75: Chapter 75 The Golden House of Doomsday

Zhao Wei enthusiastically served himself a second bowl of rice, oil still glistening at the corner of his mouth.

"This beef stew goes so well with rice. Add some chili sauce, and it's just perfect."

Beside him, Sun Hao was pouring dark plum juice for everyone; it was ice-cold and cut through the richness, quenching their thirst with every sip.

In the center of the table sat a platter of stir-fried broccoli and baby bok choy, bright and glistening, looking like fresh vitality dug up from the ice and snow.

Lin Wanru sat in the furthest corner, staring at the table of food, completely stunned.

In this Apocalypse where the city had long been without water or electricity and every supermarket and fresh food store had been looted clean, she had been forced to drink rancid water and gnaw on moldy compressed biscuits just last night. Yet now, she was seeing this—

A table of clean, steaming food that she could even smell the layered aromas of.

The pot of beef stew smelled so good it almost brought tears to her eyes.

"...How did you manage this?" she finally couldn't help but ask.

No one answered her.

On this table, no one needed to explain anything.

They sat together; eating was just post-battle refueling, and for them, this food wasn't a luxury—it was standard.

Lin Wanru had the illusion that she wasn't in the Apocalypse, but in some secret military base, surrounded by a group of "elite soldiers in plain clothes" while they ate.

Zhao Wei chewed with gusto, his mouth never stopping. "Hey, Wanru, don't just stare. Aren't you hungry?"

She hurriedly lowered her head, picked up her spoon, and carefully scooped up a spoonful of beef broth. The moment the rich aroma hit her nose, she almost couldn't resist gulping it all down at once.

"Did you grow these potatoes yourselves?" she couldn't help but ask again.

This time, Zhang Tianjin replied, "No."

She froze for a moment, not daring to press further.

After that bite of beef hit her stomach, she could no longer maintain her "restraint"; she buried her head and started to eat in small bites.

She ate very slowly—not because she wasn't hungry, but because she was afraid of losing control if she ate too quickly.

It was too delicious.

It was so good that it made her forget she was currently in the Apocalypse.

She suddenly understood—this team was nothing like the small groups outside that would fight to the death over a bag of instant noodles.

Zhao Wei ate rapidly, speaking as he chewed: "Hey, Wanru, eat up. Don't just watch."

She nodded hurriedly and continued eating, her eyes inexplicably turning red.

This meal stung more than any act of charity.

Sun Hao remained silent, but he glanced at her occasionally. His gaze was indifferent, but there was a layer of cautious observation hidden in his eyes.

Zhang Tianjin sat at the head of the table, listening to the background noise from his tactical headset channel, eating quietly.

Zhou Cheng was the quietest; while shoveling rice into his mouth, he didn't forget to keep his eyes on the intelligence scrolling across the virtual screen, never once looking away from the data panel.

Lin Wanru finally finished her meal and was just about to say thank you when Ye Nanxing set down her chopsticks, her voice cold and devoid of warmth:

"Once you're done, put your bowl in the kitchen. Don't wander around."

"Your room is already set up; don't rummage through things."

"This isn't your home, nor is it a nursing home."

Lin Wanru jolted and nodded hurriedly. "I know... I won't do anything reckless."

"You'd better remember that." Ye Nanxing said it lightly, then turned and walked into the study, as if closing a barrier behind her.

There was silence at the table for a few seconds.

Zhao Wei smiled. "That's just how our boss talks. Don't take it to heart; she treats us the same way."

Sun Hao stood up silently and took both his and her bowls away. He even returned with a bit more dark plum juice, saying softly, "Drink it slowly."

Lin Wanru's heart stirred, and she replied softly, "Thank you."

Zhang Tianjin set down his cutlery and swept a calm gaze over her.

"Remember, this meal tonight isn't an act of charity; it's a transition."

"You're only staying because the boss is kind."

"But if you want to stay—"

"you'll have to earn it through your performance."

Lin Wanru bit her lip and lowered her head, remaining silent.

She truly understood now.

No matter how much they enjoyed their meal or how relaxed the atmosphere was, they were not her "new friends."

They were the rule-makers.

And she—she was just a newcomer trying to learn how to adapt to those rules.

As the extreme cold of night approached, a fluctuation rippled through the terminal frequencies inside Tianlang Mountain Base.

Zhou Cheng looked up, quickly checked, and said, "The D9 Hidden Field has a new organizer. The verification frequency band has been updated, and the entrance is triple-encrypted."

Ye Nanxing took an ice-blue data card from her spatial storage and tossed it to Zhou Cheng.

"An entry pass. It bypasses identity verification and grants access to the core seating area."

Zhao Wei hummed while wiping his gun. "Zhou Xiao... he refuses so decisively with his words, yet he's so direct when it comes to sending this card. Tsk."

Ye Nanxing didn't respond. Zhou Cheng took the data card and inserted it into his personal terminal.

They had three objectives for this trip:

First, to replenish the power modules and armed vehicle parts that were running low.

Second, to investigate the reason for the change in leadership behind the scenes and the current state of the Apocalypse.

Third, something she personally wanted to do most.

—To get a few more "Zero Point Series" thermal suits. Once you put that thing on, it's essentially a mobile climate-controlled cabin with an internal temperature regulation cycle that's more precise than the base's heating pipes. Wear the old models again? That would be an insult to her body temperature.

"The route is set. We depart in three days," Zhang Tianjin said in a low voice as he put on his tactical ring.

"Supplies are confirmed to be loaded into the spatial storage. The combat plan is for rapid insertion, short-term suppression, and then seizing the goods while we have the momentum."

"Lin Wanru is staying behind?" Sun Hao glanced at the closed door outside, frowning slightly.

"She only just woke up a few days ago."

"She's not coming." Ye Nanxing finished checking her firearm and smoothly chambered a round, her tone as calm as ever.

"First, her body isn't fit for going out right now."

"Second, I want to see if she can hold this place down when the rest of us are gone."

Zhao Wei whistled. "You're pulling this move again? The 'reverse recruitment trial'—don't you ever change your routine?"

"The Apocalypse is a battlefield," Ye Nanxing said calmly as she closed her spatial box.

"Anyone who can't even withstand a single trial has no right to stand by my side."

There was a brief silence.

Zhang Tianjin slowly stroked the gun stock, his voice deep.

"I support leaving her behind."

"Not because she's pitiful, but because if she can actually make it through these three days, then she counts as a 'person'."

Sun Hao didn't speak, only glanced at the guest room door at the end of the hallway. His gaze deepened, though his voice remained calm.

"You're the boss; you have the final say."

"But... if she doesn't make it, I'll blame her, and I'll blame myself for not stopping you."

"It wasn't easy for her to survive this long."

Zhao Wei pursed his lips. "Fine. None of us are saints."

"But if she really tries anything behind our backs—rummaging through my cabinet, dismantling my bowstring... I won't care about any 'trial,' I'll just kick her out."

"She is not an enemy," Ye Nanxing said calmly.

"For now, she is just a seed in a testing ground."

"We leave for three days. We won't tell her anything, we won't leave any hints, and we won't provide any conveniences."

"If she wants to live—she must prove she's qualified."

No one objected further.

Outside, the wind whipped snow against the metal protective wall, creating a short, harsh "tap-tap" sound.

Inside, the lid of the final spare ammunition box was closed.

Ye Nanxing stood up, her expression unchanging, her tone commanding.

"We depart in one hour. Everyone, get ready."