Chapter 1955: Chapter 1955
The man looked around, and aside from noticing a man in the corner whose eyes darted nervously, he didn’t see anything unusual.
He just wanted to know why, nothing more, and wasn’t too concerned. All he wanted now was to get drunk, as he wouldn’t get involved in any events before fighting with his life on the line.
Soon, the boy who had gone into the kitchen came out, carrying a tray filled with drinks and placing it on the table in front of the man.
The man nodded, put away his phone, picked up one of the bottles, twisted off the cap, and drank it down in huge gulps. The sharpness hit his throat quickly, but it also brought a moment of relief, dissipating much of the gloom in his heart.
He was never a fan of alcohol, but at this moment, he drank as if it were plain water. This reckless way of drinking quickly drew the attention of those around him. The man sitting in the corner glanced over, thought for a moment, picked up a glass of green liquor in front of him, and took a swig, grimacing immediately.
He quickly put the glass down and looked at the table. The snacks that were on the table half an hour ago were completely devoured, yet his stomach still ached with hunger.
Every now and then, he glanced toward the tavern entrance, seemingly waiting for someone. He hadn’t noticed that the seemingly drunken people slumping over their tables were secretly watching him.
[Group One reporting: The target shows no abnormalities.]
[Continue observing, keep a close eye. If there is any unusual behavior, execute on the spot.] ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝕟𝕖𝕥
As time ticked by, the man who’d come to get drunk was soon overwhelmed by alcohol and started to doze off. It was then that someone suddenly burst into the tavern, and the foul stench on his body instantly sobered the drunk man up a bit.
The boy who saw the new customer wanted to greet him, but the stench made him instinctively step back several paces. The others who were pretending to be drunk subtly covered their noses with one hand.
"F*ck, what’s that smell!" someone grumbled, and the newcomer awkwardly smiled, quickly making his way to the man in the corner, tossing a document from his pocket across the table.
"What the hell did you do to smell this bad?"
"You dare complain? I almost swam in a dumpster just to find this! F*ck, some stupid bastard even took a dump in there, for god’s sake!"
The man in the corner was momentarily speechless. He picked up the document thrown his way and inspected it—his military identification. With this in hand, they could secure some safety at Cloud Gorge Base.
Shen Mingke shrugged off his jacket, tossed it into the trash bin, and glanced around. He saw only an intoxicated Level 4 New Human and ordinary people. Discontent, he snapped, "What are you looking at? Mind your own business!"
Hearing this, some people tactfully diverted their attention elsewhere.
Despite saying nothing, the people nearby frowned, cursing the overpowering odor emanating from Shen Mingke.
Finished with his rebuke, Shen Mingke looked at the table, noticing everything except some drinks had been devoured. Frustrated, he snapped, "Zheng Minghui, you’re not being fair, didn’t save me any?"
Zheng Minghui blushed slightly, "I was... too hungry. I thought... you’d bring some food when you came."
He surveyed the table; not even a crumb was left on the empty plates!
Growing angrier, Shen Mingke asked Zheng Minghui, "Did you pay for this?"
Upon hearing this, Zheng Minghui muttered, "We’re both broke, where would I get money..."
"No money..." Shen Mingke was taken aback, eyeing the spread of drinks. This feast would cost at least two Yajins!
"Why so worried?" Zheng Minghui raised an eyebrow, and Shen Mingke immediately understood—the strategy was to skip the bill. It seemed their only option, considering they were surrounded by low-level New Humans, and the tavern owner, just a regular person, only managed this place because his eldest son was also a Level 6 New Human like them.
As for the Level 4 New Human nearby... please, don’t make me laugh.
Clearly, the two of them had the power to dine and dash, and in these times, who would dare to chase them over an unpaid bill?
Since that was the case, leaving was not an immediate concern. Soon enough, Shen Mingke’s eyes landed on the boy who served as a waiter. He waved him over.
"Hey, come here!" The boy, filled with apprehension, mustered up his courage and walked over.
"Anything you need, sir?"
"Got any food? Bring a lot."
"Food..." The boy chuckled bitterly, explaining, "We have plenty of drinks, but... there’s nothing we can do about food. It’s scarce these days, and our little tavern has no way to get any..."
"So no food?" Now Shen Mingke was annoyed. Both were regretting not grabbing some of the emergency rations Liang Junsong stockpiled at the fertilizer plant. But who could have thought of that while escaping in haste, trying to preserve their lives?
"Um... how about more drinks then, sir? We have an abundance!" Despite the boy’s offer, Shen Mingke waved him off impatiently.
"Go away, don’t bother me if there’s no food!" Shen Mingke groused before taking a swig of the drink in front of him, almost spitting it out. This mixed liquor, made from alcohol and various soft drinks, was a far cry from the beers available before the Apocalypse!
After just one sip, Shen Mingke lost all desire for it—solely meant for ordinary people, not the likes of higher-level New Humans like himself.
Before long, the two of them stood, calling the boy over to ask, "How much?"
The decision was made, no matter how much it cost, they’d refuse to pay, knowing no one around could stop them. However, the boy’s response was unexpected.
"Sir, just enjoy your drinks. There’s no charge."