The cold winter has soaked every building, and even the broken ground has a hint of coldness.
Compared to the fragility of human beings, various plants and fungi that have never experienced such extreme weather were not affected too much, crawling crookedly between the cracks and moss.
Qinggang City seems to be becoming more and more dilapidated.
Buildings that were already weak began to topple over, and rumbles could be heard almost every moment.
Those once useless metals that originally supported the last glimmer of the city are now beginning to collapse with the disaster, like wooden signs broken by urchins.
Looking around, the entire southern part of the city was hardest hit.
The collapsed ruins and primeval forest suddenly merged together, and many radioactive beasts were hiding in corners waiting for an opportunity to move out.
The impact of metal aging disasters is still far beyond what is seen now.
The envoy team that hurried back to the new city slowly breathed a sigh of relief when they saw the lightning wall that was still being rebuilt.
“This place is absolutely terrible!”
Sid wiped the black ash mixed with sweat on his head and suddenly said something with emotion.
No names were mentioned, but everyone present knew it.
really.
They didn't feel anything strange when they went there. After all, they had lived in this city for half their lives.
You can return here after seeing the vibrant Tianyuan territory outside the city.
The rain fell sporadicly, and the tiles and walls were broken.
Dead branches and leaves, ruined walls.
Although they are separated by less than 200 kilometers, why is there such a huge gap in living environment?
If they had a choice, they would rather go out and visit the Tianyuan territory every day, or even stay there permanently!
"No way, who made us residents of Sunny Harbor Sanctuary?"
Sam shrugged and said something that was originally a matter of pride, but now it became a self-deprecating statement.
Those who are worried about the future of this shelter are not just Commander Edmund, Deputy Manager Tang En, nor Manager Hades, nor some old guys in important positions.
Ever since the raiders invaded the Lightning Wall, they have turned the industrial area into chaos.
Almost every resident of this shelter is worried about the future of the shelter.
Especially those of them who are at a certain height but not in such a high position, there is no hope at all.
This strange world is simply too strange.
For example, the recent metal aging disaster has broken many people's psychological defense lines.
It is no exaggeration to say that if it were not for the dozens of starch and protein manufacturing machines underground that could still operate, the current Qinggang Shelter would have been in a serious existential crisis.
This is simply too scary.
If a replacement for the machine cannot be found soon, who can afford to feed the more than 200,000 people in the shelter?
Yes, there are also those damn tens of thousands of homeless people, the so-called ‘new city residents’!
I met the hard-working residents of Tianyuan Shelter, and then look at these lazy, dirty, and sneaky New City residents.
No one can't help but feel the obvious gap.
"Should we truthfully report what we saw and heard today? I'm afraid Mr. Tang En will be so shocked that he can't sleep well."
"Then what else can we do? We can't keep hiding it from them, right?"
Between complaints.
The emissary team has arrived at the lightning wall of the new city, which is still under repair.
Several guards shivering from the cold were hiding in a corner warming themselves by the fire. When they saw the leaders were Sid and Sam, they didn't even bother to move.
"These lazy people, we pay them wages, are they to be lazy?"
Secretary Pine had obvious anger on his face.
But the reply from a soldier next to him made his face turn the color of pig liver.
"Strictly speaking, we do not pay these guards a salary. The work tickets they receive after work can only be exchanged for the same work meals and some daily necessities that cannot be used in half a year."
Before understanding the salary system of Tianyuan Shelter, their internal system can still be understood.
But still the same sentence.
People are afraid of comparisons with others, and goods are afraid of comparisons with goods.
After comparing these systems together, the advantages and disadvantages are simply obvious.
"Okay, so they're not going to take care of these bugs that are out of the city?"
"This is within the scope of their responsibilities!"
Seeing a few wanderers with grimaces sideways walking out of the open door, and the guards still looking indifferent, Pine said unconvinced.
"I can't control the fact that there are many people running away every day. Commander Edmund is willing to let them go to reduce the material pressure on the new city."
Sam answered Pine's questions on the side.
If we can't provide supplies, we can't provide jobs, we won't let people leave.
Edmund didn't want to make any more big news while Hades was still awake.
He would rather these damn wanderers disappear completely and return to the city's sewer pipes.
That's just right, the material pressure on Sunny Harbor Refuge will be reduced by 90% this winter.
"Well, damn it!"
He met the leader and saw the disdain on his face, so Pine stamped his feet angrily.
Catch up and beat these guys up?
Putting aside whether he can beat him or not, the Rangers are not afraid of the Gopher Man's fists.
Since they dare to leave Sunny Harbor Sanctuary and return to the outside world, they must be prepared to die.
Die, die.
Turning around and walking into the new city, Pine cursed silently in his heart as he watched the figure disappearing in the distance.
But soon, when the team approached the west side of the inner city, he quickly put all his thoughts back.
Inside the magnificent manager's temporary office.
As the first building to be rebuilt in the new city, it was basically where Edmund used to work.
But recently, due to Hades's awakening, Tang En was somewhat unable to withstand the constant pressure.
I had no choice but to move it out from underground, and eat, sleep and work here.
