PSW – Chapter 28

Items like clothing and toys, which were manufactured before the apocalypse and didn’t have an expiration date, were sold under the shelter’s direction and could only be purchased with contribution points.

Businesses that required a specific skill, such as tailor shops, had likely been approved by the shelter, allowing them to be privately run.

“Over there is mostly where the ordinary people live. They just have simple tents set up, and there’s no residency fee. They’re all pitiful people. If you don’t have any business there, I suggest you don’t wander around.” Chu Yi pointed to another area, separated by a simple partition. There were no tall buildings there, only simple sheds made of wood or plastic, along with some fabric tents.

Resources and housing were limited. The city of Pujie was already crowded, and survivors from other cities were continuously arriving seeking refuge. More people meant the shelter could be built faster and better, but with finite resources, it was impossible to provide for everyone equally. Thus, the contribution point system was adopted: the life you could live was determined by how much you worked, how valuable you were, and how much you contributed.

“Even though it’s a shelter, it’s not any more peaceful or stable than before the apocalypse,” Chu Yi glanced at them, offering a kind warning. “As long as no one gets killed, the shelter generally won’t get involved. It takes time to establish and enforce better, more comprehensive rules. In the apocalypse, you also need strength to back them up, and in this shelter… the higher-ups aren’t exactly unified in their opinions. Even if you’re ability users, you have to be wary of other ability users who might have their eyes on you.”

“There are definitely some people who, after awakening powerful abilities, think they’re omnipotent and can do whatever they want.”

“Okay, thank you for the warning~” Zheng Yi said with a smile, then asked, “So as long as no one dies, you can do anything?”

“Yes. Perhaps it will improve in the future.”

After explaining this, Chu Yi led them on a tour of the cafeteria. The only thing being cooked was rice porridge. It wasn’t particularly thin, so it could still fill a stomach. For three contribution points, you could eat as much porridge as you wanted. As for anything else… each day you’d get either a piece of flatbread or a steamed bun, just enough to tide you over. If you were lucky, you might get a small spoonful of pickled vegetables. For three contribution points, getting to eat your fill of porridge was actually not bad.

“Any other questions?” Chu Yi checked the time and mentally reviewed the places she had shown them, making sure she hadn’t missed anything. “Oh, right, we have a research building and a laboratory building here. Although the tools and materials aren’t fully equipped, there are people working hard on research. That area is protected by ability users and is under strict security. It’s best not to go near there, to avoid any misunderstandings.” Chu Yi pointed in a certain direction. The two buildings she indicated had clear signs nearby, and people were patrolling the main entrances. The shelter clearly placed great importance on them.

“If you have skills, you can submit an application. As long as you have real talent, you can get in. The conditions aren’t great, but it includes room and board.”

Zheng Yi waved her hand dismissively, then thought for a moment and said, “I don’t think I have any more questions… By the way, is your surname Chu?”

“…” Chu Yi’s exasperation was practically written on her face. She pushed up her glasses and seemed to sigh, but she still answered patiently and seriously, “Chu Yi is my work code name. All on-duty staff receive a nameplate. Ability users can also get a code name and a nameplate, but they have to go on field missions. Ability users on missions can form squads and earn contribution points as a team. Any supplies you find outside can be exchanged for contribution points, or you can keep them for yourselves. But if you want access to information about the explored areas around the shelter, you’ll have to pay contribution points.”

A work code name, and you can choose it yourself? Excellent.

Zheng Yi nodded, her smile becoming much more genuine.

“Is that everything? If you both understand, I’ll be going now?” Chu Yi was ready to slip away. She had asked a friend to cover her shift for a few days in exchange for a hot pot-flavored can of food, so she could take a break herself.

“In that case, could I trouble you to take me to the reservoir? The place where the shelter stores water. I’d like to earn some contribution points first, then go rent a place.” Zheng Yi gave a shy smile, as if she were embarrassed. “Chu Yi Jiejie~ If your friend is willing to cover your shift for several days just for some canned food, then it’s only reasonable for you to be a little more attentive to us, right?~”

“…Of course.” Chu Yi put her hands back in her pockets. “Follow me.”

The water storage station wasn’t far from the residential area; it seemed to have been built recently. Besides the water station, there was also a power supply station. Inside the shelter, power was generated by human effort and special abilities, while a thermal power station was under construction outside the shelter.

“None of the housing has running water or electricity, and you can forget about natural gas. The lines are all there, so maybe they’ll be connected in the future,” Chu Yi said in a low voice. “Don’t overexert yourself supplying water. It’s not worth it to collapse from exhaustion here. It’s your first day at the shelter, so save some mental energy for yourselves.”

Zheng Yi acknowledged her and followed Chu Yi to the water station to register. She hadn’t received her ID card yet, so Chu Yi registered for her temporarily. Once the card was made, the contribution points would be added directly to it.

“This barrel holds one ton,” a staff member said, bringing out a large, empty white barrel. “Just put the water directly inside. We’ll store it properly, and it will be filtered and boiled before use.”

