Chapter 24: Reporting to the Base Commander

He Yan and Tang Heng first carried their supplies back to their lodging. Once Ling Feng’s 24-hour isolation ended, the three of them would go together to meet the base commander.

Twenty-four hours wasn’t long, but Ling Feng slept twice in the isolation room before emerging.

When he came out, He Yan and Tang Heng were already there.

“Boss, we just heated up a steamed bun. You can eat it once you get back.”

They had warmed buns purchased from Jianglin Hotel, which tasted far better than the hard black buns the base provided.

However, they didn’t have many crystal cores, so the copper coins they could exchange were limited. In the end, they didn’t buy many buns or meat buns.

Still, their boss had just finished isolation, so having something good to eat was necessary.

Ling Feng wasn’t picky and followed them back to their lodging.

The buns on the table were still warm. Ling Feng grabbed two immediately.

Twenty-four hours of isolation could cause psychological issues for someone with weaker mental resilience, especially if done repeatedly. Luckily, Ling Feng hadn’t gone through many times—this was his first time in the isolation room.

“Boss, when are we going to see the base commander?”

He Yan was impatient. Once Ling Feng finished eating, he asked directly.

“Right now.”

Ling Feng finished the buns in a few bites and even had a bit of pickled mustard greens. Who would have thought that, nowadays, pickled mustard greens had become a luxury?

Once Ling Feng finished, the three of them left the room together.

Their psychic squad was well-known in the B City safety base, so many people turned to look as the three of them moved together.

Ling Feng and his teammates were used to such stares and ignored everyone, heading straight for the base commander’s office.

Because the apocalypse had arrived suddenly, the B City safety base was hastily established in a high-end residential area.

The area was remote, with low occupancy, which conveniently allowed officials to clear zombies.

The base commander’s office was temporarily set up in a central residence in the complex.

The second floor had been fully opened up, and the office was in one of the rooms.

However, the building housed influential elders, so simply arriving here didn’t guarantee a meeting with the commander.

Sure enough, as they reached the first floor, soldiers stationed at the door blocked their way.

“Who are you?”

“Hello, we’re the Red Maple psychic squad. We have an important report for the base commander.”

Ling Feng had no intention of forcing entry. With Jianglin Hotel in the picture, once the base commander knew about it, he would be anxious—not them.

“What’s the matter? Do you have an appointment?”

The soldiers knew about the Red Maple squad. But the base commander was extremely busy and couldn’t meet everyone on a whim.

“It’s about food. We might be able to solve the base’s food shortage problem.”

Food was no problem at Jianglin Hotel, after all.

The soldier’s pupils contracted at the mention of solving the base’s food problem.

“Wait here. I’ll notify them.”

One of the two soldiers turned to the stairway behind them.

As long as they explained the reason when reporting, Ling Feng was confident the base commander would meet them. After all, food was the base’s top priority, and the commander wouldn’t ignore such an opportunity.

Sure enough, the soldier returned shortly after notifying upstairs and allowed them to pass, leading them to the office door.

“The base commander is inside. You can go in yourselves.”

“Thank you.”

Ling Feng thanked him and knocked. Hearing a voice say “come in,” he pushed the door open.

The base commander was a vigorous elder, though close inspection revealed his temples were already graying.

Once Ling Feng and his two teammates entered, Lu Zhengyao looked up, smiling kindly.

“Please sit. Resources are scarce, so all I have to offer is plain water. Is that okay?”

At that moment, someone brought in a tray with four glasses of hot water.

“Water is precious nowadays; this is already generous.”

Water in the base was supplied by water or ice psychics, with each person allowed a limited daily amount at a non-cheap cost.

Lu Zhengyao always followed a fair principle and also exchanged water at the set price. These four glasses were his own treat for Ling Feng and his team.

“I heard you might solve our base’s food shortage. How exactly?”

Lu Zhengyao’s assistant who brought the water sat beside him as he spoke to Ling Feng and the others.

“This is how it happened…”

Ling Feng explained how they had gone out to search for supplies, checked Shengshi Huadu for survivors, and by chance met Chu Jiangyue. They detailed the existence of Jianglin Hotel, emphasizing two crucial points: unlimited food supply and the ID cards’ messaging feature.

Whenever Ling Feng missed something, He Yan and Tang Heng added clarifications.

After they finished, Lu Zhengyao and his assistant fell silent.

“How can you prove what you say is true?”

Lu Zhengyao wanted their claims to be true, but as a materialist, he remained skeptical of Jianglin Hotel. He couldn’t gamble with the lives of everyone in the base.

The three pulled out the ID cards they had obtained at Jianglin Hotel.

“These are our ID cards, obtained after charging crystal cores at Jianglin Hotel.”

The cards had built-in virtual screens.

This alone made Lu Zhengyao stand and his assistant stare intently at the screens.

“You can only buy items inside the hotel, but we can verify the messaging function.”

“Yes. At Jianglin Hotel, we’ve added each other as friends and can send messages anytime.”

Lu Zhengyao couldn’t sit still. He quickly walked behind them.

“Send me a message, let me see.”

If the ID cards truly worked, he needed to ensure everyone in the base could get one. Communication made the world completely different.

Ling Feng opened the chat windows for He Yan and Tang Heng, sending a symbol each.

He Yan and Tang Heng did the same.

“Who is this? Why didn’t you send her a message?”

Lu Zhengyao soon noticed an extra avatar on the screen.