Right now, this is the first time Yi Heye has stood under the high wall of Zone E. Unlike Zone A, this high wall has not been meticulously maintained and repaired. Instead, it is covered with dark moss, filthy mud stains, and rust spots washed by rain.
If you look closely at the wall, there is a large, faded lettering that is almost illegible, which reads: "Restricted Area, Trespassing Strictly Prohibited".
The moment the prison van hit the ground, the heavy iron gate beneath the high walls slowly opened. Someone inside couldn't suppress their sobs, while those nearby sneered, "They're all people who've committed crimes and are going to Zone E. Who are they crying for?"
As they chattered back and forth, the people behind him naturally started arguing. Yi Heye was so annoyed that he could only stare intently out the window to distract himself.
After the car entered Zone E, it passed a long stretch of sentry posts, with heavily armed AI guards standing guard on both sides, looking intimidatingly imposing.
However, once the car actually drove inside, the management didn't seem as strict as they had imagined.
"Alright, we've arrived."
The moment the car stopped, no one was on guard. All they heard was the prison guard on the vehicle say, "You can get off now. Find a place to settle down yourselves."
Amidst the bewildered glances, the car door slowly opened, and the prison guards began urging people to get off, but no one dared to stand up casually.
Most of the people in the car had already spent some time in detention centers awaiting sentencing, or were frequent visitors to prisons. None of them had ever seen a place where they didn't need security checks, didn't need to wear handcuffs, and didn't need prison guards to watch over them, where they could just "find a place to settle down" at will.
If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a tour bus carrying a whole bunch of people to a tourist attraction.
The prison guards were clearly too lazy to explain much to them. They picked up their electric batons and shooed the people away. The people had no choice but to rush down, full of suspicion.
It was indeed strange. When they got off the bus, the prison guards clearly saw Xiao Yunduo, whom Yi Heye was leading, and they could also see the large amount of equipment that Yu Yili couldn't hide. It was not uncommon for other inmates to be hiding knives and guns. But after they were successfully sent off the bus, no one really paid any attention to them.
Yi Heye looked back and immediately went to find his companions to reunite.
Pei Xiangjin was also looking for someone, and the moment she saw the little cloud in his hand, she couldn't help but curse, "Holy crap, how did it get here?!"
With Xiao Yunduo safely landed and not detained by the prison guards, Yi Heye's last worry disappeared. He shrugged nonchalantly, "There's nothing I can do, the child is clingy."
Pei Xiangjin quickly bent down, pointed at Xiaoyunduo's nose, and warned, "You better listen to me... damn it!"
Before he could finish speaking, Little Cloud gave him a fierce look and bit his finger. Before Pei Xiangjin could punish it, it scurried behind Yi Heye and hissed at him menacingly.
Like a big, white cat with its fur standing on end.
"Damn it..." Pei Xiangjin glanced at his hand, making sure it wasn't bitten, before cursing, "I'll stew you first thing at dinner!"
Knowing he was in the wrong, Xiong Changyi Heye could only cautiously speak up for it: "It's a machine; if you stew it, it'll leak electricity."
Upon hearing this, Little Cloud proudly stuck out its bottom and wagged its tail at him, making Pei Xiangjin's face turn ashen with anger, while Yu Yili almost couldn't breathe from laughing.
It seems the child's temper hasn't improved; he's just now supporting the family.
The four people and the sheep finally met up, carrying their luggage and looking around.
Unlike the strict prison they had imagined, there were no oppressive and gloomy cells, no omnipresent surveillance, no high electric fences and railings, only rows upon rows of low self-built houses, and people moving freely to and fro—basically the same as the 3D model built by Song Zhouzhou.
It looked like a spontaneously formed human settlement, except that far from the settlement was a desolate desert where nothing grew, and the ground beneath their feet was also a lifeless expanse of sand and countless uncleared gravel.
As they stood there observing the terrain, a man in his thirties with a scar on his face walked over cheerfully: "Newbie, let me take a look."
Anyone who could be here had at least a murder on their hands. As this man walked casually toward them, the group simultaneously went on high alert.
But the man didn't make a move. Instead, he stood in front of them, looked them up and down, and then laughed: "You look pretty energetic. What did you do wrong?"
"Skilled..."
"kill."
Yu Yili only managed to utter one word before Pei Xiangjin interrupted him.
“A few of us were just looking for some fun, so we tied up a young couple and put them in the garage to play with. After a few days, they both died,” Pei Xiangjin said calmly. “Each of us didn’t even get to die before we were dealt with. We might as well have killed a few more.”
