Of course, Huang's father and mother already knew about their experiences. After all, every detail had to be submitted in reports once they returned to the base. Still, knowing something and seeing it with their own eyes weren't the same. Without witnessing it, most people instinctively thought, how strong could powers really be? They honestly had no clear concept.
It didn't matter though. Now that everyone was living in the same base, they'd naturally find out soon enough.
The meal passed in a cheerful atmosphere. Afterward, Huang's father and mother reluctantly went back to work, while Captain Zhang led them through the process of moving into their new dorms.
The apartments here were far better than the ones they'd rented in the Capital city base. The facilities were complete, warm, and welcoming, with all the furniture ready to use. It was truly the kind of place you could just walk into with your bags. On top of that, since the four of them didn't need to crowd together in one unit anymore, each room felt much more spacious.
The place had two bedrooms and a living room. The master bedroom didn't come with its own bathroom, but Lan Jin still took it since she needed space for her child and the dog.
Utilities like water and electricity worked the same way as before, using prepaid cards that drew from their contribution points. Everything was standardized by the military base, so there was nothing new to figure out.
Once Captain Zhang dropped them off, he didn't bother them further. "Alright, at the entrance there's an introduction to A City Base. Take it with you, walk around, and get familiar with the place. If anything comes up, I'll let you know."
But honestly, nothing urgent would happen anytime soon. Too many people were moving in, and just teaching them the base rules would take a lot of time. Nobody had the energy to deal with other matters yet.
"Got it. Go get some rest yourself. If anything comes up, we'll call."
Once inside the apartment, they didn't go out again. Before bed, Ling Jiang teased, "You're really not gonna pick Qiao Qiao up? That poor little girl's still waiting for you at the kindergarten."
Lan Jin waved it off. "She knows we're in the same base. She won't cry or fuss. What's wrong with letting me rest one night in peace? It's no big deal."
With that, she lay down and went straight to sleep, while Lan Qiaoqiao could only wait with quiet anticipation until the next afternoon. Only after kindergarten ended did her mother finally pick her up.
The moment she walked out, Lan Qiaoqiao puffed her cheeks in frustration and said, "Mama, you didn't come get me yesterday. I had to sleep at the kindergarten with the other kids."
Lan Jin pretended not to catch the complaint and said, "Oh, Qiao Qiao was such a good girl. Yesterday we hadn't finished setting up at home, so I couldn't come get you. I worried you'd throw a tantrum, but I didn't expect you to be so well-behaved, sleeping at the kindergarten all by yourself."
Hearing the praise, Qiao Qiao instantly forgot her anger. "Yeah! Mama, I'm super good. I'm the best little kid!"
"That's right. You're the best little kid in the whole wide world."
…
After a night of rest at home, they sent Qiao Qiao back to kindergarten, then went out to explore A City Base.
There was no denying it, A City Base was massive. Just as the squad members had said on the way, without vehicles it was impossible to walk the entire base in one day. Naturally, a fully developed rental system was in place. They had bicycles, battery-powered scooters, and energy-powered vehicles. Cars, however, were completely gone, since gasoline wasn't something they could reproduce anymore.
Battery scooters and energy vehicles required charging, which cost extra and was much pricier for daily use. So, most people got around by bicycle.
Lan Jin had bikes stored in her space, and she planned to bring them out later. For now, renting one was enough just to look around.
They each spent 0.5 contribution points to rent a bicycle for the day.
Starting from the residential zone, they rode for almost two hours before reaching the commercial district. That was when they realized every sector of the base had its own cafeteria. After all, distances were so long that nobody could waste time trekking across zones just for food. It was a smart system.
But the commercial area didn't have any shops open yet, which meant the cafeterias there weren't running either.
They cycled around the entire commercial district, then headed back to the residential zone cafeteria once lunchtime passed. After eating, they continued to explore the playground area, the medical sector, the administrative offices, the academy, and even the research district.
Before this, bases had never included things like playgrounds, academies, or full medical zones.
Usually, medical care was tucked into a corner of the office buildings, since the population didn't warrant anything bigger.
But A City Base was different. Since people were expected to live here long-term, a proper medical system was absolutely necessary.
The academy too. Previously, everyone studied in one shared building. But if this base was meant to sustain new generations, then proper schools had to be built, no matter the population size.
As for the playground, that was the simplest.
It was built like a pre-apocalypse park, huge in scale. Kids could play, elders and young people could relax, and everyone could unwind. The only problem was the actual play equipment—
Lan Jin happened to have several sets of children's playground gear stored in her space. Now seemed like the perfect chance to use them. The real question was how to hand them over to the base.
Lao Gao spoke up immediately. "I know what you're thinking. Keeping it inside isn't safe, but taking it out actually makes sense. We just need the right way to hand it over. Once it's out, that space can hold way more useful supplies."
Ling Jiang sighed. "I get that you're obsessed with clearing stock, but why hoard so much? We already have plenty stored. We don't need more."
Huang Jinghe disagreed. "If we can stockpile, we should. It's only been a little over a year since the apocalypse started, and look at everything that's happened already. Who knows if this place will really be our last home? Under limited conditions, storing up isn't a bad idea."
"That's what I think too," Lan Jin said. "Even if we don't hoard food, we can trade for weapons. That's just as good."
The moment weapons were mentioned, Ling Jiang stopped objecting. "That's true. But wait, are weapons sold in the commercial district or somewhere else? We didn't see any when we looked around."
Lao Gao said, "I already asked when I came in. They don't sell weapons to ordinary residents here. If you want them, you'll have to go through Captain Zhang and buy them from the administrative offices."