“Hello, what would you like?”
The store clerk, dressed in a uniform, greeted her warmly, showing no prejudice despite the dirt and grime covering Xiang Ge.
“Do you sell purification agents? How many points do they cost?”
Xiang Ge got straight to the point.
“Yes. One purification agent costs 1,888 points.”
Xiang Ge: How much?!
Sorry for bothering you.
She had expected purification agents to be expensive.
She just hadn’t expected them to be this expensive.
After all, she only had thirteen points to her name.
Not even enough for the last digit.
Xiang Ge wandered around the store a bit longer.
In the end, she bought three nutrient solutions for a total of six points.
One tube of nutrient solution could replace a meal. If consumed sparingly, it could even stretch to two meals.
In the wasteland, nutrient solutions were considered valuable supplies.
Not only did they satisfy hunger, but they also quenched thirst.
She spent another two points on the cheapest backpack available and five points on a small knife that at least looked reasonably sharp.
Every last point was gone.
She was officially broke.
Xiang Ge sighed.
Poor.
Truly poor.
But there was no helping it.
These were necessities.
None of them could be skipped.
When she returned to the shantytown district, she noticed a crowd gathered around the public bulletin board.
It was noon—the hottest part of the day.
Even in Morningstar Base’s low-radiation zone, the blazing sunlight was difficult to endure.
Unless there was something important posted, nobody would willingly leave their homes at this hour.
Curious, Xiang Ge squeezed through the crowd.
Only when she reached the front did she realize the bulletin board was actually a giant electronic display.
A newly posted announcement filled the screen.
Potato Field Harvesting
Workers needed to dig potatoes. Participants may keep one-fifth of their harvest.
Interested parties, gather at the west gate at 5:00 PM for transportation.
Simple and straightforward.
After reading it, Xiang Ge was about to leave and return home to escape the heat.
“Xiang Ge! Why are you back?”
Hearing someone call her name, she turned toward the voice.
A young woman with ear-length short hair was staring at her with a frown.
What a coincidence.
An acquaintance.
Not just an acquaintance—
An enemy.
The woman was named Liu Qiao.
Recently married, she lived next door to Xiang Ge with her husband, Wu Chenggang.
The two of them were the ones who had tricked the original Xiang Ge into entering an unmarked high-radiation zone during a scavenging trip.
As a result, her radiation level exceeded the limit and she was expelled from the base.
Their motive was simple:
They wanted her house.
“Why? Am I not allowed to come back?”
Xiang Ge smiled as she stared directly at the woman’s face.
In the apocalypse, human lives had been worthless.
Xiang Ge had plenty of blood on her hands.
She certainly didn’t mind adding a little more.
For the original owner’s revenge.
And for her own future safety.
Unfortunately, base security was strict.
If someone died inside the base, the security force would investigate thoroughly and punish those responsible.
Outside the base, however—
Nobody cared.
“You’re going to the potato fields tonight?”
Liu Qiao’s eyes darted around.
Could it be that area wasn’t actually a high-radiation zone?
Or had Xiang Ge simply been lucky enough to turn back before entering too deeply?
Fearing that Xiang Ge might suffer genetic collapse and come back seeking revenge, Liu Qiao and Wu Chenggang had left immediately after watching her step into the dangerous area.
When Xiang Ge failed to return that night, they had assumed she was dead.
Yet here she was.
Alive.
And…
Liu Qiao thought of the cramped little house she shared with her husband.
Once again, greedy thoughts surfaced in her mind.
“I heard the potato harvest is pretty good this year. Your Brother Wu and I are going too.”
“You should come along.”
Looking at the shifting expressions on Liu Qiao’s face, Xiang Ge knew she was plotting something.
Which suited her perfectly.
“Sure.”
“See you at the potato field.”
She waved casually and turned to leave.
How interesting.
The prey thought itself the hunter.
The mantis thought itself the oriole.
Xiang Ge had never enjoyed wasting words on dead people.
At four o’clock that afternoon, Xiang Ge arrived at the gathering point on the west side of the city.
Two buses were parked there, each with a long queue in front.
After a quick glance, she spotted Liu Qiao and Wu Chenggang in one of the lines.
She immediately joined the same queue.
The announcement hadn’t specified a worker limit.
As a result, everyone arrived early to secure a spot.
At exactly five o’clock, the bus doors opened.
Passengers boarded according to their place in line.
By coincidence, Xiang Ge was among the last people allowed onto the bus.
The line was cut off just three people behind her.
Stepping over baskets piled in the aisle, she found a seat by the window in the last row.
After everyone had boarded, two people wearing black combat uniforms climbed aboard.
One took the driver’s seat.
The other sat beside him on the control console.
Xiang Ge immediately recognized the uniform.
It was identical to the ones worn by Lu Changting and his team.
Military personnel.
“This potato field was cultivated by the base in the wilderness.”
“It’s relatively safe. There are no large mutated beasts inside.”
“When we arrive, everyone will be assigned a plot.”
“Stay within your designated area and don’t cross boundaries. Understood?”
“If I catch anyone fighting over potatoes and disrupting productivity, don’t bother showing up for future base missions.”
“My name is Cheng Ye.”
“I’m the supervisor for this operation. If you have any issues, come to me.”
Cheng Ye then explained a few more harvesting rules before closing his eyes to rest.
The bus was packed.
Yet surprisingly quiet.
Perhaps everyone was intimidated by the military personnel.
Nobody dared make a scene.
The bus sped along quickly.
Xiang Ge gazed out the window.
Unlike the desolation of her old apocalypse, this wasteland world overflowed with life.
Greenery stretched everywhere she looked.
Towering plants grew densely across the landscape.
This world seemed strangely biased in favor of vegetation.
What was a wasteland for humans was paradise for plants.
Because they had to avoid high-radiation zones, the journey took a long time.
Nearly two hours passed before they reached the potato fields.
Cheng Ye was the first to jump off the bus.
“Line up at the registration station to receive tools.”
“We leave only after every potato has been harvested.”
The two buses brought a total of five military personnel.
Likely a small squad.
Cheng Ye appeared to be the team leader.
After disembarking, Xiang Ge immediately locked onto Liu Qiao and Wu Chenggang.
When lining up for tools, she deliberately stood directly behind them.
Wu Chenggang looked even thinner and weaker than his wife.
Seeing Xiang Ge approach, he voluntarily made room for her.
“What a coincidence, little sister.”
“We meet again.”
His eyes wandered constantly, lingering on Xiang Ge’s face.
The man looked untrustworthy from every angle.
“Not a coincidence.”
“I came here specifically to find you.”
Xiang Ge told the truth.
Specifically to take revenge.
The line moved quickly.
Everyone received a numbered tag and a set of tools before heading to their assigned plots.
As Xiang Ge had hoped, her plot was located near Liu Qiao and Wu Chenggang.
Each assigned area measured only about two square meters.
Yet the workload proved far more difficult than expected.
The potatoes here were as large as basketballs.
Buried deep underground.
Without sufficient strength, digging them out was nearly impossible.