Chapter 522, Polluted Zone 24 (Part 10)

Qi Shiqi only heard the first two sentences; his senses were blocked after that, and he heard nothing more.

Xia Mingang was no exception.

He opened his mouth wide in astonishment, and like a child mimicking speech, he made sounds like "ah, oh, ooh".

I checked it repeatedly for a long time.

He is deaf.

Yun Zhao raised his hand and removed his barrier, replying to Qi Shiqi, "I didn't hear the rest clearly either, the volume was too high."

"Pay a small amount... and you can get..."

Yun Zhao pondered those words repeatedly, "It said that more volunteers are needed, which probably means that there aren't enough mutants."

"And then? What else?" Qi Shiqi hurriedly asked.

Of the four, only Yun Zhao heard it most clearly.

—She just blocked everyone else's senses.

Yun Zhao repeated, "Welcome to Cyber ​​City, embark on a thrilling survival journey. Come on, deal with... and experience the familiar yet strange post-apocalyptic scene..."

Qi Shiqi frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It sounds like an advertising slogan."

Qi Ling quietly explained to him, "In the past, every city had its own promotional slogans. For example, the building screens in Chongqing would display 'Hello Chongqing, Hello World.' This kind of abnormal welcoming language is more like the gatekeeper's perverse sense of humor."

"That last sentence, 'familiar yet unfamiliar apocalyptic scene,' refers to the terrain?" Qi Shiqi wrote furiously, confirming with the others repeatedly.

Yun Zhao was somewhat worried about Xie Tu's condition and absentmindedly turned to look at Qi Ling.

She had been at the Dawn Base for less than a year and was not very familiar with the base, let alone the city from two hundred years ago.

Qi Ling thought for a long time before finally nodding, "I think so. The familiar thing is the city, while the unfamiliar thing is the apocalypse."

One day, the streets people know will turn into a scene of devastation, bustling intersections will be littered with rusted car wrecks, glass curtain walls of high-rise buildings will be covered with withered vines, and mottled billboards will creak and sway in the wind...

Qi Ling was deeply moved.

The scene was like both an absurd dream and a preordained prophecy.

That's why goalkeepers say it feels both familiar and unfamiliar.

"Why don't you broadcast something to the city occasionally?"

The sudden return of his senses made Xia Mingang feel somewhat uncomfortable, but he forced a smile and said, "Is the gatekeeper an idiot?"

I learned this word from Qingluan.

Xia Mingang raised his eyebrows smugly, finding it surprisingly useful.

Bixi: [Idiot!]

Xia Mingang: "..."

Just then, the roar of a car engine came from downstairs.

Yun Zhao reopened the window, peeked out, and then jogged out the door.

Xie Tu got out of the car with his usual nimble movements, even exuding a nonchalant and dashing air.

But Yun Zhao knew very well in his heart that he was always good at pretending.

"Are you feeling unwell?"

"No, the little bluebird arrived just in time."

Yun Zhao asked suspiciously, "Are you sure?"

"I'm really fine." Xie Tu maintained his calm and composed demeanor.

Only a hint of tenderness shone through his eyes, like a crack in a glacier revealing a warm undercurrent beneath.

He thanked the little bluebird in a very proper manner.

The little bluebird was particularly pleased, proudly raising its head and flapping its wings to fly back to its original head.

Yun Zhao carefully examined the person from head to toe.

Xie Tu let her look him over, even leaning down slightly to get closer.

Neon lights still flickered on both sides of the street, and scarlet, dark blue, and pale white spots of light twisted and crawled on the asphalt road like the tentacles of some mutated creature.

The two people standing in front of the car seemed out of place in their surroundings.

Once he confirmed that everything was alright, Yun Zhao breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the person upstairs, saying, "It's good that you're alright, let's go back and eat quickly."

The two quickly returned to the eighth-floor apartment.

Qi Shiqi was still recording the broadcast from earlier. He was wearing an ill-fitting black trench coat, and his sparse hair was sticking up in a few clumps because he had been pulling it.

When I looked up, the deep forehead wrinkles became even more pronounced.

“You’re back just in time. We need to figure out what exactly is missing in the ‘insufficient stock’ announcement over the radio.”

When Qi Shiqi saw Xie Tu return, he pulled him aside to discuss, "The broadcast also mentioned 'pay a small amount... to obtain', obtain what?"

"What's most lacking in the apocalypse? It's definitely food and water, weapons, and even medicine. These things can all be traded."

"Come on? Come on... It's more like a twisted invitation. What needs to be traded, and yet requires inviting so many people to participate?"

Qi Shiqi muttered to himself as he analyzed page after page of paper.

It seems they hope Xie Tu can provide an answer.

"Food, water, weapons, and medicine can be ruled out; they may have been common in the old days, but are not common now."

Xie Tu rubbed his temples, pressing his knuckles lightly against his temples. "It mentioned inventory again. Inventory refers to quantity, which means it's something that's mass-produced."

"It's unclear what exactly it is, but it might not be a gatekeeper. As it stands, it has similarities to the slogans on neon signs."

Qi Shiqi frowned, instinctively feeling that the gatekeeper's mad behavior was not directly related to the rare mutant species in this contaminated area.

"Where is the source? Where did the broadcast originate?" Qi Shiqi pressed on.

Xie Tu: "I haven't gone to see it yet, I'll look for it tomorrow."

"We have to wait until tomorrow?"

Qi Shiqi's eyes widened, and the wrinkles on his forehead became even more pronounced. "Aren't you worried at all?"

Xia Mingang rubbed his chin. "Being anxious won't help. If we really can't find it, we might as well just bulldoze it flat."

With those three S-class individuals present.

It shouldn't be difficult to level this contaminated area using spiritual energy.

Upon hearing this, Qi Shiqi pointed his finger at him angrily again, "Shut your mouth and don't interfere with my thinking. What good is leveling the contaminated area to the research?!"

Yun Zhao sat down to rest and finally understood why everyone called him a mad scientist. He hadn't recovered his physical strength after three days of hunger, but he was full of energy.

At this moment, Qi Ling walked over, a little worried about his condition, and couldn't help but interject, "The food is ready, let's eat first."

Qi Shiqi was furious, so he had no choice but to put his things away and eat first.

...

The gray sky seemed to be shrouded in a layer of smog that never dissipated, making people unaware of the passage of time.

The glaring neon lights outside the window cut the street into colorful fragments, and the ground was covered with dark sewage, which occasionally reflected the changing lights overhead, like pools of solidified oil paint.

After finishing their meal, Qi Shiqi calmed down a bit, and the five of them prepared to move to the Memory Hotel.

There wasn't much food, just two pots.

Xia Mingang walked at the back, carrying an electric cooker in each hand, and felt a little uneasy.

His cool combat trench coat was worn by Frankenstein's monster.

The guide in front wore stylish sunglasses, and even Qi Ling had a cool cloak.

Not to mention Xie Tu, who was walking at the very front, dressed in a black combat uniform and with an upright posture.

In comparison.

It's him! His battle robe is gone, but he's carrying two electric cookers!

Xia Mingang suddenly felt that the electric cooker he was carrying looked like a joke. He tried to negotiate with Qi Shiqi, "Can I have my trench coat back?"

Qi Shiqi didn't even glance at him. He wasn't strong enough, yet he wanted to make up for it with equipment?

No way!

Xia Mingang curled his lips, his face full of sorrow.

This feeling intensified after I went downstairs and saw the armored vehicles of Team Zero.