Ye Manman’s lips parted slightly, her soft pink lips trembling as she stared in shock at the old apartment compound before her.
Was this the “Corridor” those humans had been talking about?
The exterior walls of the old building were mottled and peeling. Six-story buildings stood to the northwest, east, and south, with two staircases connecting them and forming an open square in the shape of the Chinese character “回.”
On every floor were more than a dozen crude single rooms, each only a dozen or so square meters, all crammed with residents. At first glance, it looked as though countless ants had been trapped inside a structure of reinforced concrete.
Perhaps they had heard the commotion below, because people kept coming out of their rooms and gathering in twos and threes, leaning against the corridor railings as they looked down.
“New people again?”
“Heh, perfect timing. A few died recently, so we can fill their places.”
The women who climbed down from the truck understood exactly what this place was the moment they looked up and saw the Corridor.
The entire old building was filled with thin, frail men and women. Among them, several ability users came out with their pants still being pulled up, wearing expressions of satisfaction.
Sun Wen tightened her grip on Ye Manman’s hand again, her face turning deathly pale.
The latter didn’t sense the change in atmosphere at all. Her dust-covered face was filled with distaste.
“Is this where we’re supposed to live?”
“Wrong.” The middle-aged woman sitting at the entrance, sewing insoles, gave a mocking laugh. Without even looking up, she pointed toward the lowest floor of the apartment compound. “That’s where you’re staying. Eight people to a room. You can live there for one week for free. After that, you have to pay contribution points to keep staying. If you don’t have any contribution points, you’ll be kicked out to sleep on the street.”
In the apocalypse, where social order had collapsed, a woman sleeping on the street might not even know how she died.
Ye Manman asked, “What are contribution points? What do I do if I don’t have any?”
The confusion on her face did not seem fake, and her voice was filled with bewilderment.
The middle-aged woman who managed the apartment compound had not heard such a clear, innocent voice in a very long time. It was the sort of voice that had only belonged to college students before the apocalypse. After the apocalypse…… people like that had long since died.
The middle-aged woman finally raised her head and looked toward the young girl who had spoken.
Delicate features, round and charming eyes, a well-proportioned figure with a little softness to it…… On closer inspection, it was not difficult to discover the captivating beauty concealed beneath the black dust and grime.
Especially compared with the numb survivors around her, there was still a vibrant force of life in her eyes and in her entire being. She was like a newborn animal that had just stumbled into a trap, bewilderedly and curiously observing its unfamiliar surroundings.
She looked like someone who had been very well cared for.
Yet her appearance as a little beggar made her look as though she had just been abandoned.
The middle-aged woman suddenly smiled, her tone strange and cryptic. “Don’t worry. You’ll definitely get contribution points.”
Ye Manman didn’t understand, but she didn’t dare ask any further. She could only turn to the system for help.
“System, what does she mean?”
The system fell silent: [……]
From its silence, Ye Manman realized that it was just as clueless as she was, and she sighed mournfully.
Sigh. Even the system was useless.
It seemed that if she wanted to conquer the human base, she would have to rely on herself even more.
Dejected, Ye Manman followed the others into one of the single rooms on the lowest floor of the Corridor, only to be shocked all over again.
Inside the concrete room, which was barely a dozen square meters, there were only eight metal bunk beds. The dilapidated wooden boards were covered with nothing more than a few torn, ragged sheets.
The little beggar covered in dust watched the others claim their beds as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world, and tears of grievance welled up in her eyes.
Ye Manman was the most pampered little vine imaginable. She had never suffered much hardship.
Even after she had just taken human form and come out of the mountains, when that perverse human tied her to his side, he would find her the most comfortable and cleanest place to sleep wherever they went, taking meticulous care of her.
The most the pampered little vine had to endure was having him bite her lips a little or rub her little hands at night.
For the first time ever, Ye Manman found herself missing that terrifying human who had left without even saying goodbye.
“I don’t want to live here.”
Several women passing by heard her mutter, and they “kindly” offered their advice.
“There are plenty of ways not to live here.”
“You can exchange contribution points for a private room upstairs, or attach yourself to a powerful ability user and move into his house.”
Hearing the term “contribution points” again, even Ye Manman, as slow-witted as she was, could tell how important they were in the base.
“Then how do I get contribution points?”
