“A month isn’t a long time, and we don’t have much time to waste here,” Pei Xiangjin said. “Based on the conclusions of previous meetings, the probability of problems occurring within the protected area is very small. Our main focus should be outside that barbed wire fence.”
Several people glanced out the window at the same time. It was dusk, and a red sun slowly sank on the other side of the barbed wire fence, melting into a pool of blood that dripped onto the vast desert at the end.
"At most one week." Pei Xiangjin withdrew his gaze and said to everyone, "We can stay in the protected area for a maximum of one week. During this week, we must thoroughly investigate this place and then immediately move out of the protected area without any pause."
Everyone nodded in agreement, and the tense atmosphere spread completely.
After a brief explanation of the relevant matters, everyone went out to familiarize themselves with the surroundings.
Yi Heye, holding Xiaoyunduo's hand, looked at the people around him with cold eyes and nervously instructed, "You better be careful. The people here probably haven't eaten meat in a long time. You're so plump, be careful they don't stew you without asking any questions."
Upon hearing this, Little Cloud's fur stood on end in fright, and it clung tightly to Yi Heye's calves, not daring to move even a step away.
Not long after leaving the house, Yi Heye saw a fellow like Qian Kun recruiting new members on the roadside not far away. Clearly, these prisoners were divided into different small groups, each desperately developing their own factions, monitoring and restraining each other.
Yi Heye was most afraid of these palace intrigues; just listening to them talk about it made his head buzz, so he quickly took Xiaoyunduo's hand and walked away.
Most of the people here look pale and thin, and the few who look relatively healthy and energetic, like Qian Kun, are all tall, strong, and robust men.
It seems that this is indeed a world where the strong prey on the weak in the strictest sense.
Yi Heye led Xiaoyunduo to a secluded spot and saw only a lonely house. Seeing that there was no one there, Yi Heye thought he would go and rest for a while. But as soon as he got closer, he heard a series of moaning sounds coming from inside.
The voices were a jumbled, chaotic mix, consisting of men and women, at least five or six people, who showed no sign of restraint.
Yi Heye, who was already a mature adult, immediately realized what kind of place that was. Before he could even blush, he quickly bent down, covered Xiaoyunduo's ears, and dragged the naughty child who was trying to peek inside away.
Seeing the child still kicking its short legs and paddling in the air, Yi Heye, exasperated, smacked its bottom and scolded it harshly, "You're not learning anything good! You're not learning anything good!!"
Little Cloud bleated and tried to argue, but ended up getting two more slaps on the bottom. She could only silently accept her fate, like a little purse, being held under Yi Heye's arm.
Just as he was scolding Xiaoyunduo, some strange noises seemed to come from behind the house next to him.
Yi Heye subconsciously looked back and saw faint noise again, along with a weak groan. If you listened carefully, you could make out Qian Kun's voice.
The sound was far away, and Yi Heye wasn't sure what the people behind the house were doing, but considering what he had just seen and heard, he decided not to get involved.
He pulled the little cloud back a bit: "Let's go, it's time to eat."
Xiao Yunduo was initially stubborn and didn't want to leave, but as soon as she heard about food, she immediately took off running and dragged Yi Heye back.
Yi Heye was worried that someone might covet Xiaoyunduo's plump body, so he sent it back to the dormitory first—this child knew how to take care of itself, and before coming, it had stuffed its bulging wool with hay, which looked like it could at least last until the mission was over.
When they arrived at the so-called "restaurant", the other three people had already arrived.
In a society where the overall cultural environment has almost stagnated, food has become people's primary need.
As Qian Kun said, food is the most precious treasure here. Even though disorder and violence are rampant elsewhere, people always spontaneously maintain balance and order in the restaurant.
The prisoners, who were at odds with each other, spontaneously formed a long queue. At the end of the queue was a table with three full bowls of food, a busy cook, and two "thugs" maintaining order in the dining hall.
Yi Heye took a look ahead and saw that the three dishes were stewed potatoes, stir-fried cactus, and stir-fried seaweed. These dishes were very honest; potatoes were potatoes, and cactus was cactus, without any extra side dishes.
The overly simple dishes and bland-looking ingredients instantly killed Yi Heye's appetite. Luckily, he had brought a few bags of milk powder sticks with him, so he would secretly make some when he got really hungry.
Just as he was so disheartened by the menu that he lost his appetite, a strange fragrance wafted over, and in an instant, everyone looked up at the door.
The next second, Qian Kun walked into the canteen with a grin, carrying a large bucket. If nothing unexpected happened, the tempting aroma wafting out of there was coming from inside.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Qian Kun stood before them, holding a soup ladle, his every move resembling that of a conductor with a baton.
"We've got a bunch of new friends here today." Qian Kun pointed at them with his soup spoon, looking very pleased with himself. "Such a joyous occasion, of course we have to treat ourselves to something delicious!"
