novelbin Chapter 49 Leaving the City
Chapter 49 Leaving the City
Seven days later, Haicheng University began its winter break.
Students left the school one after another, while nineteen faculty and students from the School of Biological Sciences gathered in front of the experimental building, wearing various styles of warm hats and thermostatic clothing.
After Cao Yingchong checked the list and finished counting, everyone quickly boarded the minibus.
Qi Te wasn't surprised that Ji Chenyu managed to secure a spot to accompany him, since the guy was sweet-talking and knew how to get things done; he'd almost completely won over Lao Liu with a few flattering words.
In addition, speed-based abilities still have a lot of room to be used during collection operations.
But Qi Te was somewhat surprised to find that his senior sister Yue Wanwan was also in the group.
He glanced silently at Cao Yingchong. They had been discussing leaving the city quite a bit these past few days, but the class monitor hadn't mentioned his senior sister at all.
Cao Yingchong shrugged, looking like he was waiting to see what happened.
Qi Te was speechless for a moment, and habitually chose a window seat in the last row. Then, he looked blankly at Ji Chenyu, who was sitting in front of him.
This guy has always liked to sit close to him since he was a child. If Ji Chenyu hadn't been following a bunch of girls with long legs and obviously normal sexual orientations, he would have suspected that there was a crisis in his anus.
With a beaming smile, Ji Chenyu gestured to Yue Wanwan, "Senior sister, I've saved you a seat."
A slight blush rose on Yue Wanwan's fair cheeks. After nodding and thanking him, she sat down next to Qi Te somewhat awkwardly.
"Everyone, please double-check that you have all your personal essentials. We haven't left the city yet, so if you've forgotten anything, you can still buy it at the shopping malls along the way."
Ding Xiang, Liu Baichuan's teaching assistant, wearing an earpiece megaphone, stood in the middle of the aisle like a tour guide and loudly reminded everyone.
Most of the members of the collection team were senior students who had all participated in the out-of-town collection work in the past two years and were quite experienced. In contrast, the sophomores were like green recruits, frantically checking their backpacks.
"I heard that Oasis Technology has been developing 'space capsules' for several years now, but I wonder when they will be able to build them."
As the freckled boy opened his enormous travel bag, he spoke.
From the back row, Joey sneered, "Even if they actually made it, could you afford it?"
"That's true."
Little Freckles' real name is Zhang Mingliang. He is rather short, but his academic performance ranks among the top ten in his grade. Because of the many freckles on his face, his classmates mostly call him by a nickname.
Before the academy hostage incident, most of the students in the class either openly disliked Qi Te or secretly criticized him. Little Freckles was somewhat jealous of this top student who was far ahead in the grade, but she didn't say much bad things about Qi Te, let alone target him.
More than his relationships with classmates, Little Freckles was more interested in the movements of the goddess Jiang Luo, as well as the various rumors circulating online related to the three major federal companies. He was an oddball who was very enthusiastic about so-called public intellectual information and various conspiracy theories, but didn't care much about the big and small things in life.
Just like now, Joey's tone was clearly sarcastic, but he didn't get it at all and instead agreed with her.
Everyone's bags were huge, especially one tall senior student whose backpack was almost half his height, and could probably fit a tank inside.
Cao Yingchong was well-prepared, while Qi Te and Ji Chenyu had done their homework, searching online for a bunch of educational videos from outdoor adventure bloggers. They compiled a list of items to purchase based on the recommendations of several prominent bloggers.
Yue Wanwan's bag is also quite large, estimated to have a capacity of 60 liters.
"Senior, give the bag to Tezi, let him carry it."
Ji Chenyu said with a maternal smile, while Qi Te looked at him speechlessly with a blank expression.
Being forced to fawn over someone is unacceptable.
"No need," Yue Wanwan shook her head and smiled, "I can manage on my own."
After the inspection, everyone said they had brought enough supplies and there was no need to get off the bus to buy more.
.......................
The collection work can only be carried out in the depths of winter.
Because the border area between summer and autumn is so dangerous that even experienced C-level ability users hesitate to go there.
During the dead of winter, most wild creatures are in a dormant state, making them the least dangerous.
The bus braved the cold wind, passing through Zones 7 and 8, and arrived at Zone 9 an hour later.
One hundred miles east of Haicheng lies a vast expanse of sea. Beyond the west, north, and south lies a desolate wilderness.
The city is filled with high-rise buildings and modern architecture. District 1 is the core of political affairs and also the private domain of the Panju conglomerate. Districts 3 to 5 are quite prosperous, resembling a dazzling metropolis.
Zones 6 and 7 are relatively open, with companies, light industrial enterprises, and manufacturing plants accounting for half of the area. The other half consists of agricultural parks, school campuses, and maritime trade distribution centers.
There are also many high-rise buildings in the Eighth District. Although there are many old buildings, they are only slightly old and not dilapidated.
However, the outermost nine districts present a completely different scene.
This area is furthest from the city center; beyond that lies a high defensive wall over 100 meters high, with towers every 100 meters on top. It is equipped with ultra-high-definition telescopes and heavy machine guns.
One kilometer inside the wall, there is an electric fence more than 20 meters high; this area is the isolation zone.
"Wow, there are still such dilapidated places in our Haicheng!"
"Yes, look at those houses! If the wind gets any stronger, they'll all collapse!"
"Is anyone still living in the quarantine area? How can anyone live in this awful place? Won't they freeze to death?"
"Those people are dressed in such tattered clothes, it's so pitiful..."
The second-year students, participating in the survey for the first time, pressed their faces against the car window, looking around curiously as they discussed the topic.
Cao Yingchong frowned and turned to look at Qi Te.
He knew that Qi Te lived in District 9. He had only heard that District 9 was backward and old, but what he saw along the way far exceeded his knowledge.
Let alone the core area, even people living in District 8 wouldn't come to District 9.
Cao Yingchong thought that by becoming friends with Qi Te, he could empathize with the poor people born into poverty, but at this moment he realized that he was wrong.
How can one understand suffering without experiencing it?
Qi Te felt the squad leader's gaze, but did not respond. He continued to look out the window expressionlessly at the residents of the quarantine area who were pouring towards the bus.
"Take good care of your luggage when you get off the bus, and remember, never pay attention to people who are on the fringes!"
Assistant Ding dutifully shouted, "Ignore them, don't strike up a conversation, and try to avoid eye contact. Do you understand?"
Zite wanted to say, "They just want some food, they are not the plague," but in the end he didn't say it.
Sincerity in people's hearts is a mountain.
For city dwellers, the term "marginalized people" is often directly associated with sources of pollution and viruses.
The young students felt a little sympathy for those marginalized people who were dressed in rags and didn't even have a decent pair of shoes. But as Zit thought, they felt more fear and a desire to avoid them at all costs.
As soon as the bus pulled into the restricted area and came to a stop, a group of dirty children, whose skin color was indistinguishable, immediately surrounded it.
Some carried a broken bowl, while others simply cupped their little hands into a bowl shape, tilting their small heads back and opening their clear, bewildered, and dull eyes, trying to find a kind person looking at them among the passengers getting off the bus.
"Please give me some food, please."
"Brother, I'm hungry. Do you have anything to eat? Could you give me a little bit? Just a little bit will be enough."
"Sister, do you have any cold medicine? My mom has a fever, please give me one..."
"Uncle, could you give me a cotton-padded coat? I'm so cold. They said it's going to snow tomorrow, and I'll freeze to death without one..."
Children in the city may not know what death is, but these children born in the quarantine zone face death every day.
There are no beggars in Haicheng, because those who can't make ends meet either end up on the rooftop or are thrown into prison for robbery or theft. In short, once you lose your competitiveness, you'll be eliminated in no time; the whole process is both painful and swift.
Therefore, these students, whose families were relatively well-off, or even privileged, had never seen anything like this before. Especially the second-year students who were joining the collection team for the first time, such as Little Freckles who couldn't help but look at the children out of curiosity, were already surrounded by four or five yelling, dirty kids.
Seven or eight men and women, dressed more professionally than mercenaries, jumped out of the six heavy pickup trucks that were already parked at the gate of the protective wall. They were wearing dark green combat uniforms, holographic helmets, and tactical vests filled with magazines.
"Get out of here!"
One of the men, a rather tall and burly one, kicked a little boy aside and then tilted his head impatiently: "What are you standing there for? Get in the car."
Seeing the little boy being kicked and sent flying several meters away, Freckles frowned with a hint of pity. But then he saw more filthy, smelly adult fringe people rushing toward them, so he quickly jumped into the nearest pickup truck.
"Hey, you long-haired kid, get in the car now!"
Another young man of medium height shouted at Zit while shooing away the surging crowd.
Qi Te tossed his backpack to Ji Chenyu, then picked up an oversized woven bag and waved to the children, "Come here."
The children, emaciated from hunger, eagerly tore open the packaging after receiving the food and wolfed it down. But they mostly ate only a little, leaving most of it to tuck into their tattered cotton coats, intending to take it back to their parents or younger siblings.
Fever reducers, anti-inflammatory pills, hemostatic bandages, gloves, thick cotton socks, reusable hand warmers, as well as compressed biscuits, chocolate, salt cubes, etc...
A bag full of everyday items that are worthless to people living in the city are very precious to these marginalized people, and could even save their lives.
The armed men were also a bit confused. Why weren't the adults on the fringes rushing to grab the things that the long-haired kid was handing out?
They soon got the answer.
"Thank you, Brother Xiao Te."
All the children who received the supplies thanked Zit gratefully.
"Little Te, thank you for bringing things to the children again."
A scraggly middle-aged man, dragging his lame leg, limped up to Zit and bowed to him.
"Sixth Uncle, this is for you."
Qi Te took a box out of the woven bag, handed it to the uncle, and quickly explained how to install the walking aid.
The man's eyes lit up, but he still pushed the box back: "It's too expensive. I have nothing to exchange with you."
"Sixth Uncle, this isn't a deal, it's a gift to you."
Qi Te handed the bag to the uncle as well: "There's a little left, you can distribute it as you see fit. I have to go now, see you when I get back!"