“Go out onto the streets and stop a few more men.”
Seeing that Ye Manman was about to ask another question, Sun Wen quickly stopped her and pulled her behind herself.
“Thank you for the advice. We don’t need it.”
Her expression was extremely serious, which immediately irritated the women who had been watching the show. They gave the newcomers a cool glance, the corners of their eyes and mouths filled with deep mockery.
“Let’s see if you can still be so stubborn after a week.”
Sun Wen warily watched the women leave. Although she had spoken firmly, her heart had already sunk to rock bottom.
She had lived in a small base for several years and witnessed all kinds of life in the apocalypse. She didn’t need anyone to explain it to her; she could tell at a glance what kind of place the Corridor really was.
It was called a shelter for women, but in reality, it was filled with filth.
Only Ye Manman could still ask such innocent, naive questions.
Ye Manman watched as Sun Wen silently entered the room, chose the metal bed farthest inside, and began tidying it without saying a word.
Suddenly, she felt terribly sad.
Why hadn’t humans managed to live as well as a little vine?
Ye Manman had no other choice. Heartbroken, she walked inside and slumped down on the filthy wooden bed.
Smack—!
A pale-green tentacle covered in dust emerged unhappily and lightly flicked Ye Manman on the lower back.
—So dirty, so dirty, so dirty, so dirty, so dirty!
—Wash it clean, wash it clean, wash it clean, wash it clean!
The thoughts of her offshoot entered Ye Manman’s mind, urging her until she felt uncomfortable all over.
She raised her head and looked around.
The atmosphere in the room was oppressive, and almost no one had the energy to pay attention to anyone else.
Ye Manman quietly stood up and slipped out of the little room.
She had to find some water to wash her tentacles. They were a part of her, and they had long since been spoiled rotten like her. They simply couldn’t tolerate even the slightest bit of dirt.
There was a well in the very center of the Corridor, and everyone living on the lower floors came here to collect water.
Ye Manman hugged a battered wooden basin she had found and obediently stood in line. When it was finally her turn, the person managing the well extended a hand indifferently.
“One contribution point per bucket of water.”
The dust-covered girl widened her eyes, her rosy lips parting slightly, as though she had never expected that even drawing water would require contribution points.
“I-I don’t have any.”
“Then get lost!”
The poor little vine was driven out of the line without getting a single drop of water, and had even been shouted at for no reason.
Living among humans and surviving in human society was way too difficult!
Ye Manman hugged her little wooden basin resentfully and crouched outside the entrance to the Corridor.
“System, can contribution points be stolen? I have so many tentacles. If I steal one from each tentacle, I’ll have enough to draw water 108 times.”
The system also didn’t know how to explain to her that “contribution points” were merely virtual currency stored on the base’s identification cards and could not simply be stolen in the literal sense.
It could only reason with her.
[What if you steal from a powerful ability user, and he discovers that you aren’t human and digs out your crystal core?]
Ye Manman fearfully drew her neck in.
She had seen that human kill mutated beasts and plants and then dig out their crystal cores. It had been incredibly cruel. If he hadn’t eventually fed all those crystal cores to her, she would have done her best to stay far away from him.
Sigh.
Ye Manman reached inside her jacket and touched the equally limp little tentacle.
“How about I find another human and have him find me a comfortable nest and bring me crystal cores?”
“Once I’ve eaten all his crystal cores and grown more tentacles, I’ll eat him!”
The system thought for a moment before reminding her, [Find someone who isn’t that powerful. It’ll be easier to eat him later, too.]
The system didn’t need to say it. Ye Manman understood.
The human she had encountered before had simply been too powerful. She had eaten his crystal cores every day, and her tentacles had grown more and more numerous. Eventually, the black-hearted little vine had become increasingly overconfident and decided to turn on him and eat him. As a result, he noticed immediately and gave her a thorough bout of “torture.”
Ye Manman now had a direction. When she raised her head again, she saw a man with a little topknot standing outside a small courtyard not far away.
There was a well beside him, and a wooden bucket filled with clear water sat by his feet.
He was tall and solidly built, which meant he had enough food and water to eat and drink well in the apocalypse. His clothes were clean and made of comfortable fabric, which meant he was living relatively comfortably. He was handsome and had a gentle air about him, which meant this person…… was pretty easy to bully!
