Sun Zhichun had already followed Su Su’s gaze and saw the sign that read: “Old City District Buildings, Grade 3 Crystal per Month.”
“You guys, where do you want to live?”
Su Su was a bit surprised. “Isn’t housing assigned here?”
At the previous Southern Base, housing was assigned. After verifying an ability user’s identity upon entry, they were uniformly placed in the Northern District. Different living standards were allocated according to individual levels.
For example, Lin Weiran and Si Zhe lived in a large villa close to the City Lord’s residence.
Sun Zhichun shook his head. “In the Northern Base, everyone picks their own residence. Based on your financial situation, you can live wherever you want.”
That casual?
Su Su joked, “Then can I live in a Siheyuan?”
“Of course, no problem!”
Suddenly, a middle-aged man with a sneaky look darted over, a low-tier Grade 2 ability user, directly cutting into Sun Zhichun’s words.
From the moment this group entered the city, he had already set his sights on them—brand-new black hiking gear, rosy and full faces, clear and curious eyes… Everything indicated that these were ability users who were living quite well.
“You guys looking for a Siheyuan? Perfect! I know a few ability users who still have one available. How about I take you to check them out?”
Su Su was somewhat wary of this sudden stranger. “You are…?”
“I’m just a broker at the base entrance, making a living off information gaps.” The broker rubbed his hands together. “If you’re looking for a place to live, give me a Grade 3 Crystal, and I’ll take you on a full tour of the Northern Base. I also have great Siheyuan resources!”
Su Su looked at Sun Zhichun.
The latter gave a subtle nod.
The Northern Base’s model had indeed given rise to a large number of low-tier ability users making a living in this way. Not everyone dared to venture outside the city to fight zombies—many relied on their quick wits to earn a living.
Su Su’s gaze lingered on the broker’s face.
The latter, sharp as ever, immediately caught on to her thoughts and became even more servile. “Beautiful lady, don’t be fooled by my sleazy looks. I’m a local here, and I’ve lived in the Northern Base for over a year. I dare say, few people know this place better than I do.”
“The Siheyuan you want? Not everyone has access to that resource, but with me, you won’t go wrong! Otherwise, I wouldn’t dare ask for a Grade 3 Crystal as payment!”
“I personally recommend the Siheyuan—you guys have a big group, and apartment buildings are small, cramped, and restrictive. A Siheyuan, on the other hand, is spacious, bright, and comes with a courtyard. There are no restrictions on water or electricity either. Plus, where you live affects the neighbors you meet.”
The broker rambled on non-stop.
The point about having more space actually struck a chord with Su Su.
“Alright, take us to see the Siheyuan.”
“Great!” The broker was just about to lead the way when he suddenly hesitated, as if remembering something.
“About the price…”
“What about the price?”
“Renting a Siheyuan requires a Grade 5 Crystal every three months.”
A Grade 5 Crystal?!
Su Su still had several Grade 5 Crystals in her possession. She had accumulated them in the Eastern Hunting Zone and along the way, and the only reason they hadn’t been eaten by Xiao Hei was because she had intended to keep them as backup for the Northern Base.
However, she was still curious. “Can’t I just pay extra Grade 4 Crystals instead?”
“Grade 4 Crystals won’t work.” The broker explained carefully, “Right now, all the Siheyuan are controlled by the major organizations within the base. Their primary goal in renting them out isn’t collecting crystals but screening for high-tier ability users, hoping to recruit them into their factions.”
“Ability users below Tier 5 typically wouldn’t have Grade 5 Crystals to spare on renting a Siheyuan. Only Tier 5 ability users wouldn’t hesitate to use Grade 5 Crystals. That way, these organizations can save the trouble of actively seeking out potential recruits.”
Major organizations within the base?
This was completely new knowledge.
Su Su took out a Grade 3 Crystal from her bag and tossed it to the broker. “Explain these organizations in detail.”
“Gladly!”
The broker happily accepted the crystal and started explaining from the beginning.
“The Northern Base is jointly managed by three organizations—the Ability User Guild, the Battle Pet Guild, and the Research Guild.”
“The Ability User Guild only accepts mid-to-high-tier ability users and is the most powerful faction in the base.”
“The Battle Pet Guild only takes in ability users or ordinary people who possess Battle Pets. They are the most eccentric and the most feared and ostracized faction in the entire base.”
“The Research Guild only recruits highly intelligent ability users or ordinary people. The most powerful Energy Disruption Device was developed by them. Although their combat strength is the weakest, they’ve invented so many useful things that the entire base depends on them. Even the other two guilds frequently have to seek their assistance.”
“On the surface, these three factions seem to coexist peacefully, but behind the scenes, they are constantly trying to undermine one another, each wanting to suppress the others completely. However, the triangular power structure is too stable—none of them can completely expel the others.”
From what she was hearing, the Northern Base had a far more complex political landscape compared to the Southern Base, which was straightforward and simple.
But such intense competition also had its advantages—it had propelled the Northern Base’s overall strength and research advancements far ahead of all other bases.
Su Su casually asked, “The Battle Pet Guild? Is that the one rumored to have Battle Pets that can transform into humans?”
“Yes, but that’s an old story by now.”
“An old story?”
“Yeah, the first case of a Battle Pet transforming into a human happened just over two months ago, and it shocked the entire base! But right after that, more and more Battle Pets started transforming, and now, no one finds it strange anymore.”
