Chapter 6
The space in the cave was too small, and Xiyue originally wanted to move to a more habitable shelter, but because Xipo had a fever, she had to delay.
This guy is so well developed that even she and Xiyao together can't drag him away.
The fever recurred repeatedly, finally breaking on the fourth day, and he finally emerged from his hazy state. The young man had visibly lost weight, and seeing the nutrient solution bags piled on the ground, he showed a hint of shame for the first time.
"I'm sorry, I used it all up."
As soon as he finished speaking, before he had time to eat something, he fainted again.
Fortunately, the fever did not recur this time. He must have just fallen asleep.
Xiyao pulled the compressed vegetable bag from her pocket. Only a corner of the hard pancake, a mixture of mashed potatoes and diced vegetables, remained. She pursed her lips and stuffed the bag back into her pocket.
There was still food, two bags of compressed vegetables, two bags of compressed chicken, and a few bottles of water, but they were all left for Xipo.
If Xipo hadn't been ill and saved his rations, he'd have run out of food yesterday. Xiyue had gone to the surface once, and the contaminated area was cleared that same day, along with the starship. Most importantly, the battlefield was pristine, with only the pits and traces of battle visible, not even a blade of grass could be found.
The fighting power of these garbage citizens is indeed impressive.
Xiyao glanced at her sister at the entrance of the cave, took out the remaining compressed vegetables and handed them over.
Xiyue shook her head: "You eat."
"I've eaten." The sixteen-year-old girl laughed energetically.
Xi Yue suppressed a laugh: "Do you think I'm blind?"
Xi Yao pouted and stubbornly stuffed the food into her sister's hands: "I saw it all. Big sister, you finished your portion a long time ago. You haven't eaten since yesterday afternoon. This won't do. Big sister is my survival barrier. Without big sister, my world will collapse."
Her father’s death had already caused her world to collapse once. The eldest sister had managed to hold it up with great difficulty, and it couldn’t collapse again.
The little girl was determined.
Xiyue stared at her for a while, took out the remaining compressed vegetables, broke them in half, and handed her half.
Xiyao didn't answer, but blinked her big eyes and looked at him.
Xiyue had to put her own half into her mouth, and Xiyao happily took it. Unexpectedly, she took the packaging bag from Xiyue and put the contents back.
"I just ate it last night, and I can still bear it. I'm saving it for a rainy day!"
Xiyue was quite surprised.
In terms of pragmatism, the crying Xiyao is much better than her brother, and she has a strong vitality.
"Sister, I've made up my mind!"
"What?"
"I will seek revenge in the future, and I won't be afraid of death. Since I'm not even afraid of death, from today on, I won't be afraid of the cold or hunger!"
The deliberate smile that Xiyue habitually maintained disappeared from her face.
Xihai really spoiled his daughter by raising her in such a wealthy way. She thought to herself and patted Xiyao's head: "There are many things to do in life, and revenge is just one of them."
She suddenly remembered the last scene she saw in her previous life, a blazing fire bursting out of the old house.
"So what else does Big Sister want to do?"
Xi Yue came back to her senses and pointed at the packaging bag in her hand: "Of course, I want to have enough food and clothing and become a better person again."
Xiyao was very surprised and didn't understand: "First-class citizens? But father always said that first-class citizens are the same as trash citizens..."
Xiyue: "Some parts are the same, some parts are different."
Xiyao: "For example?"
Xiyue shook her head and said nothing more. She looked up at the narrow, cramped strip of sky above her, narrowing her light brown eyes slightly.
For example, not everyone wants to overthrow the rulers who are above them, and even if they do, very few people will take action.
Xihai thought about it and did his best to do it, so he succeeded. But he made a mistake in terms of human nature.
She doesn't make mistakes.
-
As night fell, Xipo finally woke up. He refused to keep the remaining water and food to himself and insisted on sharing half with others.
Just as they were about to leave, Xiyue suggested eating everything and replenishing their energy. Because they were going to a place where they would likely run into other rubbish citizens, and if things went wrong, they wouldn't be able to do it without the energy to fight.
Trash citizens are pitiful, but pitiful people can often do terrible things. Xiyue has experienced this deeply.
Xiyao changed her school uniform into combat uniform, tying up any loose spots with strips of cloth. The strips were torn from the uniform, as the school uniform was too conspicuous in the garbage star zone and could no longer be worn.
After getting dressed, Xiyue instructed them to wrap their winter blankets around themselves and roll them around on the ground several times until the outside looked dirty. They then covered their heads with a portion of the blanket exposed, partially obscuring their faces. Finally, they smeared dust on their faces, making them look no different from the trashy citizens here.
Xipo was in good health, and after drinking so much nutrient solution, he looked much less sick after eating and drinking enough. He insisted on carrying a backpack, and Xiyue agreed. The bag contained only a few small devices Xiyue had picked up and some recycled metals she had found, and only water.
For them who have lived in an unsanitary environment since childhood, clean water is more important than food.
The three of them walked along the bottom of the ravine.
The narrow path was deep and narrow, with moss-covered rocks on both sides. Compared to the cold and dry ground, the bottom of the ravine was muddy and much warmer, making it the preferred residence for the garbage citizens.
