Chapter 16 Even Scavenging Requires Backdoors
When Zuo Shan arrived at the central square of District 50, it was only 6:30. Qi Yang had told her that the departure time was 7:00. As a modern person with a strong sense of time, she thought that arriving half an hour early was already very early.
At this moment, under the dim streetlights, the Flying Tiger Mercenary Group's vehicle had not yet arrived, but at least two hundred people, men, women, and children, had already gathered in the square.
Judging from their clothes, they should also be scavengers, but they were clearly divided into two groups, one group was close to the center, and the other group was standing on the periphery.
Those closer to the center are dressed relatively neatly, but from the perspective of the left-hand side, it's just the difference between beggars and slum dwellers.
The group of people on the periphery were dressed similarly to her, all wearing tattered clothes, many with holes or missing sleeves.
In comparison, Zuo Shan was dressed more neatly; at least her linen clothes were washed, shaken flat, and dried.
She sewed up the loose seams on her clothes with simple tools. She couldn't change her financial situation, but she absolutely refused to go out dressed in rags.
This was also her last act of persistence as a beautiful young woman in a prosperous era. If she allowed herself to wear tattered clothes, she was afraid that she would really forget where she came from after a long time.
Zuo Shan didn't understand why these people were divided into two groups, and she didn't know anyone in the square. So she walked to the boundary between the two groups and randomly asked an old man with a kind face and gray hair for information.
"Sir, I have a question for you. Do you know why these people are divided into two groups?" Zuo Shan asked with a forced smile.
"Is this your first time on a mission with a mercenary group? It's normal that you don't know these things, but it's not exactly a secret."
The group in the middle had all bought tickets in advance, while those of us standing on the periphery had found out about it privately and came early to try our luck.
In case someone who bought a ticket doesn't show up, or if they need to add more staff, we can fill in for them.
This kind of luck is actually very rare. However, there are some small groups that are not mercenary groups but have their own cars. They will secretly follow behind the mercenary group's car to pick up any leftovers. We would ride in their car and pay the same fare.
Once we arrive, even if we can't go to the gathering area discovered by the mercenary group, we can still gather some resources in the surrounding area. Moreover, with the mercenary group around, if a large mutated beast appears, they can hold it off, increasing our chances of escaping.
However, these small groups offer no guarantee of safety. If danger arises, they'll all flee for their own lives and won't care about us, the temporary additions.
Zuo Shan couldn't help but sigh inwardly. It turns out that there are also social classes among scavengers. Those with connections can get a chance to go to a good gathering point in a distance from time to time, and their harvest will naturally be much greater.
Those scavengers without connections or backdoors can only get up early to try their luck here, hoping to have a chance to become a candidate. She really has to thank Qi Yang for this opportunity.
The old man was also with his granddaughter, who was about six years old. The little girl had bright, sparkling eyes and would quietly watch the adults talk. She was very well-behaved and adorable.
Zuo Shan couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. In her original world, children of this age probably only had too much homework to worry about every day, and they had to be picky about what they ate. Those who could eat obediently on time were considered good children.
You can't compare, and you can't even think about it, because if you do, you'll feel like you can't go on living like this.
Zuo Shan brought chestnuts with him today. He replenished his energy with the recent sunlight and was able to activate the light invisibility function. As long as it's not pitch black, he can remain invisible.
Although the Flying Tiger Mercenary Group that Qi Yang introduced to her shouldn't be too dangerous, with so many people participating in this mission, it's hard to guarantee that there won't be any villains like the old woman who killed the original owner of this body.
With the chestnut, she had an extra pair of eyes that could see everything from every angle, and an extra helper who could launch surprise attacks on the enemy, greatly increasing her safety.
Besides, chestnuts also have the ability to detect energy fluctuations in the surrounding area. If she's lucky, she might be able to pick up another energy stone. Even if she comes away empty-handed, she'll still have made a huge profit.
Seeing that the car hadn't arrived yet, Zuo Shan stayed by the kind old man's side and started coaxing his granddaughter to talk.
"What's your name? How old are you? Is this your first time going out to scavenge with your grandfather?" she asked with a smile.
The little girl first looked at the old man questioningly, and only after he nodded at her did she answer:
"Sister, you've got it wrong. He's not my grandfather, he's my uncle."
My name is Ding Yi. My mother said it's a simple name with few strokes and is easy to write. I'm eight years old this year. I've been going out to collect recyclables with my uncle since I was five.
My uncle's name is Ding Tai. He used to be a mercenary, but he was attacked by the neurotoxin of a mutated plant, which damaged his genes and caused premature aging, so he retired.
We're not family members of the mercenary group, so we couldn't get tickets. My uncle brought me here to try our luck.
However, those small gangs would always take my uncle along whenever there was space in the car, because he had experience in carrying out missions in the wild and could assess the level of danger in advance.
Several times, they were able to escape death thanks to my uncle's accurate judgment.
When Ding Yi talked about her uncle, her eyes lit up, clearly showing how proud she was of him.
Ding Tai looked at her, his smile a mixture of helplessness and doting affection.
Judging from the looks of it, this wasn't the first time his little niece had boasted about his past in front of strangers. He didn't stop her, not because he wanted to show off his former mercenary status to strangers, but because he wanted to indulge the child's little bit of vanity.
Life was already so difficult, how could he bear to deprive his child of his only joy?
As they were talking, a heavy truck, three meters high and more than ten meters long, drove up.
The truck had three levels. The first level was occupied by heavily armed mercenaries, all of whom wore protective suits made of special materials, which were said to be able to withstand attacks from mutated beasts below the second level.
They were all carrying the same type of laser gun, and in addition, each of them had daggers, crossbows, and other cold weapons tucked into their waistbands.
The second and third floors are relatively low and have no seating. This is probably a place for scavengers, and it looks like they can only sit cross-legged with no extra space to stretch out.
Two empty trucks followed behind the heavy truck, presumably to carry the collected supplies.
As soon as the car came to a stop, the crowd erupted in excitement, especially the group standing on the periphery, who all stood on tiptoe, seemingly waiting to see if they would get a chance to be a substitute.
A tall female mercenary stepped out of the vehicle, a megaphone clipped to her collar. She spoke sternly, "Quiet! Anyone who dares to make a sound again, believe me, I'll break three of your ribs right now, so you'll never have another chance to participate in a mission!"
The crowd seemed to be paused, each person shrinking their necks and remaining as quiet as a chicken.
"Now, those who have bought tickets, come one by one according to your ticket number. No crowding is allowed, or I will invalidate your ticket!"
"Start boarding from number 1, understand?" The mercenary's words were clearly heard by everyone.
Zuo Shan hurriedly took out the ticket Qi Yang had given him from his inner pocket, which was marked with number 66.
What an auspicious number, thank goodness!
Zuo Shan silently counted in his mind, then stared at the first person who walked up to the heavy truck and climbed on, and began to count silently.
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