Now that they had formed a team, there was no need to keep anything secret.
Wang Zhi stacked the contents of both of his large suitcases full of food onto the table.
Upon seeing the spread of food on the table, the pair was visibly surprised.
"Why are both of your suitcases filled entirely with food?" Ying leaned in and asked.
"Since this is the Apocalypse, food is obviously the most important thing. Don't tell me you plan on eating gunpowder?" Wang Zhi retorted half-jokingly.
"Heh heh, of course, gunpowder isn't for eating, but gunpowder can make *you* feed *me*... Come on, hand over that box." Ying chuckled strangely, then pulled out her gun and pointed it at a self-heating rice packet on the table.
"...." Hearing this, Wang Zhi fell silent, picked up the self-heating rice, and divided portions for the two of them. He had completely forgotten the possibility of being held up at gunpoint.
"Right, didn't you two bring any food?" Wang Zhi asked while sprinkling the seasoning.
"I brought some compressed biscuits and water," Old He replied.
As for Ying, she remained silent, looking down; she was only carrying one bag, and even if it contained food, it probably wouldn't be enough for the three of them for a single meal.
"Old He, are you a soldier?" Seeing the atmosphere had relaxed somewhat, Wang Zhi casually inquired.
"Yes," Old He responded, showing no intention of hiding anything.
"Then why did you come here...."
"...."
Old He fell silent for a moment before slowly saying, "This card was actually given to me by my father. He instructed me to come here, and told me nothing else."
Wang Zhi was silent for a moment. He knew that if this was true, then his father had placed this final hope in him.
"What about Sister Ying?"
"I wonder if little brother has heard a saying?"
"What saying?"
"As the saying goes, heroes don't ask about origins. Before you ask us, shouldn't you introduce yourself first?" Ying retorted.
Wang Zhi scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, "I... I'm just an ordinary citizen; I usually just make some money writing programs, nothing special...."
"Didn't expect little brother to be a programmer...."
"Sister Ying, what about you?"
"Oh my, big sister is also an ordinary citizen; I usually just love wandering around everywhere."
Ordinary people? Which ordinary person carried a gun? And which ordinary person casually spun a Dagger in their hand? Wang Zhi grumbled internally, but decided not to press further. Since they didn't wish to speak, he shouldn't be tactless.
"She is an international mercenary; barring any surprises, she should belong to the Black Rose Organization," Old He suddenly stated coldly from the side.
"Oh my, oh my, I didn't think the old man had such sharp eyes to have recognized me."
"Hmph, the Black Rose Organization specializes in assassinations, and the rose tattoo on her collarbone is their signature mark. So... you had better watch yourself when you sleep," Old He warned, turning his head.
Hearing this, Wang Zhi became somewhat unsettled. No wonder Old He had been so cautious of her—this person was actually an assassin??
Nevertheless, realizing they were now a team, Wang Zhi forced himself to act unconcerned. "Stop trying to scare me. Forget being careful while sleeping; even if Sister Ying slept in my bed, I'd still sleep soundly."
"Hia ya hia ya, I didn't expect little brother to be so bold. Then big sister really will have to hug you tonight!"
Wang Zhi shuddered upon hearing Ying's wicked, charming laughter and immediately realized how inappropriate his previous statement was. "Uh, Sister Ying, I was just kidding, don't take it seriously, haha, don't take it seriously..."
"Tch, all talk and no action," Ying murmured dismissively.
He thought to himself: How is that all talk and no action? That's having the guts to boast but not the life to enjoy the payoff!
"Right, Ling Lingyao, how many floors are there in total here?" Wang Zhi asked, taking the opportunity to change the subject.
[The Dawn Tower has five floors in total.]
"Then what are the lower floors used for?" Old He interjected.
[Insufficient clearance.]
"How do we upgrade our clearance?" Wang Zhi asked.
[The team level can be upgraded by completing team missions or individual missions. Team levels range from Level 1 to Level 5. A Level 1 team has a maximum capacity of 4 people, Level 2 is 5 people, Level 3 is 6 people, Level 4 is 7 people, and a Level 5 team has no maximum limit.]
"Ling Lingyao, are there any rules inside the Dawn Tower?" Old He asked.
[Public order must not be disturbed; intentional harm to others is prohibited.]
"Then how do we earn Survival Points right now?"
Wang Zhi already understood the importance of Survival Points; he was eager to start acquiring them immediately.
Just then, the mission interface popped up on the display screen.
Mission 1: Accumulate 8 cumulative hours of training to earn 10 Survival Points. (Timing begins automatically after entering the training grounds while carrying your Magnetic Card.)
Mission 2: Work in the Eco-Industrial Zone for a cumulative 8 hours to earn 15 Survival Points.
Wang Zhi examined these missions. Although training yielded 5 fewer points than labor, training directly improved their capabilities. Conservatively, if they trained 8 hours daily, the three of them could earn 30 Survival Points per day.
The only unknown factor was the cost of living within the Dawn Tower. If a single meal cost 10 points, then after accounting for everything, very few Survival Points would be left over.
Wang Zhi mulled it over before speaking, "It looks like we need to be extremely frugal. We'll eat the food we brought for now, but we must reserve some high-calorie, long-shelf-life supplies, just in case."
As he spoke, he began sorting all the food they had purchased:
Chocolate, compressed biscuits, dry noodles, beef jerky, ham sausage, instant noodles, self-heating rice, canned meat, water—this was all he possessed.
"That's settled. Let's rest for a bit first; later we'll go train to earn Survival Points."
Wang Zhi said this, returned to his cot, and immediately collapsed into a deep sleep, exhausted from the day.
...
In the main hall on the first floor, people continued to arrive in succession. Their emotions cycled from unease to surprise and shock, finally settling into bewilderment and uncertainty about the future.
After an unknown amount of time, Wang Zhi slowly awoke from his slumber.
When he opened his eyes and saw the unfamiliar surroundings, he shot upright in bed.
Only once he calmed down did he recall that he was now inside the Dawn Tower, and at this moment, he was completely alone in the room! Old He and Ying, who had been there before, had vanished without a trace!
Upon looking again, the food that had been on the table had also disappeared!
Thump! His heart seized for a moment. Could it be that the two of them had taken the provisions and abandoned him?
Thinking of this, an inexplicable heaviness settled in his chest; he couldn't stop blaming himself for being so naive.
In the Apocalypse, who could truly be trusted? He had no power, and financially, he only had enough food to last himself a month. To think he expected others to act as his bodyguards—it turned out he was the joke all along....