Chapter 10 - 9: Shelter

Chapter 10: Chapter 9: Shelter

Frequent, sudden weather disasters meant everyone was already well-versed in the evacuation process. They knew exactly what to bring and what to leave behind, so the security checks went smoothly for the most part.

Ning He observed her surroundings carefully.

The vast majority of people had brought sleeping bags and a few days’ worth of rations.

It was just as Ning He had expected.

When it was Ning He’s turn, the security personnel inspected her pushcart, listened as she reported the name of the noodle shop, and verified the information in the system. Once everything was confirmed, they waved a hand, pointing to a nearby sign:

"Follow the signs and do not linger in the no-fire zones. Otherwise, you’ll face the consequences."

Ning He glanced at the words on the sign.

Sure enough, it pointed to the No. 8 Centralized Dining Area that the proprietress had mentioned.

’Makes sense,’ she thought to herself.

They must have carved out a separate area for vendors who needed to use open flames, grouping them together so that any potential fire emergencies could be easily contained and managed.

Following the instructions, Ning He pushed her cart along the signs and entered the underground passage.

The shelter was about six or seven stories below ground. Ning He pushed her cart down ramp after ramp, winding left and right for a solid ten minutes. Her hands were aching so badly she could barely hold onto the cart by the time she finally reached a square gate entrance.

The entrance was guarded by armed personnel. After Ning He underwent another comprehensive security check, a young sergeant guided her to the vendor gathering area.

Ning He scanned the surrounding directional signs.

The arrow to the left pointed toward the Fourth Ring, while the one to the right pointed to the Third Ring District. There was also a sign marking the wartime command post, which was straight ahead.

’It’s accessible from all directions. What a great location,’ she thought.

"Here!"

A familiar voice reached her ears. Ning He followed the sound and saw Connie waving at her from a short distance to the left. Standing beside Connie was a man wearing the same vendor administrator uniform as Cam.

Catching on quickly, Ning He pushed her small cart over to Connie’s side.

"The stuff is heavy, so it took me a while," she offered as an explanation.

Seeing her tactful behavior, Connie breathed a sigh of relief.

"She’s here. This is our head chef."

The administrator sized Ning He up and nodded.

The chef’s certificate had a photo on it, so a single glance was enough to verify her identity.

"You should all be familiar with the rules by now, but I’ll give you a quick reminder."

"You can apply to use the refrigerators to store your ingredients, but it costs twenty original coins per fridge per day. Additionally, no food items may be sold for more than their original price; violators will be heavily fined. Once your stall’s location is set, do not move it around. The food carts are not allowed to leave the bounds of this centralized area. Lastly, if the military needs to requisition any items, you must cooperate unconditionally."

Connie was naturally familiar with these regulations and had no objections. After finishing his spiel, the administrator moved on to the next vendor.

Only after he had walked away did Connie turn to Ning He and snap, "What took you so long?"

"I had a lot of stuff, so it held me up a bit," Ning He replied with a sheepish grin.

As Ning He pulled back the bedsheet to reveal two full baskets of vegetables underneath, Connie looked both surprised and suspicious.

"You’re just running a small stall, why did you stock up on so much? Aren’t you afraid of taking a loss? And where did you even get the money? This many vegetables couldn’t have been cheap."

"Well, I don’t have much experience, so I overbought. I ran into someone dumping their stock for pennies on the way here. It was so cheap, I just couldn’t resist..."

Ning He spun a quick lie.

Connie rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"People used to say you were overly shrewd, calculating the cost down to a single cabbage leaf. I guess they were blind! With a brain like yours, you’ll be lucky if you don’t lose your shirt! I stand by what I said before: I can’t guarantee you’ll sell all this. If you take a loss, don’t come crying to me."

Ning He nodded hastily. "I understand, don’t worry!"

Seeing her acting so obediently, Connie didn’t say anything more. She directed Ah Huai to set up the stove on the ground and get the soup pot ready while she organized the rest of the supplies on the food cart.

Left with nothing to do, Ning He took the initiative to grab an empty bucket and fetch some water. Connie glanced at her but didn’t try to stop her.

Ning He carried the bucket and took a stroll around the vicinity to familiarize herself with the environment, making sure to memorize the locations of the restrooms and emergency exits. Only then did she fill up her bucket at the water station and leisurely carry it back.

Halfway back, a group of heavily armed men who looked like soldiers suddenly emerged from around the corner ahead.

