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墨書 Inktalez
In December, City A is not as bone-chillingly cold as northern cities, where one must wear heavy down jackets, but it is not enough to just wear a long-sleeve shirt and a pair of thin pants, especially for the elderly and children.
However, after entering the base, Liu You'er realized that she had only passed through the first gate; there was still a second gate. The second gate was made of sturdy iron mesh, which was wrapped with electric wires that seemed to be live.
The two gates were about a kilometer apart, with a wide road in between. This was the very road Liu You'er was walking on. Along both sides of the road were many makeshift tents, and sitting inside were numerous emaciated people, mostly elderly and children, who were staring hungrily at the instant noodles and bottled water in Liu You'er's hands, swallowing hard.
Looking at those aged faces and hopeful eyes, Liu You'er felt her steps grow heavy. For the first time, she wished this damned apocalypse would end quickly. Although she had guessed what life would be like living among humans before, she had deliberately avoided thinking about it, so she hadn't felt it strongly. But now, facing this scene directly, she was struck hard by the reality.
Suddenly, a seven or eight-year-old boy ran onto the road and knelt in front of Liu You'er, crying out, "Sister, sister, please give me some food! I haven't eaten anything for several days. Just one box will do; even half a box is fine. Please!"
Liu You'er looked at the boy's thin yellow face covered in tears and his malnourished appearance; it was heartbreaking. However, her expression showed no change because there were too many people. If she gave something to one of them, she would likely be overwhelmed by those who were about to go mad from hunger. So she simply glanced down at him and walked away, thinking that she would help them if she had the chance in the future.
Little did she know that the boy who had been crying just moments ago saw Liu You'er ignoring him and immediately wiped away his tears, stood up, returned to where he had been sitting before, and said to his companions, "The later you come in, the harder your heart becomes! After wasting so many tears on her, she didn't even give me a bit of hardship pay. I hope she gets torn to shreds by zombies as soon as she leaves the base!"
Several other children around him who looked about the same age immediately echoed his sentiments: "Exactly! How despicable! Torn apart by zombies!"
An elderly man next to Zhuangzhuang heard this and shook his head helplessly. He spoke earnestly to the boy: "Zhuangzhuang, you shouldn't talk like that!"
Upon hearing this, Zhuangzhuang immediately became angry. His eyes widened in disbelief but he did not argue back with the elder; instead, he vented his frustration by kicking down one of the children who had agreed with him.
The child who was kicked down merely exclaimed "Ouch!" but did not retaliate. He sat there looking aggrieved; however, in an instant when he lowered his head, a glimmer of killing intent flashed in his eyes that was uncharacteristic for his age.
Although Liu You'er was already a certain distance away from the little boy and his friends, the commotion still reached her ears, weighing heavily on her heart. If these future hopes were to be destroyed, then even if humanity survived the apocalypse, it would still be equivalent to annihilation!
At that moment, she felt that the distance of one thousand meters seemed as long as ten thousand. Finally, she arrived at the second gate. She thought she would have to undergo some sort of inspection again; however, the soldier guarding the gate merely glanced at her before opening the door and letting her in.
She paused for a moment but did not ask any questions and walked straight in because she already knew the reason.
Indeed, although there were also children inside the second gate, their parents appeared young and healthy. In some couples, one partner was even an Ability user, allowing their children to enter the base with them. She had sensed the energy fluctuations outside and realized that the elderly and children out there were all ordinary people without any Abilities. Even among the few adults present, they were all in poor health.
Liu You'er looked around at the obviously better-equipped facilities and the lively scene of people selling goods on makeshift stalls. It was like two different worlds compared to the outside. She couldn't help but sneer. Just as she was about to continue walking, several people surrounded her, jostling for attention. One claimed to have the cheapest housing options while another boasted about knowing where to find the best weapons. Their incessant chatter only worsened Liu You'er’s already foul mood, causing her brows to furrow tightly. Suddenly, she spotted a boy on the outskirts of the crowd who was being pushed away from her. Pointing directly at him while suppressing her anger, she said, "I want this one!"
Upon hearing this, everyone surrounding her turned their sharp gazes toward the direction Liu You'er pointed. Once they recognized who it was, their expressions shifted to one of amusement. These onlookers exchanged glances with Liu You'er before dispersing like birds startled from a tree but not too far away; they seemed to be waiting for a good show.
Yue Xingze looked at himself being pointed out by this woman with eyes as beautiful as a Persian cat. He was momentarily stunned before a smile spread across his face as he thought to himself that he could finally make some money. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Hello, my name is Yue Xingze. You only need to give me five dollars a day. Feel free to ask me any questions."
Finally breathing in fresh air, Liu You'er took a deep breath and noticed that the boy in front of her was only about fourteen years old. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pink hundred-dollar bill.
"…"
Looking at the silent boy in front of her, Liu You'er asked with some confusion, "Is this not enough?"
Yue Xingze blushed as he gazed into Liu You'er’s enchanting eyes and stammered slightly, "It's not that; the base has its own currency now. The old money is no longer usable. However, gold, silver, Core items, food, water, and weapons can be exchanged for base currency."
"Oh."
Upon hearing this, Liu You'er casually put the money back into her pocket as a keepsake.
After Yue Xingze's detailed introduction, Liu You'er had a general understanding of the base's rules and the currency exchange standards. Just one box of instant noodles could be exchanged for 10 coins, while a bottle of mineral water was even more expensive, worth 30 coins. In the base, if a person only aimed to survive, spending 5 coins a day was enough for an adult man to eat. Therefore, if anyone could earn 15 coins in a day, that would be considered quite good. Some people couldn't even earn 5 coins a day, like the young man in front of her.
He mentioned that they, as guides, were managed by different area leaders of the city defense team. The base was divided into four zones; they were in C Zone, with B Zone further inside, filled with extremely powerful Ability users. The central area was A Zone, which only the base management had the qualifications to enter. The outside area was undoubtedly D Zone, populated by the elderly, weak, and sick.
Within C Zone, there were five subdivisions, and the team leader was regarded as the "king" of their respective area. Their captain was Fat Wang, who mandated that each guide must pay 30 coins monthly as a "hardship fee." However, this hardship fee policy was something Fat Wang had established himself; there was no official regulation regarding it. Last month, when Yue Xingze didn't earn enough coins to pay the "hardship fee," Fat Wang flew into a rage and began making things difficult for him from then on.
Seeing this situation, other guides began to ostracize him and steal his clients. Whenever he finally managed to attract one, Fat Wang would sabotage him, causing him to average only 3 coins a day this month—barely enough to eat, let alone pay the hardship fee.
Liu You'er observed the young man's troubled expression and then glanced at the group of soldiers approaching behind him, led by a hefty man among five or six others who looked aggressive. She thought to herself: It seems that trouble has arrived just as it was mentioned.
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