novelhk Chapter 123 Office Building
Chapter 123 Office Building
The man in the lead introduced himself as Zhang Leshan. He led them quite enthusiastically up the stairs outside the office building to the fourth floor.
According to him, on the day the apocalypse came, a mutated human with corrosive abilities appeared downstairs. Although it was killed, it left a lot of toxic liquid on the first and second floors. In order to protect the safety of the survivors, they sealed off the lower floors.
They even sealed off the third floor as a buffer zone to prevent anyone from accidentally coming into contact with the corrosive liquid, which shows their great care and concern.
Opening the door to the fourth floor, you are greeted by rows of dusty computers and long tables, with a blank blackboard hanging on the wall.
Zhang Leshan said, "This used to be a news company, and I used to work here. During the apocalypse, it happened to be a holiday, so a few of us who weren't going home stayed here to work overtime. There weren't many people, and there were few mutants, so we just happened to survive."
"The location here is remote, there are few mutants, the company has a canteen, and there is no shortage of food and water. In addition, there are several small supermarkets nearby, which is suitable for finding supplies. So we converted this place into a shelter."
He pushed open a door, inside which were two folding beds and a mess of clothes. There were also some knives on the table and a broken window next to it.
Two ropes hung next to the window, with the ends of the ropes passing through the window and leading to the floor above.
"This is where we take turns keeping watch every night. There are two of us each time. If we find that a mutant has invaded, we pull these two ropes and the bells on them will ring, and then we'll know."
He closed the door and pointed outside: "That's the toilet."
The office building wasn't very large; apart from a few office areas, there wasn't much else. Zhang Leshan then led them up to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor is the office building's cafeteria. Miao Yin saw that there was still a lot of food and water, as well as some plates, on some tables.
"This is where we eat. We usually eat at fixed times: 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m."
There wasn't much to see in the cafeteria, so they glanced at it and went up to the sixth floor.
From the first to the sixth floor, the number of people noticeably increased.
The sixth floor is a more spacious open-plan office area than the fourth floor. Most of the desks and computers have been moved to the wall, and the remaining few are put together with blankets on top.
There was some green moss growing in the corner, and the lampshade was blackened, making the environment look somewhat gloomy.
On the right are several folding beds, with kettles and basins underneath, as well as some transparent boxes containing clothes. On the left are several tents.
Seven or eight men and women dressed in disheveled clothes sat on the ground, smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol, chatting in a local dialect that no one could understand, with several knives tucked into their waistbands.
The once lively atmosphere suddenly quieted down when people arrived.
The group fell silent, their eyes fixed on them menacingly. They even let out a few ambiguous laughs when they saw the three girls.
The women exchanged glances and clinked their bottles together.
A man who looked very much like Zhang Leshan stood up and walked towards them. His pockets were bulging, as if he were carrying something.
As experienced people, Miao Yin and Tu Hao immediately recognized that there were guns inside.
...This is going to be interesting.
In a country where guns are banned, ordinary civilians can't get their hands on these things.
These people are quite powerful...
Zhang Leshan introduced the visitor, saying, "This is my brother, Zhang Wenshi. He's a superhuman. The fence you see outside was built by him."
Zhang Wenshi, with a cigarette dangling from his lips, greeted them casually: "Haven't seen any new faces in a while, beauties, where are you from?"
“I’m a local. I’ve been living in the south of the city.” Miao Yin said without blinking.
"Alright, since you're here, we're all family now. Why don't you get to know these guys?" Zhang Wenshi didn't think much of it and pointed to the people behind him.
“My name is Miao Miao, you can just call me A Miao. This is my younger brother, Yan Shuzhou. We are a blended family, and he takes our father’s surname,” Miao Yin said.
Ji Yuanzhou raised his hand: "My name is Ji Yuanzhou."
"Ling." Ling coldly uttered a single word.
"My name is You Wenwen."
In the end, everyone's attention turned to the strange man wearing a short-sleeved shirt and a scarf, who was Tu Hao.
He merely lifted his eyelids slightly, glanced at them, and then looked away with a bored expression.
Such unsociable behavior obviously attracted the attention of others. Zhang Wenshi said, "This young man... seems quite extraordinary. Is he a superhuman?"
"A physical enhancement type of superpower," Miao Yin said.
"Oh—no wonder you're so arrogant. Of course, that's how all people with superpowers are," Zhang Wenshi said, drawing out his words.
"Hey, beautiful, how many people with superpowers are in your team?" a woman dressed in a seductive manner called out from behind.
"Not many, just two."
"Is it the white one?" the woman asked again.
Miao Yin didn't speak, but the others showed knowing expressions.
“It’s good to have superpowered individuals! Those mutants are getting stronger and stronger. With you joining us, we have an extra layer of protection! Oh, by the way, what’s her superpower? Tell us about it.” The woman said, twirling her hair.
Miao Yin glanced at Ling.
Ling raised her hand, and several small thorns wrapped around her wrist.
"So it's a wood-based ability."
Zhang Leshan rolled his eyes and said, "Alright, Kou Xin, that's enough for them to get acquainted. I still need to take them upstairs to meet the boss."
Kou Xin waved her hand: "It's just a few extra questions. We'll be living together anyway, so we'll find out sooner or later."
Zhang Leshan turned to Miao Yin and the others and said, "Don't take it to heart. They're just curious about the newcomers. I'll continue showing you around."
"Okay."
So, under those eerie gazes, they slowly walked up to the seventh floor.
Then it's the seventh floor.
The seventh floor was no longer a large dormitory like the lower floors, but rather a series of small rooms, including offices that were originally like this, and several rooms that were later partitioned off with wooden boards.
The rooms partitioned off by wooden planks were mostly filled with miscellaneous items, and there were several quilts spread on the floor in the small room.
Zhang Leshan said, "This place is the same as downstairs, it's where we rest. However, this place is specifically for the girls, so you guys will have to sleep downstairs."
"Can't we be on the same floor?" Miao Yin asked.
“Our building is rather outdated. There’s only one shared toilet for men and women, and the bathroom was converted by us later. It’s inconvenient for you to live together, so it’s better for you to live separately,” Zhang Leshan explained naturally.
"I see." Miao Yin nodded in understanding.
Finally, they arrived at the tenth floor.
At the entrance on the tenth floor, there is a mahogany door with a wooden sign that reads "Wealth Comes from All Directions" hanging on it. There is also a camera on the door, watching the corridor.
"This is where our boss lives," Zhang Leshan said, knocking politely on the door.
"Boss, I've brought the new guy."