As if the entire room had been waiting for those words, the moment he finished speaking, the entire restaurant erupted in a thunderous cheer.
Judging from the appearance, the supply of ingredients here, especially meat, is quite tight. This pot of meat soup is obviously a hard-won treasure.
Qian Kun laughed and made a pause gesture: "The portions are limited, each person is only allowed one bowl, my friends first."
This tactic was clearly a good way to win people's hearts. When Yi Heye saw the other men who had just been recruiting new people, their faces turned ugly.
At Qian Kun's invitation, the residents who had formed an alliance with him stood in a separate line. Yi Heye and his group of four did not dare to stand out too much, and quietly stayed at the back of the line. It would be best if they could get a share, but they would not force it if they could not.
But it has to be said, the smell really does make one a little hungry. Yi Heye swallowed his saliva while eyeing the meat soup in other people's bowls.
Perhaps he was truly starving, but Yi Heye found the aroma in front of him to be incredibly enticing, unlike anything he had ever smelled before. In his memory, he had never smelled such delicious meat before.
Clearly, his companions were also starving. Apart from the indifferent LOPO, Yu Yili and Pei Xiangjin stared at the food in other people's bowls with the greedy look of wolves.
Those who weren't Qian Kun's men stood on either side, watching them with envy, but none dared to make a move. Amidst the murmurs of jealousy and sighs, Yi Heye overheard two people whispering:
"Who do you think is the unlucky guy this time?" "Who cares? Thinking too much about it is disgusting."
This conversation left Yi Heye somewhat bewildered, but the next second, when someone carrying a bowl of soup passed by them and found a place to sit down, Yu Yili, who was in front of them, suddenly turned around with a pale face.
Although he didn't say a word, Yi Heye and Pei Xiangjin immediately realized something was wrong. The moment they looked over, they heard Yu Yili whisper:
"Stop drinking the soup and eat the vegetables instead."
Yi Heye and Pei Xiangjin exchanged a suspicious glance, then remained silent. Trusting Yu Yili completely, they left the line for meat soup, hastily grabbed two plates of vegetarian dishes, and sat down.
At this moment, the forensic doctor, who had seen countless bloody scenes, had no appetite for the food in front of him for a long time, and did not even notice that his chopsticks were not placed asymmetrically.
Seeing him like this, Pei Xiangjin lost his appetite. He frowned and reached out to set out Yu Yili's chopsticks, making sure they were symmetrical with him, before asking softly, "...What's wrong? Did you see something?"
Yu Yili seemed to gag slightly, then shook his head, buried his hands in his palms, took several deep breaths, and finally spoke with difficulty:
"...I just saw human teeth in that bowl of soup."
Author's Note:
I'm not sure if this kind of plot is a bit too graphic, and there won't be any overly grotesque descriptions later on. The purpose of the plot is to present a more complete world view, not to intentionally disgust anyone. I apologize if it causes any discomfort!
(There will be three more updates, so please continue reading!)
Chapter 170 (Number 170)
Upon hearing this, Yi Heye and Pei Xiangjin immediately looked up, their faces turning pale instantly, and they could barely hold their chopsticks.
After a long silence, Pei Xiangjin finally spoke, his face grim, "...What? Are you sure?" He looked unwilling to believe it.
Yu Yili shook his head and said with difficulty, "Yes, I just took another peek. The crowns are basically worn down, and I can't see the exposed tooth enamel. He's at least 60 years old..."
Yu Yili is a forensic doctor, so he shouldn't make mistakes in this kind of thing, but the two people present still couldn't come to their senses and just stared blankly at their bowls.
After a long while, Yi Heye finally felt a sour taste on the tip of his tongue and couldn't help but feel nauseous.
He might feel better if he vomited now, but he was worried about letting others see, so he could only hold on tightly to the edge of the table and grit his teeth to endure it.
Looking up, Pei Xiangjin was the same; judging from his pale face, he had clearly lost interest in the vegetarian dish in front of him.
Ultimately, Yu Yili was a forensic doctor who had seen it all. He was the first to recover and advised, "You still need to eat some vegetables, otherwise you won't have the strength later..."
Before they could finish speaking, Pei Xiangjin and Yi Heye shook their heads in unison—they could barely even drink water now.
As Yu Yili swallowed the stewed potatoes in front of him with tears in his eyes, he recalled, "The last time I felt nauseous was during my internship, when I first saw the Giant's Temple. That guy, that smell..."
Pei Xiangjin, who had finally mustered the courage to pick up the chopsticks, slammed them down again, looked up and glared at the guy: "Say that again and I'll beat you up when we get back."
Upon hearing this, Yu Yili sadly lowered his eyelids again and began to eat potatoes, bite by bite.
