Xu Yan noticed something was off with her daughter and followed her gaze, seeing the forcibly separated father and son.
Her eyes on Xu An were as if she had seen the father and son pair before, and with a trace of doubt, she asked,
"Do you know that child? He looks so pitiful."
Hearing this, Xu An withdrew her gaze, turned her head, and replied with no particular expression, "He's the little boy I saved before."
Xu Yan was stunned for a moment, as if she hadn't expected this.
Perhaps this was karma, who could have imagined that Xu An, who could only helplessly watch others board the lighthouse and leave in her previous life, would be the object of envy in this life.
Xu An did not look at the boy again.
She remembered that in her previous life, the boy had said his parents were waiting for him on the lighthouse to go home, which was also why she had felt pity.
She wondered if the boy's fate would deviate in this life.
Xu An looked straight ahead, and as the sky ladder slowly ascended, they finally arrived at a silver-white large door.
A half-person-high square platform stood at the entrance, with a large LED screen above it, displaying the exchange standards for the lighthouse and behavioral guidelines.
One piece of information inside caught Xu An's attention.
"To obtain permanent residency on the lighthouse and enjoy various benefits, exchange can be made with transaction points. Residents can go out freely before the lighthouse takes off (deadline: December 30th); after takeoff, the lighthouse will land for maintenance once every 5 months, for a period of one month. Residents can go out freely (addendum: if the lighthouse does not stop and residents do not board within the specified time, it will be considered automatic forfeiture of lighthouse residency rights.)"
From behind the platform, a gentle male voice came, "Hello, welcome to the lighthouse. Please present your ID card."
Xu An followed the sound and looked over to see a handsome young man in a white shirt smiling at them.
Xu An handed her ID card to the man. He took it with both hands and swiped it across a card reader-like instrument. Immediately, a green light lit up on the card reader.
Xu An was a little curious, "What does this light mean?"
"For those who pass the two security checks below, their ID cards will show green. If they force their way in, have a risk of infection, or steal others' IDs, the detector will show red light, and law enforcement will take them away."
The young man explained to Xu An, adding, "This is also for everyone's safety."
Xu An understood, no wonder so many people who got ID cards couldn't get on in her previous life; there was this procedure.
It had to be said that the lighthouse had thought of everything to control the population.
Next, the young man took out something like a POS machine and swiped it again.
"Hello, the first entry into the lighthouse requires a deduction of 50 transaction points. Your card has a total balance of 500 transaction points. May I ask if you two will be charged together?"
"Yes."
Then, a cold mechanical voice sounded: "Ding~ Card swiped successfully. Balance: 400 points."
"If you need to exchange for supplies, you can do so in the trading hall on the first floor. I have the exchange rules here, and I'll give you a copy as a bonus."
As the man spoke, he handed Xu An a palm-sized booklet.
Xu An took the booklet and casually flipped through it. The content was very detailed, with a complete system for the exchange standards between supplies.
"We also provide pet boarding services, which cost 10 transaction points per day. Would you like that?"
Xu An asked, somewhat confused, "Pet boarding?"
"Yes, because newcomers are entitled to three days of free food and accommodation, but the shelter does not accept small animals. Alternatively, you can give up the newcomer's assistance and rent your own residence directly, then you can bring your pet." the man explained.
"What if I don't have money for boarding?"
"You can choose to sell your pet to the lighthouse, or... you can handle it yourself."
The young man maintained a standard smile throughout, but the last few words sent a shiver down Xu An's spine.
After experiencing Gou Dan being eaten by others, she wouldn't be naive enough to think that "handle it yourself" was just letting it go.
Xu An hesitated, "Can I think about it?"
"Yes, just let me know when you've decided." Saying this, he invited Xu An to the side and began to attend to the next person.
Xu An walked to a dim corridor on the side and found that quite a few people had already gathered there, all of them, without exception, with their pets.
There was also a small group of people engaged in a heated argument.
"I told you long ago to abandon the cat, but you insisted on bringing it. What time is it now? This is the apocalypse, and people can't even get enough to eat. You still want to keep a pet, are you crazy?"
A girl, who looked young, held a dirty and skinny Ragdoll cat tightly, her small face full of stubbornness, "I don't care, Dou Zi is my cat, and besides, if Dou Zi hadn't warned us on the way, you would have been eaten by zombies long ago!"
"Why don't you mention how the zombies caught up to us?... You don't care?... What good is it if you don't care? Can you rent a house yourself or can you board the cat? If you want to starve to death, that's your choice, I'm not helping you anymore."
After speaking, the man no longer paid attention to the girl's pleading eyes. He turned and strode back to the registration desk, registered his information with the staff, and then joined another queue, which seemed to be the direction of the relief warehouse.
The man moved forward with the queue, not looking at the girl again.
The small interlude ended, accompanied by the girl's闷沉沉 and suppressed crying. Everyone here looked down at their own pets.
They all let out a helpless sigh.
Xu An looked at the small animals around her, all of them listless, dirty, and huddled in their owners' arms or lying at their feet.
Thinking of Gou Dan's radiant appearance, she was glad that before getting off the car, her mother had picked up a handful of soil from the ground and smeared it on Gou Dan, making him look like an escaped puppy.
But just looking at Gou Dan's physique, he didn't seem like he had gone hungry.
No wonder the staff member had looked at her with a knowing expression after looking at Gou Dan.
Gou Dan stuck out his tongue and rubbed against Xu An's small legs, looking foolish, as if asking his mother, "When's dinner? Are we going to starve the dog to death!"
"No! Sit down. If you don't behave, you'll be an extra meal tonight!" Xu An patted his head, signaling him to stop fussing.
Xu An said, "I think we should go to the relief warehouse first. Anyway, it's only three days. Then, during these three days, we can gradually exchange for supplies. That way, renting a house won't be too conspicuous. If we rent a house right away, we'll easily be targeted."
After speaking, she looked at her mother, wanting to seek her opinion. After all, Xu Yan was a company president and surely had more experience in human affairs than she did.