Sure enough, upon hearing this, a satisfied smile appeared on the man's face: "Not bad, truly a talent."
The moment the man turned away, Yu Yili made a look of sudden realization—he had heard that there was a hierarchy of contempt in prisons, and in a place like this, you couldn't stand firm without a bit of intimidation.
So he straightened his chest and raised his head, putting on a fierce and menacing look.
"Want to come with me?" The man pointed to the house in front of him. "We have some spare rooms. If you're new here, I can show you around."
The group exchanged glances and nodded.
Regardless of whether they are good or bad people, anyone who can be here is definitely not a good person. It's always better to have someone guide you than to figure things out on your own. At worst, you can just be more cautious.
“My name is Qian Kun, you can just call me Da Kun.” The man turned back to look at them, his gaze falling on LOPO, and he smiled, “There’s a girl here too.”
LOPO glanced at him but didn't say anything. Before coming, Song Zhouzhou was afraid that she would expose her AI identity, so he specially folded up the two antennas that distinguished her from others and hid them in a pair of plush bear ears. With her two pigtails, she looked like an innocent little angel.
Fearing he might have ulterior motives towards LOPO, and also worried he might find LOPO too weak and refuse to take her along, Pei Xiangjin quickly cleared her throat and said, "She is the main culprit."
Qian Kun raised an eyebrow, clearly not quite believing it: "Don't worry, we have our own rules here, we won't do anything to her..."
Before he could finish speaking, he watched as LOPO lifted a huge rock that was blocking her way with one hand, and then threw it to the other side of the road with a loud thud.
Dust billowed up instantly, drawing the attention of countless passersby. LOPO, however, remained calm and composed, his two little bear ears perked up, as he leaned closer to listen to their conversation.
"Uh, um..." Qian Kun hesitated for a moment, then gave an awkward laugh, "It's fine."
After a few people gave brief self-introductions, Qian Kun began to explain the situation here:
"You're quite lucky. We've already built up the infrastructure and developed our own set of rules. As long as you obediently follow orders and do your job every day, you can basically live a life free from worries about food and clothing."
As confirmed by the intelligence provided by Song Zhouzhou, the infrastructure here was built by the prisoners who had been exiled for a long time. In order to survive better outside the walls, they gradually developed their own rules and systems.
But they knew that this self-discipline and self-governance did not mean that they had accepted reform from the bottom of their hearts or sincerely repented; it was all just to survive on this barren land.
Qian Kun led them toward the camp, without explaining the so-called system to them or taking them inside to choose rooms. Instead, he pointed to a stretch of barbed wire that seemed to have no end, about five or six hundred meters away from the camp compound.
“The area outside that net is no longer part of the protected area,” Qian Kun said. “If you get tired of staying in the protected area, you can wander around as you please, but once you leave, you can forget about ever coming back.”
The four people exchanged glances—this information matched up: those who died unnaturally inside the wall had all left the protected area.
Pei Xiangjin asked, "Why?"
Qian Kun said, "Because people who have been outside will become 'dirty'."
According to the information provided by Song Zhouzhou, the "dirtiness" mentioned by Qian Kun should be related to infectious diseases and environmental pollution. After all, there is no decent medical care in the protected area. Once an infectious disease invades, it may mean that the protected area will face a catastrophic disaster.
After hesitating for a long time, Yu Yili finally asked the question that had been bothering him: "Brother Da Kun, this place doesn't feel quite the same as I imagined."
Qian Kun laughed and turned to look at them: "What do you think it should be like? Iron bars, prison uniforms, electric batons, handcuffs?"
Yu Yili looked at him, her eyes filled with "Isn't that right?"
“The existence of rules means there’s still a chance to get out. The reason we’re so unrestrained is because we’ve been completely abandoned by those inside the walls,” Qian Kun sneered.
Have you ever seen anyone set rules for the trash in a garbage dump?
Author's Note:
Little Cloud: Just you wait, you're lucky to have me!
——
Three chapters were updated in one go, keep reading!
Chapter 169 (Number 169)
Seemingly understanding his meaning, Yu Yili gasped.
The fact that no one cares does not symbolize complete freedom, but rather represents utter despair—the geographical environment outside the wall is extremely poor, and the indifference from inside the wall can only mean that everything must be taken care of by those outside the wall.
Food, shelter, water... everything they needed to live required them to start from scratch on this barren land. Besides, the countless individuals with volatile personalities clashing and fighting each other were none of their concern within the walls.
To put it bluntly, there's no need for security checks here. As long as they don't climb back over the wall, whether they live or die is none of the concern of those inside.
