"What to do? Either pack your things and go stand on the city walls staring blankly, or clean up and hide back in the Dawn Tower," Wang Zhi stated the two viable options he currently saw.
"Let it rain. It's better than drying out anyway; at least it's a bit cooler right now," Su Muying replied, leaning back on the sofa with her legs crossed at the ankle.
"Yeah, i've actually started getting used to that smell," White Crow said after taking a deep breath.
"By the way, what about lunch?" Fatty asked, clutching his bruised arm.
"We'll go eat together, and after we eat, we'll go back to training. Staying cooped up in the residence isn't a solution either," Wang Zhi said, putting on his Weight-bearing Suit again.
Actually, Wang Zhi could have easily sent Fatty and Qin Sheng out to buy food and bring it back, but the reason he insisted the ten of them go to the cafeteria together was because he enjoyed walking under the umbrella with Su Muying...
The ten arrived at the cafeteria. Wang Zhi's first action was to check the prices of the meals, and the result certainly didn't disappoint him-the prices had doubled entirely.
Previously, they spent one thousand a day; now they had to spend two thousand. This wasn't Dawn City taking advantage of the crisis; this was just reality. The reality was that food was even more precious than before, so one needed to exchange more labor force to acquire it.
Looking at the food on the table, which cost double the usual price, in order to fill their stomachs, everyone switched their meal combination to rice plus preserved vegetables.
Preserved vegetables had become a crucial commodity. Just a little bit of preserved vegetables could accompany a large bowl of rice; it was cheap, practical, clean, and hygienic.
"It seems the days of us drinking only vegetable soup are gone forever," Fatty remarked, looking at the simple plate of preserved vegetables on the table.
"That Little Yellow Hair is probably hiding in his room eating roast meat right now," Su Muying commented.
"Who is Little Yellow Hair?" You Luo asked curiously upon hearing this.
"Ask Wang Zhi about it."
Seeing Su Muying directing the question to Wang Zhi, You Luo shifted her gaze back to him.
"Uh... she must be referring to Jie Xi," Wang Zhi replied.
"Jie Xi? She's a City Lord; it's only right that she eats well," You Luo said dismissively.
"Did I say she shouldn't?" Su Muying said coldly.
As expected, the moment Wang Zhi heard Su Muying use 'Little Yellow Hair,' he sensed her displeasure. Now that You Luo had proactively lit this powder keg, it saved him some trouble.
"Hey, don't nitpick my words here; I didn't say you shouldn't say it either," You Luo retorted, unwilling to show weakness.
"So, you have an issue with that?" Su Muying asked, setting down the chopsticks in her hand.
"What do you mean, 'I have an issue'? How would I dare have an issue?"
"Alright, Sister Ying, wait for me. I'll buy some preserved vegetables and send them over, so she can eat preserved vegetables with us, alright?" Wang Zhi finally decided from the side; it was better for him to bear the force of this powder keg, as he was already used to being blown up by it.
"No need. We barely have enough for ourselves," Su Muying said, picking up her chopsticks and resuming eating.
Wang Zhi looked at Su Muying. She surprisingly didn't explode at him this time?
"Right, we barely have enough for ourselves, haha," Wang Zhi said, trying to ease the tension.
Wang Zhi didn't question others' behavior. After all, having been in this Apocalypse for so long, emotions easily fluctuated; no one could remain completely calm, including himself.
Regardless of who they were, everyone occasionally experienced sadness, anger, excitement, and other emotions, and these emotions often only needed a tiny spark to ignite.
Everyone's emotions were incredibly fragile and sensitive, and he was constantly observing everyone's feelings; he needed to maintain and stabilize the moods of others.
After the meal, Wang Zhi and the other nine proceeded to the training grounds. Many people were still engaged in training there. Although the rain had affected them and the entire environment, it did not slow down their rhythm of tempering themselves.
