Lu Li nodded absentmindedly, then stared blankly at the burly man not far away.
District 2 was an urban village. Since it was an old district, rent, water, and electricity were all relatively cheap. Because of that, most of the people living there came from ordinary families.
During their escape just now, that burly man had actually scooped up a little girl who had fallen to the ground and slung her over his shoulder before running off.
In an apocalypse like this, someone who still remembered to save others in a moment of crisis was undoubtedly a genuinely rare good person.
“Hello, I’m Lu Li, the deputy leader of Dawn Camp. Are you two relatives?” Lu Li walked up to the burly man and asked curiously.
Hearing this, Wang Haipeng hurriedly scrambled to his feet and answered nervously, “Hello, leader. My name is Wang Haipeng.”
“I don’t know this little girl, but I saw her fall to the ground and didn’t see her parents come help her up, so I brought her along.”
So they really did not know each other.
Lu Li couldn’t help but look at the little girl who was clutching the hem of Wang Haipeng’s pants, head lowered, not daring to look at him.
“You’re a true warrior. Dawn Camp welcomes you.” Lu Li extended his right hand with a bright smile on his face.
Who would not want more good people like this in their camp?
People like Wang Haipeng, who are willing to instinctively protect the young in moments of crisis, were already exceedingly rare.
In this world, the overwhelming majority of people were ordinary—neither obviously good nor thoroughly evil.
But truly good people and truly bad people were ultimately both minorities in the world. Lu Li had always felt that his luck was pretty good. In the seven days since the apocalypse began, the people he had encountered just happened to be those rare good ones.
As for the camp next door?
He had only heard about them. And that was precisely why Lu Li felt so lucky.
Jun Shutong also walked over to Lu Li’s side and gently comforted the frightened little girl.
“Before the apocalypse, did you work as a bodybuilder?” Lu Li asked curiously.
“I was a fitness trainer at a nearby gym, but I only just graduated from a sports school, so I don’t have much work experience,” Wang Haipeng explained shyly, scratching the back of his head.
Lu Li nodded.
No wonder this guy’s muscles were so solid and exaggerated.
Lu Li chatted with Wang Haipeng for a little longer while also keeping an eye on the emergency exit.
After confirming that the three Palpitoad brothers had not followed them, Lu Li finally led everyone back to the camp.
By the time everyone returned, piping-hot ginger tea had already been prepared.
Fatty Lei shouted to the crowd, “Everyone! Hot water for bathing is ready! You can head to the restroom and wash up first, then come back and have some hot ginger tea.”
When the newly joined survivors heard that they could even take a bath here, every one of them became incredibly excited. Several of the girls even burst into tears of joy on the spot.
“Go on. You’re a big guy and pretty sturdy, but you still need to be careful not to catch a cold.” Lu Li patted Wang Haipeng on the shoulder and reminded him.
Wang Haipeng’s muscles were clearly defined. To Machoke, which were obsessed with bodybuilding, he would definitely count as the ideal “dream man.”
If Wang Haipeng had been a slightly worse person, Lu Li would definitely have tricked him into taking some protein powder to the gym to pay the Machoke group a visit.
If everything developed in a good direction, a burly man like Wang Haipeng might just “hit it off” with those Machoke at the gym. But if things went badly…
Wang Haipeng showing up at their door with protein powder would nine times out of ten be an absolute waste, and he would be treated directly as take-out by the Machoke.
After all, it wasn’t just humans who believed in “nourishing like with like”. In the eyes of those Machoke, Wang Haipeng might just be a fresh and robust “ingredient.”
Lu Li had always thought of himself as the kind of ordinary person who wasn’t obviously good, but wasn’t thoroughly bad either.
If he were some cold-blooded, evil scientist, then he would definitely have no psychological burden at all about tricking Wang Haipeng into going to work out with that group of Machoke.
If the gamble paid off, his research progress could take a huge leap forward. If it failed, it would only cost an insignificant human life.
But in the end, Lu Li suppressed the thought. His conscience would not let him cross that line—he could mercilessly kill bad people, but he absolutely could not deceive a good person into going to