Ye Manman’s eyes gradually brightened, and the dirty little tentacle in her arms became excited at the same time.
“System, let’s pick him!”
After observing for a moment, the system was quite satisfied as well.
He didn’t look nearly as dangerous as the previous human. Surely they could completely take control of him.
Ye Manman scampered over, possessing none of the human sense of shame or reserve. Her slender, pale fingers had already caught hold of the man’s clothing.
Xue Zikai lowered his head in surprise, the motion of drawing water stopping as well.
He stared at the little beggar who had suddenly appeared. She was covered in dust from head to toe and wore an unremarkable oversized jacket. Beneath it, the faint outline of her slender waist could be seen, along with her delicate calves… and those eyes that were completely focused on him. Their shape was beautiful, their thick lashes trembling slightly, while her pupils held a brownish hue illuminated by sunlight, almost like glass… Wait! How had he ended up staring so deeply into them?!
Xue Zikai shook his head violently, finally recovering his reason. His expression involuntarily softened. “Who are you? Is something wrong?”
Ye Manman did not answer immediately.
She slowly observed the changes in the man’s expression. A plant’s instincts allowed her to quickly determine that he probably had a fairly good temper.
“I want to draw some water. Can I?”
Renting a small courtyard required far more contribution points. Accordingly, the well belonged to the owner of the courtyard as private property.
Xue Zikai had only just arrived at C City Base and didn’t understand the unspoken rules here very well, but that didn’t stop him from courteously giving up the well to her.
“It’s only water. Go ahead.”
Not only did he have a good temper, he was also helpful and selfless!
Just as Ye Manman flashed a heart-stirring little smile, she seemed to remember something and nervously pressed her lips together.
“But I don’t have any contribution points to give you.”
Xue Zikai had spent his whole life doing good deeds. His only flaw was his vanity; even after the apocalypse began, he insisted on growing his hair long and tying it into a rakish little topknot. Because he was so narcissistic, he had hardly ever dated anyone. This was the first time a pretty young girl had made him feel his heart suddenly skip a beat.
He waved his large hand generously. “Forget it! I’m not charging you any contribution points!”
He was generous, too.
Ye Manman’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, and her gaze at Xue Zikai became increasingly fervent. In a soft voice, she boldly pressed her advantage further. “C-Can I have this bucket of water you’ve already drawn?”
What was the big deal? Xue Zikai didn’t care at all. “Sure.”
The greedy little vine trotted over to the wooden bucket and tried to lift it.
If she could carry such a large bucket of water back, she could wash her tentacles thoroughly inside and out, and wash herself as well!
However…… the bucket was too heavy, and she couldn’t lift it at all.
Ye Manman didn’t dare release her tentacles in front of a human to help, so she could only turn helplessly and sadly toward the kind and generous Xue Zikai.
“I can’t lift it.”
The big man’s heart trembled again.
What a pitiful and adorable girl. In this damnable apocalypse, surviving wasn’t easy.
He immediately walked around to the front of the bucket and bent down to lift it.
“Where do you live? I’ll help you carry it back……”
Before he could finish speaking, an even deeper voice came from behind him, impossible to tell whether it contained anger or calm.
“I told you to come draw water. Is this how you’re doing it?”
Xue Zikai’s entire body jolted. The dizzy, dazed feeling from earlier vanished instantly, and his mind cleared.
Someone inside the courtyard had been in a hurry to cook, which was why they had sent him out to draw water.
And what had he done?
He had been bewitched by a pretty young girl and was about to eagerly deliver the water all the way to her home.
In the treacherous apocalypse, his vigilance had actually been brought so low by a beautiful stranger that he had completely let his guard down. Good thing the captain had arrived in time!
Xue Zikai abruptly turned around and looked at Zhou Zhou standing behind him. The latter walked past him, his cool gaze settling on the little beggar.
“Where did she come from?”
“She came to borrow some water.” Even with his mind clear again, Xue Zikai didn’t think there was anything particularly unusual about a young girl coming to borrow water.
“Borrow water?”
Zhou Zhou’s gaze remained firmly fixed on Ye Manman’s face. The moment she had seen him clearly, she had completely frozen in place.
The exceptionally powerful-looking man gave a mocking laugh. “Xue Zikai, calling you stupid really isn’t doing you an injustice.”
