“Chapter 27”

"Chapter 27"

"Such an abstract reply…"

"Since the other party had said so, Fang Zhou didn’t inquire further."

"The meetup was scheduled for tomorrow. She dispatched some D-level creatures into Wanle Center to scout the area in advance."

"Not long after giving instructions to the D-level alien creatures, she received notifications that some of them had already perished upon entering Wanle Center."

"It was like bugs swarming to a filthy, dark place, too numerous to be thoroughly eradicated. But once they venture into a bright, clean area with nowhere to hide, they are targeted for extermination, their nests sought out and destroyed."

"Consequently, Fang Zhou dared not send more alien creatures into Wanle Center. Their sudden influx into an area unsuited to their nature might draw the Order Keepers’ attention."

"Fortunately, with some eliminated, a few remained inside, enough for Fang Zhou to understand the layout and the general situation."

"At 7:00 PM the next day, Fang Zhou arrived at Wanle Center on time. With many people gathered at this hour, and her alien creatures paving the way, she didn't waste time finding her way."

"Three others entered the elevator with her. As the doors opened, Fang Zhou saw a 'Night's End' promotional poster right by the corridor on her right. As she stepped out, the adjacent elevator arrived at the same floor."

"Then she heard a very familiar voice: 'Sister Zhuzhu!'"

"It was Li Baizhi. Fang Zhou wasn’t surprised to encounter her here."

"'What brings you here? Are you attending the Night's End meetup?' Her expression was one of surprise."

"Fang Zhou feigned an appropriate level of surprise: 'The food you gave me had a poster underneath as a heat shield. I unfolded it and became interested. I didn’t expect to see you here.'"

"Li Baizhi seemed a bit embarrassed: 'Actually, I’m in charge of this meetup. I made those posters, and there were too many at home, so I just grabbed one randomly.'"

"'I see.'"

"At the entrance to the venue, Li Baizhi didn’t follow her in: 'I need to prepare some things first. Sister Zhuzhu, please go ahead.'"

Ark nodded in response and, upon entering the area, glanced around. Behind her, a row of books adorned the bookshelf, and a large round table with ten seats occupied the center of the otherwise empty space.

Counting the attendees, including herself, there were nine people in total. Except for Li Baizhi, none displayed signs of being Devourers.

The participants varied in age and appearance, but they all shared an overwhelming sense of desolation, half of which was evident from their clothing and posture, reflecting their distress.

Now facing strangers, they seemed uneasy, with no one initiating conversation.

After a while, Li Baizhi entered, pushing a cart filled with food, her energy disrupting the silent deadlock.

"Feel free to take any of these."

"Do we need to use points to get these...?"

"No need, no need," she waved her hands anxiously, "This is covered by the discussion meeting. We hope to provide a relaxed environment for your conversation."

Despite her assurance, the others remained hesitant to partake in the food.

Their behavior suggested that this was their first time attending such a meet-up.

The first to share his story was a middle-aged man sitting beside Ark.

"I arrived at Shelter 004 six months ago, having survived twenty years in a smaller shelter."

The man covered his face, "In that small shelter of about a hundred people, we had only dry bread to eat daily. Tired of seeing the same faces, I heard of the better conditions and higher security in Shelter 004, where even ordinary people could shine. More importantly, it resembled the old world... I missed the old world dearly."

He appeared to be in his fifties, probably a teenager when the Collapse Day arrived.

Some older participants also showed a nostalgic expression.

"Those who have seen the old world... don't like the present one," said a middle-aged woman sitting opposite him.

"Yes, so I left my wife and children, spending all my resources to pay travelers to bring me to Shelter 004, hoping to see a place similar to the old world."

"But I didn't expect it to be like this here. Ordinary people have no space to live... Struggling even for a full meal, and living in fear of the alien creatures that could appear at any moment. I regret it, but I don't have the resources to leave."

He spoke of abandoning his family in euphemisms, glorifying his motives. Even when focusing on the old world, his eyes betrayed his excitement about the "better conditions and opportunities."

In every world, there are such people, devoid of moral boundaries, lacking capability yet full of narcissism and arrogance.

Ark could already imagine him stripping his home of all resources, disregarding his wife and children, using them as a stepping stone for what he perceived as a 'new beginning.'

Finally, he voiced his demand: "I want to become wealthy."

After he finished, it was the turn of the middle-aged woman sitting across from him, who had interjected during his reminiscences of the old world.

Compared to the others, she was neatly dressed, clean, with an upright posture and meticulously groomed hair, not appearing to be someone short on points.

