Su Nian took the keys to the house and stepped out of the housing leasing center, heading straight to her car. It was nearly three o'clock now, with just an hour left until dawn. She had to move everything from her car to her sixth-floor apartment before the sun fully rose, and find a place to park her car.
Arriving at the small building where she rented her apartment, Su Nian took a deep breath and began hauling her belongings upstairs. The only unlit floor in the building was the sixth floor, indicating it was likely unoccupied. The other floors from the first to the fifth were all illuminated, clearly inhabited. Perhaps at this very moment, someone might be hiding behind the curtains, secretly observing her.
Su Nian intended to settle in at Base One for the long term and didn't want to raise any suspicions right after arriving. Therefore, she dared not use her spatial abilities for moving. Instead, she kept retrieving items from her space and placing them in the car, then carrying them up one by one.
Only by making numerous trips could she accumulate enough items for future use in front of others. Since it was dark, Su Nian parked her car in a shadowy spot. Those peeking out from inside wouldn't be able to discern how much stuff was in her car.
Fortunately, Su Nian had trained in martial arts since childhood, and her physical fitness and strength surpassed that of ordinary people. Despite feeling tired after making so many trips back and forth, she could still persevere.
When she felt she had brought up enough belongings, Su Nian parked her car in a nearby parking lot. Besides the massive parking lot at the entrance of the base, other areas within the base presumably had parking lots too. Given the vast size of the base, relying solely on walking was impractical.
The parking lot also had shelters, though they probably didn't offer much insulation. Still, it was better than nothing. After parking her car, Su Nian retrieved a fuel can from her car and siphoned out the gasoline before carrying it upstairs.
Upon returning to the sixth floor, the first light of dawn was breaking. Even without turning on the lights, Su Nian could see everything inside the house clearly. Without delay, she replaced the lock core of the security door. Only by using her own lock core could she feel secure; otherwise, who knew if someone else had a key to the door.
The door seemed somewhat flimsy, so Su Nian decided that after becoming more familiar with the base, she would figure out a way to retrieve an iron gate from her space and install it as an additional security measure.
After locking the door, Su Nian set up a ladder and used a hammer and nails to install curtain rods inside. Once all the curtain rods were in place, she hung blackout curtains made of shading fabric. By the time the sun had fully risen, the temperature had soared.
Luckily, with all the curtains in place, each window was securely covered. This not only blocked out sunlight but also prevented anyone from outside the building from peering in.
Su Nian didn't rush to turn on the lights. Instead, she used a flashlight to inspect the house thoroughly. She had already paid the electricity and water bills using instant noodles and sausages, so the house had power.
After confirming there were no surveillance or eavesdropping devices, Su Nian finally turned on the lights. It wasn't that she was paranoid, but rather that she had too many secrets and had to be cautious.
As Su Nian switched on the lights, the bulbs on the ceiling illuminated the entire room brightly. Even after a night of strenuous activity, Su Nian was still in high spirits from moving into her new home and didn't feel tired.
Su Nian circled around the house and took the opportunity to spray insect repellent in every room. The apartment consisted of two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, totaling over seventy square meters. Both bedrooms faced south, with one slightly larger than the other, featuring a balcony, while the smaller one had just a south-facing window.
Su Nian chose the smaller room as her bedroom. With its smaller size, it would cool down faster when using a fan or air conditioner.
She sprinkled some water on the floor before sweeping away the cement debris and dust. Then, she retrieved click-lock wooden floorboards from her space. These were easy to install and replace. Besides these, she also had solid wood floorboards, linoleum, and more.
Despite the room's modest size, Su Nian managed to lay down the entire floor within an hour. After finishing, she mopped the floor and placed a bed frame and mattress in a suitable spot. She also brought out a new set of ice silk bedding, instantly making the small room cozier.
There were outlets on the walls, and Su Nian plugged in a power strip with a long cord. She then attached two fan units to the strip, adding ice cubes inside before switching them on. The breeze from the fans instantly relieved Su Nian, who was sweating profusely from the heat.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, Su Nian enjoyed the cool air for a while until she felt less sweaty. Then she got up and headed to the bathroom. She retrieved a bathing tub, undressed, and took a refreshing bath. Afterward, she stashed the tub back into her space since she feared the water would turn stale in the heat outside.
She had plenty of bathwater like this, which she hadn't found a use for until now. But now, she could use it to flush the toilet, saving quite a bit on water bills.
Waste not, want not!
Su Nian collected all the items piled on the living room floor and stowed them away in her space. Though the rooms needed rearranging, it wasn't urgent. By the time Su Nian returned to her small bedroom, the temperature had dropped.
Su Nian retrieved some congee and steamed buns from her space, had a simple meal, and let it settle. By around eight o'clock, she finally lay down in bed.
The window in the room was 1.2 meters square, but the curtains Su Nian hung covered the entire wall where the window was located. These blackout curtains effectively blocked out all light, leaving the room pitch black when the lights were off.
The whole building was silent, with no sounds from outside except for the hum of the two fans.
Accompanied by the sound of the fans, Su Nian gradually drifted off to sleep.
When Su Nian woke up, it was already six in the evening. Having slept for ten hours straight, she felt refreshed.
After lazing around in bed for a bit, Su Nian sat up, tidied the bed, and quickly went to freshen up and eat. She had only nibbled on a few things before bed, so now, feeling ravenous after waking up, she decided to treat herself to a hearty meal.
Su Nian spread a bamboo mat on the floor, set up the table she had used for meals, and laid out the dishes she wanted to eat one by one. Dining alone, she prepared small portions of each dish to enjoy a variety.