Noon, negative first floor of the Hive.
Andrea was having a rare day off.
She slept until she woke up naturally—ever since joining the security team, every day was either training or going on missions, and she hadn't been this relaxed in a long time.
When she woke up, sunlight streamed in through the gap in the curtains, drawing a bright line on the floor.
She lay in bed, dazed for a while, before slowly getting up.
After washing up, she put on loose loungewear and walked to the dining room.
A simple lunch was set on the table—a sandwich, fruit salad, and a glass of milk.
Amy was sitting opposite her, eating something in small bites.
Andrea sat down, picked up the sandwich, and took a bite. Then she noticed her sister's posture was a bit strange.
"What's wrong with your leg?"
She asked.
Amy was stunned for a moment: "What?"
"Walking."
Andrea frowned: "When I saw you walking over just now, your knees seemed... not quite right. And why are your knees so red? They're a bit swollen, too."
Amy looked down at her knees; they were indeed a bit red and swollen.
Her face flushed slightly, then immediately returned to normal. She nonchalantly picked up a strawberry and popped it into her mouth:
"Oh, that? It's from practicing yoga. I'm learning a new move lately, and it puts a lot of pressure on the knees."
Andrea looked at her suspiciously: "Yoga? Since when did you start practicing yoga?"
"Just recently!"
Amy avoided her sister's gaze: "I was just bored, so I'm exercising. You train so hard, and I want to keep in shape too."
Andrea was half-believing, but still nodded: "Well, don't push yourself too hard. Knees are fragile; it'll be troublesome if you hurt them."
"I know, I know."
Amy waved her hand, changing the subject: "You're off today? Not going to training?"
Andrea nodded: "It's a rare day off. By the way, why didn't you go to work? Isn't today a workday?"
Amy smiled: "I asked the BOSS for a day off to keep you company."
Andrea felt a warmth in her heart and reached out to ruffle her sister's hair: "At least you have a conscience."
After lunch, the two sisters walked out of the villa.
The sunlight spilled onto the street, warm and gentle.
The artificial sky in the distance was a clear, transparent blue, with a few white clouds drifting slowly by.
The lawns on both sides were neatly trimmed. A few households even had flowers planted in front of their doors—although they were artificial, they were still pleasing to the eye.
Andrea looked up at that "sky" and took a deep breath.
"Sometimes I really can't tell..."
She said: "Whether we are underground or above ground."
Amy linked her arm with hers and said with a smile: "Who cares? As long as it's comfortable."
The two sisters walked slowly along the street.
Occasionally, they could see other residents—the Old Professor and others were playing chess at the entrance of the community center, laundry was hanging in Brock's yard, and a group of children was chasing each other in the park, their laughter carrying far.
"This place really..."
Andrea said softly: "Is like another world."
Amy nodded: "Much better than up there."
They walked to the edge of the park and sat down on a bench.
Andrea watched the playing children, was silent for a moment, and suddenly asked: "Amy, do you think... can this world ever go back to how it was?"
Amy was stunned for a moment, thought about it, and said: "I don't know, but at least there are people here working hard."
Andrea didn't speak, just squeezed her sister's hand tightly.
The sunlight was nice.
But both sisters knew that the blue sky above their heads was fake.
Third-floor office.
Sandra pushed the door open and entered, standing straight: "BOSS, what did you need me for?"
Wu Fan put down the file in his hand and pointed to the chair opposite: "Sit."
Sandra sat down, waiting for him to speak.
"Dr. Abraham's daughter..."
Wu Fan said: "Is at the University of Georgia. I need you to take some people there."
Sandra frowned: "The University of Georgia? That's near the Florida border, at least several hundred kilometers from here."
"I know."
Wu Fan nodded: "That's why there's no time requirement. Drive slowly, pay attention to safety. Once you arrive, observe the situation first—if there are survivors, save them if you can; if the situation is too dangerous, retreat, and go back with more people."
Sandra listened intently.
"Also..."
Wu Fan continued: "There is a library at the university. Pack up all the books you can find—especially those on science, engineering, medicine, and biology—and bring them back. Also, bring back any computers you can move. Those materials might be more valuable than the survivors; I don't want our future children to regress to living in a primitive society."
