Lan Jin only skimmed through the rest of the clauses. She wasn't planning to live here long-term, so there was no need to read them too carefully.
By the time they finished looking through the booklet and eating breakfast, it was already close to ten. After washing the dishes, the four of them headed straight upstairs to the third floor.
Compared to the cafeteria on the second floor, the one on the third floor was noticeably quieter. In fact, there were hardly any people eating there at all at this hour.
Lao Gao said, "Let's just come here for dinner tonight. No need to check it now. We'll go look around the supermarket first."
Right after she spoke, they arrived at the supermarket entrance.
The place wasn't as cramped as they had imagined. In fact, it was spacious—though the spaciousness came from its layout, not from the amount of stock. Many shelves were already completely empty.
The sections labeled "vegetables" and "fruits" were so clean and bare that Lan Jin wondered if they had ever been stocked at all. Still, she asked curiously, "Does the base really sell fruit? What kind would they even have?"
There were two staff members inside, but neither of them bothered to respond. The question went unanswered.
When they reached the water section, Huang Jinghe immediately grabbed a shopping basket and, together with another person, filled it with several bottles. Lan Jin and Ling Jiang wandered around the aisles to see if there were any snacks they hadn't seen before.
There weren't.
It was all the same brands Lan Jin already had stored in her space, so there was no point buying more.
When Huang Jinghe went to pay for the water, the cashier said, "Water is limited to two bottles per person per day. If you have more than that, you'll need to pay separately."
They had never heard of this rule before. But given how cheap the water was, it made sense the base would worry about people hoarding it.
"Alright, we'll split it up."
One bottle of mineral water cost one contribution point, each bottle holding 500 milliliters. If rationed carefully, two bottles a day was enough—certainly better than going without and dying of thirst. By that standard, it wasn't a small amount, so even with the limit, they didn't feel resentful.
…
The J City base was big in some ways and small in others. There were only so many places worth visiting, and by the end of the morning, they had finished exploring them all.
The difficult task of finding out the route to their next destination fell to Lao Gao.
During the day, most people were at work, so it was hard to find anyone to ask. Lao Gao only got the chance in the evening, when people returned to their dorms.
When one person heard she was only staying a few days, they looked genuinely surprised. "Didn't you say you're local? Why go somewhere else? Staying here would be better."
Lao Gao improvised, "My younger brother's from that area. I have to take him back first."
Although Huang Jinghe was from J City, he had also spent time in nearby areas and other cities. He knew several dialects and now took the chance to speak a few lines in one, showing off.
The person didn't question them further—perhaps because they simply didn't care. Instead, they said, "There's a map for these routes. Just follow it. But only the authorities have them. The kind sold in the supermarket is useless. If you really want one, find a man called Brother Luo. He's got some skill and might be able to get it for you."
With that lead, Lao Gao contacted the middle-aged man named Luo.
When Luo heard what Lao Gao wanted, he wasn't surprised at all, as if plenty of people had asked him for the same thing. "I can get it. What will you trade for it?"
"Tell me what you want, and I'll see if I can get it," Lao Gao said with a smile.
Luo replied, "Ten jin of rice and five packs of instant noodles."
Lao Gao made a show of frowning. "That's a steep price. How do I know it's the real thing?"
"All official items have a special stamp. Ordinary people can't get it. Just check the stamp," Luo said. After a pause, he added, "You can really get that much? Don't try to trick me."
"Isn't that too much for a map? It can't be worth that much."
Luo stared at him for a moment before replying, "It's risky to get it. No bargaining. I guarantee it's real."
"Fine. But I'm leaving tomorrow afternoon. Can you have it ready before five?"
Luo frowned. That meant his only chance was tonight. But the trade was tempting, and he wasn't about to give it up. "Alright. If I can get it, meet me here at two in the afternoon. If I can't, it's because I wasn't capable enough."
…
At breakfast the next morning, Lao Gao shared the news. Success or failure would be decided by two o'clock that afternoon.
Lan Jin said, "If we can't get it, that's fine. In the next city, we should be able to find a black market. We can buy it there. Of course, getting it now is better. Black markets aren't as safe as people think."
Ling Jiang agreed. "Yes. Best if we get it. If not, no big deal."
As for the supplies, Huang Jinghe still carried a backpack full of them, including exactly what Luo had asked for, so there was no need to pack anything separately.
They ate only two meals a day, but since there would be no lunch later, they lingered after breakfast, took another quick trip to the supermarket, and then headed to the third floor to wait for the midday meal.
The third-floor cafeteria served stir-fried dishes, tastier than the second floor's food, and correspondingly more expensive. But with their plentiful contribution points, they didn't mind splurging once or twice.
After lunch, they packed up all their belongings and checked out at the first-floor front desk.
The three women waited at the exit while Lao Gao went alone to trade with Luo.
To his credit, Luo was both reliable and resourceful. At exactly two o'clock, he arrived and handed over not one but two maps.
One was a regular route map for after the ice age. The other showed the locations of all the official bases.
One glance at the official map was enough for Lao Gao to grasp the general routes and locations. Still, he asked cautiously, "Which stamp is the official one you mentioned?"
Luo pointed at the map. Lao Gao realized it was identical to the stamp on the invitation letter he'd bought on the black market.
He had already compared that letter with Lan Jin's before, so with the same stamp appearing here, this map had to be genuine.