Chapter 200 Settlement
The White Shield Base held a welcome ceremony for the guests from the Dawn Research Institute.
Since leading the Dawn Base team through security, Fan Yuchao was in a great mood. He changed his previous critical and fault-finding attitude and instead enthusiastically introduced the White Shield Base to the Dawn Base team.
"Floors -2 to -8 are civilian areas, while floors -9 to -14 are functional areas, including schools, factories, and entertainment venues. Your Dawn Base should also have these. We won't visit them today; we'll go straight to the administration floor to welcome you."
Like Dawn Base, the main tool inside the base is the elevator.
The elevator they rode was similar to a sightseeing elevator, with large glass panels on all four sides. As they passed through residential and construction floors, they could see the appearance of the floors until they disappeared from view starting from the administrative area on the -15th floor.
The elevator stopped at the -16th floor, and Fan Yuchao led them to the restaurant.
The scene before us may not be as impressive as a five-star hotel before the apocalypse, but it is much larger than the best restaurant in Dawn Base.
The welcoming ceremony at White Shield Base was also more lively than that at Dawn Base.
Based on the images of entertainment venues that Lin Xi had just seen in the elevator, he could tell that White Shield Base was not only large in area and strong in military force, but its overall comprehensive strength was far superior to that of Dawn Base.
When granaries are full, people know etiquette.
Only when the overall standard of living improves can we have the resources to develop entertainment venues and warmly welcome guests.
The table was laden with a variety of food and even served wine.
A professor, around forty years old, accompanied by a dozen or so staff members, greeted the Liming Research Institute: "I am Peng Xinghong, and I am here on behalf of the Baidun Laboratory to welcome you all."
Standing at the front of the research team, Lin Xi politely responded, "Hello, Professor Peng, I am Lin Xi, the dean of the Liming Research Institute." She then introduced the two professors behind her: "These are our Professor Guo Yanlin and Professor Song Heng."
Peng Xinghong's gaze shifted to Guo Yanlin and Song Heng, who were noticeably older than Lin Xi. Peng Xinghong had met these two well-known figures in the industry before, but their dean was such a young and unknown person. Peng Xinghong was a little puzzled, but he didn't say anything.
Peng Xinghong smiled and led them to their seats: "We have a few senior colleagues in our lab. Besides the staff on duty, some of them are at a critical stage in their research and can't come to see you for the time being. Please forgive them."
The staff members were all hardworking people in the laboratory and were not good at drinking and socializing, so the welcome dinner was just a polite and amicable meal.
Meanwhile, things were getting lively on Fan Yuchao and Lu Wei's side. It seemed that a few classmates or colleagues who knew Lu Wei from before had arrived, chatting about how long it had been since they last saw each other and that they were about to have a good drink.
Lu Wei was surrounded by a group of people who claimed to be urging him to drink, but in reality, they were already preparing to start pouring drinks from both sides.
Lu Wei's alcohol tolerance isn't very high, and Fan Yuchao clearly isn't going to give up, so this meal is probably going to be quite a struggle.
"Oh? We've arrived at our White Shield base. We guarantee your safety and that of your staff, so you can drink without worry!"
"Is Xiao Lu disrespecting us?"
"..."
While the rank of Major General is prestigious, it carries less weight within the independent White Shield base. These acquaintances had known Lu Wei before, and regardless of their motives, they were all prepared to take the opportunity to get him drunk.
Seeing that Lu Wei couldn't escape, Lin Xi sighed.
Since we've already lost face, we might as well go all the way.
She got up and walked towards the crowd, taking Lu Wei's hand from the hands of several burly men. Everyone was stunned to see a girl squeeze into the crowd.
Lin Xi smiled at Lu Wei and said, "Why did you drink so much? Drinking is bad for your health."
"You are...?" The person next to Fan Yuchao was interrupted and forced to drink, and was a little annoyed. He squinted at Lin Xi.
“This is his girlfriend,” Fan Yuchao answered the question, then, as if remembering something, he chuckled mischievously, “Indeed… haha, don’t hurt yourself too much.”
"Huh? Lao Fan, why are you taking Xiao Lu's side..."
Fan Yuchao winked and said, "Haha... I'll tell you later."
Some were unwilling to give up, but Fan Yuchao mysteriously persuaded them to leave. They whispered among themselves for a while, then burst into laughter, before calming down and continuing to whisper.
Seeing that the person had left, Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief and finally dared to meet Lu Wei's gaze.
Although Lu Wei got through the security check safely, he clearly lost face in front of his old acquaintances. Lin Xi hadn't dared to look at him, but now that she had helped him fend off the drinks, she felt comfortable hanging around in front of him.
