Natural Disaster: I Started By Hoarding Tens Of Billions Of Supplies

Chapter 383: Darkness



After saying that, the middle-aged woman suddenly remembered their earlier conversation and leaned in toward Yao Ran again. "Young lady, I noticed you are carrying a long sword. Can you fight?"

Yao Ran nodded and asked cautiously, "Why do you ask, Auntie?"

The older woman gestured toward the crowd and replied, "All these people are here because the Second Army is recruiting soldiers. Also, the base has finally announced the official opening of the mission hall, and teams can now register their name."

Yao Ran, unfamiliar with the local situation, was intrigued. Recalling a previous mission hall, she asked, "Wasn't there already a mission hall? Why did they create another one?"

The auntie looked at her knowingly and said, "You must spend most of your time outside, right? That old mission hall was just a prototype. This one is the official version."

"Previously, you had to register personal information and an ID number to accept a mission. The rewards were also sent directly to your ID card. But now, it's different."

Yao Ran's eyes flickered for a second as she asked, "What is the difference?"

Satisfied with Yao Ran's attentive listening, the auntie continued, "With the new mission hall, people can complete missions as teams. The rewards are given to the team instead of individual."

"The advantage of this new rule is that if you manage to make a name for yourself and come out on top, you will get better treatment at the base and better mission opportunities. However, there is also a downside to this new rule."

"Before, if someone died on a mission, the base would compensate their family with supplies. But now, if you die, that's just bad luck."n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

After hearing this, Yao Ran commented, "It seems like the old system was better. At least the families of the deceased can get something to survive after losing their loved ones."

The auntie nodded with a sigh. "You are right. But what can we do? Supplies are running out, and with the eternal night, we can't farm."

"The soil is contaminated, and the sunlight is gone. Everyone is desperate to survive."

"Even the Jiangcheng Military Base, which never accepts survivors, is struggling to feed its soldiers. Our base has survivors to support, and feeding millions of people is no easy task. It's already a blessing to have something to eat while living here."

Seeing the auntie's distress, Yao Ran fell into silence. After thinking about it, Yao Ran pulled a 600 ml bottle of mineral water and a pack of compressed biscuits from her backpack.

She handed them to the middle-aged woman and said, "Auntie, thank you for telling me all this. Here, these are for you."

The auntie's face lit up as she quickly accepted the water and compressed biscuits. She smiled at Yao Ran and said, "Young lady, you are too kind. I was just sharing what everyone knows."

Despite her modest words, she hastily hid the items in her dirty clothes. Yao Ran nodded at her and then walked back to where Long Yu and Shi Xuan were waiting.

Seeing her return, Long Yu asked, "Did you find out anything?"

Yao Ran recounted what the middle-aged woman had told her.

After listening, Long Yu said, "No wonder so many people are gathered here. It seems they are all here to register their teams or join the Second Army."

"Should we come back later?" Yao Ran asked, observing the growing crowd.

While she was talking to the auntie, Long Yu and Shi Xuan were not idle. They observed the surroundings and noticed that the counter for team registration had a long line, but the counter for other businesses was empty.

Upon seeing that, Long Yu hurriedly returned the keys and completed the procedure before Yao Ran finished her conversation with the middle-aged woman.

Hearing her question, Long Yu shook his head and explained, "Shi Xuan and I had already returned the keys. We can leave now."

Yao Ran smiled at his words and nodded, "Good. Let's go."

While the others crowded in front of the public office, the three of them quietly slipped away. After completing the procedure to leave the underground shelter, they followed a soldier to the entrance gate. As the gate opened, Yao Ran looked into the outside world, seeing nothing but darkness.

Looking at the darkness outside, the soldier said, "Comrade, it's too dark out there. Are you sure you want to leave now? If you wait a few days, the public office should have finished installing the street lamps."

Yao Ran shook her head and replied, "Thank you, but we will leave now."

Noticing the soldier's sickly appearance, Yao Ran hesitated for a moment before taking a meal box and a small pack of medicine and vitamins from her backpack. She handed them to the soldier and left before he could refuse.

Watching their backs disappear into the darkness, the soldier looked at the meal box and medicine in his hand. Seeing that the food inside was still warm, he held the meal box tightly, feeling grateful.

After leaving the underground shelter, Yao Ran took out three pairs of night vision goggles and distributed them to Long Yu and Shi Xuan.

Unsure if someone might be hiding outside and targeting survivors, Yao Ran avoided using a flashlight.

In the darkness, a flashlight would make them an easy target. However, with the night vision goggles, they could navigate while staying hidden from prying eyes.

Once they put on the night vision goggles, the three of them began making their way back to the villa on foot. The sand-covered road made walking difficult, and it took over three hours of walking in the darkness before they reached the villa area.

Seeing the main gate wide open, Yao Ran frowned slightly. Worried that someone might have broken into their villa, she urged, "Let's hurry."

As they passed the villa's entrance gate, Yao Ran spread her wood element energy but couldn't sense any plants in the surroundings.