Safe House

Alexander glanced out the window and sneered, "Do they really think I'm that foolish? No one just happens to collapse right in the shadow of the car."

After waiting for two minutes, Beryl quietly opened her eyes and saw that no one from the car had come down. She didn't believe that Alexander had truly given up on her. She closed her eyes again, pretending to faint.

Five minutes later, Beryl was sure that Alexander wouldn't pay her any attention. She almost bit her silver teeth in frustration but finally climbed up from the ground and walked away. Alexander raised an eyebrow at Arnold, "See, my judgment was correct."

Arnold: "..." What are you so happy about?

All members of the Allen family looked up at the three-meter-wide screen, which continuously displayed the corresponding work points for various items.

Work points could be used to 'buy' houses or needed items, and houses were also divided into different levels.

All houses could be upgraded based on the initial choice. For example, choosing a large mixed dormitory, adding one hundred and fifty work points next time could upgrade it to an eight-person dormitory.

Alice asked, "Which level of house do you want to stay in?" They needed to determine the required work points for the house before exchanging items to avoid inconvenience.

Blanche: "The small villa is too expensive. How about choosing an apartment first?"

Alice nodded and went to check the required items for exchange.

After calculating, they told the registration officer that they wanted to buy an apartment. They then went to the car to move the items

She also took out a bag of snacks for them to exchange for work points. The registration officer immediately called a few staff members to weigh the goods and whispered, "Big customers are here, be polite when talking."

For big customers, they needed to be treated seriously. The staff members checked their rice and flour; everything was clean and uncontaminated.

"You can choose the floor and room number." The registration officer smiled and led them to the model of the apartment building. 

The snacks exchanged for ten work points went into Alice's card.

"This is the map of the safe house and the keys to your apartment."

Alice took it and said, "Thank you."

The basic facilities in the safe house were well-equipped. 

 She nodded, expressing her satisfaction. Arnold humorously asked, "Should we install an iron gate at the stairwell?"

Alice raised an eyebrow at him, "Of course we should. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen the top floor." A gate could prevent many troubles for them, and the safe house didn't object to its installation.

Atticus came down from the rooftop, "I checked it; there's plenty of space up there. We can install solar panels, and we can also place the water tower on top."

A water tower would make water usage more convenient, and they needed to prepare for water storage in advance while there was still water available.

She entrusted the water storage task to him and then went downstairs to install the iron gate with Arnold. After completing all these tasks, Atticus and Blanche had already prepared dinner. It was the first day of moving into their new home, so they decided to celebrate by cooking five dishes and a soup, all of their favorites.

Alice, looking at the smiles on her family's faces, felt a warm flow in her heart. Even in the midst of the apocalypse, she was not alone. These simple and beautiful days meant a lot to her.

As long as there were people, there were demands. Home services, chefs, moving services, and other businesses started to develop. There were police officers responsible for patrolling the safe house, maintaining a semblance of calm and security despite the influx of diverse individuals.

Alice passed by a crossroads and noticed a crowd gathered around a bulletin board. Curious, she approached. The bulletin board displayed job advertisements and a list of items the safe house needed, such as medicines and research equipment. Anyone who could find these items would be rewarded with work points.

Alice saw a recruitment notice that didn't specify the job but offered a high 'salary' of fifty work points per day. Compared to the standard rate of ten work points per day in factories, fifty work points were considered quite high. Alice decided to take up a job and went to the address mentioned in the recruitment notice.

Arriving at house number 5, Alice knocked on the door, and a man quickly opened it from inside.

Alice found herself facing a man in his early thirties, looking a bit groggy and disheveled from being awakened.

"Sorry to disturb you," Alice quickly explained her purpose, "I saw on the bulletin board that you're hiring here."

"We're only hiring strong and able-bodied individuals, and the work involves dangerous activities outside.

The man observed Alice's slender limbs, doubting her capabilities. "Just tell us what you're doing," she said. "Rest assured, I won't be a burden, and if I mess things up, you can simply withhold my work points."

After a few seconds of hesitation, the man agreed. He handed her a registration form. "Fill in your basic information first."

here are many bandits on the way, and the safe house doesn't have enough police officers, so we need to recruit from among you."

As he finished speaking, Alice had just completed filling out the information on the form. She handed it over, saying, "Done."

The man glanced at the form, satisfied with her clear details. "

Later, when Alice returned home, she unexpectedly found a stranger, a young girl, chatting and laughing with Blanche. She couldn't help but feel a moment of surprise.

"Mom, who is she?" Alice asked calmly.

Arnold explained, "Mom accidentally got knocked down while walking downstairs and sprained her foot.

She turned to Blanche with a bright smile, "Auntie, I'll go back now. I'll come by another day to chat with you."

 She didn't like getting too involved with others, especially when her peaceful life was disrupted, and she particularly disliked frequent visits.

Once Cecilia left, Arnold closed the heavy iron gate.