117: Chapter 117 Work Order

Amidst the crush of the crowd, Ye Qingqing noticed that some people were deliberately shoving and stepping on those around them just to snatch a spot at the front.

In the struggle for position, some were pushed by those behind them and fell directly to the ground.

But the people behind didn't care at all about the situation of those in front; they simply swarmed forward in a frantic squeeze.

Watching this scene, Ye Qingqing couldn't help but ask a question.

"What's the point of squeezing to the front like that?"

Su Miaomiao looked at these people, her heart also filled with a bit of fear.

Hiding behind Ye Qingqing, she whispered, "Once the people from The Authorities start work later, they'll post job recruitment slips on that board. As long as you grab a slip, you can go to work."

Hearing this explanation, Ye Qingqing understood immediately.

Only...

Ye Qingqing looked at the crowd in front; right now, someone was lying conspicuously underfoot. If Ye Qingqing wasn't mistaken...

That person was likely dead.

Moreover, they had been trampled to death.

"That person..."

Li Qingshan and Su Miaomiao saw it too, but this was reality.

Li Qingshan said softly, "Right now, the cheapest thing is human life. Someone getting trampled to death like this happens once or twice a week, basically."

Ye Qingqing watched the crowd ahead. People were crushing against each other. Even though the staff from The Authorities hadn't arrived yet and the slips hadn't been posted, these people still kept squeezing.

What they were squeezing for wasn't just a job, but their lives.

Because without work, there were no credits.

Without credits in the base, starving to death was only a matter of time.

Ye Qingqing thought to herself that since this was the case, the rule about no violence in the base was probably just meant as a warning.

In reality, there was no telling how many people died in this base every day.

While Ye Qingqing waited for the job slips to be posted...

At the perimeter of the base.

Huo Sixian, Lu Huan, and the others had just arrived at the base entrance.

Seeing their appearance, the guard at the gate didn't recognize Huo Sixian for a moment.

His tone was somewhat impatient. "Newcomers, go queue up over there."

"Everyone needs one jin of grain. If you don't have it, go find food yourself before coming back."

Huo Sixian looked impatient. He had already gathered a stomach full of anger outside, and now that he was at his own doorstep, he was being blocked by a common soldier.

Nevertheless, he took his ID card out of his bag and swiped it at the gate.

When the soldier saw the information displayed on Huo Sixian's ID card, he was so terrified he nearly knelt before him.

For a moment, he even forgot how to open the gate for them.

His mind was filled entirely with what he had just said to Huo Sixian.

The soldier had even mentally prepared his last words.

"All our identities have been verified. Can we go in now?"

Kong Ziyi, standing behind, was already losing patience.

After wandering outside for so many days and losing their vehicle, they had survived the journey back by gnawing on tree bark.

They also had to dodge zombies.

The weather was so hot, and their bodies were filthy and stinking.

Kong Ziyi had long wanted to get back and have a good rest.

Seeing the soldier dawdling, he immediately grew annoyed.

This soldier was the same one who had let Ye Qingqing in the previous night.

Hearing Kong Ziyi's words, he hurriedly opened the gate in a fluster.

By the time Huo Sixian and the others walked inside, the soldier still hadn't regained his composure.

He was still thinking about how Huo Sixian and the others looked, wondering what on earth they had been doing outside to end up in such a state.

However, the affairs of such people were not for a mere soldier like him to manage. All he could do was keep his head down during his future shifts.

When Huo Sixian, Kong Ziyi, and the others entered the base, they were practically running.

Huo Cunsheng's side also received the news that Huo Sixian and the others had swiped their cards to enter the base.

He immediately sent people to meet them.

As for himself, he sat on the sofa at home waiting, feeling extremely anxious.

He kept thinking about how he should greet his grandson's wife when he met her.

However, when Huo Sixian and the others returned home looking like vagrants, Huo Cunsheng was dumbfounded.

He watched as Huo Sixian and the others rushed straight to the water storage, grabbing bottles of mineral water and chugging them down frantically.

Each of them downed two bottles in one breath before finally feeling the restless heat in their bodies dissipate.

Several of them collapsed in the living room, panting heavily.

Seeing Huo Sixian and the others in this state, Huo Cunsheng was so startled he moved away.

He stood silently to the side, looking left and right. When he confirmed there was no sign of his grandson's wife, he couldn't help but sigh.

He looked at Huo Sixian, wanting to say something, but the words wouldn't come out when they reached his lips.

Finally, he let out a sigh and sent someone to buy food.

After waiting for a while, Ye Qingqing finally saw the staff from The Authorities arrive for work.

But the person coming to work had no expression on their face.

Ye Qingqing clearly saw that the person obviously noticed the individual who had been trampled on the ground.

However, they acted as if they had seen nothing at all.

From a high vantage point, they dropped a large board.

That board was densely covered with paper slips for various jobs.

The moment those job slips were posted, the surrounding people went wild, fighting even more fiercely.

They rushed straight for the board.

Those squeezed at the front easily grabbed a job slip.

However, getting back out was very difficult for them.

Because the people around them were staring like hawks at those in front, solely to snatch a job slip from their hands.

The person from The Authorities saw this, but their expression didn't change at all, simply watching the fighting crowd quietly.

It was as if they had long since become accustomed to everything happening here.

Scuffling and trampling seemed like perfectly normal occurrences.

Moreover, it didn't matter what the job was; these people just wanted to grab a slip.

Because no matter what it was, they would do it.

Watching this, Ye Qingqing couldn't help but frown.

The surrounding temperature was intensely high.

There was a public thermometer on display in the base.

Ye Qingqing looked up; the nighttime temperature had already reached 60°C.

Just by standing there, the sweat never stopped pouring down Ye Qingqing's forehead.

Ah Huang was currently in the space and didn't see what was happening outside.

Ye Qingqing chose not to bring Ah Huang out, partly because she had just arrived at the base and was afraid Ah Huang might be recognized by someone who knew him from the Warship.

If that happened, Xu Xueke would surely come out to cause trouble again.

Ye Qingqing had a strong premonition that she would soon cross paths with Xu Xueke.

At this moment, Ah Huang was lying on the open ground within the space, sleeping in his nest.

He was very comfortable, lying like a human with his belly exposed; Ye Qingqing could even hear the sound of Ah Huang snoring...