Xue Zikai was baffled. “What do you mean?”
The man’s gaze was forceful and domineering, as though he intended to see straight through the little beggar from head to toe.
This was not a normal girl who had suffered through the hardships of the apocalypse.
Her entire body had been smeared with dirt, yet her face and figure remained full and healthy, like a peach that had just fallen from a tree and become covered in dust. All it would take was bringing it home and carefully wiping it clean to reveal how sweet and tempting that peach really was.
The man’s malicious nature made him think even further.
She looked like someone who had been very well cared for. The dress she wore might have been found for her by the powerful ability user behind her, perfectly emphasizing her slender waist. Hidden beneath that oversized jacket was perhaps a scenery that was even harder to resist.
As for why she had become this filthy, beggar-like figure, perhaps that ability user had thrown her out. No—there was another, even more likely possibility…… The ability user protecting her was already dead.
And this sweet, enticing peach had been forced to fall from the treetop, clumsily covering herself in dust, believing she could avoid the prying eyes of foul beasts that way. Clearly, this pampered peach, accustomed to bathing in sunlight and morning dew, could no longer endure the dirt and suffering of rolling around on the ground, and was trying to find a new branch from which to draw nourishment.
A trace of mockery flashed through Zhou Zhou’s eyes.
“Is it water you want?”
His tone was calm and controlled, but the words he spoke were a little too perceptive.
The pretty girl under his fixed gaze was so frightened that she could not speak. She even stumbled backward several steps. If not for the layer of dust covering her, her face might already have been deathly pale.
The overbearing, detestable ability user did not let the poor girl off. He continued, “Or did you use drawing water as an excuse to target this kind-hearted, generous, not-particularly-bright ability user and hook him with those laughable little tricks?”
Having had it pointed out so bluntly by his captain, Xue Zikai finally realized what the pretty girl had intended.
He also noticed only then that his captain had unknowingly walked right up to the girl, looking down from above at this poor little thing who had a few ulterior motives but hardly deserved such a harsh attack.
“Captain Zhou……”
Xue Zikai wanted to say something, but his ruthless captain quickly cut him off.
“Am I right?” Zhou Zhou lowered his eyes, staring at the slender hand clenched nervously into a fist. Then his gaze slowly moved upward until it met those eyes filled with shock and fear. “Are you mute? Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Ye Manman could barely breathe. She watched helplessly as the man raised his hand, looking as though he was about to hit her.
Having been exposed, the little vine became furious with embarrassment. Her anger gave her courage, and she thrust her messy head forward, sinking her teeth hard into the man’s wrist.
“Captain Zhou!”
Xue Zikai’s worried cry rang out. The little girl who had deliberately hurt someone seemed to realize what she had done only afterward. She released him immediately after taking a single bite, then bolted before either man had time to react.
Zhou Zhou froze.
He lowered his eyes and stared at the tooth marks on his wrist for several seconds before raising his head again and looking toward the direction in which she had fled.
She had run too quickly and had already slipped into the nearby apartment compound, disappearing without a trace.
“Are you all right?” Xue Zikai was somewhat worried, but even more amused by the situation.
Serves you right.
Life was already so difficult in the apocalypse. Why bother exposing a little girl’s way of surviving?
The captain hadn’t always been this vicious, had he? Could the month he had been missing have somehow ruined his personality?
His amusement was far too obvious, and Zhou Zhou glanced at him. “You couldn’t see through such a cheap and cliché trick?”
Xue Zikai: “……Captain Zhou, if this trick didn’t work, why would you have gone out of your way to ruin the girl’s act?”
They were both old foxes. Who was he trying to fool?
Xue Zikai refused to believe that Zhou Zhou could not have avoided that bite just now.
Zhou Zhou paused for two seconds, subconsciously recalling that dirty little face, puffed up with anger, and those clear eyes that seemed capable of speaking.
“Carry the water back.”
After saying this, he ignored Xue Zikai and turned directly toward the courtyard.
Yet on his lowered right wrist, those two neat rows of teeth marks remained clearly visible.
……
Ye Manman, who had fled into the Corridor, had a look of panic on her face as she frantically called for the system in her mind.
“System, system, system, system, system!”
“He’s here! Why is that human here too?!”
He had disappeared for half a month. Why had she run into him here?!