Xie Ning quickly washed up. With a thin slice of bread in her mouth, she paced slowly around the small room, examining the blue light map floating in the air.
The small attic room, including the bathroom, was only about ten square meters in total.
Although it wasn’t large, the decor was simple yet elegant, and the space was used efficiently.
Xie Ning stuffed her large backpack into the nearby wardrobe and started to pull off the bedsheets.
She had been so busy yesterday that she had gone straight to sleep without even taking a shower.
Now that she was settled, she felt much more comfortable using her own things.
Song You’ai knocked and entered, and the first thing she saw was the virtual light screen floating in mid-air.
It wasn’t the first time Comrade Song You’ai had seen this kind of high-tech product, but she still found it incredibly magical every time.
"I knew you’d be changing the sheets and duvet cover. Let Mom help you." Her daughter used to be even more of a neat freak than she was now.
Back in the old days, no matter how late it was, she would have had to change the sheets and duvet cover before she could sleep. She wouldn’t have compromised for even a single night!
After laying down an ice-silk mat and having her mom make some ice cubes to place around the room, Xie Ning took out a floor fan and aimed it at herself, blasting it at full speed for a while.
"How did Grandpa and Grandma sleep last night? Maybe we should hook up a battery for them so they can run the air conditioner at night."
Song You’ai chuckled. "Your grandpa and grandma flat-out refused. They said they can handle it."
"I guess that makes sense. In this environment, we can’t always hide in an air-conditioned room. It’s better to let them acclimate slowly so their bodies have a chance to adapt."
Xie Ning thought her mother had a point.
"I’ve noticed they’ve been doing really well recently. They look healthy and full of energy, they’re eating and sleeping well, and even their complexions are much rosier."
Xie Ning nodded slightly. "It’s probably because of the high quality of your superpower water, Mom. I have a feeling your superpower water can likely replenish stamina."
"Your grandpa and grandma now insist on running on the treadmill for half an hour every day. But as for Kexin and Shijun, they’re so inconsistent, training for a few days and then slacking off. They think they can get by just because they’re Superpower Users and don’t take exercise seriously. You need to have a good talk with them later!"
Xie Ning agreed. She glanced around her cozy little room, happily put away the blue light map, and pulled her mom to the room next door to help her change her own sheets and duvet cover.
After the mother and daughter finished their round of cleaning and came down from the small attic, they happened to bump into Song Youxuan in the attic’s small foyer, who was also carrying out sheets and a duvet cover.
"Auntie, is it cramped for you and Yueyue to sleep together?"
"Not at all. My room is the largest in the whole attic. It’s twenty-five square meters and even has a small terrace."
"There’s a big bed with plenty of room for Yueyue to roll around. It’s not cramped at all," Song Youxuan said with a smile. "Big Sis, give me those sheets. I’ll take them to wash."
"No, no." Song You’ai quickly waved her hands, saying with a grin, "Youxuan, let me show you Big Sis’s special trick."
"What special trick?" Song Youxuan followed, pulling along a curious Yueyue.
Xie Ning shook her head helplessly.
By the time she reached the covered corridor pavilion, she heard Song Youxuan cry out in surprise.
Comrade Song You’ai was like an acrobat, holding up a large Water Ball and tumbling a bundle of sheets and duvet covers inside it.
Little Su Xiyue’s eyes were wide with amazement as she watched the magic trick!
Her grandma ran out, saw the scene, and cried out repeatedly, "Aiyo, what a waste of water, what a waste of water!"
She wanted Song Youzhi to bring over a large water vat from the side, but unexpectedly, Comrade Song You’ai’s hand slipped. SPLASH! A huge gush of water poured onto the ground, soaking a large area.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the dozen or so pieces of shredded cloth on the ground, then slowly turned to look at the embarrassed Song You’ai.
"I’m a novice, a novice! I didn’t control my strength well. After a few more tries... Ouch!" Old Mrs. Song smacked her on the forehead.
