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墨書 Inktalez
In the real world, I found a Chinese restaurant and packed several dishes that had been toned down from their original flavors, placing everything on the table. A few large bottles of drinks emitted a refreshing chill, and a plate of ice cubes looked particularly tempting.
Despite it being early spring, the temperature was still maddeningly hot, a heat that seemed to rise from deep within people's hearts. If it didn't cool down soon, people would surely go mad.
The aroma slowly wafted through the air, and soon enough, the first guest arrived at Zheng Yifan's place.
It was the gluttonous and wine-loving fat man known as Ten Thousand Steps. He definitely hadn't come for the food alone; it was that fine bottle of liquor that drew him in.
Zheng Yifan enjoyed a drink now and then but never allowed himself to get drunk.
Lying on his bed, Zheng Yifan suddenly felt a sense of absurdity. The large bed behind him featured a design of two beautiful women holding hands, their cartoonish bodies almost popping out. Lying there felt like being cradled in a woman's embrace.
However, time had taken its toll; the bed seemed to have lost some air, with many key areas sagging.
"Hey! Hey! Hey! I smell something delicious! Boss! What do you have for us? Your new disciple is eagerly waiting for a feast!"
"Oh my! Is this liquor? What brand is it? The taste is smooth—definitely an aged fine brew!" Upon seeing the alcohol, Drunkard Ten Thousand Steps completely ignored Zheng Yifan. He poured himself a glass and savored it before finally paying attention to Zheng Yifan.
"Where did all this food come from? I haven't eaten anything this good in two years!" Ten Thousand Steps exclaimed as he looked at the simple dishes on the table: braised pork, sweet and sour ribs, a steamed carp, and several bowls of rice.
In the post-apocalyptic world, these dishes were truly rare delicacies.
With the fat man's exclamations, more people rushed over. Zheng Yifan held a girl in his arms and brought her to his bed, giving her a bowl of rice porridge to drink. She still couldn't eat solid food and would need at least half a month to recover.
The Huang Brothers also gazed at the food on the table with shining eyes. Unfortunately, without Zheng Yifan's approval, they knew they wouldn't be able to partake.
Except for Ten Thousand Steps, the Fellow had already left the table, his mouth stuffed with food, chewing away like a squirrel caught in the act of stealing.
"Let's eat together. There are no strict rules here. The world is vast, and eating is the most important thing. After we finish, we can take a break for the night and set off at seven in the morning. Our goal is to leave the city," Zheng Yifan said, outlining the next steps of their journey.
It was perfect to let them rest for a night. The food on the table was clearly suitable for Ten Thousand Steps, who was quite the hefty fellow. For someone like him, there was hardly anything he wouldn't accept; his greasy mouth made Zheng Yifan feel a bit queasy. However, they absolutely could not afford to lose such talent—after all, he was a Third-Rank Engraver. If he were to join the factory at Hope Gathering Place, who knew what kind of chemical reactions might occur? Not to mention this Fellow had even managed to create airplanes. Perhaps one day in the future, this chubby man would wave his greasy hands and embrace himself, proclaiming that humanity in the apocalypse could also use airplanes.
This was what Zheng Yifan had always dreamed of, even though the skies were still occupied by Birds.
"Hey! My leader, tonight's meal is simply fantastic; I can't stop eating!" Ten Thousand Steps exclaimed between bites, half a bottle of wine already missing from the table—clearly consumed by him.
Zheng Yifan hadn’t even noticed when he had put it into his mouth.
The girl on the bed had woken up. The energy from milk mixed with Thin Porridge allowed her to move a little; at least she could manage to eat some porridge. People in the apocalypse were not as delicate as those from Post-Apocalypse times. She turned herself over with effort and gently scooped a spoonful of porridge, savoring it slowly until there was almost nothing left before swallowing.
"Even if there's delicious food, you won't be able to enjoy it," Zheng Yifan said with a smile to the girl.
She smiled back at him and softly replied, "Thank you for taking care of me. I know my body well enough; just having a bowl of porridge is the greatest blessing. I appreciate your kindness."
Her words were gentle and sweet, reminiscent of an elegant girl from the water towns of Jiangnan. Her speech was neither too fast nor too slow, clearly indicating she had received a good education.
After exchanging a few casual pleasantries with her, the Huang Brothers across from them could no longer wait.
"Leader, should we keep heading south or find a highway to follow? Or perhaps take the railway?" The Huang Brothers really didn’t have a clear concept of their route.
