Chapter 123: A"s safe zone
During their short stay in E City, the four of them did not acquire ident.i.ty cards for themselves, thus, they need to go through the proper procedure now to get one. Actually, they could have taken advantage of Long Zhanye"s special status and avoid a lot of inconveniences. However, prompted by a sudden impulse, Huo Zaiyuan wants to abide by the safe zone"s law and go through the entire process like a good citizen. Which is why they are currently lining up with the other survivors before the left-side gate.
Since everyone is willing to wait in line, Long Zhanye naturally doesn"t object. Under the flabbergasted and astounded gaze of the poor guard, the violent and s.a.d.i.s.tic b.a.s.t.a.r.d of a Lord Captain Long surprisingly queued up to register his name with a patient smile on his face.
The moment the crew in charge of registration notice their Boss waiting in line, their speed increases ten-fold. On a typical day, it would have taken an hour for them to get to Huo Zaiyuan, but this time, only half an hour pa.s.sed before it was his turn.
"Your name, please?" The soldier asks Huo Zaiyuan in an extremely deferential tone, albeit a little stiff. His eyes dart towards the insipidly smiling man standing over the youth"s shoulder from time to time, heart trembling in his ribcage.
Heavens ah, that demon king is unexpectedly acting so gentle and protective towards this white lotus little older brother. This una.s.suming person must surely be even more incredible than the demon king…
Seeing the strained expression on the soldier"s face, Huo Zaiyuan flashes him a warm smile. "Huo Zaiyuan."
"Huo…eh? Huo Zaiyuan…Ah! I know you! You"re the escaped criminal Boss sent out a pursue warrant for!!" Upon hearing Huo Zaiyuan"s name, the man"s eyes brighten as he crows in delight at remembering something.
Huo Zaiyuan"s smile disappears instantly even as Long Zhanye"s expression stiffen, glaring b.l.o.o.d.y murder at the soldier.
On the receiving end of the demon king"s killer scowl, the man begins to shiver like a dead leaf in the wind.
He - he"s done for. But why does he also feel as if he brought up a taboo topic?
"Continue." Staring at the trembling soldier, Huo Zaiyuan finally speaks.
Exactly how much do these soldiers fear the man standing behind him ah? Why is it almost every single one of them resemble a lamb facing a wolf?
"E - eh…"
"Not going to hurry up and continue?! What are you daydreaming about?!" Long Zhanye"s annoyance deepens further as the soldier stutters, clearly still trying to comprehend what just happened.
"Y - yes, Sir!"
The man jumps slightly like a startled cat at Long Zhanye"s sudden snappish tone before reverting to as professional an att.i.tude as he can with his Boss glaring at him. With a meticulous and careful approach, he handles Huo Zaiyuan"s registration swiftly.
Because Huo Zaiyuan is together with Long Zhanye, even the bravest person wouldn"t dare to ask Huo Zaiyuan to stay the night in the separate district for observation. Generally, survivors would need to remain in the separate district for a period of time in order to ensure they are not infected in any way before an access card is handed to them. However, the soldier immediately hands over the pair"s cards after noting down the necessary information.
Once Qin Jun"s and Li Qing"s cards are pa.s.sed over as well, the four are respectfully seen off.
Ai…such a pressurising moment is finally over.
"Long Zhanye, it"s all your good deeds, making me an escaped criminal." As soon as they reach a place with no one around, the normally serene person finally explodes, pinching Long Zhanye"s ear. Naturally, he makes sure not to use a lot of strength.
"Ow ow ow, little Yuan, hurts!!" Long Zhanye is well aware Huo Zaiyuan doesn"t like to be reminded of this matter, so upon seeing the unhappy pout on the youth"s face, he feigns pain to soothe his little lover"s anger.
To be honest, his little Yuan has already given him a lot of face by controlling his temper in front of Long Zhanye"s subordinates, waiting until they reach a place with no outsiders before flaring up and pinching his ear. But ignoring all that, Long Zhanye reckons Huo Zaiyuan"s furious look is rather adorable no matter how you see it.
"I didn"t use any strength." Letting go of Long Zhanye, Huo Zaiyuan sniffs haughtily and turns around, facing his back to the older man.
"I know little Yuan loves me most. That matter is a mishap I recognise as a huge mistake. Actually, I thought you would have used "Zi Yuan" instead." Hugging Huo Zaiyuan from behind, Long Zhanye kisses his cheek. "If you think it will be troublesome, I"ll go make them change the name on your ident.i.ty card."
"No need, leave it as it is." In actual fact, he is not angered, only displeased that this issue is still able to cause him inconvenience even during the apocalypse.
"Not angry anymore? Then come on, let"s go check out our accommodation." Clasping Huo Zaiyuan"s hand, Long Zhanye leads them in the direction of the dormitory building.
"Older brother Long, you"ve got a dormitory here, but what about the rest of us?" Li Qing questions.
Huo Zaiyuan always stays in the same place as Long Zhanye and sleep in the same room. On top of that, he has his s.p.a.ce, so he doesn"t need to worry about accommodation. But not Li Qing and Qin Jun.
