The Ruin Zone of Panshi City was divided into twelve sectors, from Area A1 to Area A12, spanning hundreds of li.
Area A7, where Terminal Station was located, was situated somewhat toward the periphery—neither the best nor the worst location.
After walking for about two hours, the surrounding ruins began to thin out.
In the distance, a grey-black silhouette loomed.
Old Zhao stopped and pointed in that direction. “Landlord, that is the Outer City.”
Su Wan looked up.
It was a city wall.
Only five or six meters high, the grey-black walls were covered in mottled scars.
The silhouettes of several sentry towers were visible atop the wall, with figures moving along them.
“The Inner City is at the very center, surrounded by high walls. That’s where the big shots live.”
“The headquarters of the major corporations, the high-ranking officers of the City Defense Force, and those powerful Ability Users are all in there.”
“Our Panshi City is just a small C-class city.”
“On this wasteland, C-class cities are as common as hair on an ox. We don’t really count for much.”
“The truly powerful cities—S-class and A-class—are said to be built on the ruins of the Old Era’s metropolises. Their walls are high enough to block the sky, and they have populations of hundreds of thousands or even millions. They have everything in there.”
“The cities on this wasteland all have major powers backing them. Some are called ‘Holy Shield,’ famous for their defensive technology. It’s said their bases can stand firm even in a nuclear explosion.”
“Others are called the ‘Deep Space Society.’ They specialize in digging up things from the Old Era in the ruins. No one knows what kind of treasures they’ve unearthed.”
“Then there’s the ‘Remnant Mansion.’ It’s said they’ve been around for hundreds of years, and even the nobles in the Inner City have to show them respect.”
“These major powers each manage a region, and the small cities below them must obey. Our Panshi City...” He thought for a moment. “It seems to be managed by Panshi Company.”
Su Wan paused. “Panshi Company?”
Old Zhao nodded. “Yes, Panshi Company...”
“But I don’t know who is behind Panshi Company. Still, I imagine a power that can manage a C-class city must have an even larger power behind it, layer upon layer...”
Su Wan nodded thoughtfully.
As they continued forward, the outline of the Outer City became clearer.
Old Zhao pointed to the low shacks near the city wall. “Those were built by people who couldn’t get into the city. Although they aren’t much better than the Ruin Zone, they’re at least close to the wall. When the Death Tide comes, they can huddle toward the city gates. If they’re lucky, they might squeeze inside.”
Su Wan looked at the dense cluster of shacks, her brow furrowing slightly.
Old Zhao sighed. “The Outer City isn’t just for anyone to enter. You need residency, a work permit from the city, or money and ability. Those with nothing can only stay outside.”
When they were dozens of meters from the Outer City gate, Old Zhao stood still and asked cautiously, “Landlord, are we going further?”
Su Wan withdrew her gaze and said to Old Zhao, “You can head back. The reward Points will be credited to your account shortly.”
Su Wan watched Old Zhao leave before turning to walk toward the city gate.
There was a line of moderate length at the gate, all people trying to enter the city.
Some carried bulging packs, others held dilapidated boxes, and a few were clearly scavengers from the Ruin Zone, their bodies still covered in greyish-white dust.
When it was Su Wan’s turn, the soldier guarding the gate lazily lifted his eyelids. “Ten Star Coins.”
Su Wan took out the Star Coin card she had prepared and swiped it on the terminal at the gate.
With a beep, ten Star Coins were deducted.
The soldier waved her through, not even bothering to give her a second look.
Su Wan stepped over the low threshold and entered the Outer City.
The sight that met her eyes made her frown slightly.
The narrow streets were pitted and full of puddles. The buildings on both sides were low and dilapidated, with mottled walls and windows patched with rags or cardboard.
An indescribable sour stench permeated the air, like a mixture of fermenting garbage and sewage.
Most of the people on the street were in rags, their faces sallow. They walked with their heads down, as if weighed down by something.
Some crouched by the base of the walls, displaying a few unidentifiable second-hand goods;
Some curled up in doorways, wrapping themselves tightly in tattered quilts;
There were also children rummaging through the sewers, their thin figures looking particularly stark under the grey sky.
This was the Outer City.
It was barely better than the Ruin Zone.
Su Wan withdrew her gaze and was about to head further in when the voice of the Central Hub suddenly rang in her mind.
【Master, Zhou Hu has sent an urgent message!】
【Message content: After the Death Tide ended, the City Defense Force initiated a full-domain scan. The coverage includes the Inner City, Outer City, and the entire Ruin Zone.】
【Scan objectives: 1. Tabulate population casualties and building damage caused by the Death Tide; 2. Monitor the Ruin Zone for signs of large-scale Aberrant activity; 3. Screen for the existence of any unregistered survivor gathering points.】
【During this scan, the City Defense Force discovered an anomaly: In all sectors from Area A1 to Area A12 of the Ruin Zone, the movement patterns of vagrants show a high degree of convergence—all vagrants are converging toward a specific coordinate point on the edge of Area A7.】
【That coordinate point is the location of “Terminal Station.”】
Hearing this, Su Wan’s pupils contracted slightly.
【The City Defense Force performed a focused scan on that coordinate point, but the results were abnormal.】
【Conventional optical imaging shows the location as nothing more than ordinary ruins with no unusual buildings. However, infrared, thermal imaging, and energy fluctuation scans all indicate a large-scale cluster of life signs at that location, conservatively estimated at over two thousand people.】
【Furthermore, a certain unknown interference source exists at that location. All high-precision detection equipment experiences varying degrees of signal attenuation or data anomalies when approaching the area.】
【Based on the scan data and comprehensive analysis, the City Defense Force’s technical department has concluded that an unregistered large-scale vagrant shelter exists at that location, and this shelter possesses some form of anti-detection capability.】
【Judging by the speed of the vagrant convergence and the scale of the life signs, this shelter has already reached a significant scale and possesses extremely high visibility and appeal among the vagrants of the Ruin Zone.】
【Conclusion: The existence of this shelter constitutes a potential threat to the management order of Panshi City.】
Su Wan’s heart sank as she heard this.
【This report has been marked as “Urgent” and pushed to the Command Office of the Inner City’s City Defense Force headquarters.】
【The Command Office attaches great importance to this, believing that if such unregistered and uncontrolled large-scale vagrant gathering points are allowed to develop, they will pose a serious threat to the security and stability of Panshi City.】
【According to internal City Defense Force regulations, such gathering points must be completely eradicated in their budding stage.】
【The Command Office has issued an order—】
【Dispatch elite units of the City Defense Force to the coordinate point to execute a “purge” mission.】
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