Huang Jinghe had called his parents early that morning. They must not have started work yet, because the call connected almost immediately.
He asked excitedly, "Dad, I just got the message that the J City base is finished! What about the Capital base? Is it done too? Can Sister Lan and I go now?"
His father replied, "Not yet. The base here is pretty big. It won't be finished that fast. You and Sister Lan should stay in J City a bit longer. Don't run around too much, just stay inside the complex. Once we're ready to bring people in, I'll let you know right away. What, are you worried your mom and I would forget about you?"
Huang Jinghe wasn't disappointed. "Not at all. I'm just excited, that's all. I keep wondering what the base looks like."
"Well, it's not that magical. Alright, your mom and I have work to do. If we hear anything, we'll call you right away."
His parents hung up soon after, and as soon as the call ended, Huang Jinghe shared the news with Lan Jin.
Lan Jin wasn't in a rush either. The rainy season hadn't even arrived yet. She didn't want to risk getting stuck somewhere halfway due to flooding. Even if the base was ready, she'd still wait a bit before going. So she said, "Then we'll wait to hear from them. This place is home anyway. Staying here a little longer won't hurt."
…
After breakfast, the four of them met up on the 32nd floor, then headed out to the boxing gym together.
Even though they'd all received the same group message, none of them brought it up on the way. Everyone clearly had their own thoughts about it.
But just because the four of them didn't mention it didn't mean the rest of the complex was quiet. Quite the opposite—the whole place was buzzing with talk about the J City base.
It turned out the staff had been instructed to start recruiting early. By morning, they were already making rounds in the residential area, trying to get people to head for the base. So when the four of them left together, the staff looked at them like they were a group of plump sheep ready for slaughter.
That glint in the staff member's eyes was too eager, almost unnerving.
But the woman didn't seem to notice anything wrong. With a goofy smile, she walked over and launched into her pitch. "You've seen the message, right? The J City base is ready. It's over on XX Road. They've got water, electricity, even air conditioning. Way better than staying here. If you have a car, you can drive over yourself. If not, there'll be a shuttle next Monday. And living there's cheap. Only ten jin of grain per person for the entry fee."
Her tone made it sound like they'd already agreed to go.
To be fair, the conditions she listed were very tempting. Running water, electricity, and cool air would be a major upgrade from life here in the complex.
But then again, where were people supposed to get ten jin of grain right now? Most folks could barely scrape together enough to eat. Lan Jin still remembered from her previous life that not many people left during the first wave.
Either way, she had no intention of going. Which meant she didn't care to listen to the rest of the sales pitch.
As soon as Lan Jin's face showed the slightest hint of irritation, Nana stepped forward and planted himself between her and the staff member. The dog bared his teeth and barked loudly, "Woof woof!"
The woman jumped back several steps, clearly startled. "Miss, get your dog under control! Don't let him bite anyone!"
"My dog doesn't bite."
Every dog owner says that, of course. But the truth is, no one can predict an animal completely. Still, Nana wasn't just any dog. He had drunk from the spiritual spring water. He was not a normal dog by any stretch. Lan Jin could say those words with full confidence.
But the woman didn't believe her. "You all say that. Then when the dog bites someone, you claim it wasn't on purpose. Just keep him on a leash, alright? I don't even know if there's any rabies vaccine left anymore."
After that, she held out a flyer toward them, practically shoving it in their faces. Her tone grew pushy. "This has the base's address. Think about how you're going to get there. You can register with me first."
Lan Jin stared at her in surprise for a moment, then said flatly, "I never said I was going. I'm not going to the base."
As soon as she spoke, Huang Jinghe echoed her without hesitation. "I'm not going either."
Since the two of them had no plans to leave, they refused outright. But what caught the woman off guard was that Ling Jiang and Lao Gao followed up immediately after.
"We're not going to the base either," said Ling Jiang.
Hearing all of them decline so firmly, the staff member's attitude did a full one-eighty. Just a second ago she was all smiles, but now her face turned cold. Recruiting someone to join the base came with a reward—one packet of instant noodles per person. That was four adults, one child, and a dog. If she could register all of them, that would've been six packets. Enough food for several days.
Now that it was all slipping away, she couldn't hide her frustration. "Seriously? The base is that good and you're not going? We're all going eventually anyway."
Lan Jin didn't even bother responding. She simply turned and walked away, tugging Nana's leash gently.
The woman didn't dare chase after them—she was clearly afraid of being bitten—but that didn't stop her from yelling bitterly after them, "If you weren't going, you should've said so earlier! Wasting my damn time!"
Ling Jiang had a quick temper. She was ready to turn back and snap at the woman, but Lao Gao reached out and grabbed her arm. "Let it go. Don't waste your energy on her."
Though she kept walking, Ling Jiang was still fuming. "She's the one who needs a beating. What kind of attitude is that? As if we don't know they get a reward for dragging people over. You saw how fast her face changed. Even a stage performer couldn't switch that fast."
She glanced at Lan Jin and Huang Jinghe and added, "In case you didn't know, Old Shi told me. Anyone who brings someone to the base gets a packet of instant noodles. The reward's given on the spot, just for registering. Everyone wants food these days, sure, but that doesn't mean you treat people like that."
Lan Jin was still thinking it over. "But can't someone fake it? I could register now, let her get the noodles, and then just not go. Wouldn't she still come out ahead?"
"Not quite," Ling Jiang said. "Registration is one thing, but they also have to scan your resident card. Just having your name on a sheet isn't enough. It's tracked. There's an official order from higher-ups, and local staff have quotas to meet. So they really are under pressure. But still, there's no excuse for behaving like that."
Lao Gao scratched his head, looking a bit puzzled. "But why aren't you two going? The base's conditions sound pretty good."
Neither of them explained much. These past two weeks had been pleasant enough, but that was all. The friendship they shared was built on the fact that no one had clashed over money or self-interest yet.
Huang Jinghe understood that, so he kept quiet about the real reason. Lan Jin was even more guarded. She replied calmly, "The base was just finished. We have no idea what things are like there yet. We want to wait until some others have moved in and see how it goes. Besides, we can still live here for now. It's not like we're out on the street."