Changes

This area, covering more than 50,000 mu, does not consist entirely of residential buildings.

To be precise, this is a large-scale integrated area that combines residential, medical, commercial, arts and culture, business offices, and smart living services.

Livability City.

According to information that Lu Bai found online, the permanent population of Livability City is around ten million, and there are more than fifteen such Livability City in this shelter.

One can only imagine how terrifying the overall size of the Shelter No. 9 must be.

Of course, Shelter No. 9 wasn't this big when it was first built.

More than 60% of the area is the result of centuries of gradual expansion.

But that's already amazing enough.

To put it roughly, it was like digging out half of Hong Kong from underground; the manpower and resources required were astronomical.

As Lu Bai pondered these random thoughts, he unknowingly arrived at the entrance of a fried chicken shop.

"Brother, this is the place!" Lu Qingyan excitedly.

Lu Bai nodded. "Then let's go in."

He dared to agree to go out to dinner, so he must have done his research.

The shelter uses a currency called Livability Coin, backed by the United Government and issued by Shelter No. 9 Livability Bank.

After becoming a student at the Deathmatch School, Lu Bai will receive 3,000 Livability Coin per month, which is currently his only source of income.

However, the predecessor seemed to be very frugal. Lu Bai checked and found that there was a balance of 43,278.5 yuan in his account, and he didn't know how long it had been stored.

It's important to know that the purchasing power of the Livability Coin isn't low. If you're frugal, you can survive on 1,000 yuan a month, but you'll need to keep eating cheap synthetic foods.

Incidentally, because they possess heavy element technology, they have no shortage of energy, as can be seen from the holographic canopy that never closes.

Correspondingly, natural vegetables, fruits, and meats are quite expensive.

Even if it's not as outrageous as a loaf of bread costing 500,000, it's still close to the category of luxury goods. You can easily spend several thousand or tens of thousands of dollars on a meal.

Fortunately, those high-end restaurants won't be located in Livability City.

Regardless of the type of restaurant in the Livability City, they all actually sell synthetic foods.

What would you like to order?

Upon seeing Lu Bai enter the store with a child, the waiter immediately rushed over with the menu, displaying a very enthusiastic attitude.

Lu Bai subtly released his grip and asked, "What would you like to eat?"

"A set meal for two," Lu Qingyan replied quickly.

It's clear that although they were just trying to get Lu Bai to come out for dinner, they didn't intend to spend money extravagantly.

Perhaps because Lu Bai was quite approachable, the waiter proactively reminded them, "For the grand opening, deathmatchers and children under five can enjoy a free meal!"

If you can get something for free, why not?

Lu Bai looked down and winked at the little boy.

Receiving the hint, six-year-old Lu Qingyan nodded solemnly, turned to the waiter and said, "Hello, I am a Death Fighter."

Waiter. "..."

After a brief silence, Lu Bai suddenly smiled with relief, "How can someone become a death fighter at only five years old?"

"Ah, haha, yes."

The waiter chimed in, looking a little embarrassed, as if the two brothers were treating him like a fool.

However, they did end up getting a free meal.

Anyway, the free meal isn't worth much—just a piece of synthetic chicken breast and a carbonated drink with unidentifiable ingredients. Consider it a grand opening promotion.

"Are you full?"

Leaving the fried chicken shop, Lu Bai led the little boy back and casually asked him something.

"I'm very full." Lu Qingyan chuckled.

The roadside is lined with shops that are mostly for entertainment, but unfortunately, most of the people there don't seem to have much energy.

That's how it is in Livability City: the lower classes see no hope, yet are powerless to resist.

If you were to ask someone what the purpose of their life is, the answer would almost always be "I don't know."

After walking hand in hand for a few minutes, the little boy suddenly said with some hesitation, "Brother, I feel like you've changed a lot."

Stepping aside to avoid a pedestrian, Lu Bai asked calmly, "Is it big?"

The little boy nodded vigorously.

"Yes, it's very big."

"For example?"

For example, emmm...

Lu Qingyan's chubby little face scrunched up as she racked her brains. "You used to teach me not to lie."

Don't you like this change?

"No, my brother used to be like a fool."

Lu Qingyan shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.

Lu Bai slowed his pace, as if making a casual joke, "That's probably because I'm not your brother."

"Ah?"

The little boy looked puzzled for a moment, then carefully examined Lu Bai: "You are..."

Lu Bai smiled meaninglessly, "Let's go home."

When I got home, the holographic sky outside the window was already lit up with twinkling stars.

Children get sleepy early; after washing their faces and brushing their teeth, they fall asleep on the sofa not long after sitting down.

After a moment's thought, Lu Bai got up, carried the little boy back to his bed in the bedroom, and covered him with a blanket.

After doing all this, he didn't linger in the bedroom for long, quietly slowing his pace as he left.

There were only two beds in the bedroom; the other one was clearly for a girl, so he naturally wouldn't sleep there.

After washing up, I lay down on the worn-out sofa and continued browsing forums on my phone.

There's just too much information about the Deathmatch System; it's impossible to read it all in a short time. I can only read as much as I can.

I can't remember exactly when I fell asleep; I guess I got too sleepy and unconsciously lost consciousness.

Nothing happened that night.

The next day, early morning.

Lu Bai slowly woke up on the sofa, his head still groggy.

He picked up his phone and saw that it was not yet six o'clock, so he decisively lay down and tried to take another nap.

Unfortunately, his biological clock seemed stubborn; he tossed and turned for over ten minutes without falling asleep.

I sat up and rubbed my face a couple of times to try and shake off the lingering drowsiness.

Then he just sat on the sofa, lost in thought.

Arrive at school before 8:00 AM; it's still early.

After all, it only takes about half an hour to get from where he lives to the campus.

After some initial investigation, Lu Bai learned that there were as many as ten Deathmatch School within the entire Shelter No. 9.

The Campus 6 he is currently attending is almost the worst among the ten schools in terms of faculty.

School selection is a two-way street; schools choose their students, and students also choose their schools.

The decision to move to the Campus 6 was likely made simply because it was closer to home.

Otherwise, even with physical defects, with an initial talent level as high as eight, getting into a top-five school wouldn't be a problem, let alone the top three.

Bang bang bang~

After seven o'clock, Lu Ziyi pushed open the door and entered, her face full of fatigue. Her previous indifference towards Lu Bai had dissipated considerably after finishing her night shift.

She threw down her backpack and waved weakly at Lu Bai, "You should go to school."