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墨書 Inktalez
At night, the Hope Gathering Place was still alive with song and dance. Of course, what was called song and dance now merely meant maintaining a semblance of normal life; occasionally, a few people would come out to show their presence, while most were busy purchasing supplies.
The usual prosperity was absent, yet the eateries remained open. People might not indulge themselves, but they certainly couldn't skip meals. Especially those Superpowered Individuals, who were notorious for their large appetites. They possessed ample resources and held relatively high status within the Gathering Place, making them the primary consumers. Although there were ordinary people in the Gathering Place earning more than the average Superpowered Individual, those were still the elite of society.
Ordinary citizens needed to accumulate wealth slowly, but the profits from commercial activities were not significantly less than what Superpowered Individuals earned through risking their lives.
Outside the Gathering Place, a large group of women gradually dispersed, each accompanied by a personal guard. These guards were merely First-Level Espers and close-combat Superpowered Individuals whose contributions in city defense battles were minimal, which was why they had been assigned this task.
It was a rather unpleasant duty; they would even prefer to be on the walls swapping ammunition for those Firearm Espers because that way their entire group could share in the Military Merit generated by a single Firearm Esper.
And now? They found themselves accompanying these women, who resembled Mudbugs, on shopping trips. It was truly frustrating, but they dared not express their feelings; who knew which woman might end up becoming the next leader's consort?
Rumor had it that the leader had already established a palace with hundreds of women.
Of course, they didn't care how many women the leader had. Ancient emperors had their palaces filled with selected consorts. In this post-apocalyptic world, it was just about acquiring a few more slaves.
They simply didn't want to undertake this pitiful task with so little Military Merit.
Among them, the most troubled was the soldier accompanying Fan Bing. The soldier named Liang Xiaoyu had once hoped to fight on the battlefield, but now? He was stuck with a woman. His Superpower had potential against Zombies, albeit with low odds.
His Superpower was called Auxiliary Resonance, which could amplify spatial vibrations within an area. If any vibrations occurred in that region, he would significantly expand their range. However, from an external perspective, it appeared as if he could create spatial tremors himself and coexist with others.
No matter how many times he explained it, it was futile because no one in the Gathering Place understood Superpowers related to spatial vibrations.
Of course, if one were to look for such a power, Pu Qiang from the Bloodbath Legion could be considered one. However, his ability created intense vibrations that tore apart space and produced distortion—completely different from Liang's description of his power. He had attempted to seek Pu Qiang for practice before, but Pu Qiang was a leader overseeing tens of thousands of troops and simply didn’t have time for him.
As a result, he had yet to find an opportunity to showcase his abilities.
Nevertheless, on the battlefield, there would always be opportunities; as long as there was some vibration present, he could unleash his Superpower and take down a Zombie for a Zombie Crystal and some Military Merit in return.
What about now? After spending a night shopping with a woman, the only Military Merit he received was the most basic kind.
Even the Military Merit he earned from regular training was barely enough to cover daily expenses. There was no way it could support acquiring a Psychic Weapon.
"Sir, please rest assured. As long as I have even a little bit of ability in the Gathering Place, I will do my utmost to help you," Fan Bing said timidly beside Liang Xiaoyu.
She had seen Big Shots before, but her current situation was awkward; she didn't even know what kind of encounters awaited her next. All she could do was tread carefully.
"It would be nice if you remember me as a Superpowered Individual in the future. I'm afraid you'll forget me after today. Sigh... it's not the first time. Come with me." Then, as if by Divine Intervention, he casually added, "My name is Liang Xiaoyu, and my Superpower is Auxiliary Resonance. As for my specific code number and team, it's better if you don't know."
Fan Bing silently repeated Liang Xiaoyu's words several times, confirming that she wouldn't forget before finally revealing a faint smile.
With her graceful demeanor and delicate features, she truly caught Liang Xiaoyu off guard. He couldn't help but smile wryly; such women were not meant for him. They belonged to the Big Shots of the Gathering Place, to battle heroes. But they did not belong to ordinary soldiers. If he wanted to have someone like her, he would have to work hard to become strong and then enjoy everything that could be enjoyed.
In this apocalyptic world, everyone started from nearly the same starting line. As long as one became a Superpowered Individual, there would always be a chance for success, provided they found their own place.
As for him, the only hope left in his heart rested with Pu Qiang. Unfortunately, he was a member of the Flame Legion and couldn't join the Bloodbath Legion. Even if he were temporarily reassigned, it wouldn't guarantee that Pu Qiang, the Legion Commander, would use his Superpower to test him.
The stronger the Superpower, the more restrictions there were on its use; those involving space were undoubtedly among the most limited.
"Follow me and keep up; don't get lost. If you do, you won't get anything to eat. I'll take you somewhere nice; consider it my treat," Liang Xiaoyu said as he led Fan Bing toward a street lined with food stalls.
