After another round of stop-and-go walking with numerous turns, it was already 07:38 in the morning when they returned to the small tent.
Lifting the plastic sheet, the rich aroma of eggs inside the small tent had vanished. Xie Yuan must have taken advantage of the neighbors leaving for scavenging at 6 o’clock to quickly air out the scent.
As soon as Xu San San returned, she began displaying the morning’s harvest:
“Look, Lao Qin said this heat sink set is a premium model—he wasn’t lying to me, was he?”
Xie Yuan straightened up, picked up one of the heat sink fins, examined it carefully, and nodded:
“Mm, the performance should be quite good.”
Hearing this, Xu San San finally felt reassured and, under Xie Yuan’s guidance, began upgrading the tent.
First, she retracted the metal poles supporting the tent to a height of 1 meter. Then, she installed the main heat sink in the center of the roof. Next, she replaced all the plastic sheets with metal panels, re-extended the metal poles, and used the remaining metal panels to fill the gaps, directly forming four metal walls. Finally, she installed the remaining heat sink fins on the outer centers of the metal walls…
The small tent had finally been fully upgraded into a small house!
With no budget left to buy a proper door, Xu San San removed one metal panel and replaced it with a plastic sheet, creating a 1.5-meter-wide doorway. It could be lowered to let in light or lifted up for ventilation—flexible and convenient!
Seeing that it was still early, she took out the newly purchased metal poles, inserted them around the yard, and roughly wrapped them with the vines collected the day before. She left a side gate on the street-facing side, offset from the house door, and also hung a plastic sheet there. Though the craftsmanship was crude, it now resembled a simple fence.
Xu San San nodded, feeling that this provided more privacy and security. It would also be more convenient to boil water or cook something in the yard at night.
As for the few remaining boundary sticks in the yard, Xu San San didn’t discard them. In a corner behind the house, she used them along with the dismantled plastic sheets to build a triangular shed of less than 1 square meter, intending it for bathing.
After all this effort, it was already 08:30. Xu San San hurriedly escorted Xie Yuan to the public toilet, despite his reluctant and embarrassed protests.
Upon returning, she filled two bottles with cooled boiled water, handed one to Xie Yuan, and took out three nutrient solutions and two towels from her cloth bag for him.
“One towel for each of us. If you get hungry at noon, drink the nutrient solution. As for the eggs, wait for me to come back and roast them tonight.”
She then glanced at the seemingly unused compartment of the medical kit and was about to speak when Xie Yuan decisively cut her off:
“I really don’t need it!
You must be extremely careful when you go to the city today!”
Xu San San nodded, took out the small note Lao Qin had secretly slipped her, placed it by Xie Yuan’s hand, wrapped her small scarf around her neck, pulled her handcart, and headed out.
Because the morning had been delayed by the black market, Xu San San couldn’t join the large wasteland group departing at 6 o’clock today. However, to gather supplies as quickly as possible, she couldn’t afford to idle. Thus, she decided to participate in the scavenging trip to Wasteland 302 City at 9 o’clock.
By the time Xu San San reached the spaceship docking point, a long queue had already formed.
Scavenging in the city is different from the wasteland. Without the protection of a protective shield, plants and animals quickly become infected/polluted, then mutate, forming large quantities of severe pollutants, a moderate amount of moderate pollutants, and even fewer mild pollutants. Therefore, scavenging in the wasteland largely depends on luck.
The city, however, is different. The life forms in the city were infected centuries ago, and those that were meant to mutate have already done so. The remaining inanimate objects, such as building materials, electrical appliances, furniture, pots, pans, and other items, are not affected by pollution.
As a result, the success rate of scavenging in the city is almost 100%, with the only variables being the quantity and quality of the items found.
But high rewards always come with high risks—the city is far more dangerous than the wasteland.
This is due to the presence of the Infected.
Before being infected, the Infected were actually humans.
Centuries ago, during the initial stages of the global catastrophe, major cities began to experience outbreaks of the Infected crisis.
The terror of the Infected lies not only in their vast numbers and long lifespans but also in their deeper understanding of humans compared to other Xeno-beasts. They are more inclined to attack humans and are skilled at hiding, often lurking in resource-rich areas to “fish” for prey, launching surprise attacks when least expected.
