Chapter 12

Chapter 12

At 8 AM, Wu Yin finally saw the gates of the Langyan Shelter through the trucks coming and going.

The shelter was wrapped in layers of defense, with spiked electric nets on blast walls and four security checks, strictly managed. Surveillance sensors had recorded the weather-beaten transport truck early on, and soldiers manned machine guns behind cover on watchtowers every ten meters, ready for action.

Wu Yin and Xin Rong were made to get off at the first checkpoint, the reason being that the living quarters for scientific personnel and military staff were in different areas, and Officer Beard had been eager to offload these two burdens, so there was no intention to make a detour for them.

Of course, Officer Beard's reason for refusing Palmer a ride was ostensibly noble, claiming it was to get Captain Zhao Zhiyong, who had been bravely captured while covering for his teammates, to medical care as quickly as possible. Heaven knows Captain Zhao and Xin Rong hadn't even lost a bit of skin during their capture before Officer Beard came to the rescue, leaving one to wonder what kind of medical care was intended for Zhao. In summary, the message was: Professor Palmer, please make your own arrangements for the journey ahead.

Indeed, if not for the sake of appearances, Officer Beard would have preferred to say more directly: "Get off my truck, I really don’t want to see you again."

Before getting off, Wu Yin looked back one last time at the sleeping Xie Linyuan, his disheveled silver hair spread out on the stretcher, filled with grass ash, with a few locks clinging tightly to his cheek, no one willing to tidy it up along the way.

Wu Yin turned and jumped off the truck without hesitation.

After passing the vehicle inspection, the transport truck left behind a cloud of exhaust fumes and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Wu Yin and Xin Rong, covered in dust, stood in front of the first checkpoint's guardhouse, bewildered by the long queue before them.

Ahead of them, several burly men were cursing, chewing on twigs, complaining about having to stay up late to write mission reports, with one mentioning he needed to file a request for the replacement of a lost firearm, grumbling about the finance department being stingy and wondering whether his request would even be approved.

About twenty minutes later, it was finally their turn for the security check. The guard verified repeatedly in the shelter's personnel system, stating there was no female scientist named Xin Rong on record. He looked up from the service window: "Ma'am, you are not a resident of Langyan. Visitors please queue at the next window for registration and identity verification. After confirmation, someone will arrange your accommodation and management."

"Palmer..." Xin Rong clung to Wu Yin once more.

Wu Yin looked at the woman named with confusion, not understanding what she intended by her current demeanor.

Xin Rong stared at him intently, and after a while, she seemed to realize something, her eyes gradually reddening, almost bursting into tears.

Wu Yin: "..." What's happening?

"You," Xin Rong sobbed, "…you're disowning me?"

Wu Yin: "???"

Currently, most refugee camps accept all survivors unconditionally, but the living conditions are mostly poor. Saying it's unified accommodation for newcomers actually means living in temporary metal shacks, small and narrow, damp and hot, with lots of mosquitoes. If you're lucky, there might be a folding bed; if not, you're sleeping on the floor with two or three people squeezed into one room, dozens vying for a single public toilet.

Xin Rong had lived in such a "container" at an ally's refuge camp, too timid and unable to endure hardship, alone, and unable to accumulate enough points to move into the few available residential buildings after nearly half a year.

It was for this reason that she had mustered the courage a month ago to seduce Palmer, begging him to take her to the Langyan Shelter, hoping to climb into bed with someone of status for a better life.

She was not the only one with this idea. Palmer's reputation as a voracious lover was well-known in the camp, indiscriminate in his liaisons. However, Xin Rong had gone to great lengths, starving herself, managing to scrape together her scant food to get the chance to climb into Palmer's bed, then doing everything in her power to serve him, barely earning a promise to take her to the Langyan Shelter and even a spot in his scientist's dormitory.

Only when they were about to leave did Xin Rong find out that Palmer intended to bring three people, two women and one man, all promised a spot in his 40 square meter staff dormitory, planning a polyamorous setup with one man and three consorts.

She was trembling with anger but had no choice but to grit her teeth and set off.

Initially, Xin Rong had silently competed with the other two "consorts" for favor in the vehicle. The man, before boarding, had acted flamboyantly, clinging to Palmer's arm with various endearments, but strangely, became silent after boarding, keeping his head down without uttering a word.

The other woman shared Xin Rong's temper, likely also fuming upon realizing she wasn't the only one, and quickly started exchanging sarcastic remarks with Xin Rong after a few provocations. Palmer did nothing to stop them, seemingly enjoying the jealousy and competition, leaving Xin Rong both furious and regretful of her terribly wrong decision.

But unexpectedly, within just two days, she was the only one left out of the three, terrified by the 48-hour escape experience, yet also feeling an involuntary sense of relief, thinking she might finally have Palmer to herself...

But now it seems... this blond researcher doesn't quite seem to acknowledge the situation?

If Palmer doesn't agree to take her in, following the standard newcomer accommodation process at Langyan Shelter, Xin Rong would still end up living in a metal shack, covered with moldy, foul-smelling blankets, eating the worst and least food, and having to do physical labor for points from dawn till dusk, even taking on some dangerous external tasks.

"Mr. Palmer," Xin Rong tried one last time, pleading desperately, "You promised me..."

Wu Yin was close to having confusion written all over his forehead: "..."

Promised what? What exactly did Palmer promise you?

