At 6:00 AM, the exact same spatial tear ripped through the central terminal, parting with that familiar, low-frequency hum that vibrated deep within the bones.
A stark column of geometric light pierced the air from above, but this time, the System's weaving process multiplied. Threads of golden filigree and dense mana pixels wove together simultaneously, drafting five shimmering, translucent skeletal frameworks side-by-side. Rapidly knitting muscle, vein, and alabaster skin covered the forms until the blinding light collapsed inward.
When the light vanished, five newly minted assistants stood in the sudden dark—three women and two men. All five possessed striking, ethereal features that easily matched Tom's, and each was clad in matching, impeccably tailored service uniforms.
For a brief second, the five newly awakened assistants looked at one another with quiet, mechanical curiosity before filing out of the terminal and making their way straight into the main restaurant, where Tom was already standing in calm anticipation.
As Zhao Yuan's first summoned assistant, Tom held senior status equivalent to a deputy supervisor. He possessed the administrative authority to delegate shift permissions, assign interface access controls, and issue direct operational orders to the new recruits.
Following the overnight compound upgrade, the primary restaurant had expanded significantly into a grand, multi-sectioned dining facility that required multiple dedicated servers to manage peak meal hours. Furthermore, the shelter's territorial reach and resource output had scaled dramatically, meaning they would soon need to dispatch an external recruitment team to gather more survivors to fill the growing labor quotas and residential blocks.
A few hours later, when Zhao Yuan finally woke up, dressed, and stepped out into the restaurant, she froze at the threshold.
She was thoroughly stunned by the sight of five drop-dead gorgeous new assistants moving around the sleek, expanded dining hall in perfect harmony. Quickly collecting herself, she maintained a cool, unbothered facade as she walked over to the counter, where Tom stepped forward to introduce them one by one.
"Welcome to our shelter. I hope we can work together well," Zhao Yuan concluded smoothly, offering a polite nod to the line of pristine servers.
Without missing a beat, she turned her eyes to her senior assistant. "Tom, come back to my room," she instructed calmly, turning on her heel to prepare for the daunting task awaiting them outside.
So when they materialized inside the old, beat-down restaurant, Tom curiously looked around at the rustic, weathered wooden walls, while Zhao Yuan took a moment to tidy her attire before accessing the system interface through the glowing gadget strapped to her wrist.
Noticing a newly unlocked section on her dashboard, she paid it no mind, choosing instead to switch her interface to voice-activation mode before asking her primary question.
"Do I have to serve customers today, or can I go straight out to meet Liu Han?"
Hearing her query, the system responded almost instantly, its usual cold tone tinged with a strange, eager excitement.
[Please proceed directly to negotiate the cooperation agreement.]
The soft, authoritative female voice echoed crisply in her mind.
Nodding, Zhao Yuan smoothed down her outfit. Today, she had abandoned her typical waitress apron, dressing instead in a crisp, sharp pair of official white pants matched with an elegant grey blouse. Bespoke and poised, she stood beside Tom, who was impeccably dressed in a tailored navy-blue suit that emphasized his tall, athletic frame.
"Let's go," she announced calmly, stepping past the threshold and walking out into the desolate field outside.
After hearing that voice ring through her soul during last night's dream, a profound realization had settled deep within her heart: She was also in this world. Which meant Zhao Yuan was utterly untouchable—nothing here could truly harm her, not even the system itself.
"We need a vehicle and a regional map," Zhao Yuan ordered smoothly as her boots hit the dusty earth.
As the system complied, instantly retrieving the requested assets, it flickered with a quiet, underlying confusion, unable to process why Zhao Yuan's aura and demeanor felt so strikingly different today.
When a sleek, off-road vehicle materialized on the gravel road before them, Zhao Yuan slid into the passenger seat, letting Tom take the wheel and drive along the mapped route. Leaning back in complete relaxation, she stared out the window, watching the devastated, apocalyptic wasteland roll past.
Spotting groups of violent infectees roaming the ruins, she couldn't help but let out a soft, mocking scoff as she recalled the meager three-meter protection radius the system had offered her earlier. The system was so surprisingly weak within its own domain, yet it still had the nerve to act as if it held absolute power over her.
After just a few minutes of driving, a medium-sized survivor shelter materialized on the horizon. The compound was significantly smaller than Zhao Yuan's shelter—even back when hers had first expanded—and looked far shabbier, yet it was densely packed with desperate survivors standing in long, miserable queues.
Hearing the deep hum of an approaching engine, the guards posted at the perimeter gates immediately went on high alert, raising their weapons and stepping forward to intercept the vehicle.
Zhao Yuan smoothly rolled down her window and looked out at the guard detail, her eyes locking onto a familiar face in the front line.
Fu Zhe instantly recognized the woman behind the wheel. Shocked by her sudden appearance, he hurriedly stepped past his men, approaching the car and greeting her with cautious respect.
"I am here to see Liu Han," Zhao Yuan declared casually.
Around them, guards and ragged survivors alike stared in quiet, breathless amazement at the two strangers sitting in the vehicle—dazzled by their pristine clothes, spotless skin, and radiant, healthy appearance amidst the grime of the wasteland.