Chapter 1808: Outer Zone Players Take Charge
The old man's expression didn't change much. "In recent years, fewer and fewer children have been born. It started a few years after we hid here—no children were born in CK11. Back then, it wasn't just CK11; other safe zones would also take newborn children for all kinds of tests."
"The appearance of these children... isn't normal. It's pure luck that they were even born, and they don't live long. Why burden them with the heavy responsibility of human reproduction? That's why I added two years to his age."
He wasn't lying. Xu Huo paused and asked, "There's no need to hide it now?"
The old man was surprised by his sharpness and nodded. "Two years ago, CK12 safe zone was also lost. CK12 was the last safe zone to disappear near us. I heard from Ying Hai and Ying Yu that most of the safe zones established around the time of the Great Disaster are gone. Now, the main safe zones are controlled by a group of outer zone players. They're far from here, and they don't care about the lives of people in Zone 010."
"Why did CK12 disappear?" Xu Huo frowned slightly.
"Same as the other safe zones—they encountered land subsidence and mutant swarms," the old man said. "At the time, we met some survivors near Jade Bird City. They told us that most of the people from CK12 safe zone had migrated toward the Sand Sea Center."
He pulled a regional map from under the table, first pointing to the center of the map, then moving left to the corner where Jade Bird City was located.
"The Sand Sea Center originally wasn't in the same country as us. Safe zones also exclude outsiders, and the migration was difficult, so we set up camp here."
Xu Huo estimated the distance on the map. The two locations were nearly half a district apart. Over such a long distance, was Melissa taken by players from CK12 or kidnapped by people from the Sand Sea Center?
"Now, the ones in charge of Zone 010 aren't local players," Xu Huo said directly to Ying Hai and Ying Yu, the two players he had fought. "Have you ever been to the Sand Sea Center?"
The two kept their faces stiff and refused to speak, clearly having no goodwill toward outer zone players.
Xu Huo didn't want to waste time with them and warned, "My patience is limited."
Their bodies tensed, and they both looked at the old man. He nodded. "Go ahead. Say whatever needs to be said."
The one who spoke was Ying Hai, who looked slightly healthier. "Never been there. Just heard about it from others."
Afraid of angering Xu Huo, the old man added, "We did consider seeking refuge in a safe zone during that time, but some players who had been there said the outer zone players in the Sand Sea Center treat Zone 010 people badly. Most of us here are old, weak, sick, or disabled. Even if we took the risk to go, we might not be taken in."
The situation in Zone 010 was far worse than Xu Huo had imagined. It wasn't just the deterioration of the natural environment and harassment from mutant swarms—the main force managing this place turned out to be outer zone players. This meant that the original high-level players of Zone 010 had suffered heavy casualties during the turmoil. Otherwise, they wouldn't have abandoned their homeland so easily. The fundamental reason outer zone players could take charge was that the remaining player power in the entire Zone 010 district was no longer strong enough to resist these foreign invaders.
And since the outer zone players intended to rule Zone 010 long-term, they shouldn't let the people of Zone 010 die out completely. Because Zone 010 people still gave birth to players, but due to their inherent genetic diseases, these players also had short lifespans. They were more useful than ordinary people, while also ensuring they wouldn't grow too strong.
It would certainly be more convenient to kidnap people from other zones to replace them, but if players appeared, they wouldn't be as easy to control as the native Zone 010 people.
The old man's claim that the rulers didn't care about the lives of Zone 010 people wasn't entirely accurate. They might not care about the lifespan or quality of life of Zone 010 people, but they definitely wanted Zone 010 people to keep reproducing.
If "Melissa" was still alive, the likelihood of her being taken to the Sand Sea Center was higher.
Given that the safe zone situation might not be that good, Xu Huo released Fan Yunhong and asked if he wanted to stay here.
"This small camp can satisfy the need for community while avoiding many risks."
Fan Yunhong looked very conflicted. After smelling the fresh aroma of food, he said, "Can I have the time for one meal to think it over?"
Xu Huo nodded and also took out his backpack.
Fan Yunhong generously shared some of the dried meat he had brought with the others. Someone looked at him incredulously. "Are you from our district? You're going to the safe zone with him?"
"Still thinking about it. If it's good here, staying might be fine too," Fan Yunhong said.
"Why stay here? Isn't it better to go to a safe zone?" a man chewing on dried meat said. "Here, we don't know where our next meal is coming from, and we have to worry about being discovered by passersby. At least in a safe zone, we wouldn't have to live in such constant fear."
"You have a point too." Fan Yunhong pondered.
The food was soon brought to the table. The adults and children in the underground market all came over to eat. The three children didn't seem very bright, but they had basic self-care skills. They didn't need adults to help them eat, but their food had to be portioned out in advance and cooled down before being given to them, including the youngest one.
The three children barely chewed; they practically poured the food into their mouths. After finishing their bowls in a few mouthfuls, they stared at others' bowls.
Anyone who saw this scene couldn't help but feel pity.
"That's why I say living isn't really worth it." Fan Yunhong divided his own bowl of rice among the three children. "This is hell."
The children didn't understand that, but they knew the two new uncles had food on them. After finishing their portions, the three surrounded Xu Huo and Fan Yunhong, asking for more.
Xu Huo didn't give them dry rations but handed out candy instead, teaching them how to eat it.
There were two D-level players in the group, and the three children had been lucky enough to taste candy before. They were instinctively happy. The youngest tilted his head, pressed his cheek against Xu Huo's hand, and smiled at him. "Thank you, uncle."
But as soon as he finished speaking, the child suddenly coughed violently, eventually spitting out a small mouthful of black blood. He lay on the chair, breathing with difficulty. The woman beside him red-eyed, patted his back, but the child's eyes were fixed on the candy that had fallen to the ground. "...Still want to eat..."
Then he fell unconscious.
"He's like this now. It'll be a day or two at most." Fan Yunhong sighed.
The others in the camp were clearly prepared. They silently watched as the child was laid on the bed.
Xu Huo noticed a note hanging by the child's bedside, with the crooked words "I want to go outside" written as a birthday wish.
"I'm so useless!" Ying Yu clenched his bony fist. "I can't even buy a non-player ticket!"
The old man patted his shoulder to comfort him.
The reality was that non-player tickets were expensive and not abundant in circulation. Sometimes, you couldn't even buy one for the same district. And non-player trains weren't absolutely safe either. The Ying brothers had to ensure their own survival first before they could continuously bring back supplies to keep the camp's people alive. Buying a few potions for the child was already the best they could do.
(Chapter End)