When it came to the base not charging them rent or contribution points, Captain Zhang hadn't been informed ahead of time. Still, it wasn't hard to guess the reason. The base had already hinted they wanted to recruit Lan Jin's group. With powers that strong, it'd be safer to keep them inside rather than let them wander around outside. Captain Zhang didn't mind trying to win them over, but judging from their behavior, these four really weren't the type to sign on easily. So the matter had been shelved.
And with so much happening every day, little details that should've been explained earlier naturally slipped through the cracks.
Taking advantage of the chance, Captain Zhang brought the four to the base cafeteria. After pouring each of them a glass of water, he finally laid out the base's intentions. It was clear enough. The leaders wanted Lan Jin's group to join the base, follow its orders from now on, and in return they'd enjoy full treatment as members. Free housing, meal subsidies, the works.
The four of them were stunned.
Lao Gao spoke first. "I don't get it. Right now only A City's base is livable. If I don't stick with the base, where am I supposed to go?"
Sure, you could survive outside, but nowhere was as comfortable as inside. Here, you could even open shops, earn money, and most importantly, buy weapons. Honestly, if it were back when multiple bases still existed, Lao Gao might've grumbled about moving to another one if this place felt too restrictive. But with only one left, where else could he possibly go?
He stared in confusion. "Wait, Captain Zhang, it's not like we're planning to leave. We're already working for the base, and we're not doing jobs for anyone else. How's that different?"
That question left Captain Zhang blinking. After a moment, he answered, "No, I mean, we want you to formally join us."
Lan Jin tilted her head. "Didn't we already? We joined as an ability squad. We just had more conditions than usual. If that doesn't count, then what kind of joining are you talking about?"
Huang Jinghe added, "You mean like becoming official base personnel, reporting to higher-ups directly? But they don't need people like us in the regular corps. We're not trained soldiers, and even in the ability unit we wouldn't exactly fit in."
Ling Jiang followed up. "So Captain Zhang, I don't really get what the base wants."
By now it wasn't just them who were confused, Captain Zhang was too. "Wait, so in your minds, you already are part of the base, and you've got no intention of leaving, right?"
The four nodded firmly. "Of course we're not leaving. Have you seen what it's like outside? Where would we even go? But Captain Zhang, don't expect us to join the same daily drills your corps runs. We wouldn't last. If you need abilities though, we'll help anytime. We'll take the missions the base assigns us. You can tell the higher-ups straight, we're not leaving and we'll support the base."
"That's all they need to hear," Captain Zhang said. "Everything the higher-ups decide is about keeping the base safe. If they're not charging you rent, just live here. If they want more from you, I'll pass the word."
"Fine."
With business settled, Huang Jinghe finally got to what he'd been waiting for. His voice trembled a little as he asked, "Captain Zhang, what about my parents? They should be here in the base, right?"
The A City base had sent a lot of people out to support the rescue teams, but Huang's parents had never been spotted among the outside survivors. Which meant they had to be inside. And his road to them had been brutal—J City to H City, then all the way across thousands of miles through the Capital and finally to A City. Calling it a journey of blood and sweat wasn't an exaggeration.
Now, standing at the final stop, he felt like he'd finally beaten the final boss in some impossible game. He had to see his parents this time.
But Captain Zhang just shrugged. "How would I know? This base has a network. Just call them. I don't even know what they look like, so asking me to track them down would be a mess. You're all in the same base now. You won't have any trouble getting in touch."
Only then did Huang Jinghe remember the base's internal network worked. He fumbled out his phone, opened the special app, found his parents' number, and hit call.
It didn't even ring long. The line clicked and a familiar voice answered. "Hello? Jinghe, you made it to the base?"
His eyes stung as he said, "Dad, I'm back! Where's Mom?"
"She's here. Where are you right now? Are you with your teammates? We'll come find you right away."
"I'm in the cafeteria with Captain Zhang. Hurry over, we'll wait here."
Grinning ear to ear, Huang Jinghe ended the call and turned to Captain Zhang. "Stick around for a bit, will you? My parents said they want to talk to you too."
Captain Zhang was speechless. "What would I even say to your parents?"
Especially when their rank was probably way higher than his. Still, since the "leaders" had spoken, could he really walk away? Outside was calm for now anyway, so he stayed put.
…
Ten minutes later, Huang Jinghe's parents walked into the cafeteria. The family reunion that followed felt like a moment straight out of history itself.
"Dad, Mom," Huang Jinghe choked out, his voice shaking.
His parents' eyes instantly welled up.
His mother cupped his face and ran her hands over him, as if to reassure herself. "All in one piece. You must've suffered a lot these past months."
Huang Jinghe shook his head. He wasn't lying. Back in his old community, they'd had food and water. After leaving, Lan Jin's space had kept them fed. The journey had been tough, yes, but compared to others, it hadn't been unbearable.
"No, I'm fine. Everyone took care of me."
Then he eagerly introduced his companions.
First was Lan Jin. "Dad, Mom, this is Sister Lan, Lan Jin. She's been looking out for me since day one, and she still does."
"Then this is Lao Gao, from my building. This is Ling Jiang, she and Sister Lan taught me the self-defense I told you about. And this here's Captain Zhang, we've been with him since H City. He's taken care of me too."