Lin Xingxing sized up Su Su and made an obvious guess.
“Judging by you, you probably don’t have much combat ability. Before going to the mission center to accept missions, it would be better to find a team or squad to join.
“You can handle logistics or something like that within the team. You won’t earn much, but it’ll be enough for food and basic necessities, and it’ll be easier too.
“Go to the underground mercenary market and try your luck.”
As Lin Xingxing spoke, he packed up his stall.
Su Su asked, “Where are you going?”
It was still early, right when the streets were at their busiest.
Yet Lin Xingxing put away his paintings and strapped his drawing board to his back.
“I heard there’s a strange cake shop on the street ahead. I want to go try it.
“What if I die the very next second and never get to taste it? Wouldn’t that be a regret? That won’t do.
“I only have two wishes in life. One is to draw a memorial portrait I’m satisfied with, and the other is to never leave myself with regrets.”
After saying that, he smiled at Su Su.
When the young man smiled, he looked like the blazing sun in the sky.
Before leaving, he did not forget to remind Su Su.
“Oh, right. The mercenary market and the black market are both underground in the trading market, and they’re very close to each other. Don’t accidentally wander into the black market. It’s not a good place.”
Su Su watched Lin Xingxing’s back and slowly nodded.
Perhaps she really should find a job.
Su Su wandered around the base for quite some time and even visited the mission center.
She finally understood why the portrait artist, Lin Xingxing, had told her to go to the underground mercenary market and find a team to join.
Most of the missions at the mission center required people to leave the city.
Safe jobs within the city were extremely scarce and heavily sought after.
As for missions outside the city, most required teams to undertake them in order to improve safety.
No matter how she looked at it, going to the underground mercenary market and joining a team was the safer choice.
Su Su slowly made her way back toward the concentrated residential area.
Several people hurriedly ran past her.
The citywide broadcast began sounding, followed by three long warning beeps and one short beep.
That static-filled female voice appeared beside her ears again.
“Attention, residents of the city. A riot has broken out outside the city. Please temporarily stop going outside. Please temporarily stop going outside…”
A woman carrying a child and holding a cloth bag hurried past.
When she saw Su Su standing there in a daze, she reminded her,
“Little girl, there’s been a riot outside the city. Hurry home and hide.
“I heard the soldiers at the city gate say that General Xie has personally gone to suppress it. The riot should stop soon.
“For now, you should hurry home and stay there. It’s safer.”
“General Xie? Xie Anzhou?”
The woman nodded. Before she could say anything else, Su Su had already run off.
If it were an ordinary riot, the patrol teams outside the city would quickly suppress it. There would be no need for Xie Anzhou to personally go there.
Clearly, this riot was not simple.
“What happened?”
Su Su ran to the city gate and grabbed someone who was trying to flee.
The person looked extremely anxious, with sweat covering his forehead.
“Thank goodness I didn’t go out. Thank goodness I hadn’t left the city gate yet.”
His voice was filled with relief at having narrowly escaped disaster.
When Su Su asked him what had happened, he wiped away his sweat and caught his breath before hurriedly answering.
“Someone outside the city was infected by a mutated plant and became a parasite. Strange flowers have bloomed all over their body, and apparently, it’s contagious.
“I was planning to leave the city today. Luckily, I hadn’t gone out yet…”
After saying that, the man ran off.
The military personnel at the city gate had already begun taking action.
The people near the center of the disturbance were quickly taken away for isolation and examined to determine whether they had been parasitized or infected.
Su Su felt increasingly uneasy.
She moved against the flow of the crowd, wanting to take a look.
Through the open city gate, she could see numerous military personnel wearing protective masks moving back and forth.
At the center of the crowd, the parasite infected by the mutated plant was surrounded on all sides.
Its body was covered in flowers of various colors.
Pale yellow mucus secreted from the flowers. Anyone who came into contact with even a little of it would be parasitized and infected as well.
“Boss, what… what do we do? If this spreads, the consequences will be unimaginable.”
Ji Xiao looked at Xie Anzhou, who was standing beside him and wearing a protective mask as well.
Xie Anzhou slightly furrowed his brows.
There had been parasites infected by mutated animals and plants outside the city before.
However, this was the first time a parasite had appeared with such an extremely strong ability to spread the infection.
“How is the evacuation going on Yu Zhan and Tang Ling’s side?”
“It’s basically complete. Everyone who may have come into contact with it has been sent for specialized isolation.”
“Order the city gates closed. Have the base research laboratory remain on standby at all times.
“Once the parasite dies, destroy the body immediately.”
“Yes!”
Ji Xiao answered and immediately sent someone to notify the research laboratory personnel to prepare.
Xie Anzhou looked at the parasite covered in flowers.
His silver-gray eyes were cold and completely devoid of emotion.
The air around him began to move rapidly, and the wind gradually took physical form.
“Crack, crack, crack…”
The parasite twisted its neck.
Its body bent backward at an unbelievable angle, moving in a bizarre and unnatural manner.
Two black vines suddenly emerged from its pitch-black pupils and spread outward, attacking everything around them.
Fortunately, the fully formed blades of wind immediately sliced them into pieces, sending them crashing to the ground.
Xie Anzhou drew the exquisite silver handgun from his waist.
“Bang!”
Without the slightest hesitation, the bullet left the barrel.
Wrapped in his wind ability, it spun rapidly through the air and embedded itself in the parasite’s skull.
“Crack, crack…”
After being shot in the head, the parasite staggered backward several steps from the force of the impact.
It crashed heavily onto the ground and stopped moving.
However, the strange flowers began rapidly spreading and growing across the ground.
“What… what’s happening?”
The military personnel surrounding the area spoke in confusion.
Xie Anzhou frowned as he watched the strange flowers begin to grow and spread across the soil.
Flowers of various colors intertwined with one another.
Pale yellow liquid dripped from their centers and spread outward, emitting a foul, rotten stench.
The smell grew stronger and stronger, quickly spreading across an area extending hundreds of kilometers.
“Everyone retreat! Retreat now!”
Xie Anzhou instinctively sensed danger and ordered the surrounding military personnel to withdraw immediately.
However, it was already too late.
A riot suddenly broke out among the military troops surrounding the area.
Strange flowers suddenly sprouted from some people’s bodies, infecting them and turning them into parasites.
“…Help…”
Before the cry for help could even escape, an unprepared military personnel was bitten by one of his comrades.
Blood flowed from beneath his torn dark green combat uniform.
The person who had been bitten was instantly parasitized and infected.
“…Boss…”
The orderly formation instantly descended into chaos.
Ji Xiao stared blankly at everything happening before him, his voice filled with shock and disbelief.