Chapter 8: Fake happiness, real adult!
talent?
On the bus back home, Cheng Ye rubbed his aching ribs, abdomen, arms, and thighs...
Well, there really isn't a single spot that doesn't hurt.
"This isn't talent at all, this is all the result of my sweat and hard work!"
A smile appeared on Cheng Ye's lips.
Although it is hard, I enjoy it.
Compared to standing still day after day, if a little pain can make your strength grow so much, then what’s the harm in a little more pain!
However, he secretly made up his mind that he must find a skill that could quickly restore his physical condition as soon as possible.
Otherwise, even if your fighting ability becomes stronger, you will only be a real man for five seconds, and you will have to rest for half a day to recover after a fight.
"Besides... getting involved in a direct struggle between the East and West so early on would be very disadvantageous to me."
Thinking of this, Cheng Ye felt so angry that his teeth were itching.
This Garcia is such a complete idiot. He has no brains and is being used as a gun by others, but he still insists on dragging him into the spotlight.
Now that Liu Bi had beaten him and he needed emergency treatment, who in the entire checkpoint would stand up for him? Who dared to stand up for him?
Standing behind Liu Bi is the entire Dongpai, including the station chief Ding Yishan!
Deputy Station Chief Ha Lin? Would he dare to send someone to beat Liu Bi into the clinic?
Or send someone to beat himself up like Garcia?
Impossible, that would only give Ding Yishan more leverage to launch an attack and regain more initiative.
After all, although the Western faction is powerful now, it is not strong enough to ride on the neck of the Eastern faction.
As long as Ding Yishan is the stationmaster, the Western faction can only gradually encroach on Harlem and build momentum, and will never engage in open conflict.
Only when the two people's identities are switched one day, Harlin becomes the station chief and Ding Yishan becomes the deputy station chief, will the situation change significantly.
"Forget it, why think about this?"
"Brother B is right. No conspiracy or trickery is more important than real power. If I had the ability to hang Garcia up and beat him, this incident today would never have happened."
What is more important to him now is the field mission in half a month. As long as he can survive, he will have plenty of time to study how to break the deadlock and profit in the struggle between the two factions.
Cheng Ye took two deep breaths, put the trivialities of factional struggles behind him, and looked out the car window.
As expected, the rain began to intensify at night, and there was obvious water accumulation on the roadside.
Although the buffer zone of Happy City is larger than that of other sanctuary cities, it has actually exceeded the maximum load limit because there are so many survivors who have recently joined.
Looking under the eaves of the buildings along the road that can shelter from the wind and rain, there are canvas tents everywhere, with densely packed heads inside. Their expressions are numb and their eyes are dull. There is no trace of hope for future life, let alone any so-called "happiness".
"Happiness... fake..."
Cheng Ye suddenly remembered that when Edmund fell down yesterday, he was still mumbling.
Perhaps happiness exists in this city of refuge, but it will definitely not belong to these lower-class residents.
Only by desperately squeezing into the high walls and entering the inner city can one feel a trace of peace in troubled times.
Buzz.
Soon, the bus began to slow down and stopped five stops away from the electronics factory staff residential area station.
The middle-aged driver turned around and shouted to the passengers in the car:
"Sorry, the bus route has been blocked by flood control works in the main city. Everyone needs to get off at this stop and walk."
The car door opened and Cheng Ye got out.
Less than a hundred meters from the bus stop, the road was blocked by sandbags, leaving only a gap in and out.
Four armed guards stood on both sides of the gap, along with two buffer zone staff.
"Sir, due to the flood control blockade, the flow of people needs to be strictly controlled. After 8 pm, you must show proof of residence in the main urban area to enter."
So strict?
Cheng Ye was surprised, but soon figured out the reason.
The main urban area is composed of three central pedestrian streets from the old era. Residential areas, communities, shopping malls, and shops are all crowded together. The drainage system is already old and dilapidated. If refugees are allowed to rush in all at once, if the flood situation is serious, the accumulated water cannot be cleared out.
If we control the flow of people in advance now, order can be restored quickly even if there is flooding.
When it was Cheng Ye's turn, he did not take out the room key and wait for verification, but directly took out the identification card from the checkpoint from his pocket.
A round badge with a giant wall pattern of Xingfu City printed on the front and a huge "Jian" character on the back. There is a sensor chip inside to prove its authenticity.