However, as the humidity increased, the chilly feeling became more pronounced.
Xiyao took two quick steps and hugged her sister's arm tightly. Xiyue squeezed her hand and said, "Don't be afraid. There are people ahead."
She had been very busy these days. With her excellent sense of direction, she had gotten to know the surrounding area very well and found a shelter suitable for long-term residence. She even got to know how many neighbors there were and what they looked like.
Unexpectedly, when they actually saw each other, Xiyao hugged her arms even tighter.
There were no trash citizens in the Central Sector, where the Mecha Academy was located. The trash citizens of Sector 33, at most, dressed simply, and were generally no different from everyone else. Unlike the one before her, each one unkempt, wrapped in rags, stared at her warily or grinned at her, revealing a mouthful of black, yellow teeth.
"arrive."
Xiyue stopped in front of a door. The door frame was made of stone, with a layer of rags pasted on it to serve as the door panel.
After entering, Xiyao hurriedly closed the door and breathed a sigh of relief.
Although it was pitch black inside, it was still safer than outside.
Xipo pulled a device shaped like an hourglass from his backpack and shook it vigorously. The device gradually lit up with a warm yellow light, illuminating the room.
Seeing Xiyue approaching, he took the initiative to introduce: "This is a stone lamp. It contains flint powder. The ignition point is very low, and it will glow just by shaking it. It is used to prevent the core of the Juhe from being damaged and the power is cut off. Every military starship has one."
"How long will it last?"
"A long time. A brand new stone lamp can theoretically illuminate for tens of thousands of hours. When not in use, just press the flint powder to the bottom."
Xipo pressed the lever on the top of the device, and the stone lamp went out.
Xi Yao also came over to take a look and said regretfully, "It's a pity that it's not an electronic machine, otherwise I could fix it if it broke."
Her mental power level was too low to enroll in the mecha major, so she studied mecha maintenance. However, even with D-level mental power, it was difficult to become a professional mecha repairer. According to her teacher, she could only repair mecha parts at best.
"Tens of thousands of hours, nearly two years?" Xiyue took out another stone lantern from her bag. "Then order one more. Xiyao is afraid of the dark."
Xiyao said hurriedly: "No need, big sister, use it sparingly."
Xi Yue: "Do you think we'll only be able to afford stone lanterns in a year?"
"Uh, big sister is the best!" This sentence has almost become Xiyao's new catchphrase, "Thank you, big sister!"
Xi Yue walked around the room holding a stone lantern, carefully observing the smooth walls. She said, "This area where people live doesn't seem to be a cave. Was it once a star city?"
Xipo nodded. "Every star region has built a city, so even in today's garbage star regions, you can find city ruins. The shelters here are mainly underground. This double-layer structure... is at least five hundred years old."
“What is a double-decker structure?”
"It's a three-dimensional star city. Every building is very tall, generally three to four hundred meters. The bottom hundred meters and the empty space between the buildings are used for growing crops, and only people live above a hundred meters. In terms of space utilization and resource recycling, a double-layer structure is much more efficient than our current single-layer structure."
He is really an excellent student.
Xi Yue couldn't help but glance at him. "So, Star City was much larger a few hundred years ago than it is now. The advantages of the double-layer structure are so obvious, but they're being discarded because its disadvantages are also obvious?"
Xipo's reaction was a little strange. He looked at her without saying anything.
Xi Yue suddenly realized: "Because pollution erupts randomly, polluted gases will settle and have a devastating impact on crops."
In the interstellar world, agriculture is second only to the mecha industry in importance. Even though she has no worries about food and clothing when she is the ruler of a wealthy family, other working-class citizens with low citizen levels have difficulty even getting enough to eat, not to mention the garbage citizens who are starving all day long.
Of course, within the Xihai area, the lives of low-ranking citizens are much better than in other places. At least they have the basic dignity of being human.
The two were chatting when suddenly a scream was heard from inside.
Xipo moved swiftly and rushed over to cover Xiyao's mouth immediately.
Like Xiyue, he was also wary of the trash citizens here.
Xiyue arrived shortly afterwards and used a stone lantern to illuminate the thing that almost scared Xiyao to tears - a corpse leaning against the wall.
He was very thin, with a dirty face and only a few white hairs left on his head. He was obviously an old man.
"Don't be afraid, it's just a dead body." Xipo comforted her sister and examined the body. "The livor mortis is very severe and the limbs are stiff. He must have been dead for several days. There is no blood or scars. He died of natural causes."
At this point, Xiyue retracted her previous impression of Xipo.
As long as they are willing to cooperate, the top students of the Mecha Academy can be quite useful.
The inner room was cramped and filled with bottles and jars of indistinguishable purpose. It was hard to even stretch one's legs when lying down. In contrast, the outer room was clean and tidy, consisting of an old wooden table and a bed made of square stone pillars.
While Xiyue was looking around, Xipo had already quickly checked the bottles and jars in the inner room and shook his head: "There is no food. He might have starved to death."
There was a bottle of turbid water, but I didn't know if it was for drinking.
