After hearing Xi Yu's words, everyone's anticipation for the Capital city base only grew stronger.
Normally, in other cities, even after entering the city limits, it would take days to reach the base itself. But the Capital was different. After just half a day, they could already see the silhouette of the Capital city base from afar.
No one expected the distance to be that short.
Xi Yu smiled. "Told you, the Capital city base is huge. You'll see once you get inside."
The convoy of fifteen vehicles rolled closer and closer until they finally reached the gates. Soldiers from inside quickly stopped them for inspection.
Captain Zhang's car led the group.
As soon as he parked, he got out, reported their situation, and confirmed their identities. Only then did he call everyone else down for inspection.
The process was about the same as any other base.
First came security, then showing their residence permits at the checkpoint to verify identity.
Everyone passed without issue. The military base permits were recognized across regions, so entry was smooth.
But when it came to Nana, things slowed down. Not because of his identity, but because such a big, fat dog naturally drew stares, especially since he was wagging around excitedly.
Lan Jin had no choice but to call out, "Nana, sit. Close your mouth. Don't bite anyone."
Nana immediately crouched at her side and shut his mouth. His excitement wasn't about arriving at the base at all—it was the blast of air conditioning. Air conditioning! After months without it, his body finally felt comfortable again. He got a little too excited, but when his owner gave the order, he obeyed and sat down quietly.
…
Seeing how well-behaved Nana was, the crowd only grew more excited. Noise and chatter filled the gate until the situation was nearly out of control.
At that moment, a man pushed through the crowd. He raised his voice sharply. "What are you all standing around for? Get back to work! You've got nothing better to do?"
The people quickly scattered. Then the man turned to the newcomers and said, "Welcome. I'm Zhou, in charge of security here. You can call me Captain Zhou. On behalf of the base, welcome back."
They responded politely, and Captain Zhou led Captain Zhang aside to talk.
After all, with more than fifty people, the paperwork wasn't going to finish quickly. And moving into a new base meant housing had to be arranged one by one.
Those already living in capsule dorms could stay in capsule dorms. Staff and regular civilians had their housing divided separately, and that wouldn't change.
Some had family members who'd arrived earlier. If their relatives had registered housing, all they needed to do was look up the address and move in. If not, they'd be temporarily placed in capsule dorms.
For people like Lan Jin and her group, it was simpler. Since they had a dog, they'd naturally rent an apartment.
The Capital city base was truly massive. Housing was divided by sections, districts, and then buildings. Units were labeled with twenty-six letters plus Arabic numbers, and even then, the system was nearly maxed out.
So when Lan Jin was asked to pick a unit on the spot, she honestly couldn't.
For powerful ability users, though, the base wasn't cold or rigid. After some thought, Captain Zhou said, "With so many of you, the best option is a suite. Your rental info is already in the system. For now, I'll put you in a three-bedroom suite close to our dorms. Later, if you find another area you prefer, you can switch. Sound good?"
Of course it was fine. The system was shared between bases, so even if they'd paid rent at another base, it carried over. They could move right in without extra trouble.
Lan Jin nodded. "Thanks, Captain Zhou."
She was exhausted. All she wanted was to collapse into bed. But things never went the way she hoped. By base rules, unless someone was injured and needed treatment, everyone first had to go through questioning. They had to explain their experiences before they could rest.
So with the base-issued backpacks on their shoulders, they were led into interrogation rooms.
One person per room, each with two officers to question and record.
Since Lan Jin had a child and a dog, they weren't separated but brought in with her.
As for how to explain Lan Qiaoqiao's presence, they'd already rehearsed a story with Captain Zhang on the road. That part wasn't a problem. What they needed to report was the journey itself—what happened when they left, what happened in the great forest, and how they made it back.
It was a long story. The trip had taken months, and many details were fuzzy. They needed notebooks to keep things straight.
Credit went to Captain Zhang's foresight. Without his records, if everyone spoke freely, details would've clashed and nothing would've matched.
…
Lan Jin opened her notebook and went through everything from the beginning, memory and notes combined. Of course, she left out the parts about leveling up their abilities. Even so, what she could say still took a long time.
Everyone else did the same, reporting in order from start to finish using the notebooks.
The problem was, who brings notebooks to interrogations? To the officers, it looked suspicious, like they'd agreed on their story beforehand.
Still, the interrogators didn't show anything on their faces. They just wrote everything down. What happened next, though, was out of their hands.
All their statements would be sent up for review. Only after higher-ups approved could the information be accepted.
Of course, not everyone's account was identical. Not everyone had been present in the great forest. Only about a dozen of them knew those details clearly.
In the end, the questioning dragged on endlessly. Lan Qiaoqiao slept a full nap in her arms. She ate three meals in that same interrogation room before the session finally ended.