Chapter 994: Two Poles World
The few of them looked at each other, not daring to move, holding the items in their hands without taking them.
Chi Minghong smiled in a slightly unserious manner, swinging her legs as she said, "This ticket is to my hometown. It's not the best place, but no one dares to openly trade people there. As long as you can support yourself, you can survive. It's just that you might not be able to adapt to the sunlight at first."
The last two words made their expressions change. The boy who had spoken earlier asked, "Can we really see the sun?"
"For free, every day." Chi Minghong turned her head to ask Lu Qing, "Do you want one? I can give you one too."
Lu Qing shook her head. "I need to find my sister."
Chi Minghong didn't press further. She flipped through a few more clothes and handed them over. "After you get off the train, find a place to dye your hair. There are many ways to change your appearance. If you make a little effort to disguise yourselves, others will just think you've been sick."
With clothes, tickets, and money in their hands, the five children finally started crying belatedly. They knelt on the ground and thanked Chi Minghong.
Chi Minghong let out a light cough, suppressing a smile as she said, "You should go now. Live well from now on."
When the first child nervously used the ticket and disappeared, the other four burst into cheers. Then they couldn't wait to leave. As the last girl was leaving, she said to Chi Minghong, "Sister, I will work hard and live well in the future. I want to become someone like you who can help others!"
The girl's words caused the smile on Chi Minghong's face to fade. Staring at the empty space, she pouted and said, "Good people never end well. Helping others is not as good as helping yourself."
"Aren't you helping them too?" Xu Huo casually responded.
Chi Minghong shook her head. "That's different. I did one good deed, but that doesn't make me a good person. Everyone has moments of impulse. If you really take good deeds as your main mission, you'll die from the word 'good person' sooner or later."
After saying that, she sighed. "People who think too much suffer."
She was referring to the girl who had just left.
"Help them to the end. Since they're going to your district anyway, you can go back and check on them when you have time." Xu Huo said with a smile.
Chi Minghong spread her hands. "See, this is the price of doing good deeds."
As she finished speaking, they heard two soft sounds on the roof of the car. She nodded at Xu Huo and then flipped out of the vehicle.
Inside the car, Lu Qing tensed up as soon as she heard the noise on the roof, looking nervously ahead. With too many cars passing by, she didn't dare to drive.
The two people climbing onto the car were no match for Chi Minghong. In less than five minutes, the outcome was decided. Two people died, and the car following them gradually slowed down and pulled away.
"I'm covered in blood." Chi Minghong disdainfully took off her jacket and returned to the car. She checked the time and said, "It's almost dawn."
Eight in the morning was the designated "dawn" time in Zone 002. Along the national highway, the streetlights that had been turned off to save energy gradually came on. As they got closer to the big city, the number of lights increased, quickly forming a bright passage.
At this point, the cars on the road all slowed down in unison.
Before entering the checkpoint for Xiaoyang City, Chi Minghong first grabbed all the usable items from the car, then tossed the cargo box by the roadside, and drove on easily.
Behind the checkpoint was the largest city in the area. A circle of densely packed lighting fixtures, arranged in a circular pattern and reaching into the sky, surrounded the city from 360 degrees. They cast light from above that was no less intense than sunlight. Although it lacked the warm and cold variations of real sunlight, compared to Huayu City, this city was indeed not much different from Zone 014, which was in modern civilization, or Zone 001, which was in an advanced civilization.
"So many lights." Lu Qing shielded her eyes with her hand.
"The city lighting in Huayu City is less than a third of this." Chi Minghong drove the car slowly forward.
The uniform lighting was already bright enough for Xu Huo and the others to carry out daily life, but every building in the city had its lights on without exception, as if they had entered an ocean of lights. Lights were pasted on walls, hung on streets—almost every corner had them. Not only that, but along the way into the city, there were also many shops selling lights. According to the aesthetic standards of Zone 002, most lights were made of transparent materials like glass. When electrified, they shone with extraordinary brightness, forcing them to wear glasses just to drive normally.
"People in Zone 002 aren't that weak in eyesight. What's the difference between this and a daytime zone? Don't they find it hard on the eyes?" Chi Minghong found a place to park. She checked the train schedule to Snow City on the electronic screen by the street and said, "It's still early. I'll find a place to rest. You two do whatever you want. We'll meet at the station later."
After saying that, she walked off on her own.
Xu Huo looked at Lu Qing. "Do you want me to take you? Do you know the place?"
Lu Qing declined his kindness, clutching her backpack tightly. "I can manage on my own."
Xu Huo nodded and then said, "I plan to go see the sun in Zone 002. I wonder if they have a one-day experience card."
"They do." Lu Qing pointed to the center of the city map. "The Sun Pavilion is right here. You can pay a tax to enter."
They were going in different directions. Lu Qing thanked him again and then turned and walked into the crowd.
Xu Huo didn't linger on the spot either. He took public transportation to the Sun Pavilion in the city center.
Along the way, he took a cursory look at the cityscape of Xiaoyang City. As mentioned in the information from Under Dimension, because there was no sunlight, most of the plants and animals sold here were colorless, appearing white only under the light. Many shops had signs with competition rankings like "First Place in Frog Category" or "First Place in Night-Blooming Category." Some plants and animals, due to their natural lack of color, indeed exuded a strange beauty.
During the journey, he also saw restaurants and processed food for sale. Although the raw materials might be colorless, they couldn't remain the same after processing. Therefore, any food, including freshly made dishes, was judged by whether it was crystal clear. The food guide on the electronic screens even had rankings and recommendations for this.
Xu Huo bought some to eat when he stopped. The taste wasn't great.
In addition, the sex industry was also very developed. Young men and women openly solicited customers on the streets. Their photos were blatantly displayed on the electronic screens set up in front of shops, playing on a loop. Each person's identity information and personal specialties were clearly written out. Some special cases were marked as being able to accept unusual services.
"Sir, you've been watching for a while. Which one do you like?" A seductive woman walked up to him, her eyes half-closed, showcasing the charm of a mature woman.
Xu Huo stuffed the last piece of pastry into his mouth and was about to leave. But the woman took a quick step to follow him, a hint of eagerness mixed with flattery in her voice. "If you don't like someone like me, that's fine. Our shop also has younger ones. I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
(End of Chapter)