The monitoring area on the negative second floor was crowded with people—or rather, ability users and mutants.

For example, there was a rabbit person hopping around, covered in fluffy fur with long ears. His face was that of a normal human, and his hands and feet were also human-like, making him look like a person in a mascot costume. But clearly, the fur on his body was real, and he hopped as he walked.

Seeing people, he opened his mouth and asked, “Bro, which department do I register under for fur issues? My fur’s been itching lately.”

The man he asked was a mutant resembling a chicken, with a large red comb on his head and a rugged face. He opened his mouth and clucked, “Cluck cluck, bro, go to dermatology, cluck cluck.”

…

This surreal scene made it hard not to imagine another world.

Xu Duoduo and the others withdrew their gazes at the same time. After three seconds of silence, they unanimously decided to talk about it at home.

So, they split into two groups.

Bai Shu and his team went back first, while Xu Duoduo and Qin Luo stayed for monitoring.

Qin Luo’s ability had leveled up. However, Xu Duoduo, as a little zombie, remained the same. Her speed was still 1.5, but there was no reason to feel disappointed.

After all, her ability was spatial manipulation.

On their way back, they encountered a beautiful spider lady. Her upper body was human, while her lower half was a spider. As she passed by, many who feared spiders screamed, making her blush in embarrassment.

Da Qiao, wearing a white coat and holding a bullfrog in her hands, was busy clearing the area. “Move aside, move aside! This is a newly mutated spider lady. Please don’t scare her, be more understanding!”

The spider lady was so embarrassed that she covered her face and quickly crawled into the consultation room with her eight legs.

Da Qiao let out a sigh of relief and happened to spot Xu Duoduo and Qin Luo. She immediately came over to greet them. “Yo, you’re back? Here for ability monitoring? Your 3A team is really something this time—you even took down a three-star mutated beast!”

She instantly noticed that Qin Luo’s ability had improved. “Keep up the good work. The number of mutated beasts is increasing, and their levels are getting higher. If our combat squads can’t keep up, we’re doomed!”

Mutants and mutated beasts were not the same. The former still retained human consciousness, while the latter had blood-red eyes and attacked anything in sight, unable to control their emotions. That was the key difference. Mutants could live in the base under collar regulations, but mutated beasts could no longer be considered human.

Da Qiao was busy. She mentioned she had been conducting experiments when she was suddenly called to pick up the spider lady. Now, she had to return to the lab.

“Let’s grab a drink when we have time. This workload is killing me.”

Even someone as calm as her was starting to get irritated.

She winked at Xu Duoduo. “Little zombie sweetheart, you should come too.”

Before Xu Duoduo could respond, Qin Luo was already pulling her away. “We’ll see. If you want to drink, go find Old Wang. He loves drinking—every day, if you let him.”

Then, they quickly slipped away.

Da Qiao laughed in frustration.

“Those two are up to no good. If they offer you food, they definitely want something from you for research. Avoid them if you can, refuse them if possible. Don’t be silly and walk into a trap, or you’ll end up as an experiment, got it?”

Qin Luo lectured the little zombie earnestly, and Xu Duoduo nodded obediently.

Despite being away for less than four days, the changes in the base were visible to the naked eye.

For instance, evolved humans—whether ability users or mutants—were now collectively called “New Humans.”

Many new high-rise buildings had sprung up in H City. The fact that so many buildings could be built in just a few days was clearly thanks to the efforts of ability users and mutants. With so many survivors flocking to H City, expansion was the only option.

Taking the subway directly to the residential area, they arrived at a zone designated for ability users and mutants.

Ordinary humans couldn’t match the psychological and physical endurance of the New Humans. Plus, combat squads often returned covered in blood. While it didn’t affect New Humans, it was fatal to regular people.

Dividing living areas made sense.

The base’s broadcast continued announcing nearby collapse zones, rescue operations, and lists of the deceased.

“Zzzzz…”

“Good evening, everyone. We have an emergency announcement. According to meteorological monitoring, Typhoon No. 1 ‘Tyrannosaurus’ and Typhoon No. 2 ‘Xizi’ have approached our national waters and will make landfall within twenty-four hours.”

“Their paths have been sent to all combat squads via email. Please check your inboxes. All personnel in affected areas must ensure their safety and protect survivors. H City base is on full lockdown—no one is allowed to leave. All work, production, and schooling will be suspended.”

The female announcer’s voice carried a slight tremor and tension.

Nearby, some ability users groaned. “Damn, I was planning to take on a few more missions. Now I’m screwed—my points won’t even cover rent!”

Someone else muttered, “This typhoon must be serious. Even the announcer is shaking. Just thinking about those coastal cities… Last time, they were almost submerged. If we’re shutting everything down here, then those cities ahead must be completely—”

Damn!

This insane world made it impossible not to curse. No one could take it.

Xu Duoduo continued listening to the broadcast, her silver metal collar glinting slightly.

The little zombie looked very well-behaved like this.

Qin Luo reached out and patted her head. “Let’s go. No need to listen. The forum has all this info anyway—this broadcast is just for ordinary people.”

Regular people didn’t have the base’s special wristbands, so they couldn’t even access the internet.

It was like they had returned to a time before the internet. Only combat squad members could use it, and even residential areas weren’t free.

To prevent combat squads from growing arrogant, good housing required rent. Without enough points, the only option was dormitories, with several people crammed into a room.

The buildings here, labeled A to F, indicated quality—from best to worst. F Block was the worst, an eight-person dormitory.

Qin Luo and his team lived in A Block, the best single apartments. Their squad had plenty of points, so affording rent was no problem.

Chen Xiaofei and the others were cooking hot pot. The recent team battle against the mutant Snake-Men had earned each of them 25,000 points—enough for a proper feast.

They had messaged Qin Luo and Xu Duoduo earlier, telling them to come straight to Chen Xiaofei’s place, just a few steps away on the same floor.

Qin Luo led Xu Duoduo around a corner and arrived at Chen Xiaofei’s door. He pushed it open. “A yin-yang hot pot? Wait, how many points did you guys spend?”

“Not much, not much! Tonight’s my treat. I even bought a bunch of exotic ingredients. Just sit back and enjoy!” Chen Xiaofei grinned as he carried out dishes. “Squad leader, make yourself at home! We’re all family here!”

Xu Duoduo peeked out from behind Qin Luo, glancing into the living room.

A large yin-yang hot pot was set up, divided into a white bone broth base and a red, spicy butter broth.

The table was already filled with some ingredients. Actually, Wang Weihu was in the kitchen wearing an apron, preparing food, while Chen Xiaofei bustled about serving dishes.

Bai Shu, on the other hand, was browsing the forum database, occasionally pushing up his glasses.

Honestly…

If not for his ability, he would never have become a sniper.

Now, he wore glasses purely out of childhood habit—it gave him a sense of security.