Chapter 350: Chapter 350

Lingling coughed, choking a little as she opened the window. "Why don’t they expel these Mexicans?" she asked quietly.

Little Black, looking a bit embarrassed, carefully extinguished his cigarette, tucking the precious butt behind his ear before speaking. "Hey, whether it’s the arms dealers or the middle-class noble families, they all need these Mexicans. They use them as cannon fodder, as slaves. When necessary, they even slaughter them to feed livestock or their own people. These Mexicans are all food sources, you see. It’s said that those in charge are conducting horrifying experiments. They can even be used for human experimentation, so it’s quite normal for a hundred or so Mexicans to disappear every day, right?"

The Underground black market Little Black had mentioned was approaching, but first, they passed through a slum.

Jing Shu sat in the truck, somewhat dazed as she stared out at the pitch-black, filthy environment. The polarization in the United States was severe, utterly different from what she had imagined. It seemed gaining access to resources and food wouldn’t be easy. Anyone who still possessed large quantities of supplies and food surely wielded significant firepower; otherwise, they wouldn’t have survived this long.

Forcibly seizing supplies just wouldn’t work. Listening to Little Black ramble on, he disclosed a shocking fact: the United States’ strategic resource reserves and the stocks held by major grain merchants were enough to feed the country for another ten years. This was solely because the United States had cut off exports before the apocalypse and had managed to grow crops during it.

Moreover, the United States wasn’t lacking oil now because it had covertly attacked a few small countries and seized a lot of it. However, since the internal chaos had ended and the country had just been unified, this oil had become a pie divided among various governments and warlords, though ordinary people couldn’t even see a drop of it.

Jing Shu couldn’t help but admire the developed countries. Before the apocalypse, due to the overwhelming abundance of materials, the energy wasted in the United States was several times what was actually used. But there was no helping it; who could blame them for having so much? It was already the third year of the apocalypse, yet materials were still abundant and controlled by major arms dealers and grain merchants, a sight that inevitably made others envious.

Jing Shu eagerly anticipated Yang Yang’s plan to have them deliver the supplies themselves, but she wondered exactly how he would do it. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱

Little Black pointed outside at a row of low buildings—some temporary shelters made of steel plating, some dangerously dilapidated structures over a hundred years old, and others on the verge of collapse. "Look," he said, "this place is the slum I live in, and it’s where you’ll be staying for the next few days."

It was a derelict and decrepit scene, with an unpleasant, pungent stench hanging in the air.

The so-called slum originally consisted of two rows of small villas on either side of the street. However, after a flood left no other place available, many more shabby shacks and houses were added. The area was marked with traces of green algae from long periods of rain, and some gigantic insects crawled around brazenly.

The environment was dirtier, more disordered, and generally worse than Huaxia’s hastily constructed plank buildings, which took only ten minutes to erect. Houses were crammed against each other, and from within, pairs of hollow, vigilant, and inquisitive eyes peered out.

Lingling looked frightened. "Can’t we live somewhere else? I saw many empty houses along the way."

Apart from some skyscrapers in the city center, most houses in the United States were one or two-story villas due to its vast land and sparse population. But in the second year, these were submerged and almost completely destroyed, filled with mud and insects, making them very dangerous.

After shrugging and explaining the reason, Little Black added, "Hey, in the city center, you lovely Angels wouldn’t last without their documentation. You’d just end up as low-class slaves. In the area near the Underground black market, only ’Official Mercenaries’ can reside. So, you have to complete the mercenary qualification tasks quickly to move out of the slum. The villas on either side of the slum are decent houses. Oh damn, still, it’s best not to live there. Without legal protection, it’s easy to become a target after paying the residency fee."

In the United States, danger was constantly unfolding everywhere.

Meanwhile, Yang Yang tenderly held the identity proof in his hand. He had successfully brought the Monk, who was carrying their luggage, a confused Hao Yunlai, and Zhen Nantian, who showed no emotion, to the most bustling area of the city center. They experienced the culture of the United States, watching as elegantly dressed, fashionable women threw passionate glances their way. The Monk touched his head. Does the female benefactor have something she wants to say to me?

Hao Yunlai couldn’t help but marvel. The United States is really nice, really powerful! Even in the apocalypse, the whole city is still brightly lit. Such a beautiful sight! I can even smell roasted chicken; it’s so fragrant... And so many young ladies are giving me flirtatious looks. Are they attracted to me, a handsome young Asian man like myself?

"So, let’s start showing our strength from here," Yang Yang announced. "For now, let’s enjoy the luxurious life of the United States."

Similarly, people continuously threw flirtatious glances towards the large truck. They wore ragged clothes, their hair just beginning to grow, making them look like scary aliens with their bulging eyes. They were trying to attract the attention of those in the truck, which startled several men inside who were enjoying the spectacle.

It was also at this moment that a man handed a woman half a piece of black bread and pulled her away. The rest naturally followed.

As the truck moved on, many gazes followed it, seemingly interested in its contents, apparently comparing their respective Combat Power.

The slum was large and crowded.

Jing Shu’s attention was captured by a super-large spider. Unknowingly, she swallowed. Marinate the spider, deep-fry it in egg and breadcrumbs until golden brown, then take a bite... The crispy spider legs would emit an enchanting aroma; the crisp skin and flesh would be so addictive, it would be hard to stop after just one! Jing Shu shook her head forcefully. I’m a wealthy tycoon now; I can afford all sorts of food. How can I still be interested in something ?

The truck continued to speed across the entire slum, finally reaching the Underground black market. Jing Shu was surprised; she had thought "Underground black market" was just a name, but it turned out to be an actual market located below ground.

The truck drove into an immensely large cave. At the entrance, armed men were conducting checks.

"Hey guys, it’s me. I brought newbies for the test. They’ll definitely be out before nightfall," Little Black said, handing over two pieces of black bread. The group then entered smoothly. They had heard that people without IDs might be executed on the spot at night, so these guards didn’t much care.

The slum was in the suburbs, and this place was even more remote. But its higher terrain was an advantage, so the Underground black market hadn’t been flooded in the second year. Instead, it had attracted people from the surrounding slums.

"Hey, did you know this Underground black market used to be a super-large gold mine? Sacramento first developed after gold was discovered here. After the gold was depleted, other developments began. Now, this gold mine was converted from a huge underground warehouse into an underground city during the first year of the apocalypse."