This was the first stop upon reaching Hope Gathering Place. The first task for every member of the Explorer Alliance and returning warriors was to fill their stomachs; otherwise, their bodies wouldn't hold up.
As for what rewards Explorer Alliance members could obtain while outside, they could submit missions at branches established by Hope Gathering Place Explorer Alliance and even enjoy some drinks.
However, these activities weren't part of an ordinary soldier's itinerary since that place was where Explorer Alliance members exchanged information; regular soldiers didn't need such things.
Their first stop upon returning was Food Street. When they stepped into Food Street, Fan Bing was already astonished. Since the beginning of the apocalypse until now, she had managed to maintain a certain level of nutrition. Every month, Brother Tao would prepare a nutritious meal for her that included many canned goods—resources that helped her maintain her figure and basic health, skin condition, and appearance.
Even Brother Tao himself was reluctant to eat.
What lay before her? A street full of food? The World Food Festival? Or had she arrived at a banquet?
She didn’t know, but she could see the excited gazes of the women who had entered before them. They looked at the food around them, scanning for something to eat. Most of them had brought a little pocket money.
Because no matter where you are, you always need some private funds. The guards escorting them were not so kind as to cover their meal expenses, as their basic Military Merit could only be exchanged for enough to have a simple meal here. An Ordinary Warrior needed two Military Merits for a meal, and that was without indulging in any luxurious foods. If one wanted to feast heartily, a month’s worth of basic Military Merit would be gone in an instant.
So those women were eating very little and cheap items, mostly plain noodles and rice cakes. They were simply sprinkled with seasonings and accompanied by a few strips of Spicy Cabbage. In this post-apocalyptic world, those Spicy Cabbages were considered quite a delicacy; they were offered for free but in limited quantities. Otherwise, there would definitely be some troublemakers who would eat one cake and then gorge themselves on pickles.
One should never underestimate humanity's obsession with free food.
Thus, those women cherished their rice cakes or noodle cakes, savoring the pickles in front of them.
Fan Bing also took out her pocket money, which amounted to only a few Zombie Crystal s. She carefully tucked it into a palm-sized wallet and kept it close to her chest.
"You don’t need to pay; I want to have a big meal today anyway. Having a beautiful lady with me will surely make it taste even better," Liang Xiaoyu said. Unlike others, he was a Superpowered Individual, earning Military Merit relatively easily, though it still pained him to spend it. But after some hesitation, he decided to indulge himself a little.
Perhaps it was Divine Intervention that led Fan Bing and Liang Xiaoyu into a Barbecue Restaurant—pure meat. In this post-apocalyptic world, that was the height of luxury; forget about any renowned dishes from the Post-Apocalypse. The requirements for ingredients were too demanding.
The meat in the Gathering Place was frozen; to make it delicious required various seasonings to create rich flavors, and barbecuing was one of those methods. Even frozen marinated meat could be eaten; while it might not taste as good as fresh meat, it wasn’t bad either. After all, Liang Xiaoyu had come here with several comrades last month.
Today was just another chance to satisfy his cravings.
Upon entering the restaurant, they immediately saw more than ten tables already set up inside, each equipped with high-quality Charcoal.
Of course, no one knew what kind of wood was used for the charcoal because most trees were hard to come by in the Hope Gathering Place. The northern mountains had yet to be developed; they could only purchase wood brought back by explorers. As for what type of wood it was, they would leave that to fate; after all, it was all grilled on an iron plate, and the smoke from the charcoal would be vented away through the exhaust below.
On the table, they lit the charcoal and covered it with a lid. Soon after, two exaggerated bowls were brought over along with several shrimp and some fresh and delicious vegetables, mostly cabbage.
The cabbages planted in the Gathering Place were finally ready to eat. These cabbages had been planted according to the altered timeline of the apocalypse, and with the increased yield from Superpowered Individuals and a small amount of Zombie Fluid cultivation, they had survived the Culvert. Now, many of these cabbages had been pickled into sauerkraut and Spicy Cabbage.
Fan Bing was so astonished that her mouth hung open.
Meat! And it was beef! She could even smell the fragrance of beer; how rare that was.
Moreover, there was so much meat—two whole bowls, generously portioned. Was this something an Ordinary Warrior could enjoy? Had Brother Tao ever eaten this much meat combined during the apocalypse?
Just a rough glance was enough to conclude that it was impossible; this was Fang Ye Tan.
Then she saw something akin to a Post-Apocalypse scene: grilled meat placed on an iron plate, along with dipping sauces for each person.
Everyone had to grill their own food; there was no other way. The Boss was famously known as a Lazybones around here.
The shop was nearly full of people, and a few tables had already opened bottles of precious white liquor, toasting and exchanging cups.
"Don't even think about it. I have military orders now; I absolutely cannot order alcohol. You might as well give up," Liang Xiaoyu said helplessly, then urged Fan Bing to grab some meat.
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