Su Su could tell that the broker’s tone was somewhat complicated when talking about Battle Pets turning into humans.
Perhaps because he hadn’t noticed any Battle Pets among their group, he voluntarily shared his opinion.
“What kind of world is this turning into? Even animals can become human now… And it’s all because of that Energy Disruption Device! If not for that thing clearing out the energy impurities in animals’ bodies, they wouldn’t be evolving faster than humans. The Research Guild—who knows what they’re thinking? When will that Energy Disruption Device be available for humans?”
As soon as he said this, the entire group fell silent.
If they really thought about it—among the three of them here, Su Su and Pang Cancan were both essentially part of the Battle Pet faction, and Sun Zhichun, whose sister raised over a dozen eagle-type Battle Pets, could also be considered an affiliate of that faction.
Perhaps realizing he had said too much, the broker quickly changed the topic. “So, which organization’s Siheyuan would you like to rent? I have access to all three.”
Sun Zhichun was just tagging along—the actual decision-making fell on Su Su and Pang Cancan.
Pang Cancan, as always, followed Su Su’s lead without question.
Su Su… she thought of Xiao Hei’s molting phenomenon.
Should she seek out a higher-tier healing ability user, or should she go to the Battle Pet Guild for their experience?
After pondering for a moment, Su Su slowly said, “Let’s check out the houses first. Comfort is the most important factor.”
“Alright, I’ll take you all to see them one by one.”
The broker led Su Su and the others to the eastern and western districts, where Siheyuan residences were most concentrated. They inspected the remaining dozen or so available courtyards.
After looking through them, the most satisfying one just so happened to be under the control of the Battle Pet Guild.
Su Su didn’t hesitate and directly decided, “This one.”
“Got it! I’ll go call the person in charge right away!”
The broker seemed to have some real connections—soon, he returned with a short, unremarkable man. The moment this man saw Su Su and the others, his eyes kept wandering over them, sizing them up.
His behavior was extremely rude.
Sun Zhichun frowned. “What are you looking at?”
The short man withdrew his gaze and smiled apologetically. “Sorry, I just wanted to see if you were carrying Battle Pets.”
“So, if we don’t have Battle Pets, we can’t rent your Siheyuan?”
“That’s not the case. We welcome all ability users to rent.” The short man explained, “However, those who have Battle Pets receive additional benefits.”
Su Su and Pang Cancan exchanged glances.
Su Su’s Xiao Hei, and Pang Cancan’s Baby—sooner or later, their presence would be exposed.
There was no need to hide it.
Pang Cancan took the lead and released her venomous insect. Right in front of the short man, it slowly crawled out from her sleeve, then suddenly inflated to the size of a suitcase with a red-eyed, jagged-toothed appearance, scaring the man into taking several steps back.
“This is my Baby.” She patted the insect’s hard shell proudly. “Isn’t it impressive?”
…The short man was at a loss for words.
He had seen plenty of Battle Pets before. Most people either raised them for their combat abilities or for their attractive appearance—but he had never seen someone keep such an ugly giant insect as a pet.
“Imp—Impressive.”
His tone, however, sounded less than sincere.
Pang Cancan didn’t care—as long as she thought her Baby was beautiful, that was enough.
“Hiss—”
As if hearing someone blindly praising an ugly bug, Xiao Hei, the black snake, unhappily slithered out from the backpack and stared at the short man with its eerie gaze.
A thick python suddenly emerging and staring him down—the short man was startled yet again.
A snake and a bug… Do all pretty girls these days have to raise such fierce creatures? Of all the things to keep, why must they choose poisonous Battle Pets?!
Nervously, he glanced at Sun Zhichun, afraid this guy would pull out a giant centipede next.
Thankfully, no third poisonous creature appeared.
Su Su urged, “We’ve shown our Battle Pets. What’s the discount?”
The short man wiped his sweat. “Our Battle Pet Guild takes care of its own. Battle Pet owners who rent a Siheyuan only need one Grade 5 Crystal to stay for six months.”
That was indeed quite a good deal.
“Let’s sign the contract.”
“Alright!”
Ever since the snake and the insect revealed themselves, the short man completely changed his demeanor. Gone was his earlier scrutinizing gaze—his tone became exceptionally respectful, and his attitude turned proactively enthusiastic.
The contract was quickly finalized.
Su Su then turned to the broker from earlier. He had already received his introduction crystal, but at this moment, he looked visibly uneasy about his previous remarks.
He even secretly slapped his own mouth a few times.
Why did I have to run my mouth?! People can’t be judged by appearances—haven’t I learned my lesson yet?!
Just then, Su Su suddenly said, “There’s something else I want to ask you.”
The broker immediately perked up and eagerly leaned in, despite being in his thirties, shamelessly grinning. “Sis, just ask me anything!”
“Do you know where I can get a Battle Pet treated?”
“Uh…”
“You should be asking me about that.” The short man rudely pushed aside the broker and grinned widely. “Our guild has ability users who specialize in treating Battle Pets. You’ve come to the right place!”
That was exactly what Su Su had been waiting for.
“That’s perfect!” To any onlooker, the beautiful young girl visibly let out a long sigh of relief. “I’ve been worrying for days—finally, I’ve found the professionals!”