Chapter 60
The influx of people arriving in Pingnan City was like a massive stone thrown into water, causing ripples that quietly spread among Fu Shiwu and his companions.
Originally, Shi Zheng was considered a big boss in the vicinity—a notorious figure many teams wanted to take down but lacked the strength to do so. Yet, now, being taken down by an unknown team from Yun City made people curious.
Those well-informed had been waiting at the public information hall, gathering tidbits of news.
Once the Dragonbone Battalion registered successfully and settled the mission, people suddenly realized it wasn't the Pei City battalion or union that had inadvertently taken down Shi Zheng. It was a few anomalous individuals from Yun City.
Initially, the staff handling the settlement couldn't believe it and urgently contacted an official surnamed Zhu.
Only after this official, Zhu, confirmed with Zhou Weihua did they dare settle this long-pending wanted mission on this freshly registered battalion, a blank slate without any points or credentials.
As the other members didn't have IDs, specific information couldn't be logged, and files couldn't be created. Wen Zhaoming, the only one with an ID, became the sole exposed target in the public eye.
Wen Zhaoming was a fire-element anomaly user, though his role displayed as vice captain. Other battalion members' details were blank, even the position of the captain remained vacant. Although the staff instructed Wen Zhaoming to quickly arrange IDs for others and complete the battalion's information, the others weren't aware of this process.
This stroke of luck undoubtedly granted the Dragonbone Battalion more time to understand Pei City's current situation.
They passed a night peacefully and everyone rose early.
The greening of the Xishan Huayuan was excellent, with red flowers, green willows, and the fragrance of birdsong in the morning.
Fu Shiwu woke to the crisp, melodious chirping of birds.
He had been born and raised in the concrete jungle, never having the chance to hear such a grand avian concert.
Tang Xuhai had plundered daily supplies from Shi Zheng, ensuring everyone had toothpaste, toothbrushes, towels—enough for at least six months.
After freshening up, Fu Shiwu left his room, heading downstairs to stretch in the courtyard.
"Good morning," Fu Shiwu saw Olande sitting in the living room watching TV as soon as he descended.
"You're up quite early," Fu Shiwu remarked.
"Not really," Olande chuckled lightly, glancing at the TV. "I just wanted to check for news from my home country."
Fu Shiwu's mood dimmed slightly. Olande, being away from his homeland, naturally wanted to gather news now that he had the means.
They resided in Xishan Huayuan, a community building for major battalions and guild officials.
Besides being luxurious and comfortable, it had TV and satellite signals, 24-hour hot water, and internet access.
Above the main living room was a meeting room and a study with a computer connected to the satellite network.
Upon arrival, Fu Shiwu realized why the Focus Forum was bustling; it turned out this area provided networking services.
Fu Shiwu sat on the couch, joining Olande to watch TV.
The TV had few channels, mostly rotating national news stations, showcasing various war scenes and current situations. Additionally, there were educational programs analyzing various alien and mutant anomalous beings.
There were also programs dedicated to anomaly users, but they were still scarce.
Fu Shiwu watched the TV with little expression. In the news, war correspondents risked their lives documenting battles against aliens.
"When was this news from?" Fu Shiwu, halfway through, couldn't help asking Olande.
"From yesterday," Olande replied, eyes fixed on the screen. "A major city got attacked by a colony of aliens, and the battle isn't over yet. These are the latest visuals."
As Fu Shiwu frowned at the TV showing intense scenes of carnage and explosions, his previously settled heart due to arriving in Pei City started churning again.
He clenched his fist, reminding himself that it wasn't time to relax yet.
Fu Shiwu stood up, leaving the living room under Olande's puzzled gaze, and started jogging around the small garden.
When Fu Shiwu, panting heavily after running a dozen laps, Tang Xuhai came over to call him for breakfast.
"Did you cook breakfast?" Fu Shiwu wiped his sweat, surprised.
"Yeah, of course it's me, who else?" Tang Xuhai shot him a glance.
Among them, the cooking skills of the only two women were pitiable.
At least Liu Peiqi could cook, while Wen Zhaoming and Miao Jia were out of the question. Unexpectedly, Tang Xuhai had the best skills.
Olande's skills were decent, but he specialized in Western cuisine, not catering to the tastes of the locals. He could do steak, barbecue, and fried chicken wings but struggled with porridge and stir-fry.
They gathered around the large dining table in the restaurant. The kitchen was just behind the living room, and they discussed upcoming plans while eating.
"This morning, Miao Jia and I will handle your ID registration. With Miao Jia's help, you won't need to go personally. So, the morning is free for you; you can take care of anything you need," Wen Zhaoming said. Upon counting, except for Wen Zhaoming and Wang Dan, all others had lost their IDs.
"Do we not need to come along?" Fu Shiwu asked, concerned about Miao Jia's reliability, considering Wen Zhaoming's uniqueness.
"No need, we'll manage," Miao Jia confidently stated.
"Also, we'll take the van later. If any of you want to go out, you can drive it. There's no need to worry about gasoline for now," Wen Zhaoming said with a furrowed brow. "I'll see if I can arrange for an electric scooter."
"Electric—electric scooter?!" Fu Shiwu hesitated.
"A mobility scooter for seniors?" Fu Shiwu queried.
"Ha—*cough*!" Zhen Zi choked on his porridge.
"What's up? Any objections?" Wen Zhaoming kept eating calmly. "Be content; though electricity is expensive now, we can manage. It's much better than burning fuel. In the future, within Pei City, we'll either walk or use electric scooters."
"Well, it's still an electric scooter, better than nothing," Miao Jia shrugged.
Previously, power came from hydro resources or coal combustion, but with the outside infested by aliens, coal supplies had ceased, and the power grid suffered damage. Now, it relied mostly on solar power and some electric anomaly users.
The value of electricity had surged tenfold. Ordinary families dared only light a lamp at night. TVs, fridges, washing machines—all became decorations.
The anomalies greatly facilitated the shortage of water and electricity, preventing their regression to a pre-electric civilization.
"If we have our own electric anomaly user, do we still need to pay for electricity?" Miao Jia mused.
"Yeah, each courtyard has its own energy storage; those who can manage it can save on expenses," Tang Xuhai explained.
"Ah, Horn Ting left too. We won't have someone providing water anymore," Miao Jia lamented. "At least, we can save on water bills now."
Tang Xuhai was speechless; Miao Jia always had such eccentric thoughts.
"Pei City's alright; they use underground water resources," Wen Zhaoming raised his head. "So, water bills are still manageable. Also, last night I had Miao Jia check the latest research. Now that everyone has undergone changes, once the stable composition of source molecules in our bodies is reached, we won't need to worry much about drinking water."
"So, we don't have to drink specially filtered water?" Zhen Zi inquired.
"Yeah, but this needs testing; once the source molecules in the body reach a certain level, otherwise, it might still cause illness. The scientific institute in the new city can test it. We don't have time this morning, but you can go for a test," Wen Zhaoming explained.
Fu Shiwu looked at Tang Xuhai, who nodded in agreement.
At that moment, Olande spoke up, "I noticed we still have some cigarettes and alcohol among our supplies. If we don't need them, can we sell them? I think we need some clean clothes now."
Olande's suggestion was relatively subtle, referring to clean clothes...
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