Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Let's sit down and have a couple of drinks together. After all, it's all dug out from the ruins, and I'm not much of a wine connoisseur anyway, so I can't really tell the good from the bad," Zheng Yifan said, gesturing to the seat beside him, though his hand didn't stop pouring the wine.
Li Ning only poured a glass from the bottle of red wine next to him and then transferred the rest into a decanter. It would need some time to breathe before drinking.
However, he was a bit impatient and took a sip from the glass he had poured. The un-aerated red wine had a very high alcohol content. If he weren't a Superpowered Individual, he would have been drunk by now.
Rhinophyma smiled as he lifted the bowl of wine that Li Ning had just tasted, savoring it with great care as he lightly sniffed it before taking a gentle sip.
It was indeed just a sip; compared to what Zheng Yifan was drinking, it could be considered delicate tasting.
"You don't have to be so frugal. Even though it's been a while, this jar must have at least twenty pounds of wine. You don't need to save it for me," Zheng Yifan pointed at his large jar of wine.
"No! No matter how much wine you have, it's still yours. But this bowl is already mine, so I should savor it and enjoy it. After all, one might as well enjoy life before heading off to die, right?" Rhinophyma replied with a satisfied expression.
"Head off to die?" Zheng Yifan looked at him incredulously, not expecting to hear such words from a Middle-Aged Man who was slowly savoring fine wine.
"Of course! Half the people who come to this tavern are here for their last drink in life. As for headless meals, no one can afford that anymore. Having a drink is like sending oneself off," Drunken Nose Uncle said as he slowly savored the wine in his bowl.
"Are you all going to fight against Zombies? Or are you trying to reclaim the city?" Zheng Yifan asked in confusion.
No one could calmly head off to die unless there was a reason behind it. Even those driven mad by hunger who managed to struggle through two or three years in this apocalypse would still have the heart to fight. They wouldn't casually seek death because that was simply impossible for them; they would only fight against Zombies and scavenge for supplies in the ruins.
"No! That's not it at all. I'm here because I want to use Essence Fruit. This is what I've exchanged for after saving food for half a year. I had over ten acres of land outside the city, but I've sold it all now, along with two seasons' worth of grain. All for this treasure," Rhinophyma said as he pulled out an Essence Fruit from his pocket.
It looked crystal clear, almost like water crystal.
Zheng Yifan glanced at it and suddenly felt a bit bitter.
This was the lowest grade of Essence Fruit; such things should have been discarded. Only he could exchange them for higher-grade Essence, but that required five of them.
Clearly, this Fellow across from him had no chance of making such an exchange.
"Is a 5% chance worth it, especially when the evolution isn't even complete?" Zheng Yifan suddenly expressed his feelings.
This person only needed to wait, just a few months, until the Hope Gathering Place conquered this area. At that time, the Essence Fruit could be exchanged for Essence, and they wouldn't have to consume such desperate things anymore.
"No! This is the capital of living. Do you know how many people died on our farm just to obtain this single fruit? Over two hundred. Do you know how they spoke to me before they died? Our leader, Uncle Li, told me before he went to attract the zombies that I was their hope." Rhinophyma suddenly cried.
Two tears fell into the wine bowl.
He hated it! He wished he could die first so he wouldn't have to struggle internally or feel this pain. How could life be so harsh? Why was even a nearly fatal opportunity driving people to madness?
Wasn't this thing supposed to be everywhere? Why had it become so precious now?
"In that case, you should cherish your life even more. That is a chance to survive created by over two hundred brothers, and you're just going to waste it?" Zheng Yifan looked at his fellow survivor across from him and suddenly felt a heavy weight.
All along, those survivors he encountered were either mad or humble, but never had he seen anyone like now—these people carried the weight of their deaths with resolute determination.
Three years had passed since the apocalypse began, and humanity was now at a point where food could no longer be found among the ruins; resources could not be exchanged for food. Even waste was scarce. Moreover, even if they found those post-apocalypse supermarkets, many items were unusable; any packaging that was slightly damaged had already rotted away.
Even ordinary packaging began to spoil as soon as it was opened.
Survival had become the greatest challenge.
What troubled them most was actually the Granary. It was the greatest treasure for survival in the apocalypse; as long as one found a Granary, they could live. But what about now? The food in the Granaries they had previously discovered was no longer edible; everything had gone moldy and spoiled.
In the post-apocalypse world, some had already exchanged food for stale rations, but even those stale rations could fill their stomachs—yet after nearly three years, even stale food had begun to mold.
The days ahead were becoming increasingly difficult; food had become a guillotine pressing down on the survivors' necks, forcing them to fight desperately.
"Brother, haven't you thought about holding on? As long as we persist, there is hope for survival!" Zheng Yifan felt compelled to persuade him.
"Survive? There's no chance left. This fortress may look intact, but it's really just a sheep pen for those Nobility. Everyone works the fields, growing food, and they do everything they can to get their hands on it. In the end, it becomes resources for them to attract those Superpowered Individuals, turning into a means for them to draw away others from their Gathering Place," Rhinophyma shook his head.
It seemed he truly had no hope left in his heart.
Zheng Yifan felt that the name of his Gathering Place was truly well chosen; after all, wasn't he there to bring hope to those in the apocalypse?
"Brother, since you've made your decision, I won't say much more. Let's have a toast. I'll treat you to a bowl of this; surely you'll be willing to drink it then?" Zheng Yifan suddenly offered generously, clinking glasses with Rhinophyma across the table and personally pouring him a bowl of liquor.
Li Ning stood by, staring blankly at his leader as he poured a precious Essence into the uncle's bowl along with the alcohol.
"We won't leave until we're drunk tonight. Consider this my way of honoring you," Zheng Yifan continued to toast with the uncle across the table, a smile on his face.
The people around swallowed hard, watching this fortunate Fellow.
"Clang!" The bowl shattered as Rhinophyma suddenly turned red all over, collapsing onto the table and convulsing repeatedly.
"Hey! Get him a room and soak him in ice water. This fruit will serve as payment," Zheng Yifan casually picked up Rhinophyma's Essence Fruit and tossed it to the tavern keeper.
"If you take my advice, hold on! Just hang in there for another two months! No!!! One month will do. Give me one month, and I will bring you hope," he said as he stepped out the door, leaving deep footprints behind. (To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count