Lu Wei's face flushed slightly. At this moment, when he looked back at Lin Xi, his eyes were filled with surprise, disbelief, and a sense of despair.
"?" Lin Xi didn't quite understand.
Didn't I help you?
This scene caught Yue Mingyuan's eye, and he smiled kindly, saying, "Since that's the case, Cao Zhicheng, please arrange accommodations for the guests at the Dawn Base as soon as possible so they can clean up and adjust."
What Lin Xi just said wasn't an excuse. They set off at dusk and haven't closed their eyes since. Some of the staff members who don't exercise much are already giving up.
Cao Zhicheng appeared to be Yue Mingyuan's secretary-general, and he quickly led the staff and soldiers from the Dawn Base to the accommodation area.
The White Shield Base had made advance arrangements, and the staff members were all housed in areas closer to the laboratories. Their treatment was the same as that of the researchers at the White Shield Base; professors lived in single suites, while ordinary researchers shared rooms.
Lin Xi, the nominal dean, was not valued and was assigned to a double room just like an ordinary staff member. Her other roommate was Zhao Jing.
Both of them were once Song Heng's prized students. After that incident, they felt awkward when they met. To be precise, Zhao Jing felt awkward, while Lin Xi was indifferent.
Living together wasn't a burden for Lin Xi; she no longer cared about what others thought. However, she still had a mission to complete, which made her feel somewhat constrained.
A waitress called her aside, handed her a room key, and whispered, "This is a special instruction from our superiors; you are free to go to this room from other areas."
Lin Xi accepted the room key, lost in thought.
She fulfilled her duties as the dean, inspecting the check-in status of all the staff members.
Several members of Guo Yanlin's team have stopped paying attention to Lin Xi. She even overheard Zhou Yiheng saying outside the door:
"She got the position of director at Dawn Base because of her connections, but who cares about her now that she's at White Shield Base?"
Lin Xi didn't care; it was a good opportunity to shirk some responsibility.
As we passed Song Heng, his eyes were bloodshot and his voice was slightly hoarse, clearly indicating his advanced age and inability to withstand the strain. However, he was full of energy: "When are we going to the lab!"
It's still the familiar Song Heng.
Lin Xi said helplessly, "We can only enter after everyone has finished adjusting and the handover with White Shield Laboratory is complete. There's no rush."
After doing all that, Lin Xi took another room key to the address marked on it.
After swiping my card through the access control, the place became unusually quiet.
It's clearly a high-end accommodation area; the rooms are large, so the distance between the doors is also wider.
She swiped her card to unlock the door, and the moment she pushed it open, she saw a cold face. The face gradually softened after seeing her.
"So it really is here." Lin Xi shrugged.
Lu Weiwen asked, "What?"
"Someone gave me special treatment and provided me with a room key here."
It must have been thoughtfully prepared by someone who overheard their "relationship".
Lu Weilian understood and made way for Lin Xi.
After entering, Lin Xi looked around the high-class suite, which was even more spacious than Song Heng's. This showed that no matter how disrespectful those people were to Lu Wei, they still treated him like a "major general".
"What a big bed," Lin Xi commented.
Since the apocalypse, she has never seen a 2-meter-wide bed. The beds in ordinary dormitories are available in sizes of 0.8 meters, 1 meter, and 1.2 meters. After Lin Xi and Xiang Xin moved to Lu Wei's house in the Dawn Base, the largest bed in the rooms was only 1.6 meters wide.
"..." Lu Wei looked at her, seemingly assessing her purpose.
Lin Xi said directly, "Arrange for me to share a room with Zhao Jing. I came to see you and also to see if there's a room for me here."
She has a special mission; Zhao Jing betrayed her; and living with someone she doesn't trust is too inconvenient.
Lu Wei: "".
Lin Xi had always thought Lu Wei was a well-mannered person, but at this moment, the way he looked at her seemed like he wanted to roll his eyes at her.
Lu Wei: "After all, we're using the 'pink tablet' and 'blue tablet' as our accounts, so how could we be in separate rooms?"
The pent-up resentment finally erupted.
-
The White Shield Base gave each of them a mobile phone that could connect to the White Shield Base's intranet.
After Lin Xi arrived at Lu Wei's room, the two used the counter-surveillance techniques they had learned during their special agent training to check the room for surveillance cameras and eavesdropping, and then scanned it again with their modified watches.
It's confirmed to be safe; there are no issues.
Lin Xi breathed a sigh of relief: "I suppose they don't want us to discover their eavesdropping technology now, as it would easily alert them."
Lu Wei nodded.
The two carefully checked the cell phones and items issued by the White Shield base again to ensure they were not being monitored.
They planned to use the cell phones provided by the base to communicate, while their original watches and cell phones would not be connected to the base's intranet.
