Chapter 45, Part 1: The Female Supporting Character in an Apocalyptic Novel
It is now the 155th year of the Underground Era, more than a hundred years since humanity moved underground.
Over the past century, the underground city's energy resources have been dwindling. In order to conserve energy and ensure its continued operation, the underground city was gradually divided into five areas: A, B, C, D, and E.
Area A is where officials and researchers who have made significant contributions to humanity reside. It is the power center of the underground city and has the purest oxygen.
Zone B is where the wealthy and their relatives reside, and so on, with the oxygen content decreasing as you move further in.
In Zone E, the oxygen content is barely enough for a person to survive.
The original owner of the body, Lin Xiaoman, suffered from amnesia. She didn't remember who she was or where she came from; she only remembered the name Xiaoman.
When she woke up in Zone E, the first person she saw was the original owner of this world's scumbag male protagonist, Xu Qingzhou.
According to the scumbag, he rescued her when he went out to find supplies.
In Lin Xiaoman's eyes, the scumbag was a very considerate person. When her injuries hadn't healed, he took meticulous care of her. Even after she lost her memory and became completely unfamiliar with the world, he didn't despise her. Instead, he patiently explained the situation to her and taught her how to survive in the dungeon.
The surname Lin was given to her by that scumbag boyfriend. He said he saved her in the woods, so she should take Lin as her surname.
Lin Xiaoman readily accepted and gradually grew to like this meticulous and thoughtful man.
Just today, the scumbag told her that he heard on the black market that a rich man in Block B was looking for his daughter, whose features were very similar to hers when she first woke up, and that he wanted to take her to see her.
Lin Xiaoman believed him, and together they smuggled themselves across the black market and embarked on the road to Area B.
But who would have thought that before she even got off the ship, Lin Xiaoman was drugged by a glass of water. When she woke up, she was already tied up in the basement.
She later learned that the wealthy man was a lecher and had strange and unusual fetishes.
He wasn't looking for a daughter at all; he was clearly looking for prey!
And she was sold to a rich man by that scumbag.
After she was tied up in the basement, the wealthy man never untied her or let her out. She cried out to heaven and earth in vain, and was tortured to death in that dark basement.
Xu Qingzhou appeared relatively late in this world, arriving after Lin Xiaoman had already been tied up in the basement.
Xu Qingzhou went to great lengths to rescue Lin Xiaoman and unhesitatingly shifted the blame to the wealthy man, making her believe that it was all a conspiracy orchestrated by the wealthy man because he was attracted to her beauty.
As soon as he noticed, he rushed over to save her.
Because Lin Xiaoman hadn't met the tycoon yet, hadn't learned the truth behind it, and hadn't been harmed, and because Xu Qingzhou had indeed returned to rescue her, Lin Xiaoman easily believed his words.
After that, Xu Qingzhou devised a plan to bring the tycoon down, silencing him completely and preventing him from revealing the truth, thus successfully helping her find her real family.
Lin Xiaoman is actually the highest authority in the underground city, the granddaughter of the city lord.
She lived a happy life, pampered by the city lord and Xu Qingzhou.
He never regained his memories before he died.
And now, that's when the scumbag is tricking Lin Xiaoman into smuggling herself to Area B.
Yu Wanwan glanced at the water in her hand.
Very good, this must be the drug that knocked Lin Xiaoman unconscious.
The original owners of Xu Qingzhou's body were all scumbags, one after another.
That scumbag is truly the attentive and considerate type; she only glanced at the water in her hand a few times, and he immediately reacted.
"What's wrong?"
His face showed concern, and a hint of nervousness appeared in his eyes.
Those who don't know the situation would only think he was concerned about her and worried about her health.
Judging from the subtle envious glances cast at him from the surroundings, it was clear that his image as a good man had been established exceptionally successfully.
Yu Wanwan curled her lips and beckoned to him with her finger.
"Come here a little."
Of course, the scumbag wouldn't be wary of her and leaned in close, his arm around her waist.
"How……"
He had barely uttered a single word when he felt a sharp pain in his neck, his eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Yu Wanwan turned to the side and coldly watched him fall onto the deck with a thud.
"Ah! Murder!"
"Want to die? Shut up!"
A burly man at the bow of the boat heard the commotion and immediately frowned and reprimanded him.
Once the crowd quieted down under his pressure, the burly man stepped out from the crowd, carrying a knife, to check the situation.
The sight of the person lying on the ground startled the burly man. He glared at Yu Wanwan with a stern face, then brandished his broadsword, pointing it at her.
"You did this?"
Yu Wanwan smiled faintly, exuding a gentle and warm aura. Under the fierce gaze of the burly man, she threw away the water bottle in her hand.
"Don't meddle in other people's business."
A soft, mocking whisper spread across the dimly lit ship, its eeriness inexplicable.
The burly man sneered and swung his knife at the enemy.
"You dare to be so arrogant on my ship? You're asking for trouble!"
The next second, Yu Wanwan twisted her body and had something in her hand.
Feeling the icy touch against his forehead, the big man's pupils contracted, and all his movements froze.
"you……"
Holy crap!
Where did she get the gun?!
Let alone the current underground era where humanity has moved underground and many things have ceased production.
Back when we were still on the ground, guns were a scarce commodity, and they were almost all controlled by the government!
Yu Wanwan had a smile on her face and looked extremely harmless.
"Go back and sail your boat."
The burly man remained silent for a few seconds, glanced at the unconscious scumbag, then at the smiling Yu Wanwan, and ultimately chose to pretend he hadn't seen anything.
