Chapter 92: The Elderly Man (Part 3)
Level one meant basement level one; level two meant basement level two, and so on.
Song Yuqing swallowed hard. She had heard Nanjiao mention Base Zero before, but she hadn’t thought much of it at the time. Now, seeing it with her own eyes, she realized just how magnificent this pre-apocalyptic base truly was.
Pressing the buttons for all three floors, the old man insisted on playing the good host, wanting to let Song Yuqing and the others broaden their horizons.
The first basement level was the agricultural zone. It wasn’t overly spacious, but it was neatly organized, much like a pre-apocalyptic greenhouse. Most of the vegetation relied on hydroponics. Sadly, a quick glance revealed that less than thirty percent of the plants were still alive.
The second basement level served as the residential area. It featured a central semicircular structure surrounded by neatly arranged apartment complexes.
The third basement level housed the research institute. Stepping out, Song Yuqing saw little more than a dense labyrinth of tightly packed rooms. Had the old man not explained what it was, she never would have guessed it was a scientific facility.
“After all, Base Zero houses a great many researchers and test subjects,” the old man remarked, stepping out of the elevator with his hands clasped casually behind his back.
A few middle-aged men in white lab coats approached. They briefly glanced at Song Yuqing’s group without saying a word, simply nodding in greeting to the old man.
“You’re back?” one of them asked.
The old man offered a warm smile. “Yes.”
“Are you a researcher here? A scientist?” Song Yuqing couldn’t help but ask once they passed.
The old man just smiled, remaining silent.
“Wait, if you’re not a researcher… are you one of the test subjects you mentioned?” In her mind, “test subject” was practically synonymous with “human guinea pig.”
The old man chuckled. “You’re a smart girl, Song Yuqing.”
Song Yuqing frowned slightly, a wave of sympathy washing over her. Who would willingly volunteer to be treated like a lab rat?
“Why would you—”
“Because I’m special, of course,” the old man interrupted before she could finish.
“What’s so special about you?” Liu Xiaona asked, her curiosity piqued.
“I have special abilities.”
Spatial and temporal abilities are considered special. Could this old man possess one of them? Song Yuqing analyzed silently.
The old man finally stopped in front of a door bearing a familiar plaque: God’s Supermarket Service Station.
“We’re here,” he announced.
The room was modest, roughly thirty square meters. Inside, it held only a reinforced security door, a computer server, a desk, and a chair. Slumped in the chair was a chubby young man.
“Can I help you?” the chubby guy asked. Hearing them enter, he didn’t even bother looking up, his fingers continuing to fly rapidly across the keyboard.
“This is the store manager and the staff of God’s Supermarket,” the old man said casually.
The chubby boy’s head snapped up.
“Wait, seriously?! You’re from God’s Supermarket?!”
Moving with surprising agility, he bolted past the old man, stopped right in front of Liu Xiaona, and grabbed her hand, shaking it vigorously.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Manager! I’m a volunteer and the lead builder for the God’s Supermarket Service Station!”
Liu Xiaona awkwardly pulled her hand back and pointed at Song Yuqing. “Uh, that’s the manager.”
Song Yuqing offered a polite smile, used to this by now. She had experienced this exact scenario multiple times, both before and after the apocalypse. People rarely pegged her as the boss at first glance.
She met the chubby boy’s surprised gaze, silently confirming it: Yes, this ordinary-looking woman is the manager.
“Hello,” Song Yuqing greeted. “We’re just here to take a look around today.”
The chubby guy blinked in confusion for a few seconds before recovering with an awkward laugh. “Oh! Right, so you’re the manager.”
“Since we’re already here, we might as well redeem the prizes from the recent raffle,” Song Yuqing said, ignoring the minor mix-up to get straight to business.
Back at God’s Supermarket, the physical goods had been packed and shipped, but the experiential rewards—the second prize feast, the third prize panda playdate, and the grand prize parallel world day trip—had yet to be claimed. Since she was already in town, she figured she could handle the feast and the panda playdate right now.