For this reason, every time a scavenging mission is organized in the city, the Base dispatches warships and a formidable Guard Team. Their dual purpose is to eliminate the Infected and protect the Scavengers.
After each scavenging mission, as the Spaceship departs, the temporary protective shield is retracted. If any Scavenger fails to board the Spaceship in time, they will quickly become contaminated by the environment and, within three days, transform into new Infected.
To prevent the creation of more Infected, the Guard members must do their best to retrieve all Scavengers who encountered mishaps during the day. Those who have already died are collectively cremated.
This is the purpose of Refugee Camp 9th District.
Fortunately, after centuries of accumulated experience, the Base has discovered that the Infected’s speed significantly decreases after the sun has fully risen. This is why the Spaceship departure time for city scavenging is set at 9 a.m.
In summary, scavenging in the city is also a matter of risking one’s life to gather resources.
Overall, the number of people heading to the wasteland and the city each day is roughly split fifty-fifty.
“Beep!”
Xu San San was stopped again at the Spaceship hatch.
“Handcart, needs inspection.”
Familiar with the routine, Xu San San presented the Handcart and the small hoe tied to it.
The Guard member twitched the corner of his mouth, using the familiar phrasing and tone,
“Alright, this won’t count toward your Contribution Points.”
Xu San San found a seat by the window and sat down.
Soon, the hatch closed, and the Spaceship took off.
After Xu San San left, Xie Yuan quickly opened the note Lao Qin had given him.
The note read:
“Three groups have come: Qiang Zi, Scarface, and Ji Feng.”
Xie Yuan frowned and began analyzing:
“Qiang Zi,” whose real name is Li Qiang, joined the Dawn Guard the same year as Xie Yuan. They were the closest of friends. He was likely with Ma Ji, “A Lang,” and “Tie Chui”—these few often went to the Black Market together and browsed the Second-hand Store for items.
“Scarface”… “Scarface” joined the team two years before Xie Yuan and was Xie Yuan’s strongest competitor when he was selected as team leader.
“Scarface,” originally named Shao Yi Bo, earned his nickname due to a deep scar near the corner of his eye that everyone commonly referred to.
This very “Scarface” was the one who delivered the final blow to Xie Yuan after he was shot…
“Ji Feng” refers to the Gale Guard, a unit that has gained significant momentum in recent years, with strength comparable to the Dawn Guard. Both have achieved major accomplishments in critical missions. Their captain, Wu Feng, is a key candidate for next year’s election as the head of the Base Inner City’s armed forces department. Of course, had Xie Yuan not been ambushed, he would have been a candidate as well.
In fact, from the beginning of this year’s Flame Season, during several multi-guard collaborative missions, Xie Yuan had vaguely noticed that the Gale Guard had begun engaging in underhanded tactics aimed at targeting members of the Dawn Guard.
Initially, he didn’t take it too seriously, considering it merely petty behavior. But later, their actions persisted and escalated, even directly causing injuries to several Dawn Guard members on multiple occasions.
Thus, Xie Yuan began to retaliate, adhering to the principle of “courtesy before force.” However, before they had even clashed blades many times, Xie Yuan was ambushed…
If it were just about the election for the head of the armed forces department, targeting me alone would suffice. So why scheme against the entire Dawn Guard? The previous actions clearly pointed more toward his team members…
Moreover, “Scarface” might have collaborated with the Gale Guard…
………………
“The spaceship has arrived at Wasteland City 302. The protective shield is being deployed. Prepare for landing.”
As the broadcast ended, Xu San San looked out the window below—a vast expanse of ruins: collapsed buildings, exposed steel and concrete, and streets littered with broken bricks, stones, and debris…
Unlike the previous time in the Wasteland, after the temporary protective shield was in place, three accompanying battleships landed first. Dozens of Guard members in purple combat suits, armed with heavy weapons, disembarked from the front, middle, and rear sections of the battleships. They quickly dispersed in groups of five.
Ten minutes later, the spaceship broadcasted:
“The spaceship is beginning its descent. The hatch will open shortly. Please note: do not leave the protective shield area.”
Then, with a “thud” and amid billowing dust, the spaceship landed.