, saying, "Auntie, these are all distinguished guests of the base, they just arrived." Then he pointed to Huahua, "Get one for her too."
The middle-aged woman glanced up at Fu Yunong and the others, immediately understanding what she meant. A warm smile spread across her face as she took their lunchboxes and generously filled them with food. She then found an old enamel basin and filled it about halfway for Huahua as well.
Zhou Yuan led them to a large square table at the back of the room. Along the way, people kept greeting her, showing that the girl was quite popular.
A man sitting at the next table, noticing that Fu Yunong and her companions were unfamiliar faces, couldn't help but ask, "Xiao Yuan, who are these people?"
"They are all distinguished guests of the base, so don't ask too many questions." Zhou Yuan blinked, and the man immediately shut his mouth, but quite a few people still secretly sized them up with Hua Hua.
Fu Yunong looked at the dishes in the bowl: a few boiled potatoes, a spoonful of stir-fried bean sprouts, a few pieces of boiled tofu drizzled with soy sauce, and on top of that, two slices of cured pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat.
Zhou Yuan leaned closer and whispered, "My aunt gave me an extra slice of cured meat! Everyone else only got one slice." He added, "The food in our headquarters canteen is top-notch; others can't even get a bite if they want to."
Fu Yunong picked up a bean sprout with her chopsticks and tasted it. It was bland and tasted really ordinary, but she knew that such a meal was already very rare.
None of them spoke; they simply buried themselves in their food and ate, trying not to waste a single grain.
As they were eating, a commotion suddenly erupted at the door, and several men in uniforms walked in together. Those who were eating immediately lowered their heads upon seeing them, and even Zhou Yuan instinctively tensed up, his expression becoming reserved.
One of the men, who had a buzz cut, scanned the cafeteria and his eyes lit up when they landed on Fu Yunong and her group.
But when he realized that everyone was staring straight at him without any fear, he became somewhat dissatisfied. He raised his hand and waved it, a spark appearing at his fingertip, which "whooshed" and lit up a kerosene lamp that had gone out nearby.
After finishing this, he proudly raised his chin at the group.
"Fire-type ability user, level two," Shi Dong said calmly.
Fu Yunong nodded knowingly and continued eating.
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, after getting their food, the men went straight to the next table and sat down, loudly discussing how powerful their superpowers were, while frequently glancing at them out of the corner of their eyes.
Fu Yunong sighed inwardly. No matter when, there are always peacocks who love to display their plumage.
Seeing that the others ignored him, the man with the buzz cut became annoyed. He looked at Hua Hua, who was engrossed in eating, and said sarcastically, "What kind of time is this to feed animals human food?"
Hua Hua was too lazy to restrain him.
This completely offended the man's pride. He grabbed a chopstick and threw it at Huahua, yelling, "You're asking for it!"
I don't know if it's an insult to a person or an insult to a cat.
The chopsticks smacked Hua Hua on the head with a "smack," and its movements froze instantly. It raised its head, and a fierce glint flashed in its golden pupils.
What does that mean? Are you bullying Mimi?
Before the man could react, Hua Hua pounced, her claws slashing at his face with a powerful gust of wind.
The man was startled and hurriedly dodged backward, while simultaneously raising his hand to unleash his supernatural power, sending a fireball hurtling towards Hua Hua.
Hua Hua nimbly dodged the fireball, landing with a swift lunge that pinned the man to the ground, its two powerful front paws gripping his shoulders. It opened its mouth, its sharp fangs aimed at the man's throat, poised to bite.
"Hua Hua, come back!" Fu Yunong called out to stop her.
With a meow, Hua Hua stomped heavily on the man's chest with its two front paws. The man groaned in pain, and only then did it turn around and jump back.
The man was both shocked and furious. Taking advantage of her unpreparedness, he secretly conjured a fire dragon and attacked Hua Hua's back.
"Hua Hua!" Lin Songsong reacted quickly, waving her hand to create an arc-shaped protective shield, blocking the fire dragon.