"Ah, the lord at the checkpoint!"
The staff member took it, stuck it on the defense communication sensor, and immediately became extremely respectful when he saw the prompt.
"The rain may get heavier in the next few days. If you need anything, you can call the Public Works Department at any time using the Defence Express. We will provide you with emergency services 24 hours a day."
"Thank you, you've worked hard."
Cheng Ye nodded slightly, took the badge and walked forward.
The dark raincoat covered most of his face, but the fair skin exposed on his forehead still made the refugees crowded in the tents on the roadside look envious.
The city within the high walls is divided into different levels, and the same is true for the buffer zones.
Although it is only more than ten kilometers long, it is divided into remote suburbs, near suburbs, urban areas and main urban areas.
Cheng Ye is so young and lives in the main urban area, he is definitely a winner in life.
Go through the gap and move forward.
The buildings in the main urban area are dilapidated and the pipes are aging, but there is not much water on the roadside.
There were sandbags piled in front of the shops along the street, the tallest of which was almost waist-high, with chopped vines stuffed in the gaps.
Every four or five hundred meters, there would be a foreman from the Public Works Department, with a few temporary workers squatting beside the drainage ditch, either using a shovel to dig out the caked silt, or directly using their hands to dig out the garbage stuck in the drain.
The iron horn was hung around the foreman's neck, repeating hoarsely the message of clearing the pipelines, overcoming difficulties together, and welcoming a happy and beautiful life.
All these disconnections made Cheng Ye feel like the world was really going crazy.
Any tiny bit of the inner city technology seen in the memories of the previous incarnation would be enough to bring about a radical qualitative change in the buffer zone.
However, the top leaders chose to control the output of technology, allowing the buffer zone to linger in obsolescence, and always keeping the ordinary residents living here on the verge of not having enough to eat, not starving to death, not having enough clothes, and not freezing to death.
“Without stark contrast, there would be no desire to fight tooth and nail to get into the inner city.”
Cheng Ye also saw numbness in the foreman's eyes.
Obviously, for some people who just want to get by, the more they understand the inside story, the more confused and hopeless they become about the future.
Walking quickly through several outer blocks towards the center of the main city, the number of foremen and work teams began to increase.
Suddenly, Cheng Ye stopped.
At the end of the street corner, under the building with the name 'Tianyuan Mall' hanging on it, he saw a familiar figure mixed in with the temporary workers, working hard to carry sandbags and block the spots in the mall that might be flooded.
Not far away, a woman was protecting her child and huddled under a makeshift tent to avoid the rain.
"He's a real man..."
The large sandbags used to block water weigh at least 70 kilograms.
Ordinary workers are thin and it takes two people to lift a sandbag.
Chu Yunfeng carried a bag on each shoulder, looking relaxed and as if he had some strength left.
"Unfortunately, in the buffer zone, one person wants to support the whole family, but it is impossible to do so by just selling hard labor."
Cheng Ye stood in the shadow of the street corner and watched the work team for more than ten minutes.
He waited until Chu Yunfeng went to the assembly point behind the mall to carry new sandbags before he went up to find the foreman.
"That big, strong guy, where did he come from?"
The middle-aged foreman was being questioned. When he turned around and saw that it was a young man, he frowned and was about to get angry.
But the next second, he saw a spinning badge suddenly appear in Cheng Ye's hand, and his expression changed instantly.
"Your Excellency, that man is a refugee who just came into the city this afternoon. I saw that he had some strength and was asking people where he could get a meal, so I brought him in to work."
"He's doing the work of four people, how many wages does he get?"
"Hmm..." The foreman hesitated, secretly judging the relationship between Chu Yunfeng and Cheng Ye.
One is a refugee who just arrived in the city, and the other is an adult at the checkpoint...
If the two had any relationship, Chu Yunfeng would not have fallen to the point of doing hard labor here.
After figuring this out, the foreman replied honestly, "Your Excellency, you know the rules for coolies in the city. No matter how many people's work you do, you can only be paid per person."
"He's strong, so the chances of him being chosen for work are higher than others. It's fair."
"Give him four jobs."
Cheng Ye waved his hand and changed his tone to one that left no room for doubt. "If you have any questions, let the people from the Public Works Department come to me."
"Understood."
Cold sweat broke out on the back of the foreman's neck, and he nodded quickly in response.