The man leading them was tall, with thick eyebrows and piercing eyes. He wore a dark blue uniform with epaulets bearing two bars and two stars. A communicator and a black pistol of an unrecognizable make were strapped to his waist.

Ning He was very familiar with the style of the uniform; it belonged to the commanding officers of the Mecha Academy.

Ning He was also familiar with the man himself.

It was the famous Lieutenant Colonel Leo.

"...the registered population for District Four is 297,611. The total number of people who have already entered the shelter is 236,152. The evacuation is proceeding normally."

"The registered population for District Five is 69,856. The total number of people who have entered the shelter is 46,320. The evacuation is proceeding normally."

Leo’s expression was solemn, and he didn’t break his stride. "How are the arrangements for the quarantine wards coming along? Have the fire safety facilities been inspected? Have personnel been dispatched to escort the students from all the schools? Have the industrial sectors been shut down according to regulations?"

"Reporting, sir! Everything has been completed. There was a minor issue with Fire Hydrant No. 17, but it has already been repaired. All factories across the five industrial zones have been notified, and the Second Level response has been activated."

Leo nodded. "Follow up on the situation at the hospital again. Ensure that all critical instruments and equipment are transferred smoothly. Medications must also be sealed in the cold storage immediately; there can be no mistakes."

"Yes, sir!"

One sergeant answered and hurried off, while another stepped forward to continue the report.

"Sir, a message just came in from the Dean. The City Lord has requested that you station yourself at the command room for Districts One and Two."

Leo’s footsteps faltered for a fraction of a second before he resumed his long strides. "Tell the Dean and the City Lord that I will be patrolling the various districts over the next few days to ensure everything operates normally. Tell them there is no need to worry."

As the squad gradually disappeared into the distance, Ning He cautiously stepped out from behind a pillar and carried her bucket back to the stall.

"Sir, what’s wrong?"

At the entrance of the office, a sergeant asked the question as he watched Leo abruptly stop and turn around.

Seeing the figure with the bucket disappear in the distance, Leo furrowed his brows and withdrew his gaze.

"It’s nothing. Go about your duties, and contact me immediately if any issues arise. The surface temperatures might break the threshold this time, so make sure the ground troops are on standby and ready for anything."

"Yes, sir."

Leo entered the command room; he still had a lot of work to do.

Ning He lugged the bucket of water back to the stall. Connie took it from her and casually pointed at a row of freezers nearby.

"Use the first one on the left to store your vegetables. I’ve already paid for it, so don’t let it go to waste."

"Alright, thanks!"

Ning He placed her two baskets of vegetables inside the refrigerator. ’A temperature of 2 degrees Celsius should keep them fresh for at least two or three days. It should be fine,’ she figured.

Returning to the stall side, Ning He still had nothing to do. She pulled a small folding chair out of a box, sat down, and began to observe her surroundings.

After taking a closer look, Ning He actually started to notice a few things.

The vendor area was very clearly divided into a left and a right section, separated by an empty space wide enough to race horses through.

The stalls on the left, originating from the Fourth Ring, were few and far between; counting Connie’s noodle stand, there were only five in total. However, a quick glance at the right side revealed over a dozen vendors. Even their food carts were a class above, resembling modern, integrated food trucks—neat, brightly lit, and fully equipped. They came with built-in refrigerators and ovens, and were trimmed with string lights that blinked in an eye-catching display.

It wasn’t just chefs bustling around those food trucks; there were servers too, all dressed in matching restaurant uniforms. Even the tables and chairs they set out were meticulously adorned with decorative little flower vases.

It was like comparing a regular army to a ragtag militia.

"Those are restaurants from the Third Ring. They have deep pockets and sell a single dish for one hundred original coins. We Fourth Ring residents certainly can’t afford to eat there."

Connie’s slightly mocking voice drifted into her ears. Ning He was secretly astounded. She took another peek at the food trucks across the way and, noticing the various meat-heavy dishes illustrated on their lower counters, began to understand why.

Although Connie’s noodle shop was third-level, its only meat dish was an ancestral, secret-recipe minced meat topping. The menus of the restaurants opposite them, on the other hand, were vastly richer. The difference in their caliber was obvious.

However, the massive disparity in pricing meant they catered to entirely different demographics. Instead, direct competition would only really happen between vendors of the same tier.

’Connie promised to let me take over the stall once her own inventory sold out, but who knows when that will happen?’ Ning He thought.

’With the competition this fierce, a simple minced meat dish isn’t going to have much of an edge!’

Ning He sucked in a quiet breath and glanced around, deciding to take the initiative and do a little reconnaissance on the enemy.