Zhou Haimei blinked her eyes and spoke slowly.
"I heard it from my family too. When the decision was made, they were originally planning to bring everyone up."
"But a part of the official people disagreed and were unwilling to leave, so they split into two factions. One faction advocated for everyone to go to the lighthouse, wanting to continue research there and try to find habitable life spheres outside of Blue Star for large-scale migration. The other faction advocated for staying together and holding onto Blue Star."
Xu An asked, "And then?"
"Then it was as you saw. Those who advocated for staying on land held their ground, while those who advocated for finding new planets to migrate to went to the lighthouse."
"That's it?" Xu An expressed doubt.
She had initially expected a much grander and more meticulous plan for the establishment and perfection of the lighthouse. How could it be so simple?
Zhou Haimei chuckled, "Are you overthinking things? There aren't that many conspiracies and schemes. It's really that simple."
Xu An said to herself, it wasn't that she was overthinking; it was that Zhou Haimei was underthinking.
"However..."
Xu An asked, "What?"
"However, the lighthouse wasn't actually called the lighthouse before. There was a human moon landing program, and the original lighthouse was actually a massive space station. That was after Weng Quan arrived."
Zhou Haimei's expression turned somewhat annoyed and disdainful. "That guy started appearing five years ago. After he appeared, I don't know what he said to the higher-ups, but the original moon landing plan was canceled, and full authority was given to Weng Quan. He became the director of the lighthouse project."
Speaking of this, Zhou Haimei's brow furrowed even deeper. "Speaking of which, An'an, I've always found this Weng Quan very strange. Do you think he knew something and changed the moon landing plan to the lighthouse? Otherwise, it's too much of a coincidence. It was precisely on the day the lighthouse was fully completed that the evacuation order was announced, just one month before the apocalypse."
Xu An listened to Zhou Haimei's words, her mind racing. She keenly grasped the inconsistencies in Zhou Haimei's statement.
"Weng Quan? You mean, the Weng Quan we saw in the小白楼? He directed the construction of the lighthouse?"
Zhou Haimei replied, "Yes."
Xu An did not refute Zhou Haimei, but in her heart, compared to Weng Quan, Xia Jin, who was by his side, was more eye-catching.
"Turn at the next corner, then go straight for five hundred meters, and you'll reach the Southern Base," Zhou Haimei reminded from the side.
Xu An snapped back to attention. As she drove forward, she saw the magnificent structures before her.
A colossal base, built against the cliff face, stood before them.
It was the largest base Xu An had seen on land so far.
Xu An thought to herself, this was a bit different from her previous life.
"What's different?" Zeyuan asked groggily, as if waking up.
It knew about Xu An's rebirth.
"It seems a bit bigger than in my previous life, and it looks more sturdy."
"You've been here in your previous life?"
Xu An nodded. "Yes, but I never went inside."
"Why?"
"No supplies," Xu An rolled her eyes silently, complaining in her mind. "Let alone such a large base, even for small bases, you needed to pay an entry fee. I was wandering here at the time, and I didn't even have a biscuit on me, so of course, I couldn't get in."
Zhou Haimei, naturally, couldn't hear the conversation between Xu An and Zeyuan. She just watched Xu An sitting in the driver's seat, nodding and shaking her head alternately, thinking the latter was mesmerized.
"An'an, it's our turn."
"Oh, okay."
Xu An came back to her senses. Unknowingly, they had already started queuing, and soon it was their turn.
As soon as she stepped on the brakes, a burly man with a gun on his back walked in through the main gate.
"Show your ID."
The man had a northern accent and a full beard, looking fierce. His demeanor was businesslike.
Xu An had been here in her previous life and naturally knew the rules.
"Brother, we are survivors fleeing from the Northwest. This is our first time at the Southern Base."
The man's brow visibly creased when he heard Xu An say they were from the Northwest. Even his eyes showed a hint of impatience.
Everyone knew that the Northwest was inherently arid with infertile land. People coming from the west generally didn't have much of value.
The most common items they carried were hard, dry rations that could be used to smash stones.
"No ID, you have to pay the city entry fee! If you don't have it, hurry up and leave. Before it gets dark, you might still find some small bases nearby to take you in," the man said impatiently, looking at Xu An and her companion with disdain, but without any inappropriate expression on his face.
He simply felt that two young girls, who likely had nothing on them, couldn't afford the entry fee and would be wasting his time.
Zhou Haimei looked at the contempt on his face, feeling indignant.
"You..."
She wanted to say something but was interrupted by Xu An. She pulled down Zhou Haimei's outstretched hand and said gently.
"Brother, we don't know how much the entry fee is. We can try to scrape together some."
After all, it's impolite to hit someone with a smiling face.
The man, seeing Xu An's beauty and her gentle demeanor, unconsciously softened his tone.
"We charge per person. Six catties of brown rice, or just three catties of polished rice."
This time, not only Zhou Haimei but also Xu An's brow furrowed deeply.
The Southern Base actually differentiated between brown rice and polished rice.
It was the second year of the apocalypse, and the fertile farmland outside had long been destroyed.
Where would polished rice come from?
It was likely that whoever could produce polished rice would be targeted the next moment.
This meant that a mere entry fee required six catties of rice.
In the apocalypse, this was equivalent to half a month's rations for one person.
"Your base is too greedy! Six catties of rice, why don't you just rob people!"
As Xu An was contemplating, a sudden roar reached her ears.
Exploding suddenly in her ears, Xu An was momentarily stunned, thinking it was Zhou Haimei who shouted.
Turning to look, she saw Zhou Haimei also looking bewildered.
Both of them simultaneously turned their heads to look outside the car window, not far away.
Even the man looked towards the source of the voice with a dark expression.
"What's all the fuss about! If you don't have grain, tell that woman to get lost. What are you dawdling for?" the man shouted angrily at his subordinate checking vehicles on another lane.
With the boss's instruction, the young man's posture seemed to straighten up a lot.
"We've always had six catties. Our boss said, if you don't have it, leave quickly. We're not forcing you to buy or sell, and shouting at me won't do any good!"
The young man even let out a disdainful snort from his nose.
Xu An then saw that the person who had spoken earlier was actually a girl with a ponytail, and that car was also very familiar.
It was Wang Mang's convoy.
She hadn't expected that after rejecting his team invitation, they would meet again at the entrance of the Southern Base after going in circles.