Jiang Zhi glanced at the thermometer on the wall; the room temperature was 3 degrees Celsius. She then looked at the thermometer hanging on the balcony; it was 15 degrees Celsius lower than the indoor temperature.
It's so cold in this room.
Jiang Zhi took out an iron basin and moved some charcoal into it. With an additional heat source, the temperature would be higher.
She didn't close the kitchen window, and the bedroom window was also left slightly ajar, so the room temperature was relatively low, which ensured she wouldn't suffer from carbon monoxide poisoning.
With charcoal burning inside, Jiang Zhi put a piece of bread in her pocket and went out.
Although she knew this base all too well, she hadn't forgotten those two bastards!
She didn't drive because parking was a hassle, and her place was only one kilometer from the base center, a twenty-minute walk away.
There was a mission posting wall at the base center, and Jiang Zhi planned to find something to do.
It was broad daylight, and most of the people who had entered the base were busy at work.
Base missions are divided into two categories: official and private. Official missions mainly involve infrastructure construction and resource collection, with infrastructure construction offering the highest level of security.
Private jobs are temporary hires, where both parties agree and conduct the transaction privately.
Along the way, Jiang Zhi encountered two patrol groups, one with eight men and the other with six. They were all wearing the same uniform and carrying guns.
The Jiangcheng base is well-organized, which is inseparable from the policies from above and the efforts of these people.
In the mission center lobby, Jiang Zhi squeezed among a crowd, looking at the various mission posters on the wall.
"Help move the corpses, 3 points. How many corpses can you move? Too few, I won't do it!"
"Clean up the trash in the underground shelter, 20 points a day, not bad."
"Collecting condiments at the Chengnan Condiment Wholesale Market earns 80 points a day. Chengnan is in the High-tech Zone, which is across the main urban area from Shuofang. It's too far. I don't have a car or electricity here, so it's going to be difficult."
As Jiang Zhi watched and listened to the people around her comment on the tasks, she suddenly felt someone calling her name.
"Jiang Zhi! Hey, Jiang Zhi!"
Jiang Zhi finally managed to turn around and get out of the crowded area, but the voice appeared again, getting closer and closer to her.
"It really is you." A woman wearing a dirty cotton-padded jacket and with messy hair patted Jiang Zhi on the shoulder.
That voice... it's Ji Xiaoxiao's!
Jiang Zhi quickly glanced at Ji Xiaoxiao. She hadn't seen Ji Xiaoxiao for more than ten years, and she almost didn't recognize her.
"Judging from your appearance, you must be doing very well in the apocalypse. We were heartbroken when we invited you last time, but you wouldn't come." Ji Xiaoxiao's tone carried a hint of reproach, but she controlled it very well, making it sound like she was being coquettish.
"I have personal matters to attend to." Jiang Zhi pried the hands off her.
"Now?" Ji Xiaoxiao asked in surprise.
"Okay, if there's nothing else, I'll be going now." Jiang Zhi nodded and turned to leave.
How could Ji Xiaoxiao let Jiang Zhi go so easily? She had finally found an acquaintance.
It's obvious that Jiang Zhi hasn't experienced the hardships of the apocalypse; otherwise, how could she have such a fair complexion and fragrant clothes?
We must win over Jiang Zhi. She was already so rich before the apocalypse, she will definitely have her own resources after the apocalypse.
"No, you can't leave, Jiang Zhi... you have to help me, listen to me..." Ji Xiaoxiao grabbed Jiang Zhi, not letting her go.
"We encountered extreme heat on the road and could only hide in caves in the mountains. Just when the extreme heat was over, we were hit by extreme cold... We recently entered the base, but the base requires points for this and points for that. We really can't survive here."
"You're so rich, you absolutely have to help us!" Ji Xiaoxiao cried, tears streaming down her face.
Her performance attracted a crowd of onlookers.
Jiang Zhi frowned, pulled her hand out of the grip, and said, "Money is just worthless paper now, and worthless paper can't help you."
"But you're doing so well now!" Ji Xiaoxiao's voice gradually became shrill, with a hint of tantrum in it.
"Which eye of yours saw me doing well? I have nothing. Instead of bothering me here, you might as well take on some missions to support yourself."
Jiang Zhi pointed to the task bar on the wall.
Many of the places inside are safe and provide food and shelter.
If the mission wasn't mentioned, everything would be fine, but as soon as it was, Ji Xiaoxiao would erupt into a hysterical outburst.
"Jiang Zhi, if you're not going to help me, then just pretend we don't have a friend like you!"
"Fine, whatever makes you happy." Jiang Zhi turned and left without looking back.
Ji Xiaoxiao watched Jiang Zhi's retreating figure and clenched her fists in resentment.
Jiang Zhi!!! You stingy bastard, may you ascend to heaven soon!
Anger was one thing, but now she had to stay with Jiang Zhi. Once she knew where Jiang Zhi lived, she could…
Jiang Zhi turned a corner, knowing someone was following her, and quickened her pace. Ji Xiaoxiao watched helplessly as Jiang Zhi disappeared before her eyes.
Damn it! Jiang Zhi, I'll make you work like a slave sooner or later!
Back in her rented room, Ji Xiaoxiao was furious.
"Xiaoxiao, who made you angry?" Li Ming came out of the bathroom leaning on his cane, wiping his mouth casually as he asked.
"Senior Liming, I saw Jiang Zhi today. I asked her for help, but she refused me in public and said that we can't be friends anymore."
“Jiang…Jiang Zhi?” Li Ming’s eyes widened. “Is she…is she doing well?” Li Ming’s face was slightly pale, and his body trembled slightly, as if he was about to collapse at any moment.
Ji Xiaoxiao hurriedly went up to help him.
"Senior, don't get agitated. I think she's doing great. She's dressed smartly and beautifully. She probably has a wealthy lover." Ji Xiaoxiao said haphazardly, trying to smear Jiang Zhi in every way possible.
"No, don't say that about her. She's very capable, unlike me who only holds you back." Li Ming chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"What are you saying, senior? You didn't hold me back, it's just that I'm not capable enough." Seeing that Li Ming's lips had turned even paler, Ji Xiaoxiao quickly helped Li Ming to lie down on the bed.
“If it weren’t for me, Zhang Chen wouldn’t have died… It’s all my fault!” Li Ming’s eyes were slightly red.
Ji Xiaoxiao felt extremely distressed. After covering Li Ming with a blanket, she comforted him, saying, "Senior, I don't blame you for Zhang Chen's incident. Please don't take it to heart. Your leg injury is still recovering, so you can't have any intense emotional fluctuations."
It was extremely hot back then, and Ji Xiaoxiao's husband, Zhang Chen, suffered from heatstroke and fainted. He eventually contracted heatstroke and died after struggling for two days.
Ji Xiaoxiao's favorite person is Li Ming; Zhang Chen is just an honest man and a meal ticket. This trip to Taishan was also instigated by Ji Xiaoxiao.
Jiang Zhi has a crush on Li Ming, but Li Ming likes her the most, and Jiang Zhi can't get anything out of him.
For some reason, Jiang Zhi, who used to agree to anything, couldn't bring herself to do it this time. She could only persuade her other roommate, Gu Nannan, to come out and have fun together.
After the extreme heat, in a hasty attempt to escape, Gu Nannan fell off the overpass and was certainly not going to survive.
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