Surviving the Apocalypse with my Multiplier System - Chapter 88

Chapter 88: Base Housing
They walked toward the sign, entering through the door just below it.

Inside, it was fairly empty, with only a few people wearing sad or angry expressions.

“What do you mean?! How can you charge so much for a single room? How are we supposed to survive?!” yelled a woman. She was hysterical, crying and yelling.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but these are the rules of the base. Once the contribution points system becomes available, you will be able to rent a room with contribution points. Please wait patiently; it should be implemented very soon,” explained the woman on the other side of the desk.

The hysterical woman continued to make a scene, crying and screaming until a fully armored guard showed up holding a gun.

“Ma’am, I’m only going to ask you once—please leave. Don’t make me forcefully remove you,” he said in a stern voice.

The woman quickly quieted down, intimidated by the weapon in his hand. “Okay, I’ll leave. No need to use force,” she quickly muttered, running out of the housing office.

The guard nodded at the office administrator and walked out to ensure the hysterical woman didn’t cause any more trouble. The room finally quieted down, replacing the chaotic atmosphere with a calm one.

Reginald walked over to the woman at the desk and greeted her politely. “Hello, I am here to inquire about either purchasing or renting a place to live with my family,” he said.

The woman nodded. “Hello. You’ve come to the right place. I will be honest with you, it is fairly pricey, but we do have a good amount of available rooms left. How many bedrooms are you looking for?”

Reginald looked over at his dainty wife. “I would like three bedrooms, two at the minimum,” he stated.

The woman shook her head at his request. “Very well, we do have both 2- and 3-bedroom options available. Would you like to take a look at them?”

“Yes, please. I would like to see the available rooms for both options. The more private the location, the better,” said Reginald resolutely.

The woman behind the desk smiled and stood up, walking around from behind the desk. “Please follow me,” she said.

Ella followed the woman, along with her father and mother, walking to the back of the main building toward the back end of the resort.

“Both the two- and three-bedroom units are located along the back mountain, slightly further out. Each building has a small parking lot available to its residents,” explained the housing administrator.

They continued to walk along the winding paths, picturing the beautiful landscape that was once here. After a 15-minute walk, they finally ended up in front of a large building, housing many living spaces.

The building looked to be in really good shape, thanks to the mountains covering most of the harsh wind gusts from the hurricane. There was also no visible sign of the earthquakes, making this place even better looking than most of the neighborhoods in the countryside.

“There are a few different floor plans available here, and all of the units in this building are either two or three bedrooms. The first one we will look at is here on the first floor, and it’s a three-bedroom unit,” said the housing administrator.

She unlocked the door with her master key and allowed them to enter before her.

Ella stepped inside and was pleasantly surprised. The windows and walls were intact, and the rooms were more spacious than expected. While there was plenty of dust all over the place, it could easily be cleaned.

The floorplan was rather basic: a decent living room and a small hallway that connected the three smaller bedrooms and a small bathroom. Ella and her mom walked around happily, loving the space, but Reginald stayed quiet, frowning.

He already did not like that this unit was on the first floor. The windows could easily be broken at any time, exposing them to robbers or, even worse, other dangers.

During the registration process, he noticed that his family was much better off in terms of supplies than the majority of refugees, and surely there were some people who had already targeted them.

“Thank you, but would you mind showing us a unit on the upper floors, please?” he asked mid-tour, causing Ella and her mother to freeze and look over at him.

The housing administrator wasn’t sure why he didn’t like this unit but quickly complied.

“Sure, the next unit is a two-bedroom, and it’s on the third floor, which is the topmost level,” she said as she followed them back outside.

They walked up using the concrete staircase until they reached the last unit at the very end of the building. Unlocking the door, she said, “Here we are. This is our most spacious two-bedroom unit. Since it’s on the corner, the living space is slightly larger than the standard two-bedroom units.”

Ella walked in and noticed the nice lighting right away, giving the room a brighter feeling. The living room was about the same size as the previous units, with an additional nook that looked like it used to be for a kitchenette. The bedrooms were also separated similarly, with a small hallway from the living space.

The difference was only the number of rooms. The bathroom in this unit was also slightly larger than in the three-bedroom.

“Is the bathroom usable?” asked Ella as she peered inside, spotting the toilet and shower.

“Yes, running water is available. However, there is no heating or hot water. Electricity can also be added on a monthly basis, but it is extremely expensive currently,” said the housing administrator.

Ella was surprised. “Electricity! That’s so great!” she exclaimed happily. It felt like it had been years since she had benefited from electricity, and she missed it very much.

Reginald walked around, focusing on the state of the windows. He was looking for any potential break-in points that could put his family in danger.

After walking around and inspecting every corner, he walked over to meet up with his wife and daughter.

“What do the two of you think? I think it’s a good choice. The location is good, and it’s on a higher floor. Even the lighting and views are not bad,” he said, giving his opinion.

“Yes, I like it! Even though it has one less room, I like the larger bathroom,” agreed Ella. She then turned to look at her mother for her opinion.

Her mother smiled gently. “Yes, I quite like it here. The surrounding pine trees give off a nice scent, and we have a nice view of the mountain valley from the windows.”

Reginald smiled, happy that he could please his wife. “Very well then, I think it’s settled. Let’s talk numbers,” he said, turning to the housing administrator.

She smiled. “Sure, let’s head back to the office where we can discuss the payment.”

They all went back to the housing office and sat down at the desk across from the administrator. She pulled up her computer to look up the cost. “Okay, so it’s 400 points a month to rent, and 6,000 points to purchase. If you want to add electricity, it’s 50 points a month,” she explained.

Reginald was already calculating in his head, realizing that it was much more cost-efficient to purchase if it’s in the long run. The only question left was what the exchange rate for goods to points was.