At this time, as the news of the return of the envoy team came up, Tang En, who was still dealing with official duties, raised his eyebrows.
"Quick, let them in."
Although I don’t expect these people to bring back any big news, I don’t even expect them to succeed.
But it is good to gain something, as long as it can be done by Hades.
The door opened, and Sid walked at the front, leading the rest of the people into the queue one by one.
"How's it going? Nothing unexpected happened?"
"No, the other party didn't deliberately make things difficult for us, it was just."
Sid quickly talked about the matter of being searched and gave his guess.
Sean nodded in anticipation.
"It's not surprising. We underestimated Tianyuan before. It's not surprising that they have such technology."
"Then, what are the results of the detection of the things you brought in?"
"It didn't turn out well."
As the questions and answers continued, the chat box in the office completely opened up.
Starting from Sid, to Pine, to Sam and every warrior.
Everyone began to complain about what they saw today.
"The industrial core is not within the opponent's territory. The signal we received is still one bar. I'm afraid the core has been taken further west by those damn plunderers."
"The energy level response of that kind of explosive has been off the charts. The opponent has obviously prepared a large number of weapons for a long time, waiting for our Qinggang Shelter to take the lead. Fortunately, we did not attack them rashly, otherwise the shelter would be
I'm going to be blown up."
"Their development is very healthy, much healthier than our new cities!"
"The trade there is very prosperous, and every resident has money for consumption."
"Their guards are conscientious and much better than the lazy bunch of people we have at Sunny Harbor Sanctuary."
The further we talk and compare, the more obvious the differences seem to be.
Listening to the complaints of the people at the table, Tang En couldn't help but frown.
Although he was not sure whether what these dozen people were telling now was the truth or a lie that had been modified to a certain extent.
But the resentment mixed in the words was clearly audible.
Everyone has their own dissatisfaction with the recent development of Sunny Harbor Refuge.
However, he did not stop these people immediately, but quietly waited for the last person to finish speaking before saying:
"Is it as exaggerated as you say?"
"Deputy Manager, why don't you go there in person? You will understand after you go there."
"I don't have that much time."
Knocking on the table, Tang En showed a smile and did not take everyone's complaints to heart.
In other words, only the core information and the information about the explosives were written down by him.
What about the rest of the wage system, what about the free market, what about farmland farming.
Oops.
Do these guys think that everything Tianyuan Sanctuary does is correct?
Do they think it will work if they move all this to Sunny Harbor Shelter?
Tang En sneered in his heart, not even bothering to say anything to these people.
They wouldn't believe it anyway.
A group of idiots who start complaining just after experiencing some difficulties. There is no cure.
After looking around at everyone again, he spoke.
"I will tell Lord Hades what you said, as to how much advice he will take."
"I can't guarantee this, I believe everyone can understand."
"clear."
"Thank you for your hard work, Mr. Tang En."
"It is our duty to relieve managers of their worries!"
Knowing that this was Tang En's eviction order, the people present hurriedly made some polite remarks and began to leave.
Who are you looking down on!
There is a huge gap between this damn guy and Mayor Chen of Hope Village.
When they were received in the afternoon, they personally asked them if they were dissatisfied. They hoped that the village would make adjustments and changes in receiving missions in the future to be more suitable for the habits of Blue Star people.
Look at this attitude, and look at Tang En who is now full of arrogance.
They are all from the East, so why are there such big differences?
"By the way, this is the food we bought from the market in Tianyuan Shelter. The taste is very unique. If the deputy manager is interested, you can try the taste."
Sid said, placing the small square box he was holding on the coffee table next to his desk.
This was originally a special storage box for storing items.
But they didn't find anything valuable, so they simply packed some food and brought it back.
Due to its unique characteristics, it might still be hot right now.
"Okay, I'll try it."
Waving his hand, Tang En said something perfunctory without even raising his head.
Eat food made by a group of primitive people
No, even if they were no longer primitive, Tang En didn't intend to try the taste of his neighbor's food.
Could it be better than the nutritious meals produced by the high-end mixer in Qinggang Shelter?
You must know that it cost a lot of money to purchase this machine from the foundation.
Tang En does not believe that other shelters in the city, including the aborigines of this world, have this strength.
never mind.
Why do you think so much?
Tang En shook his head, quickly got rid of the random thoughts in his head, and began to deal with official duties seriously.
It is definitely not feasible to expect Edmund Navuf to develop the new city.
Even though he has created a Qinggang New City, there are actually too many troubles in it to be dealt with.
Recently, the development of Xincheng has finally been on the right track, and it all depends on him to control the progress and planning from behind.
Gotta work harder.
The clock in the office began to turn slowly, and official documents were corrected and put to the side.
An hour passed, and Tang En didn't even move his buttocks.
Two hours passed, and he just raised his head and took a sip of water.
Time slowly came to the edge of the clock, and it was not until the bell rang that it meant twelve o'clock had passed, that Tang En raised his head.
"Well, time flies so fast tonight."
Looking at the two piles of official documents on his left, Tang En knew that he should stay up late again.
But the slight feeling of hunger relief coming from his stomach made him feel a little uncontrollably tired.
