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墨書 Inktalez
"Hey! Why are you back so early today?" A voice called out from the doorway. It was Guo Xing's father's voice.
"Dad! We have guests at home. Can I offer them something to eat?" Food had become the most important resource; if they weren't close friends or family, even a simple snack felt too precious to share.
"There's half a jin of rice under the bed from a few days ago. You can cook some Rice Porridge for your friends," the man at the door said, slowly wiping the blood off his face while clutching his stomach and gasping for air.
Zheng Yifan looked in surprise at the man approaching from outside; he was a familiar face, one he had seen at the Han Sui City Gathering Place.
But his current state was nothing like the confident person Zheng Yifan remembered. His clothes were in tatters, not a single piece of fabric intact.
Behind him, several others walked by, looking like defeated roosters, heads hanging low, their bodies nearly stripped bare, with only scraps of cloth hanging on them.
"Dad, what happened to you?" Guo Xing asked anxiously, concern evident in his voice.
"I'm fine, it's just your Uncle Liu..." His father seemed to struggle with something unspeakable, his voice choking up.
"Did Uncle Liu die too? Uncle Li died six months ago in Hansui City, and now Uncle Liu is gone. We're probably next..." Guo Xing couldn't finish his thought. The pessimistic mood was already spreading.
Others began to gather around, seemingly looking for Guo Xing's father. When the crowd formed, they noticed Zheng Yifan and his companions.
Their attire was unusual, especially the masks on their faces—something that could only have been made before the apocalypse. They had never seen such exaggerated designs before.
After all, while the two worlds were similar, they were not identical; Batman clearly had never existed in this world.
"Who are you?" A middle-aged man outside quickly covered himself upon seeing them. It was fine among acquaintances, but making a fool of oneself in front of guests would be too embarrassing.
"Do you still recognize us?" Zheng Yifan removed his mask and smiled at Guo Xing's father.
"Is that you! The big fat sheep!" A shocked exclamation nearly startled everyone nearby.
Guo Xing's father felt so embarrassed that he almost wanted to flee through the door.
Just a few days ago, he had tricked someone out of a bag of rice, and now that same person was visiting his home. It was truly too awkward.
"Thanks to Guo Xing for introducing me to the situation at the Gathering Place and inviting me to your home. I should be the one feeling embarrassed for intruding. As for that matter, let's just let it go; it's just a bit of food, no big deal," Zheng Yifan said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively.
However, the dozen or so Mercenaries behind him could hardly wait any longer. They needed food; they were on the brink of starvation without any income.
Ignoring Zheng Yifan's presence, the mercenaries were more concerned about filling their stomachs. Guo Xing welcomed them inside while the others squatted at the door discussing their situation.
Gradually, Zheng Yifan learned about the circumstances. The so-called Riot Mercenary Group was merely a group of like-minded ordinary people who had supported each other during their escape from Hansui City, enduring some of the toughest times together. Initially, there had been over a hundred members, but now their numbers were dwindling.
Now, even Liu Zheng, who had risen to the highest rank among them, was dead, making their future even bleaker.
None of them were Superpowered Individuals; only Guo Xing had accidentally consumed an Essence Fruit shortly after the apocalypse began, gaining nothing more than an insatiable appetite as his Superpower. The others were struggling to survive.
With no means of livelihood, it was impossible for the dozen or so of them to continue living. They not only had to survive themselves but also ensure their loved ones did as well. However, their future was undoubtedly dark.
"Guo Xing, if you want someone to mysteriously disappear from the Gathering Place in large numbers, do you have any good ideas?" Zheng Yifan teased Guo Xing, who was carefully cooking porridge.
Guo Xing's movements were cautious; saliva dripped from the corner of his mouth as he swallowed repeatedly, waiting to serve Zheng Yifan and the others.
He knew that the food he had consumed could be exchanged for a significant amount of supplies for Xu Xu. Although they would likely be trading for nearly spoiled food, in this apocalypse, that was a lifesaver.
"As long as there's something to eat that can keep people alive, some will inevitably leave the Gathering Place. But if you want people to go out and risk their lives just for food, that's not going to work. Those people are definitely on the verge of starving; if they get one meal from you, they'll just think about escaping."
"Now in the Gathering Place, the Mercenary groups use the method of the Suicide Squad to control their families, forcing them to fight for their lives. After their deaths, they provide their families with food or medicine, or something more urgent," Guo Xing explained slowly.
