Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Hey, you bunch of punks, stop right there! Have you paid your protection fee?" A group of burly men swaggered over from behind, their bodies swaying like thugs from the real world.
Indeed, outside the gates of Han Sui City Gathering Place, they were nothing more than a gang. Lacking the courage to confront the Zombies, they relied on their size and strength, along with a relative who served as the Gatekeeper in the Gathering Place, to start extorting protection fees.
They wouldn't dare mess with powerful teams; instead, they preyed on ordinary people or merchants from other Gathering Places.
Unlike Hope Gathering Place, which was self-sufficient, Han Sui City Gathering Place relied on other Gathering Places for daily necessities. They needed supplies like Salt and side dishes, and even more so, they depended on others for Essence.
Their attempts to cultivate Essence Fruit had a success rate that never exceeded 0%. As for the lowest-grade Man-Eating Flower Essence, it barely reached a success rate of 5%.
Moreover, most activated Superpowers were low-tier, with combat abilities that were alarmingly inadequate. While they could still be used in battle, their effectiveness was concerning.
The only ones who could be of any use were those Superpowered Individuals capable of handling firearms. They would be recruited into special military units within the Gathering Place for training, with only the most exceptional talents making it into the elite First Division.
Currently, Zheng Yifan was being treated as a merchant from another Gathering Place here to trade. Typically, such teams would be subjected to a thin layer of extortion.
"Brother! It's our first meeting; here's a little gift as a token of goodwill," Zheng Yifan said while reclining on his Tricycle. His secretary, Sun Jiang, handled the thugs up front and handed over a five-kilogram bag of rice.
This rice was custom-made by Zheng Yifan in the real world. The packaging bore no text—just an ordinary woven bag filled with the cheapest rice available.
These were meant for resale; there was no need to buy anything better, as that would only raise suspicions.
"Kid, you know how to play it smart. With our Riot Mercenary Group's name out here in the Gathering Place's outskirts, no one will dare touch you. You can walk around freely," the thug leader said with a swagger before moving on to continue collecting protection fees.
Sun Jiang spat on the ground in disdain and approached Zheng Yifan with an unhappy expression. "Captain! Why give them anything? I could take those two down myself."
"Why stir up trouble? We're not here to draw attention; our goal is to sell our goods and complete our mission," Zheng Yifan replied dreamily.
He continued to lie on the Tricycle and fell asleep.
The others nearby couldn't help but stifle their laughter.
"Even as Superpowered Individuals, they still take this kind of nonsense. But these fools are definitely in for a bad end; my rice isn't that easy to collect," Sun Jiang slyly glanced at the thugs.
Just moments ago, he had mixed two grains of Zombie Essence into the rice, making it indistinguishable from the regular grains. The outer layer was just ordinary rice, so it was impossible to tell anything was amiss.
However, once consumed, they would undoubtedly turn into Zombies.
In the Han Sui City Gathering Place, old rice had to be sold at a discount, and Sun Jiang didn't believe these Fellows would be willing to take a loss. According to his estimation, most of that rice would end up being eaten by them.
In the end, those who turned into Zombies would be themselves.
Chuckling to himself, they entered the Gathering Place. The entrance fee was collected smoothly, without any of those oppressive gate officials.
The management by the First Division was extremely strict; anyone caught embezzling or accepting bribes would face execution immediately.
As a result, they dared not openly collect benefits, but supporting others to do so fell outside the First Division's jurisdiction. That so-called chaotic Mercenary group was merely propped up by a few Gatekeepers.
"Captain... should we head straight to Fortune God Street to rent a shop or take a stroll around Han Sui City Gathering Place first?" Sun Jiang leaned closer to Zheng Yifan.
"Let's go to Fortune God Street first."
Zheng Yifan looked around the entire Gathering Place with great interest. The management here was very strict; the refugees dared not show themselves outside, with most hiding in their homes.
On the street, a dozen patrolmen meticulously searched each room, lifting any corpses they found and tossing them onto the truck behind them.
It was a pickup truck, clearly modified by the Formation Master. Here, the Formation Master could fully showcase their abilities, but even more powerful machinery could no longer operate.
The utilization of Zombie Crystal s was low, and their usage range was limited, leading to a significant waste of Zombie Crystal s. In Han Sui City Gathering Place, there were relatively few Zombies, but in other Gathering Places, Zombies surged like waves. However, they lacked a Formation Master and could not consume Zombie Crystal s at all; they had to come to Han Sui City Gathering Place to exchange them for food at extremely low prices.
They had no military background and certainly did not possess the extensive information of the First Division.
All the reserves of Granaries and military bases in the entire province were recorded in the First Division's data, which allowed them to seize opportunities before other Gathering Places could occupy these resources. By the time other Gathering Places sought to take over this Granary, Han Sui City Gathering Place had already moved in.
