The next morning, Wang Zhi and his ten-person team arrived at the Moonlight Tavern. Compared to the evening, the tavern was much quieter in the morning; only two supervisors were standing at the service counter, cleaning up tools.
Wang Zhi approached the screen and found that the reward for food resources had tripled compared to before, and the categories were now subdivided.
For instance, high-energy foods naturally commanded a higher reward price than staple grains.
Additionally, there was another doubled reward: the reward for rescuing survivors.
This had now increased from the previous 500 Survival Points/person to 1000 Survival Points/person.
It was evident that after these days of disaster, Dawn City was suffering from a shortage of both people and grain.
"One thousand Survival Points per person!" Fatty exclaimed as he looked at the reward options on the screen.
"Even if it were worth ten thousand, it would be wasted; where are there any living people outside now?" You Luo retorted sarcastically.
"But weren't Shen Fei and his group alive and well before?" Fatty countered.
"So much time has passed; they've probably been dead for ages," You Luo said, rolling her eyes.
"So, what mission are we planning to take this time?" Old He asked, coming up beside Wang Zhi.
"Let's go find some food. As You Luo said, survivors are hard to come by now, and if we do encounter any, we must be cautious," Wang Zhi said while browsing the food resource collection missions.
"After all this time, the quality of the food..." Duan Qingtian expressed some concern.
"It's fine; some food can still be eaten even if it's expired," Wang Zhi replied.
Currently, excluding some high-grade foods, food resources were generally worth 30 Survival Points per kilogram, and missions related to collecting edible resources offered bonus Survival Points based on the total weight submitted.
Submitting a full 100 kilograms granted an additional reward of 500 Survival Points.
Submitting a full 500 kilograms grants an additional reward of 3,000 Survival Points.
Submitting a full 1,000 kilograms grants an additional reward of 8,000 Survival Points.
Submitting a full 2,000 kilograms grants an additional reward of 20,000 Survival Points.
rewards are limited to the highest tier only.
"If we go out and bring back two tons of food, that's 80,000 Survival Points?" Fatty stared at the mission reward, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"It's worth the price having tripled. Last time we went to that mall, we brought back nearly two tons of supplies, right? And they only gave us a little over 20,000 Survival Points," Old He recalled.
"Times change. Once the land in Dawn City is restored, food might not be this expensive anymore," Su Muying said.
"Hmm... this mission doesn't seem to specify a target; we just need to go out and collect whatever we find," Wang Zhi stated.
"Then let's head to the nearby city? We should aim to gather two tons!" Duan Qingtian proposed.
"Hey, hey, hey, Old Duan, are you sure it's safe to go into a city?" Fatty immediately voiced his concern upon hearing the destination.
"What's there to fear! We even developed the Inhibitor; didn't we already take down that ten-meter-tall Psychic Zombie?" Duan Qingtian countered.
"That's true! Hearing you say that makes me almost feel like we're destined to conquer the globe," Fatty patted Duan Qingtian's arm dreamily.
"Alright, it's time to go buy supplies for the trip." After claiming the mission, Wang Zhi turned and left.
This time, Wang Zhi first purchased two launchers and four Inhibitors, totaling 1400 Survival Points, giving one set to each of the three people from You Luo's group, and allocating the remaining one to Old He.
The ten people prepared a day's worth of food for 2000 Survival Points.
After replenishing gas and maintaining weapons, various miscellaneous expenses totaled another 500 Survival Points.
Back and forth, the Survival Points remaining in Wang Zhi and his group's accounts were only a little over 200.
"We seem to have forgotten something," Wang Zhi murmured on the way back.
"What?"
"We didn't set aside money for today's meal..."
"Huh? What now? Don't tell me we have to set off today," Fatty said, looking at Wang Zhi.
"Don't worry, we still have 200 Survival Points left. Let's find some dried noodles to eat. At least we'll have something, since we aren't training anyway," Wang Zhi said unhurriedly.
"Fine, as long as there's food, that's fine. We aren't picky eaters."
----
At noon, in the courtyard of Villa No. 1, the ten people gathered around a large pot where dried noodles were being boiled in plain water. There wasn't even a single piece of green vegetable in the pot besides the water and noodles.
"Will this work? Not even some pickles?" You Luo asked doubtfully.
"It will work!" Wang Zhi smiled.
"Damn it, following you, I've sunk so low as to eat plain boiled noodles, I really am..."
"Hurry and scoop it out, it's ready to eat. Dried noodles like this should be eaten seven-tenths done-they're chewy, and they fill you up better than fully cooked ones," Wang Zhi interrupted You Luo's grumbling.
"You can find a way to make a big deal out of even plain dried noodles; only you could do that," Su Muying teased from the side.
"A sense of ceremony is still necessary."
After everyone had scooped their noodles from the pot, Wang Zhi added another batch to prevent the remaining noodles from becoming mushy.
--
"Captain Wang, I have to say, you've got a knack for these dried noodles," Fatty said after the meal, lounging on the rooftop with his legs crossed.
"Heh heh, in this Apocalypse, forget dried noodles; when you're starving, even chewing grass tastes good," Wang Zhi replied, leaning against the railing while looking at the map.
"Ah, this sun feels so comfortable. If we went out and stockpiled a year's worth of food, could we live this comfortably for a whole year?"
"Do you think Migrants live comfortably?" Wang Zhi countered.
"Comfortably."
"Then why don't you become a migrant?"
"Because they have to work; they have no freedom," Fatty replied.
"Their comfort stems from the Guard Team, from the protection provided by us Citizens. If we all chose comfort, who would guarantee our comfort then?"
"That's why I hate this Apocalypse. Sometimes I really think it would have been better to just die quietly without ever coming here; at least there wouldn't be so much suffering," Fatty said, sitting up.
"It's not too late now, Ying Luo Li. Pick any one of them, let them give you a clean end-it would mean you didn't come into this world for nothing," Wang Zhi chuckled.
"No way! I've been scraping by in this Apocalypse for almost a year; dying now would be such a waste!"
"Then what do you want?"
"I want... one day, Captain Wang, you can destroy the N Organization, take over the World in the end, and then I can have lots of girls and live a life of drunken pleasure every day..." Fatty dreamed.
"Nice thought. I hope you dream about it tonight."
"I'm serious, Captain Wang. I've dreamed about this many times already," Fatty said with a sincere expression.
Wang Zhi paused for a moment, then smiled faintly, "Got it. When I rule the World, I won't let you down."
"Ah, the future looks bright, the future looks bright..."
Wang Zhi looked at Fatty, whose face was filled with longing, and couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy. He hadn't told them what he and Su Muying had discussed last night. His own current condition was precarious enough; what talk of ruling the World or a bright future was there? He was constantly on guard against his surroundings, fearing that a group of guards might suddenly capture him or kill him outright.
but at the same time, he held onto a sliver of hope. Eyes couldn't lie. He could sense from Jie Xi's gaze that even if the Tower Master truly intended to harm him, Jie Xi would secretly notify him immediately, giving him a chance to buffer and escape.
11