"Harlan, Harlan!"
"Deputy Manager, I'm here." The guard on duty opened the door and walked in.
"Go and prepare some food for me. I have to stay up late and work."
"Okay, I'll make arrangements right away."
Harlan nodded respectfully and closed the door.
He closed his eyes and listened to the sound of footsteps getting louder and quieter, until he couldn't hear them anymore, Tang En opened his eyes.
He stood up and walked back and forth in the open space of the office, moving his stiff body.
But my mind is still thinking about the problem I just dealt with and whether there are any mistakes or omissions.
until
"Well, what is this?"
Tang En's eyes fell on the iron box on the coffee table. Tang En was stunned for a moment, not remembering when it was placed here.
It wasn't until he thought about it carefully that he remembered that it seemed to be something that Sid left behind when he left.
It seems to contain food from the Tianyuan Shelter?
The moment the word food flashed in his mind, Tang En licked the corner of his mouth and instantly felt hungrier.
Why don't you open it and see what's inside?
Anyway, I have nothing to do.
Having this idea, Tang En turned around and looked at the door uneasily. After making sure it was locked, he took the box and came to the desk and sat down.
Gently press the button lock above, and a crisp popping sound will appear.
This is a special storage device that can keep the internal temperature and humidity always floating at a certain value.
If what is put in is food, it stands to reason that it can be kept fresh for at least twelve hours.
Sure enough, a trace of heat began to spread out along the cracks in the box.
"Hmm? What does this smell like?"
A spicy smell rushed straight to his forehead. Tang En, who had felt a little cold just now, even started to sweat on his forehead.
He curiously opened the box, and the first layer inside contained eight objects the size of a baby's fist.
Soft and oozing oily flowers are secreted on the white surface.
“Xiaolongbao?”
Reading out the label written by Sid next to him, Tang En couldn't help but become more curious.
A bold idea appeared in his mind.
Do you want to take a bite?
Just a small bite?
This taste is indeed different from the nutritious meals in the shelter, which makes people feel an irresistible urge.
Looking up at the door again, Tang En stretched out his right hand and gently twisted one.
Very soft and waxy, like cotton.
Put it gently to your mouth, bite down, and a rich soup rushes into your mouth.
The unexpected juice choked Tang En and he coughed repeatedly, but the smell that entered his mouth made him stare straight in the eyes.
"Oh my God, what does this smell like?"
Feeling the various special flavors left by the juice across his taste buds, Tang En was stunned.
He can guarantee that he has never eaten such unique food.
The spicy and stimulating smell instantly drove away all the coldness and made the body feel warm.
But the strange thing is that this smell is not strong at all, and all that comes back is the scent of oil.
Want another bite?
As the taste began to disappear, Tang En only hesitated for a moment before swallowing the entire xiaolongbao.
It looked like a greedy bear licking honey.
"Well, strange, really strange!"
It can only be described as strange. For Tang En to say the word "delicious" is like a slap in the face.
Even if there is no one in the office now, it is absolutely impossible for him to do such a thing.
'I am just for Qinggang, setting an example and detecting the intelligence leaked from within the enemy!'
So comforting himself, Tang En quickly opened the box below.
Beef noodles, hot and sour noodles, leek box, three shred fried noodles.
Reminded by those kind-hearted cooks, what Sid brought back were basically staple foods that were easy to preserve.
But even these, the various smells that hit his nose shocked Tang En.
"What are these things, and why have I never seen them before?"
With strong curiosity, Tang En couldn't help but poke his head in and started to devour the food.
What nonsense nutritious meal, he has completely forgotten about it.
Even Harlan's knock on the door was drowned out by the sound of hot and sour noodles.
"Deputy Manager, are you here?"
The door opened from the outside, and Harlan was stunned when he poked his head in.
I saw that the desk where the official documents were originally had been cleared out at some point, and there were small bowls filled with food on them.
At this time, Tang En was lying facelessly in front of the table, eating like a starving man.
The red complexion made it easy for people to think that he was poisoned.
"Why did you come in without knocking?"
When someone discovered the secret, Tang En almost threw the powder bowl in his hand.
"I knocked on the door. Didn't you always ask me to knock on the door and put nutritious meals on the coffee table in the past?"
Harlan said with an aggrieved look.
However, all he got was an angry scolding from Tang En.
"Get out, get out."
The door immediately closed obediently from the outside.
Looking at the face disappearing through the crack of the door, Tang En got up and chased out uneasily.
"Don't tell anyone what happened today!"
"Otherwise I would only ask you."
Fortunately, the only guard at the door was Harlan. After giving such a warning, Tang En felt relieved.
Are you so excited to eat your neighbor’s food?
This is so embarrassing. If you tell me, you would think that he, the deputy manager of Qinggang Shelter, has never eaten!
but
It seems really delicious?
Looking at the remaining food on the table, Tang En touched his bloated belly and decided not to waste it.
As for the nutritious meals that were brought in, he had already thrown them into the trash can with a flick of his hand.
One thing to say.
In comparison, the destination of this thing should be the trash can!
This chapter has been completed!