Chapter 255: The Living Conditions in the Military Family Housing Area

Step three of the transformation plan was to quietly upgrade Zi Jing's living situation and habits under the guise of "the boss's requirements."

To avoid getting red worms in her hair during the heavy rainstorms and in her leaky house, a lot of careful preparation was needed. Jing Shu had taken extensive measures to keep red worms out of her villa.

Carrying a large bag of supplies, Jing Shu followed Zi Jing to her current living quarters. To be honest, Jing Shu was quite curious about Zi Jing’s living conditions, especially after hearing rumors in her past life about Zi Jing supposedly raising red worms in her home.

"Here, this fully sealed raincoat is part of your benefits. If you ever stop working for me, you’ll need to return everything. The raincoat must be soaked in a saltwater pool daily to keep it clean."

"Understood, boss."

With a waterproof hat and a sealed raincoat on, Zi Jing no longer had to worry about her long hair getting drenched or infested with red worms during the rainstorms. She felt as if she had returned to pre-apocalypse life. Walking through the dark, rainy streets, she felt completely separated from the storm for the first time, listening to the soothing sound of rain hitting her raincoat. Before she knew it, the fifteen-minute walk from the villa area to the military family housing had flown by.

The housing area for military families was located inside a large mall. One side of the mall had four floors— the first floor housed the cafeteria, while the second to fourth floors were occupied by the second division's soldiers. There was also a basement that served as a storage area, where Jing Shu had been held during her previous run-in with Wu Youai.

On the other side, walking further east past the first-floor cafeteria, was a part of the mall that Jing Shu had never ventured into before. It had shops along the corridors with transparent glass storefronts.

Before the apocalypse, this area had been intended to be a clothing retail street. Some of the shops were as small as 30 square meters, while others were over 100 square meters. Now, they had been modified into living quarters for the military families.

"For those who have individual rooms and plenty of space, it's usually because they hold a higher rank," Zi Jing explained.

The mall had glossy tile floors and sturdy glass doors, and the living conditions were definitely better than in the underground garage housing areas. At least there was some personal space, though the heat, odor, and dampness were unavoidable. The glass windows were foggy with condensation, adding to the feeling of mustiness.

Jing Shu observed the family housing area, noting the setup. A security card was required to enter, and if it weren’t for Zi Jing leading her inside, Jing Shu wouldn’t have been able to get in.

The mall corridor was lit with overhead lights, and most of the shop-turned-housing units had dim lights shining through their glass doors. Jing Shu got her first real look at the living conditions of the military families.

Those with better conditions had small potted plants growing garlic sprouts, leeks, or mushrooms inside. After three long months of trial and error, people had figured out how to grow some small crops using makeshift soil and rock filters. Although these plants had traces of insect eggs, they still provided precious food.

Garlic sprouts were considered a luxury in these times.

Wooden partitions separated the living areas into spaces for the living room, bedroom, and kitchen. Basic furniture like sofas, beds, and tables could be seen through the glass. Clothing, though never fully dry, hung on lines near the doors. Before the apocalypse, this would have been the living standard for construction workers, but now, having a single room meant you had influence in the family housing.

For those with fewer resources, their spaces were bare except for a bed, a table, and piles of scavenged items. People hoarded everything they could find because no one knew when any of it might become useful. It was true scavenger living.

There were no household appliances, not even in the ordinary family housing units, and electricity was scarce. However, the housing area did have one large television that broadcasted the news at 7 p.m. sharp every day. People would crowd around to watch.

The family housing also had a boiler room that provided heat at night. The heated floors ensured that it didn’t get too cold, and each family could fetch a single pot of hot water each day as part of their benefits. This was a luxury, considering that most people in the Banana Community only had soup at meals and drank cold water the rest of the time, which increased the risk of illness.

At the end of the corridor was another building—an empty, simple office building with 31 floors and about 800 square meters per floor. This entire building served as the housing for the families of the military unit, with roughly 4,000 people living here. Each floor housed around 130 people, giving each person about six square meters of living space.

Jing Shu followed Zi Jing up the stairs through the safety corridor. The office building was relatively clean, as dozens of people were hired to maintain the cleanliness in exchange for an extra meal of rice. The conditions were definitely better than in the Banana Community.

"The housing distribution is based on rank. I heard that someone like Captain Li has an entire floor to himself."

"Those who contribute more should receive more. Before the apocalypse, people who made great contributions to the country would earn less in a year than a celebrity makes in one night from selling a single photo. It's time for that to change," Jing Shu commented.

Zi Jing lived on the 31st floor, and as they climbed, Jing Shu noticed that the lower floors had been renovated. Most floors had been divided into many small offices, while others had larger, separate rooms, indicating higher-ranking individuals who had more space. In the apocalypse, your comfort depended entirely on your status.

Some floors had over 100 people crammed together, while others had just a few individuals with large spaces.

When they reached the 31st floor, Jing Shu was shocked to find it was a massive open-plan dormitory, like a school dormitory housing hundreds of students!

It was one large, continuous space with nothing but rows and rows of beds—there weren’t even partitions like on the other floors. Likely intended as a warehouse, this floor was entirely bare except for the columns in the center.

The good news was that this wasn’t like the underground garage, where people were assigned individual parking spaces. Here, each person was assigned a multifunctional bunk bed. The bottom bunk had a desk, chair, and bookshelf, while the top was a single bed with a wardrobe attached. It was basic, but functional.

"There are 200 beds on this floor. Everyone has a bunk bed for their belongings and a place to sleep. The bathrooms are over there, and there’s a TV area too. Two months ago, they salvaged supplies from Wu City University, and we got these bunk beds. They’re quite handy," Zi Jing explained quietly as they approached her bed.

"Most of the people here are the families of soldiers who died in service. The government has said that no matter how tough things get, they’ll make sure to take care of us. But the living conditions are a bit rough. Some families working in the mall even get double beds with wooden partitions for privacy," she added.

Jing Shu nodded. The Chinese government never failed to take care of its people in major crises. Looking around, she noticed the curious stares from the others on the floor, especially the women with children.

"Who are you two? You must be lost. That bed belongs to the 'long-haired monster'—her place is crawling with red worms. It’s terrifying," said a woman sitting on the nearby bed, nonchalantly nursing her baby as she spoke.

Zi Jing removed her sealed raincoat. "Aunt Zhang, are you talking about me, the so-called 'long-haired monster'?" she asked with a small smile.