He recalled carefully; initially, he just randomly chose a young man to parasitize upon confirming the vehicle was heading to Langyan Shelter, knowing nothing else.

Xin Rong, with tears streaming down her face, said, "You promised me, let me..."

Everyone around turned to look, including the duty personnel at the booth, the burly man who was about to leave chewing on a twig, and a group of residents returning from tasks with hoes on their shoulders. Xin Rong's skin wasn't thick enough to lay out those sordid deals in public, a mix of grievance, fear, and shame overwhelming her, as she choked up and said, "Let me... be your, assistant, yes, your life assistant, you can't go back on your word..."

Life assistant?

What is a life assistant?

"Is that so?" Wu Yin took a half step back, unsure how to deal with the current situation.

"Yes, your li·fe as·sis·tant." Suddenly, a man's voice came from behind him. Wu Yin turned around to see a short man with brown curly hair smiling behind him, wearing the iconic white lab coat, and said meaningfully, "Palmer, a real man stands by his actions, why not take the lady home?"

Wu Yin quickly glanced at the work badge on his chest: Nate Floren.

"Floren...?" he ventured, and the other immediately laughed, stepping forward to hug him like a dear brother, giving his back a hearty pat: "Long time no see, Palmer. Why the formality with 'Floren'? Upset I didn't come to pick you up in time? Sorry, got delayed by a clumsy kid."

Saying this, he playfully winked at Palmer, implying a shared secret. Unfortunately, the wink was lost on Wu Yin, who understood none of it.

...But he pretended to understand.

"Nate," Wu Yin naturally switched to the informal address, deducing this man was Palmer's colleague from the research institute and seemingly a close one at that, "Are you here to pick me up?"

"Of course." Nate was all smiles, appearing very sunny and cheerful, but anyone that close to Palmer probably wasn't a simple character. He waved at Xin Rong: "There, there, beauty, no more tears. My little bro Palmer is the kindest to women; he must be joking with you. Come on, get in the car with us."

Hearing this, Xin Rong instantly stopped crying, looking eagerly at Nate, then at Palmer, and then at the booth's duty officer.

Everyone present, except Wu Yin, understood the real implication of a so-called life assistant. In the chaotic end times, anything goes, and the guard nonchalantly entered the information into the system, soon handing out two forms: "Ms. Xin Rong, please fill out the newcomer registration form here, asterisks indicate mandatory fields. The other is the Langyan Shelter's living guide, which you can take and read."

"Okay, okay," Xin Rong hurriedly limped over to write down her name, not daring to ask anything extra, for fear someone might change their mind.

Wu Yin silently leaned over, scanning the form's contents, quickly noting down the shelter's address section, memorizing the dorm building number and doorplate.

Half an hour later, under Nate's guidance, he skillfully used the keys from his pocket to open door 0411, dropping his bag, changing shoes, and flopping onto the sofa under the dust cover, a fluid series of motions as if he truly belonged in this small one-bedroom apartment.

Nate, who often visited Palmer, was familiar with the interior but had the tact not to enter, merely advising Palmer to rest well for the day and that they would meet at the institute tomorrow.

Before leaving, he also thoughtfully gave Palmer a strip of plastic sheets, about four or five, whispering, "A little welcome-back gift. These things are getting harder and harder to come by, in high demand."

After he left, Wu Yin puzzled over the folded strip for a long while, then turned to look at Xin Rong, who stood awkwardly in the entryway, unsure where to place herself: "This..."

Xin Rong paused: "Do you... need to use it?"

No sooner had she spoken than she wished she could slap herself; such a dry, hesitant response was unlikely to spark any interest from Palmer.

Though she had the intention to flirt with Palmer as she did in the ally's refuge camp, for some reason, she now felt a sense of dissonance with the man before her, preventing her from making any moves like sitting on Palmer's lap.

Judging by Xin Rong's reaction, these strips seemed to be quite common. Wu Yin pinched the circular indentations on them, casually tossing them onto the table without further inquiry.

"Life assistant..." he relaxed into the sofa, changing the subject, "What exactly does a life assistant do?"

Is he hinting at something? Is he teasing me in a mocking way? Xin Rong, nervous, tightly gripped her hands, carefully following Palmer's lead: "A life assistant essentially... provides a range of daily services. You, you can command me to do anything... cook, clean, do laundry, and also warm, warm the bed..." she deliberately paused ambiguously on the last word.

The notion of desire was Palmer's Achilles' heel, and her reason for standing here.

Unfortunately, her scheming was wasted on Wu Yin, who only picked up on the first task: "Cook?" He looked up, earnestly saying, "I'm hungry."

Xin Rong: "..." Could you specify what kind of hungry?

She struggled to interpret the context: "...Shall I go cook now?"

"Yes." Wu Yin appreciated her initiative.

Three minutes later, Xin Rong, unable to stand in place any longer, asked, "Um, Mr. Palmer... I don't have any money, and there are no ingredients at your place..."

Wu Yin had an "aha" moment, rummaging in his pocket for a while, pulling out a research institute work badge, an office door card from the institute, and three cards of unclear purpose.

Eventually, Xin Rong, referencing the shelter's newcomer guide, picked out the one that most resembled a cafeteria card.

She found it somewhat odd but, given the harsh living conditions and the unpredictable nature of her benefactor who could dismiss her at any moment, she didn't have the luxury to ponder further. Xin Rong asked Palmer to wait and hurried out the door, limping with the meal card in hand.