Tom signaled for Li Qiang to put down his weapon, and he also unstrapped the big knife hanging on him. At this moment, a woman dressed in a black suit and black trousers walked out with brisk and steady steps, waving her hand to command, "Put down your guns, they're not a threat."
Following her was a woman in a white skirt suit, holding a notebook in her arms, nervously surveying the surroundings. The woman in the black suit had shoulder-length hair, silky and shiny, with delicate features on her face. However, she looked very serious, complementing the mole beneath her left eye, resembling an ice goddess, with a beauty that could only be admired from afar.
"Hello!" Tom greeted her first, but the woman in the suit ignored him and instead walked to the side, continuously inspecting the outer wall of the shelter. Finally, she walked closer and knocked on the wall, "Titanium alloy, how is this possible?"
Tom felt a bit awkward. He was already uncomfortable with interacting with strangers, and the training of these past few days had just made him somewhat comfortable. But now, as soon as they met, the other party ignored him, leaving him unsure of what he had done wrong to be ignored like that.
It was the woman in the white skirt who spoke first, "Hello! Are you people from around here?"
"Uh... yes, we are!" Tom hurriedly replied.
"Is the shelter really sturdy? You seem very safe!" After examining it for a while, the woman in the black suit walked back and reached out to Tom, "Hello, I'm Shen Jiayi. I want to go inside and see what's going on." Tom's hand was still reaching out to shake hers when she withdrew her hand and headed towards the shelter's gate.
Tom's hand was left hanging in the air, unsure whether to retract or continue extending it, feeling even more awkward.
It was the woman in the white skirt who smiled and shook hands with him, resolving the awkwardness, "Hello, I'm Bai Tingting, you can also call me Assistant Bai. We're from Haiwei Group, and that person is our general manager. Our general manager wants to see what the situation is like in your shelter. Do you mind?"
Haiwei... Group?
At this moment, Li Zexin suddenly walked up with a flattering smile, "Of course, of course, it's the utmost welcome for Manager Shen to visit. I am Li Zexin, the general manager of Oprahs Offshore Trading Company. It's a pleasure to meet Manager Shen and Assistant Bai!" As he spoke, he reached out his hand to shake Bai Tingting's.
Bai Tingting graciously shook his hand, "Let's go in together and talk as we walk."
"Sure, sure!" Li Zexin squeezed himself between Tom and Bai Tingting, as if he were the leader of the shelter.
"These past few days, everyone has shrunk. Have you been injured?"
Li Zexin hesitated for a moment, then smiled and replied, "We were shrunk outside, which was very dangerous. But with our... our unity and hard work, we managed to break through all obstacles and successfully reach the shelter."
After that, Li Zexin followed closely beside Bai Tingting, actively introducing the situation of the shelter to her. His momentum seemed as if he were a big boss introducing his company to a potential client.
Tom wasn't good at such occasions; instead, he focused on the four mysterious individuals holding firearms.
He had heard of Haiwei Group, a multinational corporation. Cheng Fuhua also mentioned that their company was involved in small-scale industrial technology. This aircraft was clearly modified from the previous six-axis rotary-wing unmanned drone. It seemed they were very well-prepared for the current situation of people shrinking.
When faced with big cats and rats, it was difficult even for Tom with his Ruby to cope. Yet, they were well-equipped with firearms ready to use.
Were they allied with those Darwinian zealots?
But seeing the beautiful female general manager's curious look towards the shelter, it was obvious she didn't understand the shelter, and she didn't seem to be on the same page as the Darwinian zealots.
Tom couldn't figure it out; the current information was insufficient to make more deductions.
Li Qiang and the others were very unhappy with Li Zexin's abrupt interruption, but Tom didn't say anything, so they couldn't say anything either, and they just followed them back to the shelter.
Bai Tingting glanced at the countdown timer at the door and immediately asked, "Your countdown is relatively long, is it because there are awakened individuals?"
Li Zexin hesitated for a moment and reluctantly replied, "Yes."
"Then are you an awakened individual?"
Li Zexin's face immediately fell, "I... I'm not..."
Li Qiang took this opportunity to step forward and loudly answer, "Our boss is, he led us to break through the encirclement of rats and ran over here in an electric car."
At this time, Shen Jiayi was inspecting their modified remote-controlled toy car, nodding as she looked, "Rough modification, but very creative. Did you do it?"
Tom looked at her as she glanced at him, momentarily not reacting. It was Li Qiang who nudged him, and he replied, "Uh... yes... I did it... I have some tools..."
As a result, Shen Jiayi waved her hand, "You're also an awakened individual?"
Also?
Tom hesitated for a moment, "Yes, I am." It seemed that this Shen Jiayi might also be one.
"Show me!"
Tom was somewhat reluctant. The people from Haiwei Group came on strong, and now they wanted him to demonstrate without further ado? Who did they think he was? A monkey?
However, Bai Tingting was very tactful and intervened, "We've already visited four shelters on this trip and only encountered two awakened individuals. We're not very familiar with them. So, we hope you can let us see the situation. Don't worry, I understand you're afraid. We came here to rescue everyone. Our Haiwei Group has built a very safe and huge shelter in the Fumao District Industrial Park. Currently, many homeless people are being relocated there!"