“Ah, I forgot to mention,” the old man piped up, tilting his head with a sheepish grin. “I’m the lucky winner who snagged the grand prize.”
“You?” Song Yuqing stared at him. What a coincidence.
She suddenly remembered the online handle of the grand prize winner. It had been Tomorrow’s World.
The old man patted her shoulder. “Yep. Maybe all my recent luck was entirely used up just winning that draw.” He then turned to the chubby guy. “Go notify the other local winners. Tell them to meet at my place.”
“Your place?” Song Yuqing asked.
“Yes. You can use my kitchen to prepare the feast.”
Song Yuqing nodded. The old man certainly was enthusiastic and accommodating, inviting a group of practical strangers into his home right off the bat.
Beside her, Little Meat Bun lowered his head in utter distress. Do I really have to play with these humans for another whole day?
He reached out to tug gently on Song Yuqing’s sleeve. His expression seemed to say, I guess it’s okay if I suffer a little for your sake.
The old man’s home was located on the second basement level. After exiting the elevator, they had to navigate a winding labyrinth of underground corridors for another forty minutes.
The residential block was five stories high, and the old man lived on the top floor. His apartment featured three bedrooms, a spacious living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom—a surprisingly generous housing assignment for a test subject at Base Zero.
Once inside, Song Yuqing accessed her spatial inventory, pulling out fresh meat, tomatoes, cucumbers, and other ability-enhancing ingredients, handing them over to Liu Xiaona to begin prepping the feast.
Not long after they settled in, the chubby guy arrived at the front door with a crowd in tow.
There were fifteen second-place winners and ten third-place winners.
Suddenly, the old man’s living room was packed shoulder-to-shoulder, the noise level rising to a dull roar. The sheer number of bodies made the air feel instantly stuffy.
Little Meat Bun huddled on the sofa as close to Song Yuqing as possible, desperately hoping they would delay his playtime segment.
Song Yuqing gave his head an encouraging pat. Resigned to his fate, the little panda straightened his back, hyping himself up. I’m ready. I can do this.
“Where are all the third-prize winners?” someone called out.
“Right here! Over here!”
“For the panda playdate, do we each get our own dedicated day?” a winner raised his hand to ask.
Hearing this, Little Meat Bun’s entire body went rigid.
“No,” Song Yuqing quickly clarified. “We need to hurry back to God’s Supermarket soon. Our time at Base Zero is limited, so you’ll all have to share your playtime with Little Meat Bun together today.”
Little Meat Bun let out a massive sigh of relief.
“Aw, really?”
“It’s fine, it’s basically the same! We should be considerate of their time.”
The giant panda looked so incredibly cute that it was impossible to stay mad, and the crowd was all smiles.
“Alright then, let’s take him to play in the artificial bamboo forest!” someone cheered, immediately reaching out to furiously rub the panda’s fur.
“Let’s go!” The third-prize winners happily swarmed Little Meat Bun, ushering him out the front door.
With nearly half the crowd gone, the living room instantly felt much more spacious.
Song Yuqing asked the chubby guy to borrow a few long folding tables from the neighbors. They pushed them together to form a makeshift buffet line. As Liu Xiaona finished cooking each dish, they lined them up in a neat row alongside stacks of plates and bowls, allowing everyone to serve themselves whatever they wanted.
This buffet-style idea had actually been suggested by the old man, and Song Yuqing found herself silently thanking him from the bottom of her heart. It saved so much hassle.
By the time the final preparations were complete, it was already evening.
As soon as the food was served and the second-prize winners were busy eating, Song Yuqing, Liu Xiaona, and Gaha slipped quietly into the old man’s study, collapsing onto the carpet to get some well-deserved rest.
Out in the living room, the old man was happily picking food from his plate. When he turned around and noticed that Song Yuqing’s group had vanished, he scanned the room. His gaze landed on the study door, which had been open earlier but was now firmly shut. His eyes suddenly narrowed, locking onto the closed door with intense focus.
