After returning to the institute, the two men started to divide the work.
Lan Shiyu went to the food warehouse to inventory the goods, while Xiao Lin took Lin Niannian to the infirmary to treat the gunshot wound.
He had received training in emergency trauma treatment at the institute, and the medical equipment in the infirmary was quite complete. This task wasn't difficult for him.
He removed the bullet, bandaged the wound, fed Lin Niannian some painkillers, and watched the girl fall asleep.
Only after she fell asleep did Xiao Lin leave the infirmary to find Lan Shiyu.
At this moment, Lan Shiyu was in the warehouse, standing amidst a pile of boxes, quickly recording things in a notebook with a pen.
Hearing the movement outside the door, he didn't look up, just casually saying: "Packaged food, cigarettes, alcohol, and canned goods."
"Mr. Xiao Lin, these things of yours would definitely count as rare and precious items in our town. But there's a slight problem."
"What problem?" Xiao Lin asked, puzzled.
"They expired 200 years ago."
The atmosphere fell silent. After a while, Xiao Lin finally spoke: "Lin Niannian, are you inside Mayor Lan?"
Lan Shiyu's eye twitched slightly: "I just wanted... to tell a joke to liven up the atmosphere."
"Is this... a 'moe point'? Like a gap moe? Then Mayor Lan, you're actually quite cute."
The atmosphere suddenly plunged into deep silence, and then both parties mutually terminated this topic.
Lan Shiyu coughed twice: "I've pretty much finished inventorying the things in the warehouse. I've ticked off some of what we want inside. You can use it as a reference."
"Okay, anyway, I'll take a look first."
Xiao Lin took the list. Lan Shiyu hadn't chosen cigarettes or alcohol; it was all food and canned goods with the largest reserves. But Xiao Lin didn't mind. After all, these supplies would grow back on their own tomorrow.
He glanced at it briefly and said: "Okay, these are all no problem. How much money can these roughly exchange for?"
"30 standard silver coins. Each is 20 grams. If you need, I can exchange some single-gram silver for you, which are silver beans. But they are harder to carry. You can use a box to hold them."
"Wait, so all this food only exchanges for 600 grams of silver?" Xiao Lin was very surprised. Didn't we say these were treasures?
Lan Shiyu helplessly shrugged: "Don't look at me like that. Although they are treasures, they are just food after all. And we don't lack food."
"30 standard silver coins for these things is already considered a very high price."
Xiao Lin felt Lan Shiyu wasn't lying, so he could only sigh: "Then let it be 30 silver coins. No need for change."
"Okay, then we have a deal." Lan Shiyu started moving the goods he wanted from the shelves.
Xiao Lin helped by taking the boxes from his hands and temporarily placing them at the warehouse entrance.
"Mr. Xiao Lin, actually, I think you still have some misunderstandings about this world." Lan Shiyu said while moving boxes. "Although this world has become a mess, productivity hasn't declined. In fact, it has improved a lot."
"For example, super cities like Justice City and Wisdom City. One city's productivity is stronger than a country's." "And for example, if you walk north through the city ruins, you can reach Yunze City. That's the foothold of our Blue Dragon Mining Company, a large modern metropolis. Developed transportation, convenient life. You can even buy drinks and bread on the street."
"Drinks and bread..."
These familiar things made Xiao Lin somewhat stunned. But it also made him understand a bit. Although the world had become chaotic and order was shattered, it was still quite far from the apocalypse. He might be the only one who had seen the coming apocalypse.
When Lin Niannian opened her eyes, she screamed in fright at the scene before her.
Because not far away, on the operating table, several "humanoid creatures" wearing blue surgical gowns and masks were dissecting something.
On the tray nearby was dripping blood and shattered internal organs that had been dug out. It was terrifying to look at. But Lin Niannian's voice didn't disturb them.
She slowly calmed down and cautiously asked: "You... who are you? Where is Mr. Xiao Lin?"
But those people still ignored her.
She carefully got off the hospital bed and limped to the side of the operating table. Only then did she realize that what was being dissected was a charred, shattered corpse.
"This... this seems to
be the corpses of those Gravediggers!"
Lin Niannian recognized them. "Um, what are you guys doing?"
No one answered her. Instead, they talked to each other. The sound of their voices sounded like a noisy buzzing to Lin Niannian.
"Hey..." Lin Niannian raised her hand to touch those people, but her hand easily passed through their bodies.
She slowly calmed down and started to seriously distinguish these people. They were very similar to Mr. Xiao Lin. Most data matched humans, but some necessary data had differences.
For example, they couldn't be touched, and they seemed unable to see her.
Some kind... subspecies of humans?
The sense of fear slowly disappeared, replaced by curiosity. Lin Niannian left the crowd, opened the door, and turned to walk out of the infirmary.
Her action didn't attract any attention, as if she really didn't exist at all. The corridor outside the infirmary was brightly lit, with people coming and going. It looked quite busy.
Lin Niannian gradually reacted. This... could this be what the institute used to look like?
She was very curious, but didn't know where to go. She could only wander aimlessly based on her impressions.
Walking and walking, she came to the living area on the first floor. Then she saw a familiar place, the water bar she had visited the night before last.
Lin Niannian carefully pushed the door and walked in.
There weren't many people in the bar, only five or six. The proprietress was stunningly beautiful. At this moment, she was wearing a blue-purple classical chest-high ruqun (a traditional Chinese dress). Her cascading black hair was fixed with a hairpin. She was playing the guqin (a Chinese zither) next to the counter.
The music was low, lingering, soft, and pleasant. For a moment, it made Lin Niannian somewhat dazed.
Subconsciously, she sat on a high stool next to the counter, quietly watching the proprietress play the zither.
This was truly a very charming person. Her temperament was outstanding, her talent amazing. One couldn't take their eyes off her.
I don't know how much time passed. The zither music gradually became more soothing, entering the finale, and finally stopped.
The proprietress raised her head and looked at Lin Niannian, revealing a smile that made her heart flutter: "How was it? Did it sound good?"
Lin Niannian first blushed slightly and said: "Very... good sounding." Then she suddenly reacted, "You can see me?"
"You are here, so of course I can see you." She plucked the strings lightly with her fingers. "My name is Zhao Ningyue. I'm the proprietress here. And you?"
"Lin... Lin Niannian."
Zhao Ningyue looked at her with great interest, as if looking at some small animal: "You are a mental Parahuman, right? And a very top-tier one. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to sense this place."
"I'm very ordinary. And I don't know why I'm here..." Lin Niannian didn't know how to answer. "Um, Miss Zhao, why can't others see me?"
"Because you are just a passerby. You are not in this story."
"Whose story?"
"Xiao Lin's story."
"Mr. Xiao Lin... But why can you see me?"
Zhao Ningyue smiled gently and mysteriously: "Maybe it's because I'm also quite special."
The inexplicable answer made the conversation between the two fall into a brief deadlock.
"So, what is your relationship with Xiao Lin?" Zhao Ningyue asked, resting her chin on one hand.
"Friends, I guess. He just moved to our town recently. And I quite like him. He's a very good person, and very powerful!" Lin Niannian said.
"Mm, liking is good." Zhao Ningyue narrowed her eyes and smiled. "But never get too close to him."
"Huh? Why?" Lin Niannian was puzzled.
"Why?" Zhao Ningyue's gaze became hazy as she looked at the ceiling, saying softly, "He chose a very long road. A road that can never reach an end..."
Lin Niannian half-understood.
"Oh right, Student Lin Niannian, there's one more thing." Zhao Ningyue looked at Lin Niannian with a smile, as if coaxing a child.
"You absolutely cannot tell Xiao Lin about our conversation today. If you tell him, I will kill you, and then destroy your little town."
Although it was a threatening tone, she said these words incredibly gently.
Lin Niannian looked somewhat uneasy.
"Rest assured. I'm an old friend of Xiao Lin. I won't hurt him." Zhao Ningyue blinked: "By the way, want some coffee? It's very delicious."