Industrial Cthulhu doesn't believe in the end times.

Chapter 90 Small gathering
"Little Sun, hasn't Little He arrived yet?"

When Yang Kun asked, Sun Qi replied, "She went to see Shuyu and should come over later."

After emerging from the secret realm, the three fell into a coma. Fortunately, it wasn't for long, and when they woke up, they found themselves in the Haiqu safe zone. They were now all alone, but they had formed a strong bond during their escape from the secret realm, so they agreed to meet up after waking up.

The gathering took place in a small square within the safe zone. It was nearing evening, and the weather wasn't too hot. There were quite a few survivors out for a stroll in the square, most of them alone. People like Sun Qi and Yang Kun, who gathered together to find a place to sit and chat, were not uncommon, but there were very few of them.

Seeing that He Xiaoyu hadn't arrived yet, Yang Kun winked and leaned closer to Sun Qi: "Hey, Sun, do you like He Xiaoyu? The way I looked at you the other day..."

"Don't mention it." Sun Qi's neck was a little red as he interrupted Yang Kun, "What time is it now? I don't have that kind of thought."

"Tsk, young man, still gotta be stubborn."

Sun Qi glared angrily at the man who was almost a decade older than him, but couldn't find any words to refute him.

"Hey, don't be shy. I think you two are about the same age. You were both college students, right? How about I play matchmaker for you two?"

"Don't talk nonsense!"

"What are you talking about?"

A clear voice came from afar, and the two immediately shut their mouths. They turned around and saw He Xiaoyu, who had changed into a work uniform and had her hair tied in a high ponytail, walking towards them from a distance.

"Hmm? Xiao He, you've chosen a job?"

"No."

"And what's with this outfit of yours?"

“My old clothes were torn... The safety zone provides necessary clothing for free, but now you have to go and get them yourself. If you need any, you can ask Platoon Leader Deng.”

The platoon leader Deng that He Xiaoyu mentioned was one of the official personnel working in this area. His main job was to provide various kinds of assistance to the survivors who had just been rescued from outside the safe zone. He was the grassroots cadre who had the most contact with these people.

The two rough men were unaware of these details. What they didn't know was that, unlike them, the unfortunate souls who were caught up in the secret realm, most of the survivors were able to bring back a considerable amount of luggage from their homes when they were rescued from the city.

However, the two of them didn't pay much attention to that, and instead asked, "Where's Xiao Shuyu? Didn't he come with you?"

The Shuyu they were talking about was the child who was rescued from the secret realm along with the others. At the time, Sun Qi was the one who carried him. Unexpectedly, after leaving the secret realm, the adults fainted first, but the child was fine. He was picked up by the safe zone primary school while they were unconscious.

He Xiaoyu sat down next to Sun Qi without any hesitation, not noticing that Sun Qi's movements had become more reserved. She replied, "Shuyu went to arrange the dormitories today. A teacher accompanied them, and he seemed quite happy when I saw him."

Sun Qi and Yang Kun exchanged a glance and smiled helplessly. That's how kids are. No matter how big the problem is, they'll be fine after a good night's sleep. This is not necessarily a bad thing for them.

Without bringing that up again, Sun Qi hesitated for a moment before asking, "How are you feeling? Have you recovered?"

He Xiaoyu frowned slightly: "I haven't fully recovered yet. I feel extremely tired all over, and I can see fog in front of my eyes from time to time."

This seemed to remind her of that secret place, and even her voice became softer.

"It's alright," Yang Kun reassured him. "Didn't Platoon Leader Deng say that these are normal aftereffects? We've been inside for too long, and we need more time to recover."

"I'm not too worried about that."

He Xiaoyu shook her head and changed the subject: "Now that we're safe, what are your plans? We heard that the safe zone won't keep providing us with food and drink for free forever; we'll have to go back to work once we've recovered enough."

The question caused the two men to fall silent for a moment; the future always requires careful consideration. Yang Kun thought for a while before replying, "I've also inquired about it. Working in a factory would suit me quite well. I've worked as an order manager in the workshop before, and maybe I could even become a junior manager?"

After he finished speaking, he looked at Sun Qi, but Sun Qi glanced at He Xiaoyu first before speaking, "I want to... join the army."

"Oh, you actually dare?"

Yang Kun knew very well what kind of courage Sun Qi possessed; he wasn't much better than himself. He was good at escaping, otherwise he wouldn't have survived in the secret realm. But if he were to go to the front lines and fight zombies and other mutants, that would probably be quite difficult.

He Xiaoyu looked over in surprise. Sun Qi hesitated for a moment before replying, "Brother Xu saved my life. He sacrificed himself for my worthless life. I think... I can't let him die in vain. I should do something more."

These words silenced the two men. After a moment, Yang Kun suddenly kicked Sun Qi.

"You're talking like Old Xu saved our lives, making yourself look good."

"I'm not……"

Sun Qi's neck turned red again, and the redness quickly spread to his face.

"Alright, alright, go if you want, but if you really go, you can't embarrass Old Xu."

"That's for sure!"

He Xiaoyu also looked at him, but she didn't say the words of dissuasion or encouragement that Sun Qi had expected. Instead, she said, "At this time, it would be really dangerous for you to join the army."

Sun Qi nodded: "I know, but not necessarily. I heard that the safety zone is establishing a military corps. If I join the army, I won't go directly to the front line. Instead, I'll join the militia first. The main job will probably be standing guard on the wall or building fortifications in the safety zone. I heard that Haiqu is now considered a relatively safe place."

"Alright, alright, let's not talk about me anymore. What are you planning to do?"

"me……"

"I want to try to become a teacher, preferably transfer to Shuyu's class so I can take care of him."

"Although there's a lot of competition for this position, there's actually quite a shortage of people right now. Even though I'm not a teacher-training major, I should still be able to get selected..."

Yang Kun was somewhat surprised: "You really like that child."

He Xiaoyu lowered her eyes and sighed softly, "Actually, he's about the same age as my younger brother."

"..." Yang Kun also sighed, and said wistfully, "My child is a little older than him, but..."

Seeing that the atmosphere was not right, Sun Qi thought for a while and then said, "Brother Yang, have you considered adoption? You can adopt Shuyu, and we can go together to help you take care of him."

"This...isn't it said now that children in a collective are raised collectively?"

He Xiaoyu's eyes lit up: "It seems possible. I've specifically inquired about this. Adoption is possible, and the safe zone will even provide subsidies. It's just that I'm not old enough yet, but if it's Brother Yang, it should be no problem!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Kun was also somewhat tempted: "Let's go and inquire about this together later!"

He Xiaoyu nodded. Sun Qi smiled as he watched the two begin to discuss the relevant issues, seemingly having temporarily emerged from their grief and starting to plan for tomorrow.

The sun is setting, but it will rise again.

(End of this chapter)