Chapter 417: Laura Lowell and the Four Seasons Deer Placement Issue

Chapter 417: Chapter 417: Laura Lowell and the Four Seasons Deer Placement Issue

Upon entering the Central Base, Seraphina Sullivan and her team were guided along.

Like streams flowing into the sea, they moved toward the wide entrance leading to the "Super Underground Area."

Where they would be assigned in the future—whether they would remain underground or have the chance to go to the surface, or even higher—all depended on the Central Base’s unified assessment and arrangements.

...

Meanwhile, deep within the Central Base, inside a heavily guarded command center filled with countless giant screens flashing with data and images, Gordon Chandler stood before the main control console.

He was dressed in a crisp military uniform, his expression grim.

Beside him sat several other elderly men, also in military uniforms. Though their hair was gray, their gazes were as sharp as a hawk’s. They exuded the authority of long-held power and the composure of those who had weathered many storms.

The largest screen displayed real-time surveillance footage from each of the base’s peripheral entrances.

Seraphina Sullivan’s team flickered past on one of them.

"The Central Base is currently seeing an unprecedented influx of survivors," one of the old leaders, a man with a gaunt face, spoke slowly. His voice was hoarse yet powerful.

"According to the advance reports from the various safe zones and our preliminary screenings, there are undoubtedly a large number of ’Players’ with diverse Abilities hidden among them.

They are a variable, but they are also our hope.

Properly settling them, guiding them effectively, and even absorbing the best among them will be our key strength in facing the even more severe natural disasters to come."

Gordon Chandler nodded.

He pulled up another report. "The ’disaster pause’ granted by the system is about to end.

Based on the intelligence we’ve gathered and the feedback from Joy Hughes, the next global catastrophe will most likely be ’Extreme Heat’ and ’Terrifying Temperature Swings.’

We need to plan ahead and focus on finding and recruiting Players with Ice Element or Water Element Abilities, or those who can create low-temperature environments and regulate temperatures.

They will play an irreplaceable role in cooling, water production, and protecting key facilities."

"I’m giving you full authority over this matter, Gordon," another elder, one with a ruddy complexion and a burly frame, said in a deep voice.

"Form a special task force to screen, contact, and evaluate these Players as quickly as possible.

Resources can be appropriately allocated to them. We must establish an effective response system before the extreme heat arrives."

"Understood!"

Gordon Chandler stood at attention to accept the order, then immediately reported again.

"In addition, I just received an encrypted message from Wesley Moore, the head of the Vorlag Safe Zone. His team has arrived at the periphery.

He specifically mentioned a special type of potato from their safe zone, the Growth Potatoes.

According to his description, eating a small amount of these potatoes produces a strong feeling of fullness. They also have a short growth cycle and a considerable yield.

I believe that if this is true, this crop holds strategic importance for alleviating the food pressure from our base’s growing population.

I recommend we immediately organize agricultural experts to verify this and consider large-scale cultivation in suitable areas of the base."

"Oh? Is that so?"

The old leaders exchanged glances, all seeing the gravity in each other’s eyes.

"Food is the foundation of survival.

If such an efficient crop truly exists, its value is no less than that of a powerful team of Players.

Arrange a meeting immediately to verify the situation.

If the Effect is confirmed, designate it as a top-priority agricultural project and give it our full support!"

"Yes, sir!"

Gordon Chandler noted the directive. He took one last look at the bustling torrent of survivors on the screen, who were pouring into the underground entrance filled with both hope and exhaustion, and said in a low voice,

"Please rest assured, esteemed leaders. I will deploy at once to properly settle these new survivors and unearth the talent and resources we need from among them.

We will make the most thorough preparations to face the next natural disaster."

Under the lights of the command center, the glow of the screens illuminated the solemn and resolute faces of these decision-makers, who shouldered the burden of survival for hundreds of millions.

Seraphina Sullivan and her group followed the crowd, slowly moving toward the massive entrance to the "Super Underground Area."

The entrance was like the throat of a giant beast—wide, yet deep.

It was equipped with multiple security checkpoints and fully armed Guards.

The line was long, and the people waiting to be inspected and admitted were packed shoulder to shoulder.

However, they soon encountered their first practical problem.

Flora Sullivan and the Four Seasons Deer herd she led.

After a long journey and meticulous care, the Four Seasons Deer Herd was not only more robust than before, but the unique Energy Field they naturally emitted as mutated creatures had also become more pronounced.

Their presence was especially conspicuous in the relatively enclosed and crowded entrance area.

While their docile nature and graceful appearance attracted some curious gazes,

they drew far more looks of vigilance, caution, and even unconcealed greed and calculation.

The Central Base appeared orderly and technologically advanced, but against the backdrop of a huge population, complex factions, and relatively limited survival resources,

undercurrents swirled beneath the surface, hiding a tangled web of interests, gray areas, and people with ulterior motives.

Such a conspicuous herd of mutated deer, which clearly possessed practical value, would undoubtedly attract a great deal of attention.

Both official and unofficial.

The resettlement of the Four Seasons Deer Herd became a problem—neither big nor small, but one that had to be solved immediately.

Justin Brooks, as one of the team’s public-facing leaders, immediately sought out the coordinating administrator in the entrance area.

This person was a sharp, capable-looking woman who appeared to be in her early thirties, named Laura Lowell.

Most eye-catching were the several palm-sized, miniature mechanical devices of various shapes floating around her. Some resembled cameras, others scanners, while some flickered with a faint light.

"Administrator Lowell,"

Justin Brooks asked politely, "we’re from the Vorlag Safe Zone.

These Four Seasons Deer have been important companions on our journey. They’re very docile now and have been successfully tamed by one of our Players.

Excuse me, but would it be possible for them to enter the underground area with us?"

Hearing this, Laura Lowell’s gaze swept over the quiet Four Seasons Deer, lingering for a moment on the magnificent lead deer, which was clearly the herd’s leader.

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she raised her hand and tapped at the air, causing a translucent, mechanical keyboard made entirely of pale blue light to materialize before her.

Her hands flew across it, her fingertips a blur.

At the same time, the miniature devices floating around her adjusted their angles in unison, aiming at the deer herd and Justin Brooks’s group as if performing a rapid scan and data entry.

A moment later, the tapping stopped.

Laura Lowell looked at Justin Brooks, a polite, professional smile on her face.

But her tone was firm. "Hello, Captain Brooks. According to our scans and records, these are indeed mutated creatures with stable energy reactions.

I’m not trying to make things difficult for you; this is stipulated in Chapter 3, Article 7 of the Central Base’s ’Regulations on the Management of Newly Arrived Survivors and Affiliated Organisms’.

A small number of tamed, stable-tempered, and moderately-sized companion or utility-type mutated creatures may be permitted to enter the underground residential area with their owners after a strict evaluation.

But in your case, you have an entire herd of over twenty, and their individual energy reactions are significantly higher than those of ordinary animals.

Given this scale and the potential risks, regulations prohibit bringing them directly into the underground area, which is primarily composed of dense residential zones and precision facilities."