This also placed considerable pressure on Han Sui City Gathering Place, but the other impacts were evident as well. At the very least, there was nothing here except food; the issue of Salt deeply troubled them.
The few acres of vegetables planted outside were simply insufficient to meet the consumption needs of the entire Gathering Place, making vegetable seeds a necessity.
They needed too many things, but explorers brought back too little, resulting in a state of distorted development for the entire Gathering Place.
Zheng Yifan recognized this and first went to Fortune God Street to establish a shop, collecting Zombie Crystal s while exploring the locations of other Gathering Places. He also sought out scattered groups from Howling Wind Gathering Place to see if he could attract some refugees to join Hope Gathering Place.
"This is it! Store Rental Registration Office," Sun Jiang guided Zheng Yifan to the Store Rental Registration Office on Fortune God Street.
It was easy to find; this was the most prosperous area in the entire Gathering Place. A long pedestrian street stretching over a thousand meters was lined with shops selling everything imaginable, yet very few could afford to spend money here.
Zheng Yifan saw a nearby ramen shop owner angrily throwing a teenager out of the door while loudly scolding him: "No coins? Then take food! We don't accept those worthless Zombie Crystal s here. If you want to exchange Zombie Crystal s, go to the Exchange Center—one cent each, clearly priced."
The child sat on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
"Child, come here." Zheng Yifan squatted down and waved at the child.
The child looked up at Zheng Yifan, wiped away his tears, and ran over eagerly.
"Big Boss, do you want a guide or a partner? I can do both, as long as I get fed. I don't eat much; just one meal is enough," the child said, forcing a smile while using his sleeve to wipe his cheeks, trying to make himself look a bit cleaner.
"I want to trade for a Zombie Crystal with you. Uncle will give you two packs of instant noodles in exchange. Will you do it?" Zheng Yifan took out two packs of instant noodles. These weren't branded; they were the kind sold in bulk at the market.
They were factory-produced, and with Zheng Yifan's custom packaging, they had no labels at all.
The child immediately excitedly offered his only possession, the Zombie Crystal, and happily accepted the instant noodles, cradling them in his arms.
"Big Boss, do you still need a guide or a partner? I can help," he continued, rolling up his sleeves and trying hard to show off the muscles on his arms.
Unfortunately, there were no muscles to show; his arms were so thin that the bones were almost visible. They looked like sticks.
"Child, be our guide. I want to find a better shop; can you recommend one?" Zheng Yifan gently patted the child's shoulder and exchanged glances with Sun Jiang.
Sun Jiang immediately understood and went to the noodle shop across the street to buy a bowl of noodles.
He exchanged half a kilogram of rice for a bowl of ramen; the shopkeeper was just making a little profit from it.
"Friend, this is from our captain," Sun Jiang said as he handed the bowl of noodles to the child.
The child's heart was in turmoil. He had never thought he would be giving food away. The hardships of the past year had extinguished all hope within him; every bite of food had been fought for with his life. He had killed before, eaten human flesh, and even resorted to eating raw dead rats during the most desperate times.
He never expected that in this cannibalistic era, giving food to others could bring him such satisfaction. The bowl he handed out felt like a piece of hope.
Looking at Zheng Yifan beside him, he knew that all of this was brought by the leader. Everything they had—food, clothing, and supplies—was a change brought by the leader. If he were still living at Cat Ear Cliff, he would have already become someone else's meal by now.
"Can I take it with me?" the Child asked, blinking his big eyes at Zheng Yifan. He understood that Zheng Yifan's words held weight; he was the leader of their group.
"Then can you tell me why you want to take it?" Zheng Yifan asked.
"My dad hasn't eaten for two days. He needs food," the Child said, tears welling in his eyes. He had already brought out everything at home that could be exchanged for food, but his father still hadn't recovered. He was burning with fever and had fainted earlier today.
"You can take the food to your father first, and then come back to guide us. If you do well, I'll treat you and your father to a big meal tonight," Zheng Yifan said as he handed the bowl of noodles to the Child.
"Thank you, Uncle," the Child said with a bright smile, cradling the bowl as if it were a piece of hope. "My name is Sun Yang. Wait for me for five minutes."
Holding the bowl carefully, Sun Yang tucked it into his clothing, oblivious to the soup spilling onto himself as he hurriedly made his way home.
His house wasn't far; Zheng Yifan could see that the child had little strength left. His frail body struggled to support him for long distances.
Looking into the distance, Zheng Yifan could see that his home was just over a hundred meters away in a wooden cabin, directly facing his position. The moment Sun Yang opened the door, a cold glint flashed in Zheng Yifan's eyes as he furrowed his brow tightly.
Comment 0 Comment Count