"I’ll teach you to waste water! I’ll teach you to waste fabric! You still want a next time? Can’t you get your Water Element under control before you try to wash things?" Old Mrs. Song pulled a feather duster out of nowhere and chased Comrade Song You’ai all over the place.
Xie Ning burst out into shameless, loud laughter, then turned and bolted...
「Half an hour later.」
She strolled back from seeing Yu Tianfeng, only to find her mother, aunt, and aunt-in-law obediently sitting by the large water vat, hand-washing the sheets and duvet covers.
Song Shijun and Song Kexin had also been roped in to help and were each pounding the laundry with a wooden stick.
"Sis, did you hear the broadcast this morning? It played five times," Song Kexin said, turning to look at her. "To advance, does everyone have to buy a Promotion Potion to upgrade their superpower?"
"You could say that." ’Promotion Potions were something everyone dreamed of getting in my last life.’
"But we can also increase our superpower energy by constantly training our superpowers. For example, Mom practicing washing clothes with her Water Ability..." Before Xie Ning could finish, she was shot a resentful glance by Comrade Song You’ai.
She couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter. "Of course, you’ll probably fail a thousand times at first, but you’ll succeed eventually!"
Song You’ai’s shoulders slumped.
Her mother was now making her practice her laundry superpower on those torn scraps, forbidding her from ruining any more whole pieces of fabric.
By the time all the sheets and duvet covers were washed, it was almost noon.
After everyone had a simple meal, Xie Ning gathered them all in the main house’s living room to talk.
"We’ll rest for today and tomorrow. The day after, we’ll go look around the base."
"The base guide is very clear. We can activate our Contribution Points Cards at the Survivor Center."
"Each person gets one Contribution Points Card. We can also activate a collective card for the team. In the future, after we complete missions, we can distribute the Contribution Points from the collective card to each teammate."
"So, the first thing we need to do is decide on a name for our team, then go to the Survivor Center to register it."
Xie Ning wore a serious expression. "First of all, our team name can’t be something like ’Flowers and Grass’ or ’Wealth and Peace’!"
Comrade Song You’ai, who had been about to speak, silently closed her mouth.
"And it can’t be an animal team like ’Wild Wolves,’ ’Silly Birds,’ ’Tigers and Leopards,’ or ’Dogs and Cats’!"
Ji Taixian and the others, who had also been about to speak, silently shut their mouths and looked at the young woman, their faces dark.
Yu Tianfeng chuckled. "So, Ningning, what name did you come up with for our team?"
"Yeah," Song Shijun’s mouth twitched. "You pick, Sis."
"So I’ll decide?"
Everyone nodded in unison, almost dying of laughter on the inside.
’You already made up your mind, didn’t you? That’s why you started by shooting down all the miscellaneous names we might have thought of.’
"Then from now on, we’ll be called the Starfire Team."
Yu Tianfeng nodded. "Not bad."
A single spark can start a prairie fire. It signified that although their strength was minuscule at the beginning, they had powerful vitality and a great future ahead of them.
"Sis, from now on, you’re the captain of our Starfire Team!"
Xie Ning nodded her head. "You guys decide on two vice-captains. Their main job will be to build good relations with other teams, socialize, and gather information!"
"How about Ji Taixian? He’s the biggest gossip."
"Uncle Yong would also be good. He’s worldly and experienced. He can chat with someone for half a day after just offering them a cigarette."
Xie Ning nodded. "Then it’s settled. From now on, daily activities and inter-team relations will be entirely in your hands, you two."
Zhu Yong didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he nodded, accepting the responsibility without hesitation.
"We also need a treasurer for the team, mainly to manage the Contribution Points on the collective card, tallying mission rewards, and so on." Xie Ning turned her head. "Auntie can do it."
Song Youxuan was eager to have something to do, so she nodded quickly upon hearing this, a smile appearing on her face.
"Captain, well, we have someone for diplomacy and someone for finance. What will you be in charge of?" Ji Taixian asked, exasperated.
Xie Ning clasped her hands and placed them primly on the table. "As the captain, my main responsibility is to fight. Please don’t bother me with anything else, thank you!"