In this Post-Apocalypse world, they belonged to different professions and didn’t even know each other well. However, both were part of the local working class and had little understanding of places outside their own area. Now that they were traveling with Zheng Yifan, they realized they had no sense of direction whatsoever—north, south, east, or west—let alone how to proceed.
It was as if he were in the South District now, but he knew that continuing south would lead him to unfamiliar territory. Once he passed through the area he recognized, everything would be a blur.
"The first task is to gather some Zombie Crystal s and Essence Fruits from those Gathering Places before heading further south," Zheng Yifan stated his objective.
Going straight home felt too mundane; it was better to seek out something thrilling.
The girl on the bed stared blankly at Zheng Yifan. In her mind, Gathering Places and cities were synonymous with death; her fragile spirit had long been terrified by the devilish Zombies. She could no longer face them.
She carefully surveyed the room, which had clearly been searched, though not as thoroughly. Useful items had been taken from the table, while wood and firewood remained in the hotel.
It was evident they simply couldn't carry so much. There was little blood visible on the walls, but Zheng Yifan planned to take a look around himself to assess any dangers. He didn't want to wake up one day only to find that all five of them had vanished without a trace.
Moreover, he could already sense the girl's admiration for him. That feeling made Zheng Yifan acutely aware of a slight boost in his own strength. It was barely noticeable, almost as if it were just a fraction more, but strength accumulates over time. One person might represent a small amount, but ten thousand could become a significant force. What about a hundred thousand? A million? United efforts could yield immense power.
"If we want to gather Zombie Crystal s, we need to deal with those three major Gathering Places. They possess the most Zombie Crystal s and Essence Fruits. Essence Fruits of Trash are usually worthless, but if you’re willing to offer one or two rations for each, I believe many would be eager to trade with you," Huang Brothers suggested beside Zheng Yifan. The others remained silent; the girl was too weak and unaware of the true situation outside. The overweight Ten Thousand Steps cared little about where they would go next; he was more concerned about the half-plate of sweet and sour ribs left on the table—whether to finish it now or save it for later.
For him, this was a struggle; it felt more like a fight than deciding where to go next.
"Alright then. It's settled: we'll rest today and tomorrow, then head out the day after to visit one of those Gathering Places and collect some Zombie Crystal s before leaving. You can trust me with food and supplies; I can handle that. However, I absolutely won't part with even one Zombie Crystal as currency," Zheng Yifan declared firmly. He was desperate for Zombie Crystal s himself and couldn't bear the thought of using them as currency when he saw others possessing them.
"Boss, you can rest easy. Even if you laid everything out on the table, they wouldn't dare make a move against you. Everyone knows the value of Zombie Crystal s versus food; aside from your generosity, most people are still struggling below the line of subsistence—who has time to think about what to do with Zombie Crystal s? Everyone is probably just desperate to trade for some food they can't even get."
In the city, food was scarce. Zheng Yifan could cultivate land in the wilderness around Hope Gathering Place to grow crops, but that wasn't possible in the city. Even botanical gardens had been nearly overtaken by Mutated Plants; ordinary plants barely had any foothold, let alone staple crops like wheat.
"Then let's set our sights on those three large Gathering Places. We can leverage our population advantage and have people from those Gathering Places help us gather supplies," Zheng Yifan confirmed his target, visibly excited. He glanced at Huang Brothers and Ten Thousand Steps still eating and gave them a few reminders before stepping into the hallway.
He had a bad feeling. The building was completely empty, not even a single zombie in sight, which was definitely abnormal. Something must have happened here, not to mention Zheng Yifan's intuition, which had always been remarkably accurate.
Stepping outside, Zheng Yifan carefully surveyed his surroundings and began searching from the first floor. He didn’t overlook a single room. To be honest, it was the first time he had searched something so meticulously, and most of the room's decor was simply appalling.
The items that resembled torture devices gave Zheng Yifan a peculiar sensation. Not to mention that in certain rooms, it was obvious they were prepared for girls or boys providing special services. Each table had dedicated power outlets, comfortable chairs, and adjustable computers.
If one didn’t know better, they might think these were accommodations for guests. There were even foot baths beneath each seat.
However, Zheng Yifan knew these were definitely the resting rooms for those prostitutes, waiting for clients to arrive.
Next to the chairs were numerous books teaching those women how to win a man's heart.
Naturally, there were also manuals for men on how to please women.
Zheng Yifan had no time to dwell on this because just as he was searching, a small ball rolled down the stairs.
It made a "thump thump thump!" sound.
Aside from the five of them, there were actually others here!
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