"Outsiders? According to them, they escaped from some shelters.
“You should know the history of the past. Meteorites hit our planet, killing most of the life and causing mutations in various organisms.
"For the people in Hope City, the mutation means the emergence of superpowers, which is a good direction. But for these outsiders from the shelter, the mutation seems to have lowered the intelligence level of all of them..."
Speaking of this, Zhang Tong even revealed a bitter smile:
"Don't you think the man who led you is weird? His name is Nick. He's only thirty years old this year, but he looks as old as fifty... Premature aging is a common feature of these outsiders. Another feature is that they are a bit... dumb, so they can't do particularly delicate work. They can only rely on us."
So that's how it is... Jin Mo kept the information in mind. The conversations with Nick along the way made her think that there was a clear hierarchy here, but she didn't expect that this was actually the case.
“If a settlement wants to continue, it must control the increase and decrease of its population, which is not an easy task.
"For so many years, we have been planning our population based on the food we can obtain. You should understand what I mean. After all, when Hope City was first established more than 40 years ago, it was said that such regulations were also implemented."
Jin Mo nodded without saying anything else, signaling the other party to continue.
“In short, the premature aging of offspring born from outsiders and humans in Hope City will be alleviated to a certain extent, but none of them will awaken superpowers.
“Alas, your arrival is really timely. According to the current environment, it is difficult for me to survive for another ten years. Once a few of us die, this place will collapse on its own... It is a good thing that I can see people in the city at this time.
"Do you have anything else to ask? I know you may not believe me, but it doesn't matter. I believe in Hope City."
Jin Mo thought for a moment and said:
"What is your food source?"
“Most of them rely on farming, a small part relies on gathering, and occasionally they eat some exotic animal meat.
“The seeds were brought by outsiders. They had degenerated to the point where they didn’t know how to use them. It was the technician who worked in the underground farm who taught them how to grow crops.
"As for the strange beasts, we did find something different...
“One year, because neither food nor gathering could meet our needs, we had no choice but to leave the swamp and hunt some exotic animals for food.
"One of the superpowers who was stripping off some of the substances found some white filaments in the bodies of those strange beasts. Those things were like parasites, with a certain degree of activity and were very sensitive to external blood and flesh stimulation, always trying to drill into the human body...
“We just need to peel off this part of the substance, and the remaining beast meat can be eaten.
"I know that a lot of the nutrient pastes in Hope City are made from exotic beasts. Now I think it must be some kind of special machinery or superpowers, otherwise everyone in Hope City would have died by now..."
"Yes, Hope City has also discovered the existence of that white substance in recent years. We generally call it mycelium."
Jin Mo did not elaborate on the discovery of the mycelium, nor did she mention the infected riot a few months ago. She was just comparing what Zhang Tong said with what Nick said.
The two people's descriptions of the same event from different perspectives are indeed different. For example, Zhang Tong said that removing the mycelium was the result of superpowers, while Nick felt that the visitors from Hope City were superior and was unwilling to pass on the technology to them...
“Your choice is correct. Those guys at the research institute believe that directly consuming unkilled mycelium will cause great harm to the human body.
"I don't have any more questions. I'm very happy to see you here."
"I'm also glad to hear news from the city again."
Zhang Tong's tone didn't seem as energetic as before. The long speech made him a little exhausted.
"We plan to rest for the night and take you and other members of the exploration team back to Hope City tomorrow. Our team members are very capable and are more than capable of protecting you."
As soon as Jinmo finished speaking, she turned around and got out of sight. Her teammates all smiled warmly.
"Can...can we take those outsiders with us?"
Zhang Tong suddenly asked.
"If we leave, they won't be able to survive here...if conditions permit..."
Jin Mo's expression became more serious:
“Sir, we only have the obligation to rescue members of Hope City. As for the others… I can only say that I hope you will consider it carefully. There are countless strange beasts outside the swamp. The five of us can protect ourselves and can also take you with us, but with ninety people… I’m afraid there won’t be many left when we get to Hope City.
"We plan to bring you along not only because we are both members of Hope City and have a responsibility to rescue people, but also because you are the one who knows the most about the outside of the city. Those researchers will definitely be able to ask more sophisticated questions than us. You and the other survivors are invaluable to Hope City.
“As for the rest, I hope you can consider it carefully and give me an answer tomorrow morning.
"My team and I will camp outside the settlement and will not affect you."
After saying that, Jinmo stood up from the chair and walked out with his teammates.
Behind her, Zhang Tong stretched out his hand as if trying to retain something, but in the end he caught nothing.
After leaving the house, everyone began to stroll in the swamp settlement.
For a settlement of less than a hundred people, such simple infrastructure can indeed maintain the basic operation of the settlement.
This place is like one of those tiny villages from the old times, completely closed off from the world, yet self-sufficient.
Soon, bipolar disorder came to Jinmo quietly, and the captain seemed to be aware of it. He did not turn around but just asked in a low voice:
"Any questions?"
"The body's state is very stable. Judging from the secretions, there is no obvious sign of lying. It was just that it was a little excited at the beginning. Although it was well concealed, the body will not lie."
"Okay, don't believe it all. Sometimes your abilities are unreliable. Observe your surroundings more and write down any strange things. We'll talk about it when we go out to set up camp."
Everyone began to walk around the swamp settlement. It was indeed not very big and the edge could be seen at a glance.
The settlement is generally circular in shape, with a small flat square in the middle. According to the survivors in the settlement, when people kill strange beasts, they will divide the meat there.
There are some scattered houses around the small square, where all ninety people live.
Further out, there are occasional fields. Although people can see traces of human farming, they cannot tell the type of crops.
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