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When Zhou Bai faced the gloomy man's questioning again, he no longer answered truthfully. Instead, he mostly replied that he didn't know, claiming that he seemed to have a bit of amnesia and didn't remember many recent events.
To Zhou Bai's surprise, the gloomy man easily believed him and recorded his basic information.
Then the man asked Zhou Bai some psychological questions, which, from Zhou Bai's perspective, seemed to be assessing his mental state and psychological condition.
"Alright, there's no problem. You should just live here well from now on," the gloomy man murmured, "There might not be many good days left…"
Zhou Bai questioned, "What did you say?"
The gloomy man gave Zhou Bai a pitiful look and said, "You still don't know? This world is finished. The last remaining humans on Earth are the 42 people in this base. Oh... including you, that makes 43."
Zhou Bai's heart trembled as he looked at the man in disbelief, "How is that possible?"
The gloomy man patted Zhou Bai's shoulder, "Come on, I'll show you to your room. As for the apocalypse, you'll understand it soon."
Zhou Bai's mind kept echoing the words of the gloomy man, and his heart still held a thousand disbeliefs.
But the unfamiliar place, the strange body, the inexplicable language appearing in his mind, the Nine Calamities of Heaven and Man, the earlier encounter with monsters… All these bizarre events made him temporarily suppress his impulsive urges, planning to observe quietly and slowly figure things out.
The gloomy man opened the door to see Elsa waiting obediently outside, like a little dog waiting for its owner to return home.
The moment the door opened, Elsa's eyes seemed to light up, "Teacher! I've been waiting here obediently the whole time!"
The gloomy man rarely smiled, "Good girl, Elsa. Let me first show Zhou Bai around, and then I'll get you something to eat."
So, the three of them walked along the corridor. This time, Zhou Bai carefully observed the building, finding that there were no windows anywhere, and not a single glimpse of the outside could be seen. This compelled him to ask, "Is this base underground?"
The gloomy man glanced at Zhou Bai and said slowly, "You're very perceptive. It's an underground bunker, the last haven I created."
Zhou Bai asked, "What happened outside?"
The gloomy man replied coldly, "The outside has turned into hell. This base is our last hope for survival."
With that, he no longer paid attention to Zhou Bai, leading him directly to a room and opening the iron door, "This is your and Elsa's room. Elsa, you show him around. I'm going to get some food for you."
"Okay, okay!" Elsa nodded happily and followed the gloomy man, drooling.
The man had to press her shoulder and push her back into the room, "Wait for me here."
Elsa's eyes sparkled, "Okay, okay!"
As the man left, Zhou Bai's heart inexplicably lightened a bit.
He looked up at the room before him. The furnishings were very simple, with two single beds, one on each side, two desks, a washbasin, and a squat toilet—resembling a prison cell more than a bedroom.
Zhou Bai glanced at the messy bed and sat on the tidier single bed. He looked at the doorway and saw the blonde little girl, Elsa, squatting by the door, her big blue eyes staring at the door.
Recalling the gloomy man's words, Zhou Bai looked at the little girl before him and thought to himself, "She seems a bit silly. Maybe I can get some information from her."
"Elsa, how long have you been here?"
Without turning her head, Elsa replied, "How would I know! I haven't learned to count yet!"
'This girl…' Zhou Bai thought to himself, 'How can she sound so justified without knowing how to count.'
Zhou Bai asked again, "Do you know about the end of the world?"
Elsa nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes!" She then solemnly added, "Teacher said there's nothing to eat in the outside world anymore! It's terrifying."
Zhou Bai continued, "… How did I get here? You said I was picked up…"
"Yes, Teacher picked you up outside!" Elsa said, rubbing her stomach, "I'm so hungry… If only Teacher had picked up a pig instead of a person, it's been so long since I had pork."
"..." Zhou Bai said, "Does Teacher go out by himself?"
Elsa lay on the ground, "So hungry…"
"Elsa?"
"So hungry."
Zhou Bai said, "This glutton, it's impossible to communicate with her."
A moment later, the door opened again, and the gloomy man walked in with a tray. He placed the tray in front of Elsa, "Eat."
Then he handed another tray to Zhou Bai, "You eat something too."
Zhou Bai looked at the tray, noticing a blob of something that looked like mush. He instinctively frowned. Seeing his expression, the gloomy man said, "Due to the shortage of supplies in the base, we can only eat synthetic food or nutrition bars."
Zhou Bai took the tray, scooped a bite with the provided spoon, and ate it, his face immediately contorting as he placed the tray to the side.
The gloomy man said, "You'll be living with Elsa from now on. She'll show you around."
Watching Elsa joyfully devouring the mush, Zhou Bai couldn't help but ask, "Is she reliable?"
The gloomy man scratched his head, "Elsa's intelligence is fine; she's just too simple-minded."
Elsa glanced at Zhou Bai's untouched tray with a predatory look.
The gloomy man quickly intervened, "Alright, Elsa, you've had enough for today. Don't you remember the last time you ate too much and threw up? Your stomach is actually full, but your brain hasn't registered it yet."
Elsa protested, "If my brain hasn't realized it, how can you be sure my stomach is full!"
"No more, or you'll vomit," the gloomy man said, taking the tray away and turning to Zhou Bai, "By the way, I haven't introduced myself. I'm Dr. Zhuang."
"I'm not full! I'm not full!" Elsa jumped around him, trying to grab the tray.
Zhou Bai said, "Are you sure it's alright for me to live with her? She won't eat me in my sleep, will she?"
"Don't worry, she's just a bit gluttonous, but she won't eat people."
"Are you really sure? She's biting your hand! You're bleeding!"
"It's fine, she's just territorial with her food…"
For the next few days, Zhou Bai lived in the base. Through his investigations, he gained a rough understanding of the place.
It was a five-level underground base. The first underground level served as a buffer zone. According to Dr. Zhuang, it was filled with the atmosphere of hell, and without specific protection, ordinary people would surely die upon entering.
The second and third floors were the living areas, used by forty-three people, including Zhou Bai. Zhou Bai noticed something peculiar: apart from Dr. Zhuang, everyone else in the base was between seven and fifteen years old.
The fourth floor was a warehouse storing abundant supplies, and the fifth floor was a laboratory accessible only to Dr. Zhuang. No one else could enter.
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