Xipo's words reminded Xiyao of her own situation, and she was no longer so afraid. She looked distressed and said, "Sister, what should we do next?"
All the way through, it didn't look like there was any food to be found in this garbage planet. Even if there was—Xiyao glanced at the bottle of water her brother pointed out—never mind, as long as she could survive, she would eat anything!
Xiyue smiled and said, "I plan to go back to Sector 33 tomorrow. I was worried about the travel expenses."
The two were confused.
Xi Yue was about to explain when there was a slight noise outside.
Xipo instantly rushed to the outer room and subdued the intruder in the blink of an eye. The intruder was short, not even reaching Xipo's waist. Perhaps in pain, he cried out.
It's actually a child.
Xipo subconsciously covered his mouth and looked at Xiyue. Xiyue brought the stone lantern closer to the child, recognized his appearance, and smiled.
"Don't cry, Fernhead. It's like we're bullying you."
Xipo and Xiyao looked at each other. In such a short time, the elder sister already knew the people here?
The answer is no, because although the little boy stopped crying, his expression was still surprised.
"Who are you? How do you know my name? I don't know you!" He said this to himself, becoming alert and turning his head to shout, "Mom and Dad—um…"
Xipo covered her mouth again.
Xiyue was at a loss as to how to deal with the child. Instead, Xiyao quickly pulled out a food bag from her pocket and said, "As long as you don't scream, I'll give you all the delicious food I've collected!"
Fernhead suddenly became quiet, his big eyes wide open, and when Xipo hesitantly let go of his hand, he indeed stopped barking.
Xiyao hesitated, but seeing that he was staring at her, she had no choice but to hand over the food bag. However, a sudden change of heart appeared and Xiyue intercepted her.
Xiyue shook the bag and said, "I'll give it to you after you answer my questions."
It was just a compressed food packaging bag, but Fernhead couldn't help swallowing his saliva and nodded repeatedly.
Xi Yue: "What are you doing sneaking in here?"
"Who is sneaking around? I saw you sneaking into Old Man Li's house, so I came in to catch the thief!"
But he failed to catch the thief and got caught instead.
Xi Yue: "We are not thieves. We just saw that this house was empty and no one lived in it, so we came in to spend the night. You said this is Old Man Li's home, where is he?"
Xiyao opened her eyes wide and couldn't help but look into the inner room, and Xipo held her hand.
Fernhead looked bewildered. "I don't know. I haven't seen him in a few days. He used to come out every noon to bask in the sun with me. Maybe he's out collecting recyclables."
He finished speaking and sighed, "I hope he can come back alive. It's only been a short while, and we've already had two pollution outbreaks in our sector. 29 is becoming increasingly unstable."
Fernhead's expression and tone, full of pretentiousness, were somewhat amusing, but none of the three present could laugh. After all, their father had also died in the two pollution incidents.
Xiyue continued to ask: "Where is the public security office here?"
"North District, just follow the path at the entrance..." Fernhead was alert again, "You guys are definitely not locals! Are you here to steal something?!"
"We already have this, why do we still need to steal things?" Xi Yue shook the food bag.
Fernhead was speechless.
He recognized that this kind of food bag was a high-end compressed food product, only available in the army. His usual food, even if it was compressed food, was just a hard brick without a packaging bag.
He continued to swallow: "Are you done asking?"
"I have another question," Xiyue's smile became unpredictable, "Your parents are not at home at all, right?"
"Yes! I'll come out as soon as I call!"
"Why don't you try shouting?"
The little brat showed a frustrated expression, paused, and then said angrily: "You said you would give it to me, and your word is still valid... uh..."
Xiyue stuffed the food bag directly into his arms.
Seeing Fernhead excitedly opening the bag, Xiyao felt a little guilty: "Sorry, there's only..."
"Wow! What a big piece!" Fern Head held up the remaining compressed vegetables and moved closer to Xiyao's stone lantern to examine them carefully. "Corn! Carrots! And sausages! There are sausages!"
He licked it carefully and said, "Mashed potatoes, they are made of mashed potatoes, wow!!!"
The child posed no threat and the adults on the opposite side were not there, so Xipo felt relieved and walked into the inner room with Xiyue.
He looked at Old Man Li's body and asked, "You want to exchange him for a reward?"
When he first realized what Xiyue was suggesting, he was repulsed. No matter how precious metals were, extracting trace metal elements from the dead—this practice had always been something his father disapproved of. Therefore, none of his father's businesses had ever dealt in the corpse trade.
However, from a practical point of view, even the Central Star District recognizes corpses as "recyclables" and encourages all star districts to formulate policies of "exchanging corpses for star coin rewards."
So this is not really a secret. Xiyue remembered it out of curiosity when she was learning common sense on the Star Network.
The appearance of Fern Head changed Xipo's mind. When the living struggled to survive, how could they afford to care for the dignity of the dead? Besides, a corpse, scientifically speaking, was just a pile of organic matter.
Without waiting for Xiyue's response, Xipo continued, "I'll go with you tomorrow and carry it. Big sister, why are you...going back to No. 33?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