Although both devices have been modified, once connected to the internet, they offer another avenue for eavesdropping, making it easy for secrets to be stolen.
Lin Xi's phone vibrated several times. After Xiang Xin settled in, she couldn't wait to ask Lin Xi where she was, so Lin Xi sent her the address.
Xiang Xin's first reaction upon entering the room was: "What a huge bed!"
Then he exclaimed, "We've arranged such a luxurious room for you, the dean!"
If that's the case, Lin Xi would ask Xiang Xin to come and live with them, but...
She answered truthfully, "It's for Major General Lu's room."
Xiang Xin glanced around and saw that Lu Wei's things were indeed in the room. She snapped out of her daze and glared at Lin Xi.
She paced back and forth with her hands on her hips, seemingly wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Lin Xi guessed that she was unhappy because she suddenly found out that she and Lu Wei were in a "boyfriend and girlfriend" relationship here.
After all, Lin Xi had experienced the possessiveness that comes with having friends.
Moreover, the four of them had been living together for so long, yet Lin Xi and Lu Wei had such a big secret that they were keeping from their best friends.
If you put yourself in Lin Xi's shoes, you'd be unhappy too.
She was a little nervous and whispered, "Um... I didn't mean to hide that from you..."
The reason she didn't admit it was because Lu Wei had discussed it with her. Xiang Xin is simple and straightforward, and her reaction after learning the truth might not be able to hide the fake relationship, which could lead to some trouble later.
Xiang Xin took a deep breath: "That's not what I care about!"
"and you……"
Xiang Xin leaned closer to Lin Xi, reached out and pinched her cheek, and said earnestly, "San San, you are my very, very, very best little sister."
"...?"
"I'm not angry because you're dating Brother Lu behind my back. I care about you, I care about you."
"so what?"
Xiang Xin seemed to find the lines too hot to handle: "Is Brother Lu really not good enough?"
"..." Lin Xi subconsciously wanted to laugh, but she held it in.
Because she saw Lu Wei, who had just returned from picking up his things, standing at the door. He was at a distance from Xiang Xin and could probably hear what she had just said.
Xiang Xin, seemingly lost in thought, said angrily, "I originally thought Brother Lu was a good person, but... but... not only did he take his own medicine, but he also made you take it. How could he be so irresponsible! Men are all the same! ... except for my dad."
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and her footsteps grew heavier: "Ugh, how could my little flower have suddenly been snatched away by someone! It's one thing if he's impotent, but he actually... he actually made you take pills! What a scumbag..."
"Um... actually, those long-term birth control pills aren't harmful." Lin Xi saw Lu Wei quietly approaching and tried to quickly change the subject.
Ke Xiangxin became increasingly angry as she spoke: "That's one thing, but why didn't you keep the pills yourself and let us three be the ones being watched?"
"..." Lin Xi silently lowered her gaze.
Actually, your brother Lu didn't know that I had packaged the necessary chemicals in this way to bring them in; he was also a victim.
Seeing that Lu Wei had stood behind Xiang Xin, Lin Xi tried to ease the tension: "Alright, don't you want to go back soon?"
"Brother Lu hasn't come back yet, why should I go back so early?"
Xiang Xin stood with her hands on her hips for a while, then, as if thinking of something, suddenly laughed and said, "Hey, San San, I used to think Brother Lu was amazing, but now... to be honest, I can hardly look at him the same way. In my lifetime, I've actually stumbled upon this kind of gossip about my boss, and it's a complete scandal, hahaha..."
Lin Xi suppressed a twitching at the corner of her mouth, her gaze sweeping blankly over Xiang Xin's shoulder before landing on Lu Wei's expressionless face.
Xiang Xin laughed for a while, then suddenly felt a chill down her spine. As if realizing something was wrong, she stiffened her neck and turned her face slightly to the side. When she met that cold gaze, she suddenly shuddered as if she had been electrocuted, and stiffly turned her body back.
Then, with small, quick steps, he moved to the side and stood upright.
Lu Wei simply stared at her, the coldness in his eyes sending chills down her spine.
Xiang Xin was probably terrified at the time, keeping her eyes down and maintaining the respectful demeanor of a subordinate towards her superior, being very obedient.
Lin Xi found it amusing, and she pursed her lips to suppress her laughter, her eyebrows twitching slightly.
Gradually, she realized that Xiang Xin's trembling was probably not due to fear, but rather...
Her lips were trembling, and her whole body was shaking slightly from time to time, like a cell phone that was vibrating intermittently.
"Laugh." Lu Wei glanced at the two of them and said calmly.
The two girls could no longer hold back, but they dared not laugh too loudly.
Then two silent, humanoid vibrating cell phones appeared in the room.
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