Yi Heye stared blankly at the plate in front of him. The aroma wafting in the air had become a trigger for his repeated nausea.
He glanced again at the people beside him who had received the broth; they were all eating with normal expressions, without a trace of difficulty swallowing.
Yu Yili couldn't help but ask again, "Do you think they know this is...?"
After his reminder, Yi Heye's rusty brain finally slowly restarted. He recalled the strange noise he heard on the way back, and the conversation between the two of them just now.
This time, Yi Heye finally understood what he meant by "Which unlucky guy is it this time?"
“...They know,” Yi Heye said painfully.
If nothing unexpected happens, this guy was probably beaten to death by Qian Kun.
Upon closer examination, there's a strange sense of logic to it: how could such a small, barren patch of land possibly grow enough vegetables to feed so many people? Although the building density in this area is high and the population is considerable, the number of new people arriving from outside the walls each month is indeed far less than one should expect.
When he looked up, he saw two prisoners on patrol walking up to a thin newcomer and staring menacingly at the leftover food in his bowl.
The skinny guy wasn't one to be trifled with either, and seeing the other's gaze, he was naturally very annoyed: "What are you looking at?!"
The inspector ignored his foul language and instead pointed to the leftover food in his bowl, saying, "Eat it all up."
The skinny man sneered and stood up: "If you want these rotten vegetable leaves, go ahead and lick them clean."
The next second, he reached out and knocked over his bowl, and with a crash, the food and soup fell to the ground.
Before the skinny guy could even gloat for a few seconds, the tall patrolmen on both sides reached out and pinned him down. Then, several men who had just finished eating rushed over and, ignoring his shouts and struggles, dragged him away.
At this moment, Qian Kun was sitting with his legs crossed, peeking out to join the fun. Seeing this, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "I told you not to waste food. I wonder whose new bride this is. They're not even giving her a proper lesson."
The other diners in the restaurant were clearly delighted with this situation—"We get more food! We always look forward to the newcomers; they're the ones who don't listen to us!"
The implication is self-evident: in this bizarre environment, they are powerless to help even if they want to.
As they were talking, Yi Heye suddenly felt someone looking at his plate. He exchanged a flustered glance with Pei Xiangjin, and the person also looked over nervously.
The next second, the two of them silently lowered their heads, suppressing the nausea churning in their stomachs, and frantically shoveled food into their mouths.
This meal was absolutely agonizing; when Yi Heye stood up from the restaurant, his vision was already blurry.
Pei Xiangjin wasn't much better off, looking like she was saying, "Want to find a place to throw up together?" She was unsteady on her feet as she walked out of the restaurant.
On the way back, Qian Kunye followed them. He observed their pale faces with a grin and said, "It's inevitable to feel a little uncomfortable the first time, but you'll gradually get used to it—if the food doesn't keep up, not many people can survive."
Seeing that the three of them were all in distress and remained silent, Qian Kun then turned his gaze to LOPO, whose face was known for its calm demeanor. He stared at her for a long time before nodding and sighing, "This little girl is indeed worthy of being your main culprit. She has such a good mentality as soon as she arrived."
LOPO ignored him, wearing only two plush bear ears and two ponytails, and ran forward expressionlessly.
Throughout the journey, Qian Kun didn't care whether they wanted to listen or not; he just kept telling them about other things about the place.
Just like the history they learned outside the wall, Zone E was built and put into use during a period of great pollution. When the first batch of people came in, the place was desolate, with no food, clothing, or other necessities. No one could survive here for more than a week. At that time, exile was the death penalty.
This situation persisted for nearly five years before people with a strong will to survive began to try to live there. They barely survived on rainwater and then found some food seeds that could be planted in the desert.
“This place must have been inhabited before. In the beginning, we could often dig up some useful things from the ground, such as pots and pans, brick fragments, and some discarded semiconductors and chips,” Qian Kun said. “At first, we were weak and could only live a life similar to that of primitive people. But later, as more and more people came in and more and more people survived, we learned to forge iron, build houses, smelt, and so on. We also set up barbed wire and established rules.”
“Because food and supplies are scarce here, controlling the number of people is essential. But the reason why Area E is where it is today, and why we can survive outside that wall, is because the number of people is increasing.” Qian Kun glanced at them. “We need people who can provide labor value. I recruited you because you are young and strong.”
According to Qian Kun, the things they had here, besides those originally dug up from the ground and disassembled and reassembled, were mostly looted by killing new recruits, including clothing, tools, and so on.
Qian Kun said, "That's why I said you're lucky. As long as you listen to the rules and follow the regulations, you can be guaranteed to live a safe and peaceful life."
So it's true that they were lucky to be noticed and recruited by Qian Kun as soon as they landed. Otherwise, they would have caused a lot of trouble since they didn't know the rules and had no one to guide them.