"I am a doctor."

As soon as she said this, some individuals looked at her with newfound hostility.

Many present were impoverished due to various reasons, but doctors were different. Those who survived the old world and adapted were precious, often recruited by shelters, like the researchers at Shelter 001, generally enjoying upper-class status.

Unperturbed by their reactions, she continued, "My daughter died three years ago, at the hands of a transcendent with antisocial personality disorder. She was lively, cheerful, intelligent, and aspired to be like me."

She didn't delve into specifics, seemingly reluctant to revisit the memories.

"I've saved many lives, but couldn't save my own daughter. She died before my eyes, my knowledge rendered worthless against such power. Countless midnights, I've wished for strength. Maybe then, I could have saved her."

"I want to have power."

Even after she finished, some malicious gazes lingered, like that of the man nostalgic for the old world, his eyes filled with jealousy and resentment, as if to say, "Aren't you satisfied? You only lost your daughter."

Following the precedents set by these two individuals, the other participants began to articulate their sufferings more fluidly, one after another.

They faced a myriad of unique problems. As they shared their experiences, Ark deduced a commonality among them.

They were all ordinary people, unable to let go of the past and harboring intense dissatisfaction with their current circumstances.

She concluded that the 'Solstice Night' discussions mentioned in the fourth-dimensional chat forum specifically targeted this group of hunters.

Consequently, Ark was somewhat puzzled about the subtle hints repeatedly given to her by Li Baizhi.

"What about you? Why did you come here?"

This question from someone nearby snapped Ark out of her reverie. Apart from the organizer, Li Baizhi, Ark was the only one who hadn't shared her "story" yet.

After the question, all eyes suddenly turned towards Ark. Pair after pair of despondent, black hole-like eyes fixed on her, expressionless, as if expecting her to unearth a story even more tragic than theirs.

Compared to them, she seemed too normal – her skin was fair, her hair smooth, and her eyes bright, not bearing the appearance of someone overwhelmed by any particular distress.

After a moment of contemplation, Ark said, "I… have poor health."

"I suffer from radiation sickness. The treatment is prohibitively expensive and beyond my means. It's worsened recently, and I probably won't live more than half a year."

The symptoms of radiation sickness are like a milder version of the old human constitution, somewhat similar but curable.

However, when compared, the latter's condition pales in significance.

People with radiation sickness cannot survive long in the outside world. Prolonged exposure would result in the body being invaded by post-Collapse Day radiation, leading to death. If Ark were to walk outside unprotected, her body's tissues would die within ten minutes, without waiting for the invasion to occur.

Indeed, the cost of treating radiation sickness was exorbitantly high.

...Of course, it was nothing compared to her situation, which required sacrificing an entire shelter.

After she finished speaking, the intense gazes began to dissipate somewhat, and her conspicuous cloak served as the best explanation.

The female doctor showed a look of pity: "Oh, that’s dreadful, poor child. You look so young. Perhaps there's still a chance to try harder?"

"Doctor, you must know how expensive the treatment for radiation sickness is."

She fell silent.

Throughout this process, Li Baizhi watched them with a smile, listening attentively, until there was a subtle change in her expression when Ark began to speak.

Sensing this, Ark looked her way, but Li Baizhi had already regained her composure, offering a comforting gaze.

With Ark concluding as the final speaker, Li Baizhi announced, "That concludes our discussion meeting for today."

"Is that it?" the middle-aged man said discontentedly. "Didn't you say there would be a way to help us?"

Li Baizhi, seemingly accustomed to such reactions, calmly reassured him, "Sir, today's meeting was just to understand each other's situations. Voicing our issues can offer some relief, which is the main purpose of this meeting."

"Damn it, what use is that to me?" the middle-aged man cursed loudly, his hopes of an easy solution dashed, leading to his angry outburst.

"I'm truly sorry, sir," continued Li Baizhi. "Everyone is welcome to take the food here as a small token from our meeting."

This time, they abandoned their initial restraint, swarming to clear the entire cart of food, especially the man who had just cursed the loudest.

Only Ark and the doctor refrained from joining the scramble for food.

Gradually, the attendees began to leave, taking the elevator down. Li Baizhi, after tidying up the venue, called out to Ark, who was about to leave, "Sister Zhuzhou, shall we go back together?"

Ark, needing to meet with the NES console, regretfully declined: "Sorry, I have something else to attend to."

"What a pity, then I'll see you back home tonight."

As Ark was halfway down in the elevator, the wire python she had discreetly left above transmitted a message to her.

