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He had just glanced at it himself; it was merely a description of the stadium’s facilities, offering little of interest.

Tang Hao closed the manual, his gaze briefly meeting Chi Bai’s before he rose and returned the booklet to its original spot. “Indeed, there’s nothing much to see,” he remarked, walking back. ‘Still, there was little else to do this afternoon, so it served as a distraction.’

Chi Bai, too, realized the tediousness of their current idleness, with little to occupy their time. However, such tranquil days were numbered; judging by Liu Yang’s words, the initial phase of the base’s construction promised to be incredibly hectic.

Turning to Tang Hao, who stood by the window gazing at the night sky, Chi Bai offered, “Don’t worry, there should be a recruitment fair tomorrow. I overheard them discussing the need to hire and interview people when I returned. Once things pick up, we won’t have a moment to spare.”

Tang Hao turned his head, a question in his eyes. “Recruitment?”

Chi Bai scratched his head. “Exactly. Just think, with a base this massive, and judging by how many more people I saw on my way back compared to noon, they’ll undoubtedly need staff to manage everything.”

Tang Hao nodded, then closed the window and returned to his seat, assuming the same relaxed posture Chi Bai had observed upon his arrival. “What did you all get up to this afternoon? You’re back quite late.”

Hearing this, Chi Bai’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Oh, speaking of that, I wonder if you received any tasks? I was still transmitting power to them from some unknown location when the system suddenly started issuing quests, instructing us to eliminate mutated beasts.”

Tang Hao shook his head. “Perhaps only ability users receive those tasks. We only saw the system’s announcement, stating that the novice protection period had ended and that animals, not just zombies, would also begin to mutate.”

“Oh, I see,” Chi Bai acknowledged with a nod. The mention of mutated beasts made him suddenly clap his hands, his excitement palpable as he recounted the afternoon’s events to Tang Hao. “You know, Lei Yi and I went to the street near the company. There was a mutated beast there, and you wouldn’t believe it—it looked like a Samoyed! It felt as massive as one or two tons (TL Note: The original text used ‘特斯拉’ (Tesla), which is likely a playful exaggeration or a colloquialism for immense size/weight, often used loosely in web novels. It has been translated as ‘tons’ for clarity and natural flow in English.).” He extended his arms, gesturing wildly to illustrate the creature’s immense size, eager for Tang Hao to grasp its sheer scale.

A slight smile played on Tang Hao’s lips as he prompted, “And then?”

Chi Bai was delighted to find someone willing to listen to his rambling account, especially since it was someone he held in high regard.

Thus, before the boss and the others returned, he vividly recounted to Tang Hao the current state of the outside world and the plight of the survivors.

Chi Bai sighed. “You probably haven’t been to our company yet, have you? If you get the chance, you should go check it out. When I went up to search today, I found our floor was still perfectly fine, not even dirty. It looked just like it used to.”

Tang Hao hummed in acknowledgment. “Yes, I was actually planning to go today.”

Just then, a commotion outside signaled their return as the door swung open, revealing the boss and their companions strolling back inside.

Chi Bai glanced at his watch, surprised to see that a full hour had elapsed since he’d returned and started conversing with Tang Hao. No wonder his mouth felt so parched. The boss and their group certainly knew how to take their time, only just now making their way back.

The boss pushed the door open and stepped inside, a pleasant surprise registering on their face upon seeing Chi Bai. “Hey, you’re back! How was it out there?”

Chi Bai sighed, sprawling out like a starfish on the bed. In front of so many onlookers, he valiantly suppressed the urge to roll about and addressed the boss. “It was… alright, just as expected. But I’m utterly exhausted today. I’ve never climbed so many stairs in my life, do you know? The elevators were out, so Lin Feng—my partner, that is—and I had to literally haul ourselves up through the fire escape, all forty-plus floors of our company building. My legs feel like they’re about to snap! If I hadn’t taken a body-strengthening potion once, I’d probably have been carried back here.”

The boss exclaimed in surprise, “You walked the stairs? Oh, right, of course. And Lin Feng, your partner, did they have to climb all those stairs too? Wouldn’t they be utterly exhausted, perhaps even needing to be carried back?”

Chi Bai spread his hands. “I wouldn’t know. She didn’t seem to react much, so perhaps she also drank a potion like me. Before I left, she still looked as lively as ever.”

He patted the bed, then addressed the boss with conviction. “Boss, you really ought to see it for yourself. Our company building is completely intact! What does that tell you? Not getting caught up in the rat race and not waking up early—what a wise decision that was!”

The boss was speechless.