As they entered the Shelter, Roger told Lin Xinghai a number of things. In addition to the Genetic Potion, he also shared some general information about the Shelter.
The entire Star Shield Shelter was divided into three levels—Upper, Middle, and Lower—but the vast majority of people could only live in the Lower Level District.
To live in the Middle Level District, one had to become one of the Optimized.
As for the Upper Level District, that was where the Shelter's management and the powerful lived.
Of course, newly rescued people like them could only stay in the Lower Level District.
By now, an administrator from the Lower Level District had arrived to take over from the military. At the direction of the security team, everyone disembarked and lined up in columns before moving forward.
The Lower Level District spanned about 200,000 square meters, but according to Roger, it was home to a massive population of over 150,000, making the area incredibly dense.
Moreover, as they walked on, Lin Xinghai discovered that the Lower Level District was even more wretched than Roger had described.
The unplanned, tangled mess of streets and the houses crammed together to save space gave the whole place a chaotic feel.
Over eighty percent of the pedestrians on the street were sallow and gaunt, their clothes filthy. A foul stench hung in the air, a sign that they likely hadn't bathed in many days.
"This is basically a refugee camp," Lin Xinghai couldn't help but sigh.
But he understood there was no helping it. At the end of the day, it was a problem of resource scarcity.
Considering the desolate landscape on the surface, it was a miracle that the Star Shield Shelter could support this many people at all.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, the group came to a halt. Before them stood a block of dilapidated apartment buildings.
Residents were emerging from the buildings, carrying luggage. Most of them had numb, vacant expressions as they scurried away at the shouts of a patrol team.
Just then, an administrator from the front of the group walked up a flight of steps with a megaphone and announced, "Hello, everyone. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ji Yuan. As you can see, this area has been temporarily cleared out to serve as your new living quarters."
A commotion immediately swept through the crowd. These buildings weren't just old; they were extremely dilapidated. Large sections of the exterior walls had crumbled away, and many doubted if the place was even habitable.
People began to protest. It started with just a few voices, but the chorus of dissent grew steadily louder.
Ji Yuan stood on the steps with a smile. He raised a hand to signal for quiet before continuing, "You think the exteriors of these buildings are run-down, don't you? Well, rest assured... the interiors are even worse."
The commotion instantly escalated into a full-blown uproar. Many people couldn't believe what they were hearing.
'The inside is even worse? And he's telling us to *rest assured*?'
'Listen to him! Is that something a human being would say?'
Ji Yuan seemed completely oblivious to the crowd's reaction; the smile never even wavered on his face. "I know you all must have a lot you want to say, but please, hear me out first."
He cleared his throat and suddenly roared, "TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT! IF YOU DON'T WANT TO LIVE HERE, THEN GET THE HELL OUT!"
The crowd fell dead silent.
Now, Ji Yuan's smile was completely gone, replaced by a stern expression. "The Shelter has limited resources. We don't support idlers or freeloaders. If you want to eat well and live in a nice place, then prove your worth, earn Points, and you can move out of here."
When he finished, he gestured to the side. Several staff members immediately came forward and began distributing sheets of paper covered in text.
"Let's not waste any more time. Everything I need to tell you is written on these papers. Read them when you have a moment."
"These buildings behind me are all six-person dorms. You can find people you know to room with now. If you can't, we'll assign you roommates later. You have ten minutes." After speaking, Ji Yuan glanced at his watch and stood waiting in silence.
Ji Yuan hadn't said much, but every sentence was packed with information, leaving many of the new arrivals stunned.
Still, they were all forced to act. Their situation was already bad enough; they couldn't imagine being forced to live with complete strangers on top of it all.
Lin Xinghai, however, was like an outsider to all of this. He remained standing where he was, calm and composed, with his hands in his pockets.
'The Heaven-Sundering Mercenary Corps arranges accommodations for its official members, and in the Middle Level District, no less. The only catch is that you have to be one of the Optimized to live there.'
'Becoming one of the Optimized was a pipe dream for most people. But for Lin Xinghai, it was only a matter of a day or two.'
So he looked around, bored, waiting for the time to be up so he could be assigned a dorm.
"Ah! Lin Xinghai, I finally found you!" An exclamation rang out from his side. When he turned to look, he saw a graceful beauty whose gorgeous eyes were fixed on him.
"Uh..." Lin Xinghai was a little taken aback. At the same time, he realized he had overlooked a very serious problem.
'He had transmigrated, but he hadn't inherited the body's memories. He didn't even know the name of this beauty in front of him.'
Before Lin Xinghai could figure out how to respond, she grabbed his hand. "Come with me!"
'Holy shit! Are all the women in this era so forward?' Lin Xinghai couldn't help but curse inwardly.
'Though, her hand really is fair and soft!'
Lin Xinghai shook his head to clear it. This was no time to be thinking about such things. He had to figure out how to handle this beauty without giving himself away.
Countless ideas swirled through his mind, only to be rejected one by one. Finally, Lin Xinghai decided to feign amnesia.
Just as he was mulling over the best way to bring it up, the beauty pulling him by the hand suddenly stopped.
"I found our last roommate!" she announced loudly, having pulled Lin Xinghai in front of a small group of people.
Instantly, both Lin Xinghai and the four people in front of him froze.
Because they were all women—and young, beautiful ones at that.
"Liu Miaomiao, are you crazy? Why did you bring a man back?" After a moment of dead silence, the woman with the most voluptuous figure was the first to cry out.
She immediately pulled Liu Miaomiao aside, and the other women quickly followed, leaving Lin Xinghai standing there awkwardly.
Although he was just standing there, with his Genetic Optimization Level at 26%, his physical abilities had improved considerably, including his hearing. As a result, he could faintly overhear the women's conversation not far away.
"Wang Yao, calm down," Liu Miaomiao said seriously, looking at her friends. "Bringing him here was a well-thought-out decision. Think about it, these aren't the peaceful times we're used to. With a group of beautiful women like us living together, what happens if we're targeted by someone with ill intentions?"
"So, for our own safety, the best solution is obviously to get a 'Bodyguard'!"
"A bodyguard? Him?" Wang Yao's voice was filled with doubt.
"He might not look that strong, but he won a provincial Sanda championship in his freshman year of college. He could probably take down four or five regular guys with ease," Liu Miaomiao said.
"Even if what you're saying is true... aren't you afraid of letting the wolf into the henhouse?" Wang Yao countered.
"Don't worry, he's a total 'block of wood.' He was a big shot in our class, and tons of girls threw themselves at him—some of them were almost as pretty as me—but he was completely indifferent. There were even rumors that he wasn't interested in women at all."
"So, you can all relax!" Liu Miaomiao said, patting her chest in assurance.
Overhearing this from a short distance away, Lin Xinghai's expression instantly darkened.