Li Baizhi stopped the doctor and the middle-aged man, who hadn't left yet, and handed them a card.

[This is the time and location for the second discussion meeting. Perhaps this time there will be a solution.]

The man grumbled under his breath but eventually took the card.

The wire python climbed onto his body, noting the specific time and location on the card. The next meeting was scheduled for a week later, at a different location, not the Wanle Center.

If the initial spreading of the discussion meeting information to these targeted individuals was the first round of screening, then this meeting was the second.

After exiting the elevator, Ark headed straight for the north gate. The central building, with its heavy foot traffic, seemed to her the busiest place she had witnessed since arriving in this world.

"How reliable is this NES console, giving such a vague 'most conspicuous' feature in such a crowd?"

As she watched the bustling crowd, Ark couldn't help but inwardly criticize.

Upon reaching the north gate, she looked around and her gaze settled on a person.

The individual had a mane of silver-white hair tied in a ponytail, with matching silver-white eyebrows and eyelashes framing a pair of blood-red eyes. A pair of red sunglasses, complementing his eyes, were pushed up to his forehead.

His features were delicate, with traces of youthful innocence still lingering on his face, suggesting he wasn't very old.

...Indeed, he was the most conspicuous figure in the crowd.

Ark couldn't help but think of the large screen she had seen in the park; with such looks, becoming a minor celebrity there wouldn't be an issue.

She, who had adjusted her appearance to be more inconspicuous, found it somewhat baffling.

This wasn't the park, where being conspicuous meant drawing more attention to oneself.

The other person noticed her gaze, and his red eyes looked back at her, hesitating before waving a communicator in her direction.

Ark approached, asking, "2287?"

She was referring to the bounty number.

Only then did he confirm her identity, nodding and speaking in a clear voice, "Yes, it's me, NES. There are too many people here; let's talk somewhere else in detail."

Ark: "..."

Then why not arrange to meet somewhere else from the start?

Once they found a suitable place to talk, Ark relayed everything she had observed and heard at the discussion meeting to NES.

Hearing about such an unbelievable yet dull 'discussion meeting,' NES's red eyes seemed to glaze over.

"That's all?"

"That's all."

"Didn't they invite you to a second discussion meeting?"

"No, they didn't."

Hearing her response, NES appeared somewhat anxious, taking out a lollipop from his pocket and chewing it with a frown, making a crunching sound.

Ark thought he was probably fretting over the 300,000 he had spent.

Ark was aware that Li Baizhi had invited two people to the second discussion meeting and had seen the time and location for it. However, this information was outside the scope of the bounty she had taken on, so she felt no obligation to share it with NES.

Seeing her gaze fixed on him, NES thought she was eyeing his lollipop, so he offered another from his pocket, "Do you want one?"

"…No thanks," Ark declined with a wave of her hand. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. Remember to transfer the points to my wristband."

"Wait, it's not that complicated." He scanned her wristband, their bands interacting. He entered an amount on the light screen, transferring 300,000 points to her there and then.

After completing the transaction, he added, "If they invite you to the second discussion meeting, you can contact me in the fourth dimension."

He held up a finger, "One million."

Generous offer!

"No problem," Ark readily agreed.

With that, the pleasant transaction concluded, and each went their separate ways.

On her way back, Ark cheerfully checked her wristband balance, generously transferring 250,000 points to Lufei Lan. Almost immediately, Lufei Lan's call came through.

Before Ark could answer, her D-class alien forms alerted her to someone following her.

Not just one person.

This made Ark pause momentarily. To avoid raising suspicion, she cut off Lufei Lan's call and, pretending not to notice, continued on her original path.

Since these D-class aliens hadn't merged with her, she couldn't identify if the followers were people she had met. She then separated the wire python from her body, allowing it to hide along her path.

After a while, the wire python relayed its findings to her.

There were three people in total following her. The last two were unrecognizable to the wire python, meaning they were strangers to her.

The third was familiar to them both – it was NES, whom she had just met.

Ark could easily use her speed enhancement to shake off the three pursuers, but doing so would leave her clueless about their intentions for following her.

After a moment's thought, Ark briefly activated her speed enhancement to vanish from the sight of her pursuers.

NES, who had been discreetly trailing her, saw her disappear in an instant when they were still some distance from turning the corner, and he hurriedly followed.

Just as he rounded the corner, he felt the cold press of a gun against his heart from behind, accompanied by a woman's somewhat gentle voice, starkly contrasting with the life-threatening gesture.

"Why are you following me?"