Chapter 133 The entrance fee for the Second Base

That night, Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan fell asleep listening to the laughter and noise of the children in the base.

The night passed without incident. Early the next morning, Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan woke up very early.

After all, they were in an unfamiliar place, so they couldn't sleep too soundly.

The two of them got themselves ready and came out of the room. It was only six o'clock in the morning.

Originally, Liu Ruyan thought this was early enough, but after coming out, she learned that Feng Xiuli had already taken Wang Dacheng and some others out of the base to go to sea.

After her initial surprise, she could only sigh that life was not easy.

When Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan were about to leave, the people in the base warmly saw them off to the gate.

After driving away from the base, Liu Ruyan had a sense of déjà vu.

This small base shrouded in thick fog had ordinary food and living conditions, but the atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, and the people were all very hard - working.

They helped each other and respected the elderly and cared for the young.

This small base was like a haven in the apocalypse.

Although they had only stayed there for one night, Liu Ruyan felt very good about it.

Liu Ruyan looked back.

The car had driven a certain distance. Looking back now, she could only see the thick fog, and the base was no longer visible.

Zhang Yuan glanced at Liu Ruyan with a smile. "What are you looking at?"

Liu Ruyan withdrew her gaze, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Nothing. I just think this base is nice. I hope their lives will always be this peaceful."

Hearing this, Zhang Yuan didn't say anything.

In the apocalypse, things changed rapidly.

No one knew if this base could remain like this all the time.

Even if Zhang Yuan didn't say it, Liu Ruyan understood this truth.

However, Liu Ruyan also felt that although they were living in the apocalypse, they couldn't completely lose hope.

Liu Ruyan quickly adjusted her mood, took out the map, and said, "We're not familiar with Haiqu City. We need to drive slowly on the way."

Although they had the route map given by Kong Rui and various pre - downloaded electronic maps of Haiqu City.

But after all, it was after the major earthquake, and many landmark buildings had been destroyed.

With the thick fog blocking their vision, it was still very easy to get lost.

Fortunately, the two of them had a good sense of direction. By exploring the way and carefully verifying, they managed not to take a wrong turn.

Even so, it was not until late afternoon that they finally arrived at the Second Base.

The First Base was rebuilt on the basis of a scenic area, while the Second Base was expanded from a coastal military base.

The base gate that Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan saw now was newly built.

After entering, it was the outer city of the base.

This was another difference between the Second Base and the First Base.

Although the First Base also had some important areas, there was no distinction between the inner and outer cities.

However, in the Second Base, the inner and outer cities were clearly separated.

This was clearly written in the information given to them by Kong Rui.

Zhang Yuan drove the car and gradually approached the gate of the Second Base.

There were two cars in front of them, so they had to stop and wait.

After waiting for about five minutes, the cars in front drove into the base.

Zhang Yuan drove forward and was stopped by the gatekeeper. "Please swipe your card."

There was a card - swiping machine at the gate of the base, just like the one at the entrance of an automatic parking lot.

Only after swiping the card would the barrier open.

Zhang Yuan rolled down the car window and handed a cigarette to the man at the gate. "Brother, this is our first time here. We don't have a card."

As soon as the man saw the cigarette, his eyes lit up.

Although it was just one cigarette, it was enough to make him excited.

You know, it had been three years since the apocalypse, and cigarettes had stopped being produced for several years.

People who could still get cigarettes now were very capable.

The man took the cigarette with both hands, and his face broke into a big smile.

"It's easy if you don't have a card. Anyone can enter our Second Base. But those without a base citizen card need to pay three catties of grain when entering the base, and then they can get a temporary identity card, which can be used for three days.

However, this card can only be used when entering and leaving the base. If you want to find accommodation or have a meal, you have to figure it out on your own."

Hearing the man's words, both Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan frowned.

Since the arrival of the extreme cold, the First Base had abolished the rule of paying grain to enter the base. Instead, it even searched for and rescued survivors and resettled them in the base.

Why did the Second Base require people to pay grain just to enter?

Three catties of grain per person didn't sound like much.

But it was already the third year of the apocalypse. With no agricultural production for three years, people were basically living off their savings.

Taking out three catties of grain just to enter the base, the price of this "entrance ticket" was really a bit high.

While Liu Ruyan was frowning and thinking, she heard Zhang Yuan say with a smile, "Besides grain, would something else work?"

The man also had a big smile on his face. "It depends on what it is specifically."

Zhang Yuan took out a somewhat wrinkled cigarette box from his pocket. "I still have more than half a box here. Brother, do you think you can make an exception?"

As he spoke, Zhang Yuan opened the cigarette box so that the man could see clearly what was inside.

There were probably more than ten cigarettes in the box, and the man's eyes began to shine. "Sure! We're brothers, right? In this world, at home, we rely on our parents, and outside, we rely on our brothers, right?"

The man directly took out two cards from his pocket, swiped them on the card - swiping machine, and handed them to Zhang Yuan. "There are checkpoints in many places in the base. You need to swipe your card to pass. Be sure to keep the cards well. Otherwise, if you're found without a card, you'll be kicked out of the base."

Zhang Yuan took the two cards with one hand and handed the cigarette box over with the other. "Thanks, brother!"

After saying goodbye to the man, Zhang Yuan drove into the base.

As the car window closed, the smile on Zhang Yuan's face disappeared.

"Every person without a base ID card has to pay grain to enter the base. This base has a considerable source of income."

Three catties per person, and for a hundred people, it would be three hundred catties.

For such a large base, the daily income must be quite a lot, right?

It was unknown who finally got these "entrance fees".

Liu Ruyan's voice also turned cold. "No wonder there are still small bases in Haiqu City."

If the Second Base was good enough, even if it was like the First Base, probably no one would set up a small base outside and struggle to survive with others.

Just the entrance fee was so expensive. What kind of price would one have to pay to live in the base?

As the car passed through the gateway, Liu Ruyan and Zhang Yuan finally saw the appearance of the outer city of the Second Base.

The road was wide, and there were streetlights on the roadside. Each light was very bright, as if it was dispelling the thick fog with its light.

On both sides of the road, there were shops one by one.

All the shops were open, and the lights were on inside.