With no word from the Shang Bao company, they couldn't just give up and continue living their lives.
He spends all his time looking for people, doesn't do any work, and what are all these people in the family supposed to eat and drink?
Shang Cuicui also felt sorry for her younger brother, but she was also pregnant herself, and after searching for so many days without any news, she was afraid he had already...
Shang Cuicui dared not say this aloud, but could only try to comfort Shang Dayuan: "Father, Xiao Bao will come back eventually. But when he does, our family won't even have a hot meal to eat. He..."
Just then, the door of the old shopkeeper was pushed open, and Luo Tong peeked in from there.
Shang Dayuan jumped to his feet and strode towards him. "What, any news?"
He's spent a lot of money these days, especially on the "know-it-all" in Luo Tong's community, who he's bribed to inquire about Shang Bao information every day.
Luo Tong closed the door, his expression grave. "I think Baozi is in grave danger."
Shang Dayuan's eyes were bloodshot, and he raised his fist to strike.
Luo Tong was quick-witted; after dodging, he said, " Uncle Shang, it's not that I'm being pessimistic, but... well, I just passed by Master Bai's shack, and guess what..."
Shang Dayuan had been preoccupied with the Garbage Mountain these past few days and hadn't paid much attention to Song Xiaozhu. Hearing Luo Tong's words, his heart sank. "Speak quickly!"
Luo Tong's expression shifted, and he said with great difficulty, "I saw... they were eating meat, eating large chunks of meat."
The Shang Bao premium surged to his head, and his face turned as red as a pig's liver.
Shang Cuicui's face turned pale. She said, "No, impossible..."
Luo Tong: "At first, I also thought it was impossible, but after I inquired, I found out that Song Xiaozhu and Qiu Shuyu hadn't gone logging or scavenging in the past two days... nor had they bought anything from the recycling station. So where did this meat come from?"
Shang Dayuan couldn't bear to listen anymore. " Bao'er... Bao'er..."
Shang Cuicui calmed down a bit. She grabbed her agitated father and said, "Father! Father, don't panic. Master Bai is back. We can't..."
Shang Dayuan: "Even if he's Bai Jing, he still has to pay with his life!"
Luo Tong added, "The main problem is that without evidence, if things really escalate, we'll just look like we're bullying the weak."
Shang Cuicui quickly added, "Father, let's be patient, let's..."
With a loud slap, Shang Dayuan gave her a slap. "Endure, endure, endure! Your brother has been eaten, and you still can't stand it!"
Shang Cuicui's face swelled instantly from the slap, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She stammered, "Father... Father, listen to me! We must get revenge! We... we have to come up with a good plan. We can't let them eat people and then turn around and accuse us..."
Luo Tong's eyes darted around, and he said, " Uncle Shang, why don't I go and talk to Master Chen? If he gets involved, there's bound to be a way to deal with those two young girls."
The Master Chen" he mentioned was Chen San.
Cui Jiao was Old Madam Hu's henchman, while Chen San was her strategist.
Shang Dayuan's face twitched, but he managed to hear what he was saying. He pulled out a wad of cash and stuffed it into Luo Tong's hand. " Tongzi, I'm entrusting this matter to you. You and Xiao Bao have been friends since childhood, he... he..."
Luo Tong accepted the money and said, " Uncle Shang, don't worry, I'll go find Master Chen right away. Wait for my news."
Shang Dayuan nodded repeatedly, and Shang Cuicui also breathed a sigh of relief.
Luo Tong pocketed the money and went out, pursing his lips and thinking to himself, "That kid Shang Bao deserved to be eaten alive."
He may criticize me, but he will still get things done.
For Master Chen, it was nothing more than a simple favor.
-
Community, recycling center.
Xia Fengshou sat upright at his desk, adjusted his glasses, and carefully examined the accounts in front of him.
The handwritten ledger is clear and legible, with each transaction meticulously recorded.
Income...
Payment...
The total number is no different from usual.
The boy next to him yawned and said, "Stationmaster, I've checked several times, there's no mistake."
Xia Fengshou narrowed his eyes slightly.
The boy's name is Xia Qiuer. He is the child that Xia Fengshou took in, and he is learning bookkeeping from him.
Xia Qiuer had just finished dinner and was feeling sleepy. She said, "That's right, I'm very good at math, I guarantee I didn't miss a single item..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xia Fengshou muttered, "Something's not right... The logging camp has been getting a lot of urgent orders lately, so how come only 120 of these iron axes have been sold?"
Xia Qiuer: "Huh?"
Xia Fengshou pulled out last month's accounts and carefully compared them.
"Even without any urgent orders from the logging camps, we still shipped out several hundred axes last month..."
Xia Qiuer understood, and his expression turned serious. "Station Chief, what... what's going on?"
Xia Fengshou adjusted his glasses and said, "Write a report and submit it to the district head tomorrow."
-
Garbage Mountain, a safety barrier.
This is a high wall, similar in shape to the one outside the Ink City Fortress.
The high walls of Ink City separated the city's citizens from the refugees living Garbage Mountain; this wall, forming a buffer zone, separated the people from the monsters outside.
Mu Qing stood on high ground, watching the transport planes rumble as they carried large timbers in this direction.
The walls have been repaired. In theory, reinforcing them with concrete would be more effective, but the city is not allocating funds, so Mu Qing can only use these sturdy timbers.
Large machines look like small toys in front of this formidable wall.
Amidst the swirling dust, Mu Qing looked worriedly at the safety barrier.
It's very sturdy...
Like an impregnable fortress...
It would not change in the slightest, even if the mountains collapsed and the earth cracked.
However, not long ago...
The isolation barrier was corroded, creating a large hole two meters high. Countless monsters rushed out, awakening memories buried deep in people's hearts.
One hundred years ago, that earth-shattering catastrophe made humanity feel the power of nature once again.
Humans at the top of the food chain have become prey for Polluted Beast.