Apocalypse Escape: Day One of Survival

Xie Ning went to the meeting, mainly to help explain things about the X Realm.

After all, the safety and survival of everyone on Earth was at stake. It wasn’t that she was some kind of hero—it was just a small thing she could do to help.

During the first half of the meeting, Xie Ning pulled up the projected data on the X Realm and explained it to everyone. She also elaborated on her personal theories before promptly taking her leave.

Whatever decisions the base’s higher-ups came to had little to do with her.

She also never saw herself as a savior.

It was just like when Future tried to dupe her into believing she was the world’s protagonist—she had never wanted to save the world, so it was useless for anyone to try.

She returned from the meeting near dusk, and the enticing aroma of congee wafted from the kitchen.

Xie Ning trotted over to the kitchen doorway and poked her head in.

She happened to see her aunt, He Shuping, coming out with a rice cooker.

Their eyes met, and He Shuping said with a smile, ”Ningning, you’re back? How about we have congee for dinner, too?”

”I have to say, Cen Yun is a really great cook! We all picked up a trick or two from her, hahaha.”

Xie Ning’s eyes crinkled into a smile. ”Are both pots of congee ready?”

”Yes, yes, they’re ready. You can store them away. We’ve already portioned out what we’re eating tonight,” He Shuping said, patting the rice cooker in her hands.

”Dinner will be ready in a little while, once your uncle and the others get back. I’ll make you all some egg pancakes.”

”Mhm.” Xie Ning nodded and walked into the kitchen to greet Cen Yun, her grandmother, and the others.

She put the two pots of fragrant preserved egg and pork congee into her Space with a lift of her hand, then waved to her grandmother. ”Grandma, I’m heading out for a bit. I’ll be back in twenty minutes.”

Her grandmother acknowledged her with a smile.

Song Kexin sidled up to the old woman and muttered under her breath, ”Grandma, you should know by now to automatically convert her ’twenty minutes’ into over an hour.”

The old woman burst out laughing.

Xie Ning paid no mind to whatever gossip Song Kexin was spreading behind her. Shoving her hands in her pockets, she strolled out the door and headed straight for the medical bay.

When she arrived at the entrance to the medical bay, she saw a group of young nurses still bustling about.

”Yuanyuan, where’s your Doctor Fang?” Xie Ning asked, stopping a young nurse with a round face.

”Doctor Fang was called to the next ward to help. Ningning, could you help me move this cabinet to the corner?”

Xie Ning nodded, grabbing the cabinet with one hand and effortlessly moving it to the corner.

”Take a break. Come have some congee. Dinner’s on me tonight.” Xie Ning pulled two pots of steaming hot preserved egg and pork congee from her Space, along with an assortment of vegetable and meat buns.

Then she took out a stack of brand-new bowls and chopsticks and set them aside.

She then stood by the pots with a large, long-handled ladle, tapping it gently against the side. ”Come on, eat while it’s hot! You can take turns. How can you have the energy to work if you don’t eat?”

The round-faced young nurse’s eyes grew wide.

She was the closest to Xie Ning and was already feeling faint from the overwhelming aroma of the congee and meat buns.

Some of the listless patients in the medical bay all opened their eyes wide; a few even sat up.

Xie Ning didn’t look at them, just waving to the young nurses. ”Hurry up. After you eat, go get your colleagues.”

”Xiao Ning!” The round-faced young nurse grasped her hand, her face full of emotion. ”You must be an angel sent from heaven to save us.”

Xie Ning’s face remained blank.

’I’m not, I didn’t, and I refuse the label!’

The young nurses quickly formed small groups and lined up, grabbing their own bowls and chopsticks before running to Xie Ning.

Xie Ning ladled out congee for them, while the buns were set to the side for them to take as they wished.

The medical bay was suddenly filled with cheerful chatter and laughter.

After one mouthful of the hot congee, the round-faced young nurse felt so blissful she could fly.

As Xie Ning served the congee, she watched the young nurses’ expressions, a faint, unnoticeable smile touching her lips.

’Looks like that crappy system from the X Realm has a decent appraisal function after all.’

’The vegetables and meat from my Farmville really are more nutrient-rich than ordinary food.’

’Look at these pale, sallow-faced young nurses. After just half a bowl of congee, their spirits are reviving one by one.’

’This proves the Farmville products are pretty good; they must be able to subtly replenish one’s stamina.’

’It’s just that she couldn’t deliberately go up and ask them, ”Do you feel more energetic after eating the congee? Has your fatigue completely vanished?”’

’She could only observe these poor dears on the sly.’

Her family always ate very well, and the non-superpowered members didn’t have much heavy physical labor to do.

As for the Superpower Users, they wouldn’t notice such a minor drain on their stamina, so no one had ever discovered that the Farmville produce had this kind of benefit.

’I guess eating it regularly can also improve immunity and what not, which is why the system’s appraisal said my bok choy was particularly nutritious.’

As for that mutated bok choy, Xie Ning hadn’t let Future list it for sale.

She planned to keep it for herself, stew a pot of cabbage soup, and give it to her younger siblings to try after their superpowers were nearly depleted.

She would have to test it herself to find out its actual effects.

Little Spider speculated that the mutated bok choy could promote the body’s recovery and increase superpower energy, but the exact amount of energy it provided was unknown.

As Xie Ning mused, her hands moved deftly, ladling out bowl after bowl of congee for the nurses. ”There’s plenty of time, so eat slowly,” she said casually. ”It’s still early. Go get your colleagues after you’re done.”

The round-faced young nurse finished a bowl of congee and looked at her with pleading eyes, bowl in hand.

”There’s plenty more. There’s a whole other pot here. If you want more, just come get a refill.”

”I don’t need a bun, I just want to have another bowl of congee!” the round-faced young nurse exclaimed, rushing over and holding out her bowl.

’This congee is too delicious!’

It was soft, fragrant, and thick. Every spoonful was packed with preserved egg and lean pork. The ingredients were so generous; it was unbelievably delicious.

Fang Yuanyuan felt like she had never eaten such delicious congee in her entire life.

Xie Ning nodded with a smile. ”No problem, there should be enough. Go ahead and grab a bun.”

”I’ll go get Doctor Fang,” a young nurse said, then put down her chopsticks and ran off.

The patients lying in their beds in the medical bay were starting to get unhappy.

One of them, a woman with a particularly loud voice, suddenly yelled, ”Hey! Hey, you lot! You’re just going to eat congee by yourselves? What about us? Are you just going to leave us to die?”

”Aren’t you on an IV drip right now? Who’s leaving you to die?” Xie Ning shot her a cool glance, feeling that this loud woman looked somewhat familiar.

This was the very same loud-mouthed woman to whom she had once retorted, ”The morgue is quieter.”

They had met once before. The woman’s voice was so loud it could practically shake the floorboards.

”No, I mean, you people can’t just do things like this! You... you, who are you? You work for the base, don’t you?”

”Is this your idea of service? Bringing congee and buns only for the doctors and nurses? What about us patients? Are we supposed to just lie here and watch you all eat?”

A young nurse named Zhouzhou, who was holding a bowl, saw what was happening and quickly retorted, ”Xiao Ning is treating us out of her own pocket. This isn’t food being distributed by the base.”