Chapter 20
Tap-tap-tap, tap-tap-tap—the strong horse trotted forward with ease, carrying the carriage along.
The houses here were better. There were even beginnings of residential areas, with small patches of greenery on both sides. But the people here were still hiding from the sunlight, staying inside their homes. The streets were empty.
Jiang Jitang saw food drying on windowsills and rooftops—some unknown roots and leafy greens. A shadow flickered behind a window.
But no one came out. The whole neighborhood seemed asleep.
The carriage didn’t stop. They passed through and headed toward a more central and developed area.
Here, Jiang Jitang saw shops for the first time, and finally people—fully armed—walking in the streets.
They were even more cautious than those afraid of darkness. Some were wrapped from head to toe, some carried umbrellas, and at the very least, most wore wide-brimmed sunhats.
Compared to those he’d seen earlier, the people walking here looked healthier and taller.
His destination was here—in front of a small two-story house. The green treetops peeked over the courtyard wall, full of vitality.
“We’re here.”
The carriage came to a stop. The probing gazes around them also halted, their burning eyes nearly glued to the elegant and imposing horse.
Despite the warrior’s embarrassed and feeble opposition, Jiang Jitang calmly hoisted up both the bedboard and the warrior lying on it, carrying him into one of the second-floor bedrooms.
It was a simple little room with whitewashed walls. Besides the essential bed, cabinet, and table with chairs, the only things of value were a thermostat-like device cobbled together from various parts and an electric lamp.
It was a house with running water and electricity.
So this world does have water and electricity. Jiang Jitang noted all this, though his expression remained unchanged.
“Escort complete. This mattress pad, used syringe, remaining saline-glucose solution, and emergency thermal blanket are free gifts. I’m also leaving you the unused medical alcohol and this batch of anti-inflammatory tablets—take one three times a day.”
They were all included within the forty credits.
A surge of joy exploded in the warrior’s eyes. His expression told Jiang Jitang just how rare such things were here—that even someone who appeared to be a well-resourced genetic warrior was this delighted.
This world was far poorer than the previous task world.
On the other hand, it seemed easier to achieve high star ratings.
“Are you okay like this? When will the person taking care of you arrive? I can stay a bit longer.” Jiang Jitang smiled at the warrior. He naturally had a charm that captivated people, and the warrior’s eyes became slightly dreamy.
Even though they were both men, having someone of much higher status and rank show such gentle demeanor would leave anyone feeling flattered.
“My friend will be here in two hours.”
Jiang Jitang nodded and casually commented, “This place actually looks pretty good.”
The warrior became increasingly convinced that he came from another base—possibly someone from a leader’s household. Surprisingly, despite his privileged background, there was not a trace of arrogance on him.
“Our base…” seeing Jiang Jitang’s curiosity, the warrior couldn’t help sharing information. Although he was a low-level genetic warrior, his older siblings were powerful figures, so he knew quite a bit.
However, there were many things he assumed Jiang Jitang already knew, so Jiang Jitang had to deduce and piece together the base’s background himself.
A wasteland world ravaged by nuclear explosions, extreme weather, heavy pollution, and outbreaks of ancient viruses—along with humanity, the tenacious ‘cancer of the world’.
Isn’t this basically the planet cleansing itself, throwing one ultimate move after another?
No wonder it’s surrounded by such negative energy, Jiang Jitang thought. Come to think of it, a place like this may produce ‘curse’-type materials and advanced ‘life’ materials. I wonder if those high-pollution zones contain them.
“It sounds like the base still has order. How did you get injured and end up lying there?”
“Ah.” The warrior sighed. “After our leader disappeared, people couldn’t wait to tear our team into pieces.”
When the nest is overturned, no egg remains intact. He was merely collateral damage.
“I barely saw any children on the way. Where are they being raised?” Jiang Jitang asked, changing the subject when the warrior didn’t want to elaborate.
Though he saw men, women, and elderly people on the ride over, children under ten were nearly absent. Children represent hope and the continuation of civilization—there’s no way they’d abandon them due to frailty. So where are they?
“Children? Usually raised collectively in the underground city of District 3 unless parents have the ability to raise them themselves,” the warrior answered.
So there were two types of upbringing.
One was directly handing the child over to the base, which paid a large number of credit points and severed the connection between parents and child.
At thirteen, the ordinary ones would start independent life, while the outstanding ones continued study and training.
The other option was raising the child themselves. In this case, the base provided monthly subsidies and compulsory education until thirteen.
But even with a subsidy, one parent had to stay home full-time, so only strong parents chose this route.
