Chapter 1810: Lucky and Unlucky
In the underground mall, Ying Hai must have already explained things to the others, because everyone's smiles were laced with suppressed pain. Ying Yu was using a projector to show the three children videos recorded from other districts. The kids had seen this before; they knew the things on the screen couldn't be touched, so they just huddled close to the adults, constantly asking what the things in the pictures were, or if they could be eaten.
"Mom, I want to eat that too," said the child in the wheelchair, pointing at a cake shop in the video.
The child's mother held back her tears and said, "Mom will make it for you later..."
Xu Huo stood to the side, then suddenly reached out and waved toward the video. The two mascots standing at the cake shop door wobbled their plump bodies and stepped out of the screen. They carried a huge cake, exuding a rich fragrance, instantly transforming the sealed underground basement into a bustling street.
The mascots staggered over, grabbed the three children, and ran toward the crowd. Suddenly, colorful balloons filled the sky. The adults walking on the street crowded around them, lifting them up to grab the floating balloons. Passing dance troupes stuffed all kinds of candies into their hands and placed beautiful flower garlands on their heads.
It was as if everyone was heading to a celebration. The three children, separated from the mascots, were swept along by the crowd onto a passing cartoon float. The float, accompanied by performers and tourists, slowly moved toward the city center, where a large inflatable doll stood. From time to time, aircraft carrying confetti cannons flew out, scattering ribbons and countless candies and food!
"Mom! So much food!" the child in the wheelchair shouted while reaching for things falling from the sky. But his hands and pockets were limited, and he and his two friends were worrying about how to take everything away when the mascot beside the float handed them a big cart and poured a bag of candy into it.
"Thank you, uncle!" the children said in unison, too excited to watch the performance, busy picking up food along the way.
Xu Huo deliberately used gestures to alert the Ying brothers, only showing them the beginning of the "celebration" before pulling them and the others out. Watching the children shout and scream, sweating with excitement, he felt both joy and reluctance to continue watching.
The old man invited Xu Huo to sit down again and said, "Jade Bird City is big, but when we came, not even a shopping mall, supermarket, or grain warehouse was left. So the children have always lived a hard life, until Ying Hai and Ying Yu became players."
"At my age, I've seen District 010's prosperity and watched it fall. But these children were born into suffering; they've never had a single good day..."
Not only that, but it was foreseeable that even the best outcome for the rest of their lives would be no better than this.
"Do you have any memory of the origin of the Black Thorn genetic disease?" Xu Huo asked.
The old man shook his head. "At first, I heard it broke out in the capital. But by the time the news spread, it seemed everyone had caught it. Some people did research, saying that a certain gene in District 010 people couldn't adapt to the sudden environmental change, mutated, and was incurable."
"Has there been any news about a possible cure?" Xu Huo pressed.
The old man looked weary. "Even if there were, it wouldn't reach our ears. Instead, when the Black Thorn disease broke out, there were rumors that the government was abducting people for live experiments. Many were terrified, afraid of being caught for drug trials. Back then, everyone, including me, was more afraid to hear any news about treating Black Thorn disease."
"Because not only were there rumors of drug trials, but some radicals wanted to kill those infected with Black Thorn to prevent them from spreading it to others." Fan Yunhong shook his head. "According to my dad, it was chaos back then. A lot of people died inexplicably, and some mentally unstable people would randomly kill people in the middle of the night."
"Then, unexpectedly, the mutant swarms came so fast. The killers and those who could only be killed all became food at once."
"Surviving from that time is both lucky and unlucky." The old man stopped there. As a manager, he couldn't spread more negative energy, so he perked up and said, "But if people live long enough, they'll eventually see hope. Ying Hai and Ying Yu became players. When they get stronger, we might be able to get tickets to other districts."
Going to another district was certainly a hope, but for those present, even if they left, they might not survive. Ying Hai and Ying Yu had mentioned some examples: District 010 people were ostracized in other zones, and more people would be afraid when they saw the Black Thorn on them. Governments and players from other districts would subject them to strict management and inspections to confirm they weren't deliberately introduced sources of infection.
In that process, how people were treated was up to the other districts. Some might be interested in their genetic disease; others might secretly execute them just to avoid causing panic among the public.
In other words, leaving District 010 didn't mean they could truly live in the sun.
"When people have limited understanding, they fear and reject unfamiliar things. Sooner or later, more people will know what Black Thorn disease really is, and there will definitely be those willing to accept us," the old man encouraged everyone.
But Fan Yunhong's eyes wandered again at these words. "Sooner or later... will I find such a place before I die? And even if I do, what's the point? There's no next generation..."
The old man firmly grasped his hand. "Young man, you must have hope in life!"
Fan Yunhong paused, then uncertainly followed his lead. "Right, have hope."
The three children had fallen asleep. Xu Huo withdrew his spiritual realm, then recorded the nearby safe zones based on the old man's information. However, he had no particular impression of the letters starting with CKX.
"Most safe zones were named with numbers... maybe after the big ones were gone, survivors set up small camps and used other names," the old man said.
As repayment, Xu Huo gave him a fairly generous sum of money, along with some food.
That night, the child in the wheelchair passed away in his sleep.
Xu Huo also received a reply from Dr. Deng. He didn't know what method Mr. Dong and "Eats Three Bowls Every Meal" had used, but Dr. Deng's flamboyant handwriting showed his anger, and his wording was stiff. However, he finally revealed that he and his colleagues had indeed come to District 010 for the Black Thorn disease.
But their focus wasn't on the disease itself; they wanted to understand why it caused infertility. After all, it took about thirty to forty years for Black Thorn to grow to the heart area. District 010 had tried to have young people under twenty reproduce, when the Black Thorn hadn't yet grown to the lower abdomen or invaded the reproductive system.
(Chapter End)