Chapter 1487: The Abnormal Place
Satisfied with the man's tact, Xu Huo turned and went downstairs.
When his back was to the crowd as he stepped onto the stairs, some players signaled to the man behind the desk. The man stared at Xu Huo's back, caught in a fierce internal struggle, but after hesitating, he called off the ambush.
Xu Huo could easily subdue them, but the chance of a one-hit kill was low. Once a fight broke out, even if they could eventually kill him, their own side would suffer heavy losses, and then they would only be prey for others.
The harsh environment had taught everyone here to bend when necessary. The man wasn't in a hurry to save face; instead, he quietly instructed his men to spread some ambiguous information. For example, that the outsider had a grudge against the Underground Palace and had declared he didn't take it seriously. Or that he seemed to have come to Zone 026 injured, which was why he hadn't left yet. And that he was particularly "kind-hearted," distributing food to people in the alleys, and even planned to settle here long-term...
Xu Huo led the boy back to the lowest level. On the way, he had already learned about the water shop's arrangements. It wasn't surprising.
The slums might look small, but they were filled with numerous factions and gangs. Afraid of being swallowed by others, they chose not to clash head-on in their own territory. Instead, they used false information to provoke other forces, making them think Xu Huo intended to do something here, turning him into a target for everyone.
This survival tactic could unite the various forces scattered across the slums.
Xu Huo didn't care. He had walked through the slums several times and confirmed there were no B-rank players here.
That made sense. People just scraping by could hardly rise to B-rank, and players who reached B-rank naturally wouldn't stay in a hellhole like this.
"Thank you for saving me..." The boy was still following him, whispering his thanks.
Xu Huo nodded to acknowledge it. Then he went up twice more, each time stopping halfway up the mountain before coming back down. From a certain distance, he observed the slums' water collection facilities before finally preparing to return to the small inn.
When he got back to the inn, many children had gathered in the alley beside it. They were the ones who had received biscuits, including the two brothers. They huddled at the entrance of the alley, and upon hearing footsteps, they all looked up, their eyes, made to appear especially large by their slightly sunken sockets, filled with hope as they gazed at him.
The innkeeper stood at the door, frowning at Xu Huo. "They're all here because of you. I'm telling you now, they can't come inside."
"None of these children have parents?" Xu Huo asked.
"Most don't," the innkeeper said matter-of-factly. "Giving them a meal or two won't help anyway. Most of them won't live past ten anyway."
People with strong physiques might survive in this environment, but children were the weakest of the weak. Even if they couldn't eat proper meals, even if they were fed half a bag of food every day, the toxins in the food would accumulate over time and damage their bodies.
Xu Huo paid the innkeeper some money. "Buy some food and cook for them. Keep the rest for yourself."
The innkeeper looked at him in surprise and confusion, but seeing that Xu Huo had no intention of explaining, he pinched the white notes in his hand. "Having a full meal is good enough."
The innkeeper picked two older children to go with him to buy groceries.
Xu Huo told the boy to bring the two brothers into the inn.
The younger one immediately kowtowed three times to Xu Huo as soon as he entered the room, then looked up and tried hard to smile. "Thank you, uncle!"
Xu Huo examined the older brother's leg. The injury wasn't severe, but it hadn't been properly treated after the accident. The knee was so swollen and bruised that it couldn't bend, and because too much time had passed, it had affected the entire leg, making it impossible to walk.
"This is a healing potion." He took out an E-rank self-healing agent and injected it near the knee. After observing the effect of the medicine, he said, "You'll be able to walk in a few days."
The older brother's lips trembled, and after a moment, he thanked Xu Huo.
The younger child leaned close to the bed. "Brother, does your leg still hurt?"
"It doesn't hurt as much." The older brother held his younger brother's hand and secretly glanced at Xu Huo, something else seeming to grow in his eyes.
The boy beside them watched the brothers with some envy. Looking down at the bruises on his own legs, the envy was quickly replaced by disappointment and despair.
The innkeeper returned quickly. Since Xu Huo had given him a decent amount of money, he had the conscience to buy some semi-fresh vegetables, and there was even a piece of meat among them. When the aroma of the food wafted out, even the boy upstairs was momentarily dazed.
"Go downstairs," Xu Huo told him to carry the older brother down. He didn't plan to go down himself.
"Uncle, aren't you eating?" The younger brother sniffled, drool nearly dripping. "The food smells so good!"
"You go ahead and eat," Xu Huo said with a smile.
The three children went downstairs, and soon the innkeeper's shouts came from below—first telling the children to "line up" and "don't fight," then telling them "don't eat too much." But gradually, his voice was drowned out by the sounds of the children wolfing down their food.
Xu Huo ate some dry rations and then began to examine the account books he had taken from the water shop.
All the clean food in the slums was transported from the big cities. Because the growing conditions were poor, the prices were exorbitant. There wasn't even a scrap of leftover food to be found in the slums' trash cans. Only in the areas where players lived were there occasional scraps thrown out, but those places had long been taken over by other adults.
There were very few people who could work in the slums, because there was hardly any work to do. It was nothing more than repairing or moving items for players, or doing other errands and manual labor. Men and women with slightly decent looks might have been picked out long ago. The rest were left to struggle with hunger, living or dying as fate dictated.
However, childbirth was still encouraged here. Ordinary people could receive a sum of money for having children. If the child had a good physique, the player factions might even pay for its upbringing.
But this was very rare. Most children became orphans. Even if they managed to survive infancy, most wouldn't live past ten.
In comparison, the big cities were much better. According to the purchase records in the account books, the urban areas not only had grain and vegetable farms but also produced fruits, clothing, and decorations. All basic necessities were guaranteed. The factions capable of exporting these supplies were all player groups, each with its own name.
However, judging from the accounts, the monthly supply of daily necessities from the urban areas was fixed. Sometimes the slums could buy more, but other times they could only buy a little.
There was also the most important account: water. Every month, the water shop had to pay a fee to the urban areas to purchase the right to use the water supply. The amount was fixed each month. Using more was not allowed, and any surplus would not carry over to the next month.
From a single water shop's account book, it was clear that the slums were almost stagnant. Most of the ordinary people living here contributed nothing. With no source of food, the fact that so many people were still alive here was, in itself, somewhat abnormal.