Wang Zhi also saw the Flashes of Swords team, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Since the last Two Serpents battle, their previous four-person group had become a three-person group, with one member still wrapped in bandages, indicating that the last operation had severely depleted their strength.
Tang Qilin was still accompanied by the same three women and had not taken in any more.
As for Long Yi's Flying Tiger Team, whether through good luck or inherent strength, they remained a six-person unit and had suffered no casualties recently.
Wang Zhi also noticed the Fleeting Time team, whose captain he had met once before. That captain, named Cheng Hao, had engaged in a minor verbal dispute with Wang Zhi's group right after they were promoted to a Level Three Team. Now, that Cheng Hao seemed to have merged or integrated with another team.
"You're here?" Long Yi saw Wang Zhi looking around and walked over to greet him.
"Yeah. Do you recognize that team over there?" Wang Zhi pointed toward a group of seven in the distance.
Long Yi followed wang Zhi's gaze and replied, "Them? They're called the Overlord Team. They're considered a rising star-they didn't stay long in the Level Three Team before immediately advancing to Level Four. I heard their captain is quite fierce."
"The burliest one?" Wang Zhi asked.
"No, it's the one wearing black. The burliest one is probably the second-in-command, the one who rose up with him," Long Yi said.
"You guys aren't bad either; you haven't had any major accidents. Don't tell me it's just good luck," Wang Zhi chuckled.
"To be honest, it really is mostly luck. Once it was the news you gave us, and once was when you lent us Survival Points. If I weren't worried about my few brothers being unwilling, I would have joined you long ago," Long Yi said, slapping Wang Zhi's arm.
"Haha, you're always welcome. But things aren't that easy for us either. Ten people-do you know how much we spend in a single day?" Wang Zhi sighed sentimentally.
"How much?"
Wang Zhi held up two fingers.
"Two thousand?! How can it be that much?" Long Yi jumped in surprise upon seeing Wang Zhi's two fingers.
"Isn't it hot? We have to run the air conditioning at night, and now food costs have doubled. Two thousand is actually normal," Wang Zhi said helplessly.
"Impressive! Most teams can't afford to live like that."
"Can't be helped. Having more people brings its own difficulties."
"But I heard there might be another Level Five Squad emerging soon!" Long Yi mentioned vaguely.
"Where did you hear that? I haven't heard anything!" Upon hearing that another Level Five Squad was about to be established, Wang Zhi immediately became interested.
"It's news from the tavern. I don't know who started spreading it. Do you remember that Dragon and Tiger List from before? Didn't it say the top three had a chance to be promoted to a Level Five Squad? After this rain passes, the reward qualifications for that Dragon and Tiger List might be issued." long yi said.
"The Dragon and Tiger List... there was indeed such a thing. If that's the case, the Level Five Squad must be Tang Qilin of the Reincarnation Team!" Wang Zhi frowned and said.
"Isn't it him? Many squads have already set their sights on them, thinking that since their team has few members, they should be absorbed into their own teams first," Long Yi replied.
"They are being too naive," Wang Zhi chuckled.
"What do you mean? Shouldn't they expand after being promoted to a Level Five Squad? Is he planning to continue surviving with just four people?" Long Yi was puzzled.
"I might not understand others, but I understand Tang Qilin perfectly. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he has an obsession with cleanliness regarding men. He would rather find a bunch of useless decorative women to look at than have muscular men blocking his view," wang Zhi explained.
"Now that you mention it, this person is indeed quite strange. He doesn't look strong either, maybe even a bit thin. Is his strength really that great?" Long Yi sounded unconvinced.
"Weren't you there for the Double Serpent battle at the city gate that night?" Wang Zhi asked.
"We were resting. By the time we got there, it was already over," Long Yi scratched his head.
"No wonder. If you had seen Tang Qilin in action that night, you wouldn't say that. Alright, time to train!" Wang Zhi didn't elaborate to Long Yi about Tang Qilin, only briefly informing him that Tang Qilin was not simple before turning and leaving.
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