Shi Dong's eyes turned cold, and a lightning whip as thick as a wrist materialized in her palm. She lashed it out at the man with a "crack." The man trembled violently, his body convulsing, his hair standing on end from the electric shock.
Seeing this, the other men were about to make a move when Xiao Linfang and Huangfu Jinrang simultaneously raised their hands, their palms radiating supernatural light.
The men's expressions changed several times. They glared at them coldly, dragged the man off the ground, and slipped out of the cafeteria without looking back.
Hua Hua squatted at Fu Yunong's feet, licking her paws and leisurely watching them flee in disarray.
Those around them lowered their heads in fear, not daring to even breathe. Zhou Yuan was completely dumbfounded; these people were so powerful!
After the meal, Zhou Yuan escorted them back to their dormitory, appearing much more reserved than when they arrived.
As they approached the dormitory entrance, she whispered, "The dormitory will provide hot water for half an hour later, so please hurry up and wash up. By the way, there's a curfew at the base; you can't wander around outside after 8 p.m., as there will be patrols checking."
"There's hot water?" Huangfu Jinrang exclaimed excitedly. Heaven knows how long it had been since she had taken a proper bath; her hair was practically tangled.
As soon as the hot water came in, everyone started washing up, giving themselves a thorough and enjoyable bath.
After washing up, everyone gathered in Fu Yunong's room for a snack.
The food in the cafeteria wasn't nearly enough, especially for Shi Dong and Lin Songsong, who were already hungry after showering. Fu Yunong bought some snacks from the system, and the group ate and chatted.
Meanwhile, in another two-story building at the base, Sun Hui was sitting on a wooden chair in the reception room, her hands unconsciously clenching her trouser legs.
The fire in the hearth had long since died down, and a chill rose from the cement floor. The tea in the enamel teacup on the table was ice-cold, yet a thin layer of sweat had seeped from her back.
A group of thirteen people went out on a mission, and in the end, only she returned alive; moreover, it was said that Zhao Tianrong actually complained about her.
Just as Sun Hui was feeling uneasy, the door was pushed open, and Secretary Qing walked in, saying in a calm tone, "Captain Sun, the commander requests your presence."
Sun Hui suddenly stood up, took a deep breath, and followed her secretary out.
No one knows what Sun Hui and the leader talked about, only that when she came out again, she looked relieved and even smiled.
She looked up at the dim yellow light above her head, a hint of envy flashing in her eyes.
After washing away the dust of their journey and changing into clean clothes, Fu Yunong and the others slept soundly until the next day when they faintly heard a rooster crowing before they slowly woke up.
As the group was washing up, Zhou Yuan came to take them out to eat again, saying mysteriously that there were good things in the cafeteria.
After Fu Yunong sat down, she realized that the "good stuff" was actually two slices of luncheon meat, except that the tofu had been replaced with dried tofu.
"How about it, not bad, right?" Zhou Yuan smiled and winked.
The group nodded in agreement.
After yesterday's incident, no one dared to come up and make a fool of themselves anymore; in fact, they didn't dare to make eye contact with them.
Suddenly, several uniformed men and women sitting by the door shouted, "Master, another serving, we're not full!" They then carried their trays to the food serving window.
Watching the group's retreating figures, Zhou Yuan whispered to Fu Yunong, "Only those with superpowers can get more rice; ordinary people are all given a fixed amount." Then, realizing something, he added, "Sister Yunong, you can get more if you're still hungry!"
Fu Yunong smiled and shook her head, "No need, this is enough to eat."
She silently made up her mind that this would be the last time she ate in the cafeteria. Since they were short of supplies, they wouldn't take their food rations.
The food was also not to their liking.
As Fu Yunong walked out of the cafeteria, she was looking for Sun Hui, but to her surprise, Sun Hui was already waiting for her downstairs in the dormitory.
"Yu Nong, our leader invites you."
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