Tsk, I thought she was a helpless little rabbit, but who knew she was a man-eating flower.
This kid has really bitten off more than he can chew this time.
He sheathed the knife, put it back on his shoulder, and swept it around behind him.
"What's all the noise about? Shut up! If you want to get out of here alive, keep your eyes and mouths shut!"
Everyone shuddered, lowered their heads, and looked away, not daring to shout anymore, nor did anyone dare to approach.
Yu Wanwan chuckled lightly, not paying any attention, and crossed her arms, pondering how to deal with this scumbag.
【Wanwan, is it really okay for you to treat the male lead like this?】
She actually betrayed that scumbag!
We'll sell it to that beastly tycoon!
I can't even imagine how bewildered the male lead will be when he arrives and discovers that the plot has fallen apart so badly that even the author himself wouldn't recognize him.
Yu Wanwan emerged from the black market and strolled lazily along the streets of District E, taking in the sights with great interest.
What's wrong with it?
She was simply giving him a taste of his own medicine.
As for Xu Qingzhou?
She's selling scumbag men, not Xu Qingzhou.
[...]
Daoguo was speechless and began to worry about what to do if the plot fell apart.
District E truly lives up to its reputation as a slum.
The walls were all cracked, with mold spots winding across them.
The ground was uneven, with a murky puddle every few steps, reflecting the flickering lights overhead.
This is the only thing that can be used for lighting in Zone E during the day.
The underground city is dozens of meters underground, where the sun is never seen. The only way to distinguish day from night is through lighting tools controlled by the government.
In areas D and above, during the daytime, an artificial sun will be suspended in the sky, and the time will not be much different from that on the ground.
At least on the surface, there is no difference.
Unfortunately, Area E doesn't offer such good treatment.
Further in, there are shacks made of plastic sheeting and broken wooden planks.
Looking around, there wasn't even a decent house.
The stench of rotting objects, cheap and pungent tobacco, and the putrid smell of excrement mingled together, filling the air and making people nauseous.
Occasionally, you might see a few people, barely breathing, huddled in a corner, their faces pale and bluish, struggling to breathe while holding onto oxygen tanks.
Their eyes were filled with numbness, lifeless, devoid of even despair.
This is area E.
Abandoned by the underground city, they were left here to eke out a living in this slum, left to fend for themselves.
Yu Wanwan sighed.
No wonder that scumbag wanted to leave Zone E; it's really not a place for a human being to stay.
Not only people, but we didn't even see a single weed along the way.
She didn't go anywhere else; following Lin Xiaoman's memory, she went straight back to the scumbag's house.
Just like everything else we'd seen along the way, the scumbag's place was a shack cobbled together from plastic sheeting and broken planks.
However, this place is better than other people's houses. At least their land is big enough, and a simple fence made of broken wooden planks surrounds it, distinguishing it from other people's houses.
In Zone E, the scumbag is considered one of the wealthier ones who are doing relatively well.
Pushing open the old wooden door produced a grating, creaking sound.
Inside the wall, there was a piece of land that had been cultivated, where some vegetables were planted. Unfortunately, due to the lack of oxygen, the vegetables did not grow well. They were all wilted, with yellow leaves, and looked like they were about to die at any moment.
From Lin Xiaoman's memory, Yu Wanwan knew that this was already the best vegetable in District E. Other families might not be able to eat such withered and shriveled vegetables all year round.
Whether it was the scumbag or Lin Xiaoman, they both took extra care of this vegetable garden.
Yu Wanwan glanced at it a few times before turning her gaze away, returning to Lin Xiaoman's room, and closing her eyes to sleep.
Are you really abandoning the male lead?
The male lead is in deep trouble because of her crazy actions, how can she possibly sleep!
What if the plot falls apart?
Even if he suddenly dies, what then?
Don't you want the fragments anymore?
Yu Wanwan rolled over and covered her ears.
Don't make a fuss, he has a halo, he won't die.
[...]
When Xu Qingzhou opened his eyes, all he saw was darkness.
The surroundings were eerily quiet; there wasn't even a whisper of wind.
He himself was tied to a chair and unable to move.
He was stunned for a moment, then tried to calm himself down and began searching for the plot.
No matter how hard I searched, I couldn't find a similar scene in the story.
Xu Qingzhou was on the verge of a breakdown.
What's going on here?
Has the plot fallen apart this time?
Wait a minute...
Why did he say "also"?
Unfortunately, apart from his original memories and the memories in the system space, he couldn't remember anything else.
Xu Qingzhou had no choice but to give up and temporarily suppress this strange thought, and began to think about how to get out of the situation.
Before he could make up his mind, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a faint light leaked in.
The lights in the room were turned on, and the glaring light made him instinctively close his eyes.
"woke up?"
A magnetic voice came from beside me; it sounded like a middle-aged man.
Xu Qingzhou frowned, and only after his eyes adjusted to the light did he look up at the person who had come.
He guessed correctly; the person who came in was indeed a middle-aged man.
The man had a warm smile on his lips, and even the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes seemed to carry warmth. His entire demeanor suggested that he was a well-mannered and successful person.
Xu Qingzhou's expression suddenly changed, his whole body tensed up, and even his throat became dry.
"It's you?!"
"You can go down first."
He casually gave a few instructions to the people outside the door, closed the door, and walked step by step toward Xu Qingzhou, raising his hand to touch his face.
"It's me. I thought you'd have to sleep a little longer before you woke up."
Author's note: Hey hey hey!
A new world has arrived! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]
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