In terms of monthly provisions, each survivor received three pounds of sweet potato or potato powder.
But let’s be honest, it was just dried and ground sweet potatoes or potatoes—nothing fancy. The taste was nothing to write home about. The main goal was survival.
On top of that, the base allowed survivors to take on credit for three pounds of potato seeds, which could later be used to offset housing and supply debts once harvested.
The living quarters were cramped, barely enough room for three people and a dog to turn around.
Stella, having her own stash of supplies, was planning to get a room for each person.
The base was struggling, and offering credit was a huge concession to ensure as many people survived as possible. Stella didn’t want to take advantage of their generosity since she had her own resources.
Seeing Hope Point, which was a hundred times better than she had imagined, Stella felt a sense of relief. Humanity was much stronger than she had thought.
Unsure of how long they'd stay, Stella opted for a monthly rental. She pulled out nine pounds of aged cornmeal to pay for the rent and secured three pounds of potato seeds.
The staff, surprised by her wealth, smiled and asked, "We have other seeds available. Would you like to trade for some?"
So, Stella exchanged an additional three pounds of grain for a variety of vegetable seeds.
After processing the paperwork, the staff recorded their information and issued new resident IDs. Stella's number was 0012730.
With 14 billion people before the catastrophe and only 12,730 accounted for now, she couldn’t help but feel a mix of emotions about the fate of the rest.
Impressed by their service, Stella asked, "Are there many survivors from South Base?"
"There are some," the staff replied. "A navy ship and a few submarines have arrived so far, but I believe more will come in time."
Stella mentioned Cody and the others, "Could you check if they are here?"
After a quick search, the staff member responded, "No records found."
A wave of anxiety washed over Stella, "What about the leaders of South Base?"
The staff didn’t recall such individuals but still asked, "What's the name?"
"Daniel."
"No, I'm sorry."
Stella was taken aback—how could that be? As a leader of South Base, Daniel should have known about East Base's mission to rebuild their homeland and should have arrived by now.
Rosie, with a hint of hope, asked, "Are there any survivors from the official Goldbridge base?"
"It seems so," the staff found. "A ship with over 200 survivors arrived not long ago."
"Anyone named Dylan?"
"No."
After checking for Austin and also finding no match, Rosie hid her disappointment to avoid worrying her brother and sister-in-law.
Given their A+ health check, Stella and the others were assigned to Area B.
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