Ask Him in Person

In a desolate and empty world, eating is clearly the most important thing for survival.

Based on what Lu Bai has observed so far, there are no medium or large animals, and the output of the entire city and its surrounding area can only support one or two hundred people at most.

How could they possibly support thousands of people?

Furthermore, there is no trace of food cultivation. Is it because climate change has made it impossible to grow food in the pre-shelter era? Or is there some other reason?

Lu Bai suppressed these doubts and silently followed Huo Yao to the door of an office.

It's clear that the Brother Biao these people are talking about holds a very high position in this settlement, as there are two burly men in vests guarding the entrance.

Huo Yao greeted the guards at the door familiarly before explaining his purpose.

"Huo Yao, you stay here with this kid for a bit. I'll go report to Brother Biao."

One of the burly men scrutinized Lu Bai with a critical look before turning around, pushing open the office door, and going inside.

A moment later, the burly man came out of the office, pointed at Lu Bai, and said, "You come with me. Huo Yao, you can go do whatever you're supposed to do."

Led by the burly man, Lu Bai followed him into the office and finally met the Brother Biao they had been talking about.

Just hearing this title, one might subconsciously imagine a burly, tattooed gangster boss.

But in reality, this so-called "Brother Biao" is actually a rather thin middle-aged man.

He was neatly dressed and wore a pair of scholarly black-rimmed glasses, giving him an air of non-aggression.

Anyone who saw him would think he was an intellectual.

"A Zang, you can go down now, don't worry about me."

Brother Biao waved to the burly man.

A Zang hesitated for a moment, but still did not disobey Brother Biao's order. He obediently left the office, closing the door behind him.

Brother Biao then smiled and looked at Lu Bai, gesturing, "A Zang has told me everything about you. Sit down and let's talk."

Lu Bai didn't stand on ceremony and sat down in the chair opposite the desk as if he were at home.

Brother Biao looked at Lu Bai, a hint of nostalgia flashing in his eyes, and then uttered a startling remark.

"I come from Shelter No. 76. Before leaving the vault, I was a member of the Can Society.' If you came from the vault, you should know what that organization is."

Lu Bai nodded without saying anything more.

Unable to glean anything from Lu Bai's expression, Brother Biao continued, "Aren't you surprised? Why are the records on the ground completely different from those in the shelter?"

"That's right, the so-called Ice Age and the so-called underground shelter plan are all complete lies."

At this point, Brother Biao's tone became noticeably more agitated. "It was nothing more than betraying the entire human race for personal gain..."

Brother Biao's voice was so low it was almost inaudible, but Lu Bai didn't press him for details.

The contents of the underground shelter, combined with his observations after arriving on the surface, make for a very intriguing story.

It seems that those who support the underground shelter plan are lying.

But if it's a lie, there are many problems with that as well.

Not to mention, such a colossal lie involving nearly 10 billion people could not have been accomplished so easily.

Don't forget that, due to resource constraints and time constraints, at least half of the people at the time were not eligible to enter the shelter.

From the perspective of the refugees, those billions of people were making a sacrifice that was necessary for the continuation of humanity.

If an ice age were to actually occur, then those billions of people would indeed have no chance of survival. But if the ice age is just a hoax, then those billions of people, scattered all over the world, could not possibly cause a break in the development of civilization.

Not to mention the current situation, where the human population is so small that we have to give up our living space to plants.

Brother Biao could see Lu Bai's confusion, but as if deliberately keeping him in suspense, he didn't continue talking about these things. Instead, he started another topic in a more relaxed tone. "I suppose you're curious about how so many people in the Linxi settlement survive, right?"

This riddle-teller's approach annoyed Lu Bai.

When a person is unhappy, their behavior becomes rough and aggressive.

He leaned forward, his hands on the desk, and asked, "Are you trying to say that the Lord provided you with food?"

Even though the other person still had an innocent smile on their face, Brother Biao inexplicably felt an indescribable sense of oppression, as if a creature at the bottom of the food chain was facing its natural enemy, and his whole body tensed up uncontrollably.

Brother Biao swallowed hard and raised his hands in front of him. "Friend, let's sit down and talk slowly."

Lu Bai shook his head and said softly, "From now on, I'll ask, and you answer."

"Friend, I may seem easy to talk to because I'm giving you face, but you're being a bit too impolite."

As the Spokesperson of a community of several thousand people, he only felt that Lu Bai was not simple and did not want to cause any trouble, which did not mean that he was really afraid of Lu Bai.

Faced with such threatening words, Brother Biao's expression turned cold, and he called out towards the office door, "A Zang! Come in for a moment."

Before he could finish speaking, the office door was flung open, and two burly men stormed in.

"Brother Biao, did you call me?"

"Brother Biao, is this kid up to no good?"

Seeing his two underlings enter, Brother Biao said coldly, "Since you can't speak properly, then let's talk in a way you can understand."

Lu Bai didn't even turn his head; his smile grew even brighter.

"What a coincidence, I also know a little bit of martial arts."

Brother Biao's office.

Two burly henchmen knelt on the ground, their faces bruised and swollen, Brother Biao slumped to the side, looking dazed.

Lu Bai sat cross-legged on the desk, his fingertips tapping the Desktop idly.

"You mean, before the era of the shelters, the higher-ups of humanity had already made a deal with this so-called Lord, choosing to cede the surface and half the population in order to ensure the continuation of human civilization?"

Brother Biao nodded blankly.

"Why? If the Lord has such power, why would He need to trade with the higher-ups of humanity? Is there any need to tolerate so many people living underground?"

"I really don't know anything about this kind of secret, brother." After saying that, Brother Biao habitually shrank his neck, as if afraid that Lu Bai would slap him again.

"Okay, then I'll go ask them in person."

Lu Bai stretched and casually asked, "You're working for this so-called Lord, right? When will the Lord come?"

Brother Biao adjusted his glasses and said cautiously, "On the first of every month, the Lord will summon the leaders of several settlements nearby."

Lu Bai glanced at the calendar hanging in his office and chuckled.

"Isn't that tomorrow?"