But even after watching Cheng Ye leave, he didn't dare to mention verifying the badge and recording his identity information.
How dare he?
As the top institution of the power pyramid in the buffer zone, the checkpoint firmly controls the core lifelines such as personnel flow, material distribution, engineering dispatch, and field dispatch. Not to mention that he is a grassroots foreman, even the head of the Engineering Department is half a head shorter in front of the inspector. It would be a waste of his life for him to go to verify his identity.
As for how to explain the three extra jobs, it’s actually quite simple. Just report it directly.
After all, in the buffer zone, you won’t die if you lie and embezzle, but if you put the blame on the prosecutor, the investigation will definitely be thorough and the punishment will not be stopped until many people are killed.
...
"Qinghui, son, are you starving?"
Chu Yunfeng spread out his coat, revealing five bags of nutrient solution and two pieces of candy wrapped inside. A faint smile finally appeared on his face, which had been stern since entering the city.
"The traveling merchant we met earlier wasn't lying. In this Happy City, as long as you're willing to work, you can really make a living."
"Dad, there are only two bags, why did the boss give you so many?"
The adults could still bear it, but the children were already starving, and they picked up the candy and started to chew it with surprise, enjoying the delicious taste.
The families of the other workers under the tent couldn't help but lick their cracked lips when they saw this.
"I don't know either. When the boss first met me, he only said he'd pay me per person, but just now he paid me four jobs based on actual work. He said... Dad's strong and doesn't slack off, so it gives him face... Is he satisfied?"
Chu Yunfeng was a little puzzled.
Under normal circumstances, he would have been suspicious and wondered if there was some conspiracy behind this.
But what happened throughout the day was too much for him to think clearly.
In this wasteland-famous happy city, the people inside are very divided. One inspector is so obsessed with collecting entrance fees that he almost wants to kill someone on the spot, while the other is like a philanthropist from the old times, being so kind to them that he still finds it hard to believe.
Moreover, the second prosecutor was trying to hold back his laughter the entire time, which made Chu Yunfeng even more confused and he couldn't figure out what was going on.
When I entered the city, I looked for a job.
Some foremen disliked him and would rather use a group of skinny refugees to slack off and waste time.
Some foremen, like the boss just now, were very nice to him. They let him work without saying much and even paid him four times the wages in the end.
The very contrasting change in attitude made Chu Yunfeng's long-term vigilance against the rampant wasteland somewhat difficult to take effect.
"Yunfeng..."
Yu Qinghui waved her hand, motioning for her to lean closer, and whispered, "I just saw a young man standing next to the boss. The boss seemed to respect that man very much... I wonder if there's any reason for this?"
Yu Qinghui emphasized the pronunciation of the word "he".
There was a tacit understanding between the two, and Chu Yunfeng immediately realized which "he" was being referred to.
"Are you sure? He was wearing a mask this afternoon..."
"It's pretty close. I can't see the face, but the body shape, habits, and posture are very obvious. It's impossible for anyone else to match so many personal characteristics. The only thing is that it's a little strange..."
"What's strange?" Chu Yunfeng asked quickly.
"I... I feel like he walks a lot like you, the way he uses his strength. I didn't see him before, but because they're so similar, I just..."
As Yu Qinghui spoke, he began to stutter. He couldn't say that it was like seeing a younger and thinner version of Chu Yunfeng when they first met more than ten years ago. That was too ridiculous.
"He.. looks like me?"
Chu Yunfeng was shocked. "I didn't notice him sitting there that afternoon, but he suddenly helped me. Could there really be some relationship between us?"
"I don't know if I'm seeing things, it's night, and it's raining..."
Yu Qinghui's explanation seems to be an attempt to cover up the truth.
The two have been wandering in the wasteland for many years and have never stopped training. Martial artists have sharp ears and eyes, so how could their eyes be blurry?
Chu Yunfeng was silent for a while, shook his head, nodded, and finally picked up a bag of still warm nutrient solution and stuffed it into Yu Qinghui's hand.
"Drink it. No matter what, for whatever reason, he has helped us twice. We have to accept this favor."
"In the future, I will find an opportunity to repay him tenfold."
After saying that, he paused again and said, "The most important thing for us right now is to find a place to stay as soon as possible before the rainstorm comes, and have a stable job that can earn a living. Don't worry about the rest."
...
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