Even though Lan Jin's questioning was finally over, not everyone else was done. After all, people worked and explained things at different speeds. When she came out and returned to the lobby, only a few who hadn't entered the great forest were waiting there. Lao Gao was also out.
The moment he saw Lan Jin holding Lan Qiaoqiao in her arms, he walked over, took Nana from her side, and whispered, "Finally out, huh? But plenty of others are still inside."
Lan Jin nodded. "Makes sense. We were gone a long time, so there's a lot to explain."
Right after she spoke, Ling Jiang came out of the room as well. The three of them found a place to sit together. Leaving wasn't an option yet. Huang Jinghe still wasn't out. They waited a while longer. After many team members came out one by one, he finally stepped out slowly.
But even after all this time, he wasn't the last. The most noticeable one, Captain Zhang, still hadn't appeared.
Worried, Zhou Zhi hurried over and asked, "Excuse me, what about Captain Zhang? He's not out yet?"
"No," the escorting officer replied before turning to leave.
Zhou Zhi quickly pressed, "Wait, do you know why Captain Zhang's taking so long?"
The officer hesitated, but knowing it couldn't be hidden for long, he explained, "All of you reported bringing back four hundred vials of vaccine. But when we counted the ones in Captain Zhang's backpack, there were three hundred ninety-nine. Don't worry, it's not linked to you, otherwise you wouldn't have been released so easily. Captain Zhang's still inside explaining where that missing one went."
That meant things would naturally take longer.
But none of them had heard about a missing vial. Captain Zhang had never mentioned it on the road.
"What? Missing? Wasn't it four hundred?" someone muttered in confusion.
"Yeah, he told us four hundred!" another added.
"So did Captain Zhang admit it himself? Or is there some other reason?"
Everyone rushed to defend him. They might've come from different bases before, but after everything they'd gone through together, their feelings weren't what they used to be.
The officer just shook his head. "Captain Zhang admitted he took it. If you want to know more, wait till he comes out."
That left them with no choice but to wait.
They gathered in the lobby again. Just as they thought they'd be waiting ages, Captain Zhang finally came out.
Everyone crowded around. "Captain Zhang, what happened? What's going on with the vaccine? Did you explain everything?"
He nodded. "It's clear now. There were four hundred vials. When we left the forest, I took one and gave it to Lao Shi. I don't know what the vaccine really does, or what happens after using it, but what if it could cure his mutation? I didn't want to waste the chance, so I left him one."
The moment they heard it was for Lao Shi, everyone understood.
Ling Jiang asked, "So now what? Since you explained, will there still be…?"
Captain Zhang said, "We'll wait for orders from above. For now, everyone should rest. Take a few days to recover, then look around the base. We might be living here for a long time."
Hearing his relaxed tone, their tense hearts finally eased.
But was it really over?
Their housing had already been arranged, but no one knew the exact location yet. Since Captain Zhang was allowed to leave, they all went together toward the capsule dorms.
When they stepped outside and saw rows of electric cars parked, they froze.
"Wait, you need a car just to get to the dorms?" one of them asked.
The driver laughed. "First time in the Capital city base, huh? The place is huge. Sure, you could walk, but it'd take over twenty minutes."
Twenty minutes didn't sound long in the outside world. But here, inside a base, that was massive. In smaller bases, you could circle the whole place in less time than that.
And here, twenty minutes only got you to the capsule dorms.
That alone showed just how enormous the base really was.
…
And not just big. The people living here were all wealthy or important. To give everyone a good experience, life inside was almost the same as before the apocalypse, aside from payment methods.
For example, the Capital city base had its own shopping mall. Other bases had malls too, but here the design was much more stylish. Besides the mall, there was a supermarket selling all kinds of food. Most importantly, as long as you had enough contribution points, you could even apply for your own storefront inside the base and sell whatever you wanted. Of course, you had to supply your own goods. After paying a bit of rent, the profit was all yours.
The base was neatly divided. Living quarters, shopping zones, housing districts—everything separated, each large enough to thrive on its own. Just hearing about it, Lan Jin already liked the idea. A calm life. She turned to the three beside her. "What if we rent a shop here? Open something for ourselves."
No one objected. Lao Gao grinned. "Sounds good to me. Life's been too intense lately. Time we enjoyed something like retirement."
Captain Zhang didn't even want to look. Retirement? The world outside was in chaos, and they dared talk about retirement?
Still, he didn't stop them. Who wouldn't want an easier life? He only said, "Plan it if you want. Maybe later you can open one. Let's wait until everything we've got on our plate is finished first."