Xu Qian couldn't help but roll her eyes, what was a child fussing about.
The entire carriage was filled with his mumbled complaints, and Xu Qian's head was starting to hurt.
"Alright, you'll see it all in the future."
Only then did Xiao Ping's expression improve slightly, and he let out a soft hum of assent.
Xu Qian shook her head. With a thought, a small bat appeared in her palm.
Ever since it spat last time, it had fallen into a deep sleep. It was indeed too small, still not strong enough.
The young woman raised her hand and tapped its head. It lay limply, motionless.
Xiao Ping glanced at her and said, "Qian, if you're bored, poke me. They're sleeping, and you're still poking them."
Xu Qian raised an eyebrow and, with a thought, put Xiao Dai into her spatial storage.
She raised her hand and gave his side a firm poke. Xiao Ping's eyebrows didn't even twitch.
"I'm not ticklish."
Xu Qian crossed her arms and, bored, closed her eyes again.
"It's not fun at all."
Xiao Ping's back stiffened slightly. He was a zombie, how could he feel anything...
He cautiously glanced at Xu Qian and said softly, "Scratch me again."
Xu Qian ignored him, turning her head to the side, ready to sleep.
"Drive properly."
Xiao Ping: ...
"Scratch me again, scratch me again, scratch me again."
Xiao Ping's incessant nagging buzzed in Xu Qian's ears. Impatiently, she opened her eyes and dug her nails into his side.
He leaped up, laughing uncontrollably from the tickles.
With a "poof," the young woman let out a laugh.
Xu Qian's dark eyes sparkled, her smile brighter than usual, revealing even her pearly white teeth.
She looked as beautiful as a fairy descended from heaven.
Xiao Ping was stunned, he had never seen Xu Qian smile so happily.
[Ding, Xiao Ping's favorability +2, total favorability 60.]
Hearing the system notification, Xu Qian's smile became even brighter.
What a child. He wasn't ticklish at all, but he pretended to be just to make her happy.
She laughed for so long that Xiao Ping felt a bit ashamed.
"Alright, stop laughing."
Xu Qian suppressed her laughter and nodded, "Let's go then, little brother!"
"I'm not a little brother!"
Two hours later, Hope Base.
The gates were tightly shut. From the outside, the interior appeared empty, devoid of any people.
Xu Qian frowned and instructed, "Xiao Ping, don't go out yet."
"Okay."
She got out of the car and peered into the gatehouse window. No one was inside, and the gatehouse was locked.
It seemed they could only go on foot.
The two of them got out of the car, and Xu Qian waved her hand, storing it in her spatial storage.
Xu Qian walked directly towards the office building, only to find that the main entrance was also tightly locked.
Where had they all gone?
Just as Xu Qian was about to open her map, a shout suddenly rang out.
"Sister!"
"Xiao Qian!"
"Strategist!"
She turned her head and saw Xie Yayun, Yi Chun, and a group of children peeking at her from the warehouse door.
Xu Qian's eyes lit up, and she strode towards them.
As she approached, a chill emanated from outside the door. Hundreds of people in the base were crammed inside, making it feel very crowded.
At a glance, all she saw were people.
However, there was thick ice inside, so it wasn't hot at all.
They had an ice cellar?
Everyone's faces lit up with joy; with Xu Qian here, they would be saved!
The ice in the cellar couldn't last long. Since last year, Hope Base's power supply had been provided by Hope Base, with monthly limits.
If they exceeded the quota, power would be cut off.
Xie Yayun couldn't bear to see the children suffer, so she had to shut off power to other areas, leaving only the ice cellar. But this was unsustainable in the long run.
The temperature outside was too high, causing the ice inside to melt particularly quickly. She had to lower the temperature of the ice cellar.
In just one day, Hope Base's electricity consumption for the month had decreased by nearly a third.
Xu Qian didn't waste any time and immediately began distributing ice, one piece per person.
Everyone's eyes were red as they received their share one by one.
Were there any better people in this world than Xu Qian?