Chapter 173: Population Obsesssed
Even before the zombie tide destroyed Swan Base, she and Lin Dong had been saving money for their future home.
They had planned to purchase a house in Burning Star Base and begin a new life together.
Now, she had finally arrived.
Unfortunately, the person who had dreamed of that future with her was no longer alive.
The thought made her heart ache.
Nevertheless, Jamie forced herself to continue with their original plan.
While exploring the residential district, she noticed a house with a sale notice displayed near its entrance.
The building was located in a desirable central neighborhood.
Its exterior appeared well maintained, with sturdy walls, wide windows, and a small courtyard.
Curious, Jamie asked about the price.
When she learned that the entire property cost only one high-tier zombie crystal, she was stunned.
"What? Only one?"
The price was unbelievably low.
Normally, purchasing even a modest house on the outskirts of Burning Star Base required more than a hundred high-tier zombie crystals.
Yet this property was located much closer to the center.
Jamie immediately became interested.
Afraid that someone else might purchase it first, she completed the transaction without much hesitation.
However, she still felt that something was strange.
After moving forward with the purchase, she sent several people to investigate the property’s history.
When their findings came back, she regretted her decision.
It turned out that the house had previously belonged to a close associate of someone accused of betraying Burning Star Base.
After the traitor fled, the authorities had deliberately listed the property at an unusually low price.
The sale wasn’t simply intended to attract buyers.
It was also a way to observe whether residents would overlook the property’s association with a traitor for the sake of obtaining a valuable house cheaply.
To demonstrate their loyalty, the established residents had refused to purchase it.
As a result, the property had remained vacant.
Jamie, who had only recently arrived, knew nothing about this history.
Unfortunately, the other residents didn’t care about her ignorance.
The moment news of her purchase spread, several people began looking at her with obvious disapproval.
Some even walked past her windows and deliberately spoke loudly enough for her to hear.
"People nowadays are willing to abandon their principles for a little profit."
"Exactly. Imagine buying a house connected to a traitor just because it’s cheap."
Jamie could only listen with a complicated expression.
She had thought she was fortunate to find such an affordable property.
Who would have imagined that it would bring her so much trouble?
................
Meanwhile, Hina and the other mercenaries had resumed their journey toward Starry Sky Base.
The settlement was located approximately fifty kilometers east of Silent Knight Base.
As they traveled, the four companions began discussing their plans.
Zhu Wang was the first to speak.
He looked at the others with a serious expression.
"Even if we reach Starry Sky Base and manage to qualify for residency, there’s still a problem."
Hina turned toward him. "What problem?"
Zhuo sighed.
"With our current savings, we might only be able to afford one house between the four of us."
He paused before continuing.
"And since none of us is married, living together could damage our reputations."
The others fell silent.
Zhuo continued, "Besides, Starry Sky Base has some rather strict rules regarding marriage and population growth."
"According to what I’ve heard, new residents must get married within one month of joining the base."
He looked at his companions.
"And they’re required to have at least one child within the following three years."
His expression grew increasingly troubled.
"Anyone who fails to meet those requirements can be expelled from the base."
Starry Sky Base had a rather strange obsession with increasing its population.
Its authorities wanted the number of residents to grow at an astonishing rate.
This was also one of the main reasons many women hesitated to settle there.
Women were encouraged to accept as many as two hundred husbands, primarily because the base wanted every man to have an opportunity to marry and father children.
As a result, many men willingly entered marriages with women they might barely see throughout their lives.
They continued maintaining those relationships in the hope that their wives would eventually bear them a child.
There were even rumors that Starry Sky Base was secretly developing artificial incubators.
These devices would supposedly allow researchers to create babies using sperm and eggs without requiring women to carry the pregnancies themselves.
If the technology succeeded, it would reduce the physical burden on women while giving more men the opportunity to have biological children.
Recalling these rumors, Hina became even more uncertain about settling there.
After thinking for a while, she finally spoke.
"No. I think you three should continue to Starry Sky Base."
The others turned toward her in surprise.
Hina continued, "You might find some unexpected opportunities there."
"What about you?" Max asked.
Hina hesitated. "As for me, I need to think about it."
She looked toward the distant road.
"For some reason, I don’t feel that Starry Sky Base is where I’m supposed to go."
She paused before adding, "I keep having this strange feeling that my destiny is leading me somewhere around this region."
The others exchanged puzzled glances.
Before anyone could respond, Dong Wei suddenly remembered something.
"Hey, speaking of that, there’s something I forgot to tell you."
Everyone turned toward him.
Dong Wei scratched his head.
"When we were escaping Swan Base, I happened to save a guard."
He continued, "That guard kept saying he needed to reach a place called Fair Shallow Land."
Hina’s eyes flickered. "Fair Shallow Land?"
Dong Wei nodded.
"He seemed desperate to deliver some important information to a woman named Ni Mengxue."
The moment he mentioned that name, everyone exchanged glances.
"Ni Mengxue?"
"Isn’t she the woman who issued all those missions?"
They had heard her name several times before, particularly in connection with unusual missions and rewards.
Hina immediately became interested.
"Did the guard mention where Fair Shallow Land is located?"
Dong Wei thought carefully.
"I remember him saying something about Silent Knight Base."