Page 93

In fact, Qiu Shuyu knew that what she was persistently pursuing was never a worthless dressing table at the foot of Garbage Mountain.

Rather, it was that version of myself at the very bottom of the social ladder in Ink City.

She longed for the safe, carefree, and comfortable life of city girls.

She also longs for a stable home, caring parents, and a beautiful life where she can look in the pretty dressing mirror and be bothered by all sorts of little things.

That was an unattainable fantasy.

This dressing table without a mirror reflects Qiu Shuyu's unrealistic dreams.

At this moment, Qiu Shuyu no longer longed for that kind of dream.

She threw it away without a trace of heartache or reluctance, only a feeling of relief as her shoulder was lifted.

Why cling to a life that is destined not to be yours?

She saw another possibility in Song Xiaozhu.

It is new hope, it is a beautiful life that belongs to them.

Song Xiaozhu didn't say anything, but helped her tidy up the room, unfolding the originally cramped wooden bed into a "double bed" that was still a bit narrow but big enough for two girls to sleep in.

Now that Song Xiaozhu has access to water, she washes up with Qiu Shuyu every night. They need to go out in the morning, and being too clean would be too conspicuous, but they still need to go to sleep feeling refreshed at night.

They all felt a little tired when they lay down.

Qiu Shuyu turned her head and asked Song Xiaozhu, "Xiaozhu, is what Old Madam Hu said true?"

Song Xiaozhu lay on her back with her hands crossed behind her head. Through the gaps in the shack, she could vaguely see the misty sky and a few faint starlight outside.

"Maybe."

"Has Xiao Tong's father gone mad?!"

Liu Family Village faces the isolation zone directly. What does opening the isolation zone mean?

How could Liu Xuangang, the village head, do such a thing!

Song Xiaozhu sighed softly and said gently, "Think about the situation of Liu Family Village..."

In the past few days, Song Xiaozhu has also gained a more thorough understanding of the surrounding villages and towns.

At the Garbage Mountain, the Scavenger Community is a semi-official organization whose main job is scavenging and then exchanging it for necessities through recycling stations.

Next is the logging camp, which belongs to the conglomerate within the Fortress. It uses large machines to collect timber resources and also buys back the timber from the loggers. The prices are fair, and the work is relatively hard, but it is safe and stable.

Then there's Deer Town. They've isolated themselves, forming a self-sufficient society. They might be a bit behind in many ways, but at least they're well-fed and watered and won't go hungry, as long as the quarantine An'an remains secure.

Only Liu Family Village...

Located in an abandoned quarry, surrounded by either barren rocks or highly polluted land, crops simply cannot be grown without "Purifier" and "Planter".

They could have made a living by scavenging, but after falling out with Old Madam Hu, they were not only restricted from scavenging areas, but also unable to obtain necessities from recycling centers...

The villagers of Liu Family Village had to survive, and eventually they became known in the community as a bandit stronghold.

--If scavenging isn't allowed, then we'll have to steal.

They didn't commit murder or arson; they always held onto their bottom line...

Of course, they also had some clandestine transactions with small workshops.

However, this is not a long-term solution.

Another painful issue for Liu Family Village is that their Awakened are "Hunter," and 99% of the animals at the foot of this Garbage Mountain are contaminated and, after mutation, are driven out of the isolation zone.

The isolation zone protected humans, but it also isolated them.

The humans living in the isolation zone have become an isolated island.

Old Madam Hu's words were by no means made up on the spot; there was a 70-80% probability that they were true.

Otherwise, Xiao Tong wouldn't have broken down to this extent.

The Hunter ' hope lies outside the safety zone.

In a world without prey, what is the purpose of the Hunter's existence?

Are we really going to let them hunt humans?

After hearing Song Xiaozhu's explanation, Qiu Shuyu paused for a moment and said, "But once the quarantine zone was opened, it was Liu Family Village that suffered the most casualties."

Song Xiaozhu and Bai Jing, though separated by two shacks, almost simultaneously said, "People always overestimate themselves."

Even after a major catastrophe, a single asteroid nearly destroyed the entire human civilization.

Two hundred years later, they began attempting to conquer the world again.

The next day.

Song Xiaozhu, who got up early, prepared a simple meal for four people...

She did too much

I now know exactly how to measure the amount for four people, and the difference between the measurements and the original measurements is no more than 1 gram.

Yesterday, Qiu Shuyu went to give instructions to Tian Man and Luo Liuzi, and the two nodded repeatedly to indicate that they understood.

They've made some money these past few days, so they're not in a hurry to continue selling the small axes. But... they haven't had a proper meal in two days, and they're so upset they're almost crying.

Luo Liuzi held a wad of money and said sadly, "What's the use of money? Ah, what's the use? Can it buy Xiaozhu Bamboo's excellent cooking skills?"

Tian Man glared at him disdainfully. "If you don't want it, give me the money."

The dramatic Luo Liuzi quickly stuffed the money into his arms. "What are you thinking? This is my lifeline!"

After having breakfast, Bai Jing went out and led Song Xiaozhu and Qiu Shuyu to the logging camp.

Xiao Tong's recovery was astonishing; he was already able to get out of bed. He sat in the shack, no longer as distraught as he had been the night before.

Bai Jing probably scolded him a lot, and he seemed to enjoy it.

Whether Old Madam Hu said is true or false, he has to face the current outcome.

My father has disappeared.

The village is in dire need of reconstruction.

He had to pull himself together, take the medicine back, and work with his mother to support Liu Family Village.

Xiao Tong didn't go to the logging camp; he waited alone in the shack.

Firstly, to allow the wound to continue healing, and secondly, to minimize movement to avoid upsetting Old Madam Hu.

As for his safety, there is no need to worry.

Old Madam Hu wouldn't let him die in the community.

Upon arriving at the logging camp, Bai Jing led the two girls to meet Mu Qing. Mu Qing greeted them politely, and when he saw Song Xiaozhu, he smiled gently.