He wasn't sure what methods were available, and he didn't have much experience due to his age. However, spending time in bars with Mercenaries, he had learned a few things about how different Mercenary groups operated; it had become a streamlined process.
Every Mercenary group needed a Suicide Squad. They required fearless warriors to attract Zombies and then raid the city for supplies. A large number of living people were needed to fill this never-ending pit.
Thus, they had already established regulations, and there were specific locations within the Gathering Place designated for finding collaborations with Mercenary groups.
With hundreds of thousands of people, there would always be those who were desperate. Joining a Mercenary group required significant financial resources. Otherwise, a few individuals venturing out to search for supplies without weapons or professional intelligence would be walking into death.
"If I wanted to hire a Suicide Squad of zero people, would anyone notice?" Zheng Yifan asked slowly.
He casually pulled out two sausages, some shredded meat, and century eggs from his pocket and cut them into the pot, quietly adding some other ingredients.
If this pot was all cooked into porridge, it wouldn't be enough for just a few people. He had countless items in his Storage Space; a few sausages were insignificant.
Gradually, the aroma of porridge began to waft through the air. After a moment of surprise, Guo Xing slowly replied, "Just five hundred people; it can be arranged in no time as long as the conditions are rich enough. Many Mercenary groups will use hundreds or even thousands of people for a big deal to earn more supplies. They also do this when completely taking over a village; those Third-Stage Zombies can only be killed after luring them away and setting traps; this way, they won't suffer heavy losses."
Guo Xing gradually explained to Zheng Yifan that the key reason for the growth of Han Sui City Gathering Place was that survivors here continuously absorbed others from different areas. In a short period, they would find themselves with nothing and have to fight desperately, entering a vicious cycle. Those yearning to survive came to the government-controlled zones in the Post-Apocalypse seeking a peaceful life but ended up facing destruction.
Before that destruction arrived, they were always shown an unattainable dream.
What made Zheng Yifan envious were the warriors who fought on the front lines against Zombies; very few ever withdrew. Most of those willing to join the Suicide Squad were among them because they often came to Han Sui City Gathering Place seeking medical help or due to some unavoidable reasons.
The greater possibility was for their loved ones. They did not fear death but wanted their families to live better lives or at least survive longer—at least allowing their loved ones to follow behind them.
As the population of the Gathering Place continued to grow, merchant caravans followed suit. Countless merchant caravans from various Gathering Places flooded in here, exchanging easily obtained Zombie Crystal s and Low-Level Essence Fruits from the front lines for food and other necessary supplies.
Hope Mall appeared here, stirring up quite a commotion, but it was like a stone dropped into a lake—just some ripples.
As Zheng Yifan listened, the porridge in the pot slowly cooked. To be honest, there were only a few grains of rice that had boiled, while the rest were side dishes that Zheng Yifan had added. They were somewhat overshadowing the main dish.
Outside the door, several members of the Riot Mercenary Group were initially chatting away, sighing and lamenting. However, it wasn't long before their voices gradually faded, and they could only be seen twitching their noses, stretching their necks to see what delicious food was being prepared inside.
"Old Guo, you’re being too stingy. What kind of guests are you entertaining? I can smell it doesn’t just smell like plain rice. Have you started eating human flesh?" One member suddenly turned pale as if he had thought of something.
"Don't talk nonsense. You know what my place is like. That half a kilogram of rice is our last ration. If we don’t think of a way out before dawn, we’ll have to go join the Suicide Squad for a decent meal before dying. Just leave some food for my son; he won't starve. The people in Gathering Place are much better off than I am," Old Guo said with a grim expression. No one wanted to struggle for another year only to end up dead; everyone wanted to live. But these days, it was clear that being dead was more comfortable than being alive.
The others gradually lost their spark as well. They had thought they could continue enjoying life with Old Liu for a while longer and at least eat until they were half full.
But what happened?
Today, the Ice King Mercenary Corps suddenly went mad and rushed back without hesitation, killing anyone who stood in their way without a second thought.
Although Old Liu had been doing well in Gathering Place and even secured a position as Gatekeeper, it was evident that he was still far inferior to the members of the Ice King Mercenary Corps. Moreover, those people moved too quickly; before Old Liu could escape, he was smashed into pieces by one of the Superpowered Individuals among them.
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