“Don’t push yourself,” Yu Yinan said. Her ability was different from Zheng Yi’s, so she didn’t know how draining it was for Zheng Yi to produce a ton of water. But the last time she had left water for Li Yunhan’s group, Zheng Yi had been so exhausted she’d fallen asleep in the car. This time…

“Jiejie, trust me.” Zheng Yi opened the barrel. The inside was clean, so she directly condensed a stream of water, gradually filling it to the brim.

“Could we have two more barrels, please?” Zheng Yi requested only after filling the first one. The smallest studio apartment cost 20 contribution points a month, so a proper one-bedroom with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom would likely cost more. Zheng Yi didn’t want to stand out too much; for now, she just needed enough points to rent a place. She could always come back later when she had time.

The staff member froze for a moment and glanced hesitantly at Chu Yi before bringing over two more barrels.

“Zheng Yi?”

“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Zheng Yi said, patting the back of Yu Yinan’s hand before continuing to fill the remaining two barrels.

As she was filling the third barrel, Chu Yi couldn’t help but push up her glasses. “Your mental strength is very high, and… you have excellent control over your ability.” Although she had expected as much when Zheng Yi demonstrated her power, she hadn’t realized just how formidable her mental strength was. Filling three tons of water in one go… other water-type ability users in the base could do it, but they would likely need to take intermittent breaks, taking a whole day to achieve that level of output. It was nothing like how effortless it seemed for Zheng Yi.

The shelter had just gained an incredible ability user.

“Thirty contribution points. I’ll have your ID cards expedited later,” Chu Yi said softly. “Do you need to rest for a bit?”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking~” Zheng Yi thoughtfully lifted the large barrel and placed it on a special transport vehicle, even giving the staff member a gentle smile.

“…” Even knowing that in the apocalypse, the strength of ability users and physically enhanced humans had increased, and that there might even be strength-type ability users, that barrel still weighed a full ton!

Before the apocalypse, the maximum weight a human had moved with their own strength was only 6,270 pounds. And Zheng Yi looked so delicate and cute…

Chu Yi thought that perhaps she shouldn’t worry about these two girls running into trouble in the shelter. With this kind of strength, if that bunch of restless, troublemaking ability users kept up their lawless behavior and ran into an iron plate like this…

Ah, why was she getting a little excited just thinking about it? She even found herself eagerly anticipating such a scene.

When she came back to her senses, she saw Zheng Yi holding Yu Yinan’s arm, while Yu Yinan was whispering things like, “If you feel unwell, just tell me. I’ll carry you.”

She cupped her hand into a fist, brought it to her nose, and cleared her throat. “So, shall I take you to rent a place now? I can put the fee on my account for now, and the points will be deducted directly when you get your ID cards.”

“Okay, thank you for all the trouble~”

There weren’t many rental options available. Since Zheng Yi wanted a one-bedroom with a living room, kitchen, and bathroom, and wasn’t willing to share with others, there were only a few places left after filtering the choices. Chu Yi went with them to look at the apartments. In the end, they decided to rent one for 25 contribution points a month. It came with basic furniture, but they would have to clean it themselves before moving in.

“Are those new residences being built over there?” After signing the rental contract, with Chu Yi fronting the contribution points, Zheng Yi noticed a fenced-off construction site next door and asked curiously.

“That’s a school. A library is going to be built next to it.” Chu Yi glanced over. “Yun Lingjian collected a lot of books before the apocalypse, and she’s been searching for and bringing back books to preserve them ever since she started going on field missions. There are a lot of children in the shelter, and they need to learn to read and study.”

“The chaos hasn’t even lasted a year. Humanity is far from extinction. When we have the spare capacity, the flame of human civilization must be passed on,” Chu Yi said coolly, her arms crossed.

In the future, there would certainly be newborns. Children born in this apocalypse couldn’t just grow up learning nothing, knowing nothing, like savages, could they? They had to have a way to learn, to know what the world was originally like and how humans lived before the apocalypse.

Perhaps in the future, living in ignorance and simplicity would be a form of happiness. In the chaos of the apocalypse, some people would discard things to survive, while others would hold onto them. Preserving civilization and building schools was just a way of giving those born in the future a choice.

“Once the school is finished, teaching positions will be offered. But there will definitely be a relevant assessment to pass.” Chu Yi looked at Yu Yinan and Zheng Yi. “If you go on field missions and find books, you can bring them back. You can exchange them for contribution points, though not many.”

When basic survival needs like food and water were scarce, the value of intellectual nourishment seemed less important. The contribution point system could easily collapse if resources in the shelter became too scarce, so they had to manage it carefully. Perhaps in the future, the contribution points for bringing back books would increase.

“If there are no other questions, I’ll be leaving now? Feel free to walk around the shelter and familiarize yourselves with the layout.” Chu Yi waited a moment, but when neither Zheng Yi nor Yu Yinan had any more questions, she waved her hand. “Farewell.”

“Thank you for your help~ Goodbye~”

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