Chapter 56 - 55: Welcome to Move In

Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Welcome to Move In

The staff member inserted the three cards into the slot one by one and tapped the keyboard a few times. With a BEEP, she handed the cards to Chen Momo and smiled warmly. "Your three base all-purpose cards are ready. Welcome to the Han City Base Life Center!"

Chen Momo took the three cards. They were also green, with the words "Han City Base All-Purpose Card" printed in red font.

In the bottom right corner of the cards was a small string of golden numbers, representing their base residency IDs. Since they had arrived early, Chen Momo’s number was near the front—exactly No. 000100. Chen Xiaobao and Xu Xiaoka were No. 000101 and No. 000102, respectively. Judging from the card numbers, a hundred residents had already arrived before them.

Both the staff uniforms and the cards featured plenty of green and red elements. Green represented vitality, while red represented hope. It was evident that the base hoped to use these colors to make the sheltered residents feel love and warmth. The staff members, in particular, were incredibly enthusiastic. They were like little suns radiating warmth in the bitter winter.

These small details deeply moved Chen Momo.

"Mommy’s coming!" Xiao Bao poked his head out, having already stared out the car window for quite a while. Seeing Chen Momo appear, he excitedly waved his little hand out the window. "Mommy!"

Chen Momo got into the car. As she buckled her seatbelt, she handed the other two cards to Xu Xiaoka and Chen Xiaobao. "These are your all-purpose cards. We’ll be using them often at the base, so make sure to keep them safe!"

Curious, Xu Xiaoka and Chen Xiaobao took the cards from Chen Momo. They studied them for a moment before carefully tucking them into the pockets of their down jackets.

Chen Momo drove the RV toward the parking lot entrance. Approaching the two large black spheres, she rolled down the window and tapped her all-purpose card against one of them. With a BEEP, the black sphere flashed a green light, and its left and right hemispheres slowly slid apart.

The space between them revealed the entrance to the parking lot. Chen Momo drove up the entrance, which formed a spiraling ramp that coiled up, circle after circle, all the way to the height of the eighteenth floor.

It turned out that to prevent blizzards from sealing the parking lot entrance, the base had taken an unconventional approach and built the parking area on the upper levels. Above the eighteenth floor was a towering dome that acted as a circular cold shield. Not only did it allow normal light to pass through, but it also provided thermal insulation, ensuring that the car engines in the parking lot wouldn’t freeze.

Inside, twenty or thirty cars were already neatly parked. Most were ordinary vehicles, with only one or two luxury cars among them, making Chen Momo’s top-tier RV extremely eye-catching in the lot.

After she parked, Xu Xiaoka and Chen Xiaobao grabbed their luggage and stepped out of the vehicle.

"Mommy, where are we staying?" Chen Xiaobao asked.

Carrying her two suitcases, Chen Momo walked and replied, "We’re going to check in now."

Not far away was something shaped like an elevator. Chen Momo walked over and pressed the button. It turned out to be an actual large elevator, clean and tidy, with the heater on, making it warm and cozy inside. It could hold about a dozen people at a time. Chen Momo, Chen Xiaobao, and Xu Xiaoka got in, rode down to the first floor, and exited the parking lot.

The snow at the base had already been cleared away. There was no accumulated snow on the surface; underneath was a solid layer of hard ice. Crisscrossing paths paved with crushed gravel and asphalt lay over the ice, so there was absolutely no need to worry about slipping while walking on them.

Xiao Bao opened his big eyes wide, looking left and right. He was so curious about everything here that he almost forgot to walk.

In the end, it was Xu Xiaoka who smiled and urged, "Xiao Bao, hurry up, or your ears might freeze off."

Xiao Bao gave a sweet smile. "Xiao Bao knows!"

Their current location was still quite a distance from the Han City Base Life Center; walking there took about twenty minutes. Because they were all bundled up in thick clothing, they worked up a sweat in no time.

They finally arrived at the Han City Base Life Center. Chen Momo took her activated card and went straight to the front desk. "Hello, I’d like to check in for three people, please."

The female receptionist warmly said to Chen Momo, "Please provide the all-purpose cards for the other two residents as well."

Xu Xiaoka and Chen Xiaobao had also dragged their luggage inside. Hearing that their all-purpose cards were needed, the two boys quickly fished out their cards and handed them over to the receptionist.

The receptionist took the three cards and swiped them one by one on a small machine connected to her computer. With a BEEP for each, the registration information for all three cards appeared on the screen.

She then said, "You’ve arrived early, so our base still has many room types available. What kind of layout are you looking for?"

Chen Momo replied, "Since there are three of us, at least a three-bedroom apartment with a living room. It needs a kitchen, good natural lighting, and it should be somewhat quiet. A higher floor would be best."

"Then how about Room 1608?" the receptionist asked, picking up a tablet to show Chen Momo the specific interior details of the apartment. "This apartment is seventy-two square meters in total. With three bedrooms and a living room, it’s no problem for three to five people to live here. It has a large balcony and floor-to-ceiling windows, so the lighting is excellent. Its location is the furthest south, so you won’t be disturbed by other residents, making it relatively quiet. If you think it’s too small, you can also look at the four-bedroom or five-bedroom layouts. However, the rent will be considerably higher."

"What are the respective prices?" Chen Momo asked.

The receptionist answered, "Room 1608, which I just showed you, is 3,000 base credits per month. A four-bedroom apartment generally starts at 4,500 base credits per month, and a five-bedroom with two living rooms is upwards of 6,000 base credits per month."

"The three-bedroom apartment is fine," Chen Momo said.

This room was 1608, and the apartment she had lived in back at Dongfang Garden was also 1608. What a coincidence.

The receptionist quickly helped Chen Momo complete the check-in procedures and explained, "The deposit is one month’s rent, and rent is paid monthly. The amount will be automatically deducted from your all-purpose card three days in advance each month, so please ensure you have enough base credits saved in the card beforehand. Also, our utility bills for water and electricity are settled once every three months. You’ll come to the front desk to pay based on your household’s usage."

"Understood. Thank you," Chen Momo said.

After finishing the check-in process, the three of them took the base’s elevator to their apartment. Both Xu Xiaoka and Chen Xiaobao were extremely excited, deeply curious about what their new home would look like.

Soon, the elevator arrived at the 16th floor. Dragging her luggage, Chen Momo found Room 1608. She tapped her all-purpose card against the door lock, and with a BEEP, the door clicked open.