"I have an entire floor of the building to myself. Four units on one level. Little Zuo and Ah You share a unit, my grandfather and his Elder Taoist priest friend share another. The remaining one will be given to you. As long as I"m here, I"ll not allow you to sleep on the streets of this safe zone."
"Thank you very much, older brother Long!" Li Qing exclaims happily, bouncing next to Qin Jun.
The safe zone was established with the military base at the heart of it. When development first commenced, there were only five dormitory buildings suitable for living as the number of soldiers living within the district is originally not a lot. Afterwards, in order to squeeze out a few more rooms, a house meant to accommodate eight is made to fit sixteen, but that still wasn"t enough.
With this system in place, anyone who is able to stay in the original five military dormitory buildings wouldn"t be ordinary people. Survivors who are unable to pay for entrance due to insufficient food supplies on their person can only set up tents along the streets of the safe zone.
Later, when the perimeter walls were extended further outwards, orders to build more houses were issued from above. Quite a few survivors volunteered to help with the buildings, hence more rooms become available. But the problem still persists.
With Long Zhanye"s status, he is able to occupy an entire floor on his own in the past, but now, he is restricted to only having a unit to himself.
Ever since the start of the apocalypse, water and electrical supply have long been cut off within the city. Nevertheless, the military district is an independent region. With their numerous backup generators, one at least doesn"t have to worry about electricity shortage when in the safe zone.
The dormitory building which Long Zhanye stays in has twenty storeys, with his floor being the topmost level. The four of them immediately steps into the elevator and head up.
"Huu…it"s been so long since I rode an elevator. Really missed it." Li Qing exhales as he steps out.
After Judgment Day, elevators became death traps and is considered one of the riskiest places to be. Without electricity, it wouldn"t be able to move, and behind those steel doors, unimaginable danger lurks.
"If you miss it so much, you can ride this to your heart’s content today. If you feel lonely doing it by yourself, you can always call Qin Jun to accompany you." Huo Zaiyuan shoots him a mischievous smile.
"You…as if I"m going to do that! Little Yuan, you are indeed getting more and more irritating!"
"Thank you very much."
The locks on the room"s door is an electronic number pad. With no need for a key or an access card, it is extremely convenient. Telling Qin Jun and Li Qing the number combination to enter their unit, Long Zhanye pulls Huo Zaiyuan into another.
"Aren"t you satisfied?" Long Zhanye asks softly.
The entire room is mainly black with white as the secondary. The two colours are individually clear and distinct but contrast nicely with each other. The splashes of white here and there amongst all the black give off a simple but elegant feel, allowing Huo Zaiyuan to like it at first glance.
"Did you decorate it yourself?" Huo Zaiyuan inquires as he exchanges his sneakers for a new pair of slippers.
Ink black tiles cover the entire floor and skirtings, with blue dots connecting the corners. The walls and ceiling are covered in white wallpaper with small blue flowers scattered over the background. Several simple put elegant white fluorescent lights hang from the ceiling, with the window curtains bearing the same colour and pattern as the wallpaper. In the hall, a black sofa accompanies a white coffee table…
"Adjutant Zuo initially decorated the entire room in black so everytime I stay here, I feel as though I"d soon be blinded by this colour. After that I got someone to change a few things, hence its current condition. Come, here"s the bedroom." Leading Huo Zaiyuan over to a wall, he reaches out and pushes, causing the wall to rotate on an axel.
As the wallpaper covering the surface is all joined and matched seamlessly together, had Long Zhanye not pushed it open, Huo Zaiyuan would never have noticed the hidden door.
"It"s a very unique design," Huo Zaiyuan says admiringly as he cranes his neck to peek over Long Zhanye"s shoulder. The interior of the bedroom is identical to the hall.
"The kitchen is over there, and the bathroom is next to the kitchen. There"s no bathtub in the bathroom, though." Pulling Huo Zaiyuan into his arms, Long Zhanye pecks his cheek. "Although I am pretty tired and really want to rest together, I still have to see my grandfather first."
"Un."
Huo Zaiyuan is naturally aware of Long Zhanye"s thoughts. Even with his high status, he is ultimately still a soldier in the army. Having left the base for an extended period of time, he must report to his superior now that he has returned.
"Then I will take my leave first. Go to bed if you are tired. If you feel bored, you can always find Qin Jun and little Qing for company."
"Okay."
Long Zhanye leaves immediately after, but Huo Zaiyuan doesn"t feel bored at all. Exploring the entire unit once over, he discovers a small balcony.
At the twentieth storey, the air here is very fresh and the wind that blows through it extremely refreshing. In addition, the view is not too bad. One can see almost everything from up here.
As his gaze sweeps over the entire safe zone, he realises a very interesting fact. The entire layout unexpectedly resembles a bagua.
With the military district in the middle, the newly established residential areas, open plantation s.p.a.ce, etc, all come together to paint a perfect image of a Five Elements Eight Trigrams array. The perimeter walls also form an octagon. This entire safe zone is one huge protective barrier!