Although Jiawu didn’t quite understand what Nan Muran meant by her words, he didn’t ask further.

Having spent these past days with her, he had developed enough confidence in her way of doing things.

Walking past the newly expanded open space around the villa, it wasn’t far before they entered the original villa district.

They quickly noticed that what used to be the sales office and the adjacent clubhouse were now openly labeled with signs: “Trading Hall,” “Mission Hall,” and “Service Hall.”

“Mission Hall, huh. What do you think they use for payment?” Jiawu asked curiously.

Nan Muran thought for a moment. “Surely not cash, right?”

At the mention of “cash,” the two of them couldn’t help but laugh.

In the apocalypse, there were some things that would never return.

“Let’s go down and take a look,” Nan Muran said. She didn’t plan on living in the base, but she knew they would inevitably rely on it for certain things. It was necessary to understand the place.

They parked the vehicle directly in the front parking area.

Just as they stopped, a boy of about ten years old came running up to them with a wide smile on his face.

When he saw Nan Muran getting out of the car, he froze for a moment, then spoke enthusiastically, “Big sister, do you need a guide?”

“No thanks.” Nan Muran shut the car door and prepared to walk ahead.

“I’m really cheap! And I know everything about the base. I just need a little food as payment,” the boy said, growing anxious after being rejected so swiftly.

Nan Muran’s eyes grew colder as she looked at him. “If you don’t want to die, get lost.”

The boy was clearly startled.

Because he looked like a small, weak child, he usually managed to get plenty of clients outside. It was the first time someone had threatened him so coldly.

Jiawu gave him a glance, and the smile on his lips turned cold, killing intent faintly evident.

Sensing the dangerous aura radiating from both of them, the boy didn’t look back—he just turned and ran. Survival was more important.

The Service Hall and Trading Hall were connected, with a separate consultation booth on the side.

The air was filled with noise and mixed smells, making Nan Muran frown instinctively.

The windows on the Service Hall side seemed mainly for registration.

Name, age, previous profession, special skills… In the end, the staff handed her a dark red card with her name on it.

In the Trading Hall, many people were communicating with staff at the windows while holding various items. The staff would take their items and cards, do something on the computer, and then return the cards.

“Pawn shop?” Jiawu asked, puzzled.

“Not exactly,” Nan Muran replied. “Besides pawning personal goods, you can also use completed work or tasks from the Mission Hall to exchange for points here.”

A staff member in a suit had already been on alert after hearing the intercom describe two second-tier ability users at the gate.

Once he confirmed it was them, he eagerly approached to welcome them.

Nan Muran looked at the girl with a high ponytail and a friendly smile. “Hello.”

“Hello to you both. I’m Tang Xiao, a staff member responsible for receiving guests at the Service Hall. Is there anything I can help you with?” Tang Xiao greeted them with a professional smile. She had just heard from her colleague that these two were the real deal.

Nan Muran glanced at the intercom and roughly understood what was going on. The coordination here was impressive—almost like a high-end club.

“We just need a proper introduction to how the base works.”

“Of course!”

Tang Xiao’s explanation was both professional and efficient.

Simply put, the base now operated mainly through three halls. To live in the base, two things were required: the dark red personal info card and the points stored on it.

The Service Hall handled reception duties—registering survivors rescued or arriving on their own, including ability users. This was the first stop for setting up a profile, renting a place to live, job distribution, and other basic survival needs in the base. Of course, not everyone was guaranteed a job. That came with its own complexities. After all, where there are people, there are politics.

The Trading Hall was where all apocalypse-usable goods could be exchanged for points.

There was also an open market outside the hall, where most transactions were bartered.

Lastly, the Mission Hall catered to the more powerful individuals or ability users. With zombies rampant, ordinary people rarely ventured outside the base.

“Thank you,” Nan Muran said after listening.

“It’s our job,” Tang Xiao replied. The Service Hall had many receptionists like her.

They had all been professionally trained and worked closely with the gatekeepers outside the base to offer the best service possible for these extraordinary survivors. After all, the safety and stability of the base depended on ability users.

“Would you like me to help you register for your ID cards now?” Tang Xiao asked, still polite and attentive.

“Uh…” They definitely needed it, but seeing the long line, Nan Muran hesitated. “When’s a time when there are fewer people here?”

Tang Xiao understood instantly. “You two are ability users—you don’t need to wait in line. I can register you directly.”

Nan Muran’s eyes lit up. “Thanks!”

Tang Xiao immediately pulled a card registration device from a side shelf and started entering their information.

“Ranan!” Guo Fei burst in excitedly upon seeing Nan Muran sitting in the VIP area.

Tang Xiao instantly tensed up when she saw him. “Hello, Deputy Minister Guo.”

Guo Fei strode in and grabbed Nan Muran, looking her up and down. “You little rascal! You left in such a hurry last time and didn’t even think to let us know you were safe.”

“Fei-ge, we’ve only been apart for less than ten days!” Nan Muran replied with a playful smile.

“Ten days is plenty! Look at how much this place has changed,” Guo Fei said, half-scolding.

“I’m fine—no injuries, I didn’t go hungry, and I’ve even gained a little weight,” Nan Muran responded sweetly.

“Why didn’t you come home first?” Guo Fei asked while taking the registration device from Tang Xiao and quickly entering Nan Muran’s information.

Tang Xiao was startled and didn’t know whether to take it back or not.

In the end, she decided to play it safe and went to get drinks for the three of them. As she walked, she mentally reviewed everything she had said to Nan Muran, worried she might have said something wrong in front of such an important person.

“We saw this area on the way in and thought we’d check it out first,” Nan Muran explained.

Guo Fei quickly completed the registration. “Come home.”

When Lin Jiajia saw Nan Muran return safely, she let out a long sigh of relief. “You! You almost scared us to death.”

“Sorry, Jiajia-jie.”

“What are you saying sorry for? We’re family,” Lin Jiajia scolded, pretending to be annoyed.

Nan Muran smiled in response and then turned to Guo Fei, getting straight to the point. “Fei-ge, I heard Tang Xiao call you Deputy Minister Guo just now.”

Guo Fei sat down, still smiling. “The whole military base is run through those three halls. So they appointed one Chief Minister to oversee everything and three Deputy Ministers to manage each hall.”

“Is Chief Minister Chen Jianguo?”

“Yes. I’m in charge of the Service Hall. The Mission Hall is managed by the former political commissar who worked with Chen Jianguo. And the Trading Hall—you should know the person in charge. Someone from the Ouyang family.”

“Ouyang Feng or Ouyang Ying?” Nan Muran guessed. After all, only those two had real influence in the Ouyang family.