In the end, Liu Miaomiao managed to persuade the others to accept Lin Xinghai as their roommate.
The turning point came when Wang Yao asked, "What if your old classmate tries something bad?"
Blushing, Liu Miaomiao muttered, "If he really wants to do something, then the first one he should come to is me." That single line ended all objections.
When the five women returned, Lin Xinghai raised an eyebrow. "Hold on. None of you asked for my opinion. How do you know I'd agree to be your roommate?"
"Oh? Don't tell me you'd rather live with a few sweaty roughnecks?" Liu Miaomiao arched a brow.
Lin Xinghai was instantly choked. Unless his orientation was twisted, no sane man would choose that.
"Ahem." He coughed to hide his embarrassment, then quickly shifted to a serious tone. "Liu Miaomiao, there's something important I need to tell you."
Her expression grew tense. "What is it?"
"When I woke up from the dormant cabin, it seemed I… lost some of my memory. Partial amnesia," Lin Xinghai said, straight-faced.
It was the most reasonable excuse he could think of. Whether they believed it or not didn't matter—he believed it himself.
Sure enough, Liu Miaomiao's eyes widened. "A malfunction in the sleep system? That's rare!"
Hearing her say this, Lin Xinghai's heart leapt. So it really was a known possibility. He was about to continue when she added:
"But it's fine. You just need to spend some points at the medical cabin and get a brain cell repair injection. Problem solved. Do you want me to go with you?"
Lin Xinghai almost cursed aloud. Was technology really this advanced?
He forced a calm smile. "No need. I feel my memory recovering bit by bit. No sense wasting precious points. I just wanted to let you know."
"You're sure?" Her gaze was skeptical.
"Absolutely," he said with firm conviction.
With that, the subject was dropped. Liu Miaomiao began introducing the others: Wang Yao, whom Lin Xinghai already knew, along with Qin Zixue, Yang Yi, and Shen Yimei.
After exchanging names, it was nearly time for the next step—dormitory allocation.
Before that, however, everyone had to re-verify their identities. The data was pulled from Vault 83's database and linked to their new ID cards.
These cards weren't just proof of identity—they doubled as bank cards, each loaded with ten starter points.
One point bought a low-grade nutrient meal. With careful rationing, that was three days of food.
Beyond that, survival was up to them.
Fortunately, the Star Shield Refuge was expanding rapidly and labor shortages were everywhere. Finding work wouldn't be difficult.
Once everyone received their IDs, the group was assigned to Room 301, Building D.
The registrar had given them a strange look when they applied to live together, but since the women agreed, he didn't interfere.
"Oh my god, this is too shabby!" The girls cried out as they stepped into their dorm.
Room 301 held only three iron-framed bunk beds. A single dim light bulb dangled overhead. No fan, no bathroom—just bare walls.
The entire floor shared two public toilets and a single water faucet. Worse, the faucet required an ID swipe: three points per bucket of water.
Now Lin Xinghai understood why so many people he'd passed earlier looked unwashed. Clean water was practically luxury good here.
At least the shelter provided basic bedding.
The girls tidied their bunks, grumbling about their future.
"According to this notice, we need to find jobs within two days. But the positions listed don't suit women." Liu Miaomiao frowned at the paper Ji Yuan had handed them.
"Factories and workshops, mostly. Forget that. I saw plenty of shops hiring salesgirls on the way here. Why not try those?" Wang Yao suggested.
"Did you check the wages? I don't want to earn just enough points to bathe once a week," Qin Zixue muttered. Of the group, she was clearly the cleanest.
As the girls traded opinions, Lin Xinghai remained silent, privately relieved he had already joined the Sky Splitting Mercenary Group.
Suddenly, Shen Yimei—who had been lingering at the door—let out a soft gasp. "Something's happening outside. Why is it so noisy?"
She stepped out to look.
Lin Xinghai's ears perked up. Among the distant shouts, he could clearly make out the sound of fists and bodies clashing.
Moments later, Shen Yimei returned, face pale.
"What's wrong?" Liu Miaomiao asked at once.
"Thugs. A gang calling themselves the Axe Gang is collecting protection fees. They fight well—I saw a skinny youth knock out a two-hundred-pound man with a single punch." Shen Yimei's voice trembled.
"What? And the security team? They're just letting it happen?" Liu Miaomiao was shocked.
Lin Xinghai walked to the window and glanced outside. "The security team already left. With so many people crammed into the lower district, they probably can't keep control."
He remembered Roger's words. Gangs were common here. The authorities had carried out several crackdowns, arresting troublemakers and sending them to labor camps, but they were always released eventually.
As long as these gangs didn't kill or torment ordinary residents too much, the security forces tended to look the other way.
Over time, this fragile balance became the norm.
Lin Xinghai hadn't expected to run into such trouble on his very first day in the Star Shield Refuge.