“So, do you know if there’s anything to eat around here?
Preferably something that tastes slightly decent.
By the way…” Wen Jin raised his head and glanced at the luxurious clock hanging high in the bank lobby.
The time was exactly twelve thirty-seven at noon, and only four hours had passed since his descent.
Yes, the roads on this planet were truly hard to walk.
It had taken him four hours just to reach this bank, and according to his “Time Deduction,” [Destruction] would probably catch up to him within the interval from twelve system hours to thirty system hours.
Back at Cangcheng, it had stopped for eleven system hours, landing right on the critical point before the other two Xianzhou ships’ reinforcements arrived.
“You don’t have much time left.” Wen Jin’s light and airy sentence instantly made cold sweat break out on the back of this battle-hardened receptionist.
That’s right…
the time left for them to evacuate was already running out.
But if they evacuated now…
She looked at Wen Jin beside her, and the complexity in her heart had already reached its peak.
The task her superiors had given her was to obtain as much intelligence related to this person as possible.
The more intelligence she obtained, the more generous her reward would be.
She might even…
She might be able to rise to p35, leave this godforsaken little place, be transferred back to Pier-Point, and become a true “IPC employee”!
But if she continued staying here…
Being able to rise to p35, being able to go to Pier-Point and enjoy a lifetime of wealth and glory—all of that was premised on “being alive.” If she died, what use would it be if she were posthumously promoted to p35?
Would they put her ashes into a flowerbed urn in Pier-Point, only for someone to toss cigarette butts into it?
Almost without too much hesitation, this IPC receptionist decisively chose to “quit while she was ahead.” She once again bowed deeply to Wen Jin, then under Wen Jin’s gaze, hurriedly fled toward the back of the bank.
Watching that figure whose steps were so light and quick that she nearly twisted her own ankle, Wen Jin slightly opened his mouth, but in the end, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.
She still hadn’t answered whether there was anything to eat around here…
After all, he could be considered to have “slept” for fifty years.
Fifty years without a single drop of water, and by now, he did feel a little empty in the stomach.
“Forget it…
I’ll find something to eat myself.” Wen Jin turned his head and once again glanced at the people immersed in the “Sidekar Rebirth Service,” then slowly shook his head.
After that, he turned around and walked toward the bank’s front doors.
When he passed by the two IPC mechs again, Wen Jin could clearly sense that the two pilots inside the mechs had already adapted to his existence.
At the very least…
the mechs no longer trembled visibly.
However, for IPC mechs as fat as balls to stand so straight, it must have been quite hard on those two.
Under the gazes of those two who were practically “drenched in sweat,” Wen Jin lifted his foot and walked out through the bank’s front doors.
The moment he stepped outside, he felt a gust of wind sweep over his head.
A small vessel rose from the landing pad on top of the bank the instant he walked out, shooting straight upward until it plunged headfirst into the black clouds and vanished from sight.
Although Wen Jin had not clearly seen the figure inside the cockpit, he somehow felt that the frantic “pilot” was the young IPC woman who had just spoken with him.
“Sigh…
so, what is there to eat here?” Wen Jin sighed softly.
At this moment, he suddenly recalled the white-cut chicken made by that white-cut chicken shop owner.
If he could do it over again…
He definitely wouldn’t add chili, and would taste it carefully!
Just as he was still thinking about that ultimate question in life, “what to eat and where to eat,” the increasingly chaotic crowd on the roadside gradually drew his attention.
A group of people wearing bulky protective suits arrived in front of the bank like thieves with guilty consciences.
They were hiding something in their arms.
It might have been money they wanted to deposit into the bank, or it might have been firearms meant to rob the bank.
A fanatical wave called “rebirth” had already risen within Stede-Karl.
The people knew nothing about the doomsday that was about to arrive.
The IPC had not informed them of anything related to Wen Jin.
From beginning to end, everything on this planet was being controlled by the IPC.
They might only be an external assignment team under a sub-department of some major IPC department, yet they possessed the power of life and death over the entire planet.
In order to recover their “investment” on Stede-Karl, they had woven a beautiful lie at the final moments of this planet.
In the name of “rebirth,” they allowed the people to glimpse the gateway to a new world.
But little did they know, the new world of blue waters and clear skies in their dreams was actually called [Destruction].
But there was no real difference.
Perhaps the world after death really did look like blue waters and clear skies.
In any case, Wen Jin had never seen it.
Although he had died so many times, so far, he had never truly reached the other shore of death.
What a joke…
Nanook hadn’t burned him to death back then, and Lan’s arrow hadn’t managed to shoot him apart either.
Just when would this End of Life ability of his finally let him reach an end?
He felt that if this kept going, perhaps he would eventually unlock the achievement of being killed by even more Aeons.
Thinking this, Wen Jin ignored those people still “encased in shells” and walked toward the nearby urban district.
He did not care about the Destiny awaiting these people, because he was not their savior.
He could not conjure vessels out of thin air for them to flee in, and even if he could, this bunch of long-brainwashed people probably would not believe him.
After living, dying, dying, and living so many times, he had long since ceased to be the hot-blooded young man who wanted to save everyone.
He would only make attempts at the possible “boundaries,” rather than look at a chessboard that was like a pool of stagnant water and forcefully push the pieces forward.
The main urban district of Stede-Karl, or perhaps the main urban district of the current region, was called a “main urban district,” but judging from its appearance, it was no different from the slums on some planets.
There were no overly tall buildings here, because the rainwater would cause corrosion, and buildings that were too tall were inconvenient to repair and inspect.
After all, the harsh environment here had not existed for just a day or two.
It was a common phenomenon that had already become a “natural landscape.” Wen Jin walked through the dirty and messy streets, searching for the “ideal” shop in his mind.
What a pity…
none of the food sold around here looked like something humans could eat.
But considering the environment here, it was still relatively reasonable.
As he walked, Wen Jin suddenly stopped.
Immediately after, he slowly turned around and looked toward a small shop by the street.
Through the thick bulletproof window, a touch of green that seemed somewhat out of place in this gray and gloomy world was hiding behind the glass.
A few drops of turbid water still hung on those tender green stems and leaves.
Almost without any hesitation, Wen Jin did not even take another look before directly turning around and walking into that shop that possessed “Hope.” ★ ★ ★ T/N: If you spot mistranslation, do tell me.
★ ★ ★ Shilling time!