"The supplies in the circle are enough to keep our own people alive," Qian Kun said. "If you don't want to die, you'd better stay."
Yu Yili glanced at Pei Xiangjin, then asked, "Brother Da Kun, are the supplies you mentioned being sent to us from outside the wall?"
Qian Kun glanced back at him, his sinister eyes revealing an unsettling mockery. Upon seeing this, Pei Xiangjin subtly tucked Yu Yili behind him.
“I told you we’re trash abandoned by the outside world,” Qian Kun laughed. “From today onwards, forget about the outside world, or you won’t survive.”
Little Cloud was so frightened by Qian Kun's laughter that it dared not move. Its wool was almost standing up on its back. Yi Heye could only sigh, stroking its fur and saying some nice things to comfort the child's fragile heart, while picking up the stiff-bodied creature and walking forward.
Yi Heye roughly understood Qian Kun's meaning: once they were packed up and sent over, they would be completely left alone. The so-called supplies should be produced within their protected area, and currently, they could achieve a level of self-sufficiency.
They followed Qian Kun for a quick tour—upon closer inspection, they saw that the self-built houses here were all constructed from sand and gravel piled up on the ground, some old and some new, squeezed together in a cramped manner, and it seemed that their number was gradually increasing as prisoners continued to pour in.
From this perspective, the area within the protected area that can be explored is indeed very small. It's a thin layer, yet it's crammed with people. Not far beyond that, there's an insurmountable barbed wire fence, making it look extremely oppressive and suffocating.
“We recently discovered a new mining area. Once it’s successfully mined, we’ll have a source of fuel for lighting,” Qian Kun said, gazing into the distance. “You’re lucky; they’re short-handed over there—you know, people who can’t provide labor value can’t survive on this land.”
Scattered among the houses were a few plots of land. Qian Kun pointed to one of them and said, "If you know how to farm, find a plot of land to help out. It would be even better if you could cultivate your own land and grow something."
In a highly technological society, it is rare to see such primitive farming methods, and the four people who had just come from outside the circle were naturally completely unfamiliar with them.
Based on his basic life experience and geographical knowledge, Yi Heye could tell that the severely desertified soil made it almost impossible to grow anything edible. The few patches of land that looked slightly different had already been completely cleared. Looking around, the types of things that could be grown were very simple, with potatoes being the most common, and even green vegetables were extremely rare.
"The seeds of these vegetables were discovered and preserved by our predecessors from desertified soil. Only through generations of careful selection and cultivation can we reap today's harvest." When this topic was mentioned, Qian Kun, who was usually a bit of a rascal, spoke with a touch of seriousness and respect.
“Remember, food is the most precious treasure.” Qian Kun looked coldly at the four people in front of him, his eyes full of warning. “All our efforts are ultimately for food.”
Not far from the residential area is a huge artificial reservoir, which is said to have been dug out bit by bit by the prisoners. The water in it is rainwater that has been collected from natural rainfall, barely enough to supply everyone in the area.
Yi Heye tried to find some places where livestock were raised, but apart from seeing people using bird nets to catch wild birds that had landed there, he did not seem to see any places where meat was produced.
Under such conditions, are there really enough supplies?
Filled with doubt and wariness, the group followed Qian Kun back to his residence.
Their room was as simple as they had imagined, with no lighting or electricity, only a hastily built stone bed. But their location was good; there was an artificial reservoir not far away, and two vegetable fields next to it, making it a prime location in the entire E district.
"If you've thought it through and are willing to come with me, then we're a community of shared interests." Qian Kun leaned against the door, a half-smile on his face. "I'll provide you with food and lodging and teach you how to establish yourselves. You'll provide labor and fight loyally for me."
Battle? The group exchanged glances, all wary of the word.
But having someone to guide you is more important; you can always adapt to the situation later. Pei Xiangjin nodded and said, "Okay."
Qian Kun smiled and patted his shoulder: "You just arrived today, take a rest. We'll have dinner next door later, a welcome dinner for you."
Only after confirming that Qian Kun had left and that no one was eavesdropping nearby did the group gather together for an urgent discussion.
Pei Xiangjin glanced around and then asked, "Apart from the section with the barbed wire fence that uses solar panels, there's no electricity here. Is there a way to solve LOPO's power problem?"
Upon hearing this, the little girl immediately pulled out two huge spare batteries from her teddy bear backpack: "I brought them, enough for a month."
One month is the limit that LOPO can last, while the Little Cloud, with its relatively simple functions, does not need to be charged as frequently.
The group of people roughly understood the situation.