Upon hearing that they were here to rescue them, everyone was overjoyed. Tears instantly filled the eyes of Zhao Yingying and the other two women.
Since the other party was here to save them, Tom was naturally willing to demonstrate his abilities.
Activating his Ruby, Tom held up a toy electric car in his hands. "With the power of the Ruby, I can gain three times the strength."
Shen Jiayi reached out, and one of her black-clad bodyguards handed her a Ruby. "This one?"
"Yes."
"Priority for evacuation! Let's go!" Shen Jiayi tossed the gem and turned to leave.
"Hold on!" Tom raised his hands and said loudly, "I can see that your aircraft can't accommodate so many people at once. We have wounded and women here. Please prioritize taking them away!"
Shen Jiayi stopped in her tracks and turned back, a hint of surprise flickering on her icy face. After glancing at Tom, she asked Bai Tingting, "Xiao Bai, how many can the first trip take?"
"Chen said we must limit the maximum capacity to 15 passengers for safety. So, besides us eight, we can take seven more. How many people do you have?"
Without hesitation, Tom replied, "Thirteen!"
Shen Jiayi immediately responded, "Three women, one wounded, and you take priority. The rest wait for the next trip. Let's take seven now!"
Tom shook his head, "I'll go in the second batch. Please take them all back first!"
This statement surprised the three locals and Shen Jiayi.
At this moment, she finally showed a hint of admiration instead of her usual icy demeanor. Her long eyelashes framed her eyes, showing a hint of respect, "I can imagine what you've all been through. My 'Jingwei' aircraft isn't fast. Round trip would exceed 14 hours. By then, your shelter would surely be useless. Are you sure?"
Tom nodded, "The wounded is also an awakened individual. He can help us extend for another four hours..."
"But at night, for safety reasons, our aircraft's speed will decrease. It may not be enough," Bai Tingting added.
"Still better than nowhere to go!" Tom expressed his determination in a simple sentence.
Shen Jiayi's next words startled everyone, "Alright, I'll stay with you to try to take them all back as much as possible!"
Both Bai Tingting and one of the black-clad men spoke up simultaneously to stop her, "No!"
The black-clad man continued, "General Manager, you can't stay outside!"
Bai Tingting was more tactful, "General Shen, the shelter arrangements require your command. You've been out since last night; you can't delay further. There are only a dozen survivors here, but there are hundreds waiting for your arrangement in the shelter!"
Whether it was an illusion or not, Tom had just glimpsed a trace of sadness on Shen Jiayi's face for a moment, but now it was back to her usual icy expression. She pointed at two armed black-clad men and ordered, "You two stay, and we'll withdraw together in the second batch!"
"Yes!" The two black-clad men answered without hesitation.
A company with such strict discipline reminded Tom of the military. These four black-clad men looked like soldiers, standing erect and holding their guns steadily, just like the special forces in movies.
This Haiwei Group was not simple!
But now, the Haiwei Group's shelter should be the best option for everyone. Relying on the government probably wouldn't work anymore. They would consider the specifics when they arrived there.
Since General Shen reduced the number of her guards by two, there were now nine spots available for this trip.
The three local technicians Zhao Yingying, Xiaomei, and Miss Sasha were definitely on the priority list, along with the sleeping Liu Lian.
The remaining five spots were straightforward—by drawing lots. Whoever got picked would be on the first evacuation list.
Tom voluntarily gave up the chance to draw lots; he would be the last to leave. Seeing Tom's generous gesture, Li Zexin was deeply moved and vowed to repay him.
Seeing Tom staying, Li Qiang resolutely chose to give up the draw, "Tom needs reliable helpers. Although I'm not an awakened individual, I'm the strongest in the team. I'll stay to help Tom!"
The first time they met, Li Qiang was a scoundrel who took advantage of the survivors' camp resources and even thought of bullying men and women. Tom helped him out, but he ended up running away himself. After the battle ended, he even wanted to snatch Tom's equipment but was scared off by lizard biscuits, nearly wetting himself in fear.
But now, he had subtly overcome his fear and learned to fight alongside Tom. This made Tom relieved. He patted Li Qiang's shoulder, expressing his gratitude.
The three local uncles had some complaints. They didn't want to participate in the draw and insisted on being directly placed on the first evacuation list.
Unfortunately, General Shen's bodyguards were not lenient. With a raise of their guns, they obediently complied.
While they were drawing lots, Tom woke up Liu Lian and asked about his condition.
Liu Lian still looked pale, but after a night's rest, he seemed slightly better. When he heard Tom briefly explain the current situation, he immediately asked Tom to bring his head close to his mouth.
"If I'm not mistaken, this Shen is Shen Guantian's second daughter, from the Shen Group. She's highly favored by Shen Guantian, and there are even rumors that he intends to groom her as the heir to the group."
"The heiress of the Shen family?" Tom discreetly assessed the frosty beauty, raising his evaluation of this woman by a notch.
Knowing how dangerous it was to shrink, she still personally came over?
According to Bai Tingting, she had come out last night, visited several shelters along the way, and finally arrived here.
Although this frosty beauty seemed difficult to approach, she was very efficient.