Sandra nodded, but her brow was still furrowed: "Hundreds of kilometers of road, in the current situation... I don't know if the roads are blocked, and if we run into a horde of zombies..."
"That's why I said there's no time requirement."
Wu Fan looked at her: "Safety first. You can take detours, you can drive slowly, you can even turn back halfway. It doesn't matter if the mission isn't completed; it's most important that you come back alive."
Sandra was silent for a few seconds, then stood up: "Understood, I'll go gather the team now."
She walked to the door, then stopped, turned around, and hesitated.
Wu Fan looked at her: "Something else?"
Sandra opened her mouth, but finally said: "BOSS, if on the way... I encounter my family..."
Wu Fan interrupted her: "That's fine. You can look for your families along the way, as long as it doesn't affect the main mission, I won't stop you."
Sandra's eyes reddened slightly, and she nodded vigorously: "Thank you, BOSS."
She turned and strode out of the office.
After the door closed, Wu Fan leaned back in his chair and sighed.
Sandra was gone.
His most capable lieutenant, formerly of the National Guard, well-trained and calm in the face of trouble, was the only person under his command who had received true professional military training.
With her gone, who knows how long it would be.
The rest of them—Brock, Marcus, Dylan, Kyle, and the newcomers Andrea, T-Dog, and the others—were all amateurs, sheep in wolves' clothing.
Someone had to train them.
Wu Fan thought for a moment, picked up the phone on the desk, and dialed an internal line.
"Have Rick come over."
Ten minutes later, Rick pushed the door open and entered.
"You wanted to see me?"
Wu Fan pointed to the chair: "Sit, I have a job for you."
Rick sat down, waiting for him to speak.
"Sandra has taken a team out on a long trip, and I don't know when she'll be back."
Wu Fan said: "This group of security guards I have are all half-baked; they need someone to train them."
Rick blinked: "You want me to be the instructor?"
"Yes."
Wu Fan nodded: "You're a former police officer, you've received formal training, and you were a cop for over a decade. Your foundation is stronger than theirs. Help me whip these people into shape."
Rick thought about it and asked: "Will they listen to me?"
Wu Fan smiled: "If they don't listen, you have ways to make them listen, right?"
Rick smiled too.
He remembered how he used to handle the troublemakers when he was training rookies at the police station.
"Alright."
He stood up: "I'll give it a try."
Wu Fan waved his hand: "Not try, you must whip them into shape."
Rick nodded and turned to leave.
The office fell silent again.
Wu Fan opened the system panel.
[Hive Mall]
[Food/Drinking Water: Various supplies can be exchanged]
[Weapons/Equipment: Pistols/Rifles/Ammunition/Bulletproof vests can be exchanged]
[Vehicles]
humvee: 100 points
Armored Vehicle: 150 points
Armored Personnel Carrier: 200 points
Nuclear Submarine: 200,000 points (Locked)
[Aircraft]
Eurocopter Dauphin: 200 points
Sikorsky S-61R: 250 points
UH-60 Black Hawk: 250 points
V-22 Osprey: 300 points
C-130 Hercules Transport Aircraft: 300 points
SA330 cougar: 250 points
[Special]
Satellite Eye System: 100,000 points (Locked)
[SSS-Level Authority: Little Boy]: 100,000 points (Locked)
Wu Fan looked at those numbers and sighed deeply.
One hundred thousand points.
Two hundred thousand points.
He only had over five thousand now.
Enough to buy a few cars and dozens of guns, but still far from the really good stuff.
He remembered the people who used "MrAntiFun" infinite resources when he played games in his previous life.
If only he had something like that.
Unfortunately, he didn't.
He could only save up bit by bit.
Wu Fan closed the panel, stood up, and walked to the window.
Outside the window, people were coming and going in the parking lot.
Rick was standing in front of a group of newly recruited security personnel, saying something.
It only took a few short minutes for those people's expressions to change from skeptical to serious.
This kid, he really had some skills.
In the distance, the Atlanta skyline was still shrouded in smoke.
Wu Fan looked in that direction, not knowing what he was thinking.
After a long while, he turned and walked back to his desk, sitting down again.
He continued to look at the map.
He continued to plan.
He continued to wait.