Chapter 163: Chapter 163: The Neighbor Across Chapter 163: Chapter 163: The Neighbor Across The cruise ship had a total of 12 decks, but exactly how many rooms they had, the two weren’t sure. There were inner and outer cabins, and to be frank, they had never been on a cruise ship, so they really didn’t have a clue.
Gu Pan looked toward Lu Ruisheng, “Do we have any information on how to operate a cruise ship?”
Lu Ruisheng nodded, “Yes, it looks like we have a lot to learn.”
Gu Pan was sowhat helpless, “We can handle smaller vessels like speedboats and helicopters, but this one probably can’t be managed by just one or two people. Let’s start by reading the material and learn as we go. We’ll see what happens later.”
“Yeah, we’ll talk about it later. It’s not urgent, as long as we own it. But it is really huge. We’ve never even been on a cruise ship, and our first ti isn’t even at sea.”
“Indeed, who would have thought we’d be looking at cruise ships here…”
They both laughed as they talked, finding the situation quite bizarre.
Today they had only checked out five decks, also taking the opportunity to tidy up a bit on the ship, to avoid any corrosion or such.
Thankfully, they were relieved to find none. It had been thoroughly searched before, leaving behind no food remnants, so there wasn’t anything moldy.
The interior was truly luxurious, with all kinds of electric devices in the restaurant, along with various entertainnt facilities.
Not to ntion the generators; it was like a small world unto itself.
They didn’t plan to finish checking everything in one go. Next ti they were free, they’d take their ti to explore. For now, they were just too tired and decided to head out and sleep.
After a good night’s sleep, the next day they went to sell the truck. Not many people asked questions; at this ti, there were many looking to sell.
But vehicles weren’t worth much. The truck was only exchanged for ten contribution points. Because if they didn’t sell, it would just collect dust, so most people would sell.
Gu Pan couldn’t put the truck into the Space at the base; transforming a large vehicle like that wasn’t possible there.
Anyway, since it was sold cheap, it wouldn’t cost much to buy back when needed, so it wasn’t a big loss.
After selling the truck, they headed to a departnt store and purchased three months’ worth of living supplies. If anyone asked, they said it was an apocalypse habit to stock up on supplies. Who knew when it would suddenly get cold or hot again? This was the sa thinking for many people, and it wasn’t strange in the apocalypse.
Then they took the supplies ho and headed to the fresh food market, where at was available today as Gu Pan and the others had brought back two wild boars yesterday. However, it was limited; each person with an ID card could only buy 50 grams of at, calculated per head.
Previously, Gu Pan thought the base’s weekly at supply was quite generous until she realized how little 50 grams really was.
Fifty grams of at cost one contribution point. Although not cheap, it wasn’t particularly expensive either.
Since this was considered an essential commodity for livelihoods and counted as a base benefit, the quantity was strictly limited, and no exceptions were made to sell more.
Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng bought 100 grams of at for two contribution points and also purchased so salt, another essential item that made them seem more normal.
The salt wasn’t sold in big bags like before, but wrapped in paper because it was also precious. While the base controlled the prices of these essentials, the quantity was still limited.
Vegetables grown in the base’s greenhouses were even more precious and also limited, available once a week, generally costing around one or two contribution points. Basically, everything was priced affordably for everyone.
These were the benefits provided by the base, ensuring that every person could maintain their health, though only at a minimal level. However, for people in the apocalypse, this was already quite adequate.
The next day they went out and bought lots of things. Over two days, they purchased three months’ worth of necessary items. While the Space had everything, no one knew when the apocalypse would end; it was better to buy now and only use the Space’s supplies in an ergency.
Moreover, they had been storing water consistently for the past two days because they weren’t sure if problems like burst water pipes or soil contamination of the water supply might occur during acid rain. In case of a water shortage, having pre-emptied several containers to fill with water was ideal. It was best to keep restocking their Space’s supplies continuously.
Over these two days, they didn’t know how many trips they made, transporting stuff during the day when the building was mostly empty. They were careful to keep quiet, which made their work smooth.
It was just that today, at the entrance of their apartnt building, a middle-aged woman asked them a few questions. Gu Pan and the others explained that from their ti outside the base, they had developed the habit of feeling anxious if they didn’t have enough supplies at ho, so they bought extra.
The woman actually admired their preparedness, saying she liked to do the sa. Her family always had the habit of stocking up on supplies, like many others.
After bidding farewell to the woman, Gu Pan and Lu Ruisheng returned ho and settled their supplies, finally feeling at ease.
Although the setting was a base, not the outside world, and even if there was acid rain, the base would ensure everyone’s survival, otherwise it would lose its purpose. But Gu Pan and the others felt that having their needs in their own hands, sothing they could control, was much more reassuring than waiting for others to provide.
They had just sat down when soone knocked at the door.
Lu Ruisheng went to check. After Zhang Ping’s incident, he beco more cautious. He peered through the peephole, then whispered to Gu Pan, “It’s a young woman.”
Hearing it was a woman, Gu Pan walked over, signaling Lu Ruisheng to step back since it would be easier to communicate with soone of the sa gender. She asked, “May I help you?”
A clean-sounding female voice ca through, “I live across from you. Seeing you buy so much stuff made a bit anxious. I was wondering if you have any insider news? I live alone and don’t usually go out, so I’m a bit out of the loop.”
Gu Pan was a bit surprised by the girl’s response, wondering how she managed to enter the base, live alone and stay inford, given that she didn’t go out much.
The question obviously had many doubts, but since she could talk about it, she wasn’t making up a lie that wouldn’t hold up, there must be another reason.
She opened the door and stepped out, then closed it behind her, not wanting this stranger to see inside her ho.
Then she asked the girl, “You live alone? You ca to the base by yourself? How do you survive if you don’t go out?”
The girl was gentle and wore glasses, with one of the legs broken and wrapped with white tape, which looked sowhat comical.
She pushed her glasses up, “My dad and brother ca with , but we got caught in a tornado. I happened to be in a basent at the ti and survived. Dad and my brother disappeared, so I had to co to the base alone. I thought my skills wouldn’t be enough to get in, but I ran into so leaders who were going out. They found out I wrote online novels, and they let in, saying the base was too dull and the newspapers too boring. They wanted to continue writing and to serialize in the paper. So, I got in that way; I submit my work once a week. That’s why I usually don’t go out.”
Gu Pan was startled and impressed by the explanation; it turned out their neighbor was an author. She accepted the girl’s attitude.
The girl seed to be soone who observed the minutiae and lacked security, hence her anxiety seeing Gu Pan constantly stocking up as she lived alone; this was normal.
Gu Pan reassured her, “We don’t have any insider information; it’s just that we used to be afraid of going hungry outside, so wherever we are, we like to stock up on food and necessities. We’ve just moved in and the house felt too empty, so we went and bought extra.”
Although they still had their guards up, there was nothing wrong with saying this.
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