The prize slipped through her fingers.
Yun Xiaoxiao's mood turned sour.
She shot Ling Jing a sullen glare.
Ling Jing smirked back at her, lowering his voice to whisper in her ear, "Dare to sell me out for food again, and I'll spank you until you can't sit."
Yun Xiaoxiao let out a cold laugh, crunching the lollipop between her teeth.
It was as if she was biting someone's head off rather than candy.
Ignoring him, she tilted her head back, scanning the area for any sign of Lu Chen and the others.
The sky grew darker, and by the time it was almost their turn, the moon had already risen on the horizon.
Electric lights flickered on at the main gate of the base.
The number of guards on the city walls had doubled since daytime.
Just then, she noticed a well-dressed man approach the guard in charge at the gate, whispering something into his ear.
Afterward, the guard's gaze swept over the line of survivors.
Yun Xiaoxiao clearly felt the guard's eyes linger on her for a moment longer.
There was a hint of scrutiny in his gaze.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, her wariness increasing.
When it was finally their turn, she and Ling Jing were led to separate inspection areas on the left and right.
The left was for male inspections, the right for females.
As Yun Xiaoxiao entered, a woman in protective gear instructed her to remove her jacket and step into a machine.
After a moment, the woman opened the machine's door.
Without saying anything special, she told Yun Xiaoxiao she could leave.
Following the fenced pathway, she made her way to the registration desk.
Two workers in protective suits sat there.
"Name?" One held a pen and notebook for registration, while the other asked questions.
Behind them stood two armed guards, their faces stern like guardian statues.
Yun Xiaoxiao glanced at them briefly before averting her gaze.
She smiled innocently, pursing her lips. "My name is Yun Xiaoxiao."
"Age?"
"Five years old."
"Supernatural abilities?"
"What are supernatural abilities?"
Yun Xiaoxiao asked with wide, gleaming eyes, appearing completely clueless.
The two workers exchanged glances, about to write down her information when suddenly a figure appeared at the desk.
Without warning, he struck out at her!
Yun Xiaoxiao lowered her gaze, a cold feeling settling in her heart.
She recognized this man – it was the guard captain who had been eyeing her earlier.
He clearly had ill intentions!
Quickly, she pretended to be terrified, "accidentally" falling off the chair.
At the same time, she calmed her restless little companion, urging it not to act rashly.
"Waaah!" She looked up, her face a picture of fear and grievance as she burst into loud sobs.
"The uncle is so scary, Xiaoxiao is so afraid, wuwuwu~"
"How could someone do that, attacking a child for no reason?"
"Yeah, is this how unreasonable Rongsheng Base is?"
Yun Xiaoxiao's cries were loud, quickly stirring up discussions among those still waiting in line.
Nearby, Ling Jing stood with his arms crossed, watching Yun Xiaoxiao's performance with an amused smirk.
However, he didn't expose her act.
Instead, he watched the scene unfold with interest.
Hearing the murmurs of the crowd and seeing Yun Xiaoxiao wailing like a little cry-baby, the guard captain furrowed his brow in confusion.
Had he made a mistake?
Was this child not the one they were looking for?
Earlier, he had received orders to find a five-year-old girl with dual Ice and Wood Element supernatural abilities.
No reason was given, only that once found, the girl was to be bound and sent to the Base Commander's home.
If she resisted, she was to be eliminated on the spot!
In these apocalyptic times, it was rare to see a child under ten at the base for days on end.
This greatly narrowed down the search.
And coincidentally, one had appeared today.
The age and gender matched perfectly.
That's why he had tried to test her earlier.
If she truly possessed dual supernatural abilities, she would have surely retaliated.
But... she didn't.
She cried like a helpless child, making him look like a bully.
He glowered at Yun Xiaoxiao, his face dark.
"Do you really have no supernatural abilities?"
"Uncle, what are supernatural abilities?" Yun Xiaoxiao blinked her tear-filled eyes, looking completely bewildered.
The man's lips twitched, and he changed his approach.
"How have you survived until now?"
Yun Xiaoxiao glanced around before pointing at Ling Jing.
"That's my brother, he protects me."
Ling Jing: ...Heh...
So he was just a convenient shield, huh?
He gazed at Yun Xiaoxiao nonchalantly, "Well, actually..."
He deliberately dragged out the last syllable, and sure enough, the next second he received a threatening smile from Yun Xiaoxiao.
He pressed his lips together, changing tack.
"Actually, my sister is very timid. Please don't scare her. If she's done something wrong, just tell me, and I'll discipline her."
"It's fine now." The guard captain's eyes darkened as he turned and returned to his post.
After Yun Xiaoxiao and Ling Jing completed their registration, they each received an entry permit.
It was essentially an ID card, proving they were residents of Rongsheng Base.
According to regulations, they had to surrender 10% of all their supplies to enter.
They would also need to pay a daily protection fee, or risk being expelled from the base.
Yun Xiaoxiao didn't mind at all, as none of it was really hers anyway.
As for Ling Jing, he also seemed indifferent.
After handing over their supplies, Ling Jing drove through the vehicle entrance into the base.
As soon as they entered, they saw several people holding small signs that read 'Tour Guide' standing on both sides of the passage, waving at them enthusiastically.
Ling Jing stopped the car and opened the window, beckoning to a short-haired young man.
"Are you familiar with the inside of the base?"
"Yes, I..."
"Good, get in." Ling Jing cut off the man's words before he could finish.
The young man got into the car and introduced himself warmly.
"You can call me Little Lin. Feel free to ask me anything about the base."
"Alright, I'll drive around the base first. Can you introduce the different areas?"
"Of course, no problem."
The car headed towards the right side of the main gate.
Little Lin pointed to a grassy area not far from the right side of the gate.
The lawn was covered with tents of various sizes.
It was overcrowded, with people hanging laundry and cooking around the tents...
The toilet seemed to be just another tent, marked only by a piece of paper indicating it was a bathroom.
Overall, it was chaotic, resembling a refugee camp.
"This is where the lowest-ranking survivors live. It's for ordinary people who don't have many resources or special abilities.
They survive by doing hard labor every day, earning three meals.
When I say meals, I mean three steamed buns.
Actually, they used to get porridge too, but about half a month ago, even that stopped.
Who knows how long they'll be able to get these buns."
As Little Lin spoke, there was a hint of melancholy in his voice.