“Is there anyone forcing women into constant childbirth?” That was Jiang Jitang’s immediate concern—under extreme conditions, the weak have no human rights, and women without protection could become mere tools.
“Huh?” The warrior froze, thought for a moment, and replied, “Probably not? Pregnant women get monthly physical check-ups and interviews, and the personnel change each time. If forced pregnancies happened, they would notice.”
Jiang Jitang smiled. “Really?”
The genetic warrior felt as if those eyes penetrated him. He didn’t know why, but suddenly he couldn’t maintain eye contact.
“It’s okay, keep going.” Jiang Jitang withdrew his smile.
The pressure around the warrior seemed to lift. He let out a breath.
Time passed in their conversation. Jiang Jitang thought it was almost time to leave. To thank him for all the valuable information, he decided to leave a parting gift.
Setting everything else aside, he genuinely admired the warrior. It was the kind of “I could never do it, but I respect those who can” feeling.
The warrior watched him stand, not knowing what he did—only feeling as if his body was immersed in hot springs.
In reality, he had never soaked in hot springs—not even bathed properly—water wasn’t something you could waste.
But he’d heard that soaking in hot springs was incredibly comfortable, that every cell of the body sheds its heavy shell and becomes soft like freshly washed cotton.
That was exactly how he felt now—his body floating, his soul flying with it.
It lasted only ten seconds. The wonderful soul massage ended.
Jiang Jitang looked at the dazed warrior. “Escort task complete. Remember to leave a five-star review.”
With that, he left the room.
The warrior scrambled up in a panic, not even noticing how much better his body felt. He staggered downstairs, but the carriage was already gone—nowhere in sight.
He looked at the road. There were tracks coming in, but none going out.
“Am I dreaming?”
Smack!
“Tss—ouch.”
—
By now, Jiang Jitang was already back home.
Five minutes had passed in the real world. The escort task was complete. Next, he had to prepare food for seven people from a certain team and set up a tent house for a certain family.
According to the warrior’s descriptions, preparing the food would be risky due to the environment—that was likely the so-called “pioneer zone”, with medium to high pollution and dangerous mutated beasts.
And the family needing the tent house was likely in the outskirts—the area where the carriage first appeared, packed with dense tents.
Such a place was unsuitable for using good materials. The previously planned light-steel container house wouldn’t work.
He was worried the metal materials might get dismantled overnight.
“A tent house suitable for long-term outdoor living…”
Leveraging his “visited every recycling station in the city” connections, he began contacting people. Soon, one recycling station owner replied:
“What a coincidence. I just took in a batch of influencer-style wooden cabins from a tourist resort. Prices vary, the cheapest is just over five hundred. Would Mr. Jiang like to take a look?”
Jiang Jitang agreed and set a time. Another owner replied shortly after: “No prefab units, but I have a batch of carbonized wood boards, each 2.5 meters long—enough to build a cabin. You’re an old customer, I’ll give you the best price.”
Jiang Jitang said he’d consider it and made another appointment.
Getting two replies was already good. He was about to switch off his phone when another message popped up—it was Officer Han, whom he had previously dined with at an official meal. He asked if Jiang Jitang had time to meet, his tone very respectful.
“Is his wound worsening, or did seeing the light make him unable to endure the darkness again?”
Jiang Jitang wondered, setting an appointment for the evening. With his current condition, he could probably perform deeper treatment. What information could he get in return? Perhaps news about the “Cube World”?
Ding-dong! You have a new message.
Just as he put the phone down, another notification came in—from Song Ji’an, asking how he had been these past two days.
[Alive. Thanks for the concern.] He replied quickly, then shut off the phone and set it on the coffee table.
Ding-dong.
Another vibration.
“…Did they all choose this moment?”
The message was from an unfamiliar name, but its content made him frown.
[Mr. Jiang, after tax one million—interested in a collaboration opportunity?]
There were only two things on him that could justify someone offering a million. And he had a strong feeling that someone was watching.
His gaze shifted slowly to the right. To the balcony. Outside was the old district, with low, aging buildings.
—
In a plain black sedan by the roadside, a suited man in the backseat stared at the row of rundown three-story buildings. The target walked out of a room and stood on the balcony.
The sunlight cast his face, his bleached-white shirt, and his slender figure in gold. The man squinted slightly in discomfort.
It lasted only a few seconds. The person went back in. The man looked away.
“That person is Jiang Jitang?”
The driver didn’t respond. The man didn’t push—he spoke to himself, “He looks…”
Thump thump.
Someone knocked twice on the car window. The man turned, shocked to see that the person who had moments ago been on the balcony was now outside the window, looking down at him.
“You looking for me?”
