After Luo Xiaole finally entered the house, the others crowded around to inquire about her mission.
When they heard about the mutated snake swarm zombies, everyone gasped.
They marveled at how difficult an S-class mission was.
After speaking, Zhou Xiaojun abruptly took a step back.
Startled by him, Luo Xiaole quickly asked him what was wrong.
"Soldiers who went on patrol these past few days mentioned that the zombies have started to develop hypnotic abilities, drastically increasing their danger. The guards patrol day and night without slack, and their condition is very poor. Is it the snake-like zombies you mentioned, Xiaole?"
"Most likely. It seems we've only eliminated one nest. There might be other stray snakes elsewhere..."
But if their condition is very poor...
She did think about her buff zone. She wondered what its effects would be once unlocked and if it would be useful.
"Oh, right, Xiaole, you've been gone for three days, and all the previously reinforced weapons have been sold out!"
"We limit sales to 200 per day. The extra 12 were sold off as individual items, and they sold out too."
Luo Shu, while munching on sunflower seeds, transferred the money he had temporarily banked for the past two days to Luo Xiaole.
The moment it was transferred, Luo Xiaole exchanged the money in her card into her space.
Your account has received 612000, with a balance of 1176585 mall coins.
Luo Xiaole's pupils widened in an instant.
Is this what it feels like to easily earn over a million in salary... Is this happiness too unreal...
She had saved enough mall coins to unlock the buff zone!
Now all she needed was to fully collect the emotions.
"Well done!" Luo Xiaole patted Luo Shu's shoulder like a veteran cadre.
She realized that Luo Shu, besides his social skills, was quite adept at management and business.
"Sit down, the hot pot is coming right up!" Luo Xiaole shouted like a shopkeeper.
Turning her head, she saw that from Lin Xia to Chen Xiaolin, not to mention Luo Shu and Zhou Xiaojun, everyone had practically swarmed to the table in an instant.
They sat there like elementary school students waiting for their teacher to serve them lunch.
Even Mo Chen silently sat down and had already preemptively raised his chopsticks, ready to go...
Will my teammates be spoiled like this? Luo Xiaole chuckled wryly.
"Delicious! So delicious!" Zhou Xiaojun and the others praised enthusiastically while eating, their thumbs never lowering.
After all, having hot pot in the base was truly a rare treat. Food and medicine were actually scarce commodities.
"Xiaole, for the three days you were gone, it felt like years without your culinary offerings..." Lin Xia smiled at Luo Xiaole.
"Don't worry, I'll treat you all well these next few days!" Luo Xiaole laughed out loud.
As they dipped their food into the hot pot, they exchanged information from the past few days.
"Oh right, Xiaole, you might not know, but while you were away, Qin Mingyang actually found out where we live and came looking for us."
"What?" Luo Xiaole's chopsticks froze in mid-air. "What did he come for?"
She hadn't had a chance to go find him yet, and he showed up at her doorstep?
"He actually apologized for threatening us on the road, saying he was under the stress of the apocalypse and his emotions were a bit out of control. He also said he hoped to interact with us more if the opportunity arose," Luo Shu and the others recalled.
Luo Xiaole's eyes flickered. She suddenly remembered the conversation she overheard outside Zhou Shoushan's office back then.
Counting the days, Zhou Shoushan must have already spoken to Qin Mingyang.
Even though she didn't know what he said to Qin Mingyang, Qin Mingyang's change in attitude was likely due to this.
Luo Xiaole pouted. This young master, who appeared to be a gentleman but was actually ruthless and volatile, was surely plotting something devious again.
But it was good that he came.
If he was so eager to return to the capital through Luocheng Base back then, he was now not only no longer in a hurry but had also turned back to seek them out. He must have encountered some difficulties and had a request for their team.
"Xiaole, how should we deal with Qin Mingyang going forward?" everyone's gaze turned to Luo Xiaole.
"Stay put and stall him. I have other plans for his matter."
"No problem!" everyone agreed.
Only after they had dipped the last bit of sauce from their bowls did they wipe their lips, pat their round bellies, and reluctantly put down their chopsticks.
Only when the last person put down their chopsticks.
The "Joy" energy bar in front of Luo Xiaole instantly rose by another 20%!
It was now at 65%!
Not bad.
Luo Xiaole calculated the progress of her energy bar collection.
Joy energy bar: 65%
Fear energy bar: 95%
Anger energy bar: 40%
Sadness energy bar: 0%...
Well, next time she goes on a mission, she'll continue collecting.
"Thinking about it, we're truly fortunate to eat the delicious food Luo Xiaole makes every day! The others in the base are in a much worse situation..." Chen Xiaolin said, savoring the taste of the hot pot, while sighing with emotion.
This reminded Luo Xiaole. She had been thinking on the road back that she could open a food stall upon her return. It would not only bring in more income but also provide some solace to others in the apocalypse.
Zhou Shoushan's words to her last time had touched her.
Being able to bring some comfort to others was not a bad thing.
Perhaps she could contact Fang Jie tomorrow and ask her to look for another shop for her.
After dinner, Luo Xiaole practically had to support herself on the stairs as she went upstairs, her stomach full.
After days of living on the edge, she could finally enjoy delicious food again and ate until she was stuffed.
"Xiaole, eat more, you'll need the energy later," Lin Xia said to Luo Xiaole with a knowing smile.
"Energy? What will I be doing later?" Luo Xiaole scratched her head, wondering what was happening.
Lin Xia didn't speak, but gestured with a smiling gaze towards the doorknob of Luo Xiaole's room, indicating for her to open it.
Luo Xiaole pulled the door open.
The scene before her made her want to collapse.
The room was already piled high with a mountain of weapons, transported in through the window she had left half-open earlier.
Her small bed sat alone in the middle, surrounded by weapons packed so tightly and densely that they enclosed her small bed. The entire room, except for the window and her bed, was impenetrable.
"They still have some conscience, leaving my bed for me..." she said with a bitter smile, her composure crumbling.
"These are all weapons sent by Commander Zhou. He said that once you've reinforced this batch, you can contact him. He wants to purchase another batch of your weapons for the military." After relaying the message, Lin Xia left with a flourish.
Leaving Luo Xiaole alone and bewildered.
Good heavens, she had no time to rest.
"What do you want to eat tomorrow? Give me the menu first. I'm not leaving the house for the next two days! I'll start reinforcing the inventory now..." Luo Xiaole sent a message to the group chat for the home base card, deciding to be a diligent weapon laborer, pouring all her energy into reinforcing weapons!
Then, she found Fang Jie in the list and carefully considered before sending a message.
"Fang Jie, please find me two shops. One specializing in food and the other in general merchandise. The food shop doesn't need much kitchen space or equipment; I'll prepare it myself." Luo Xiaole decided to have Fang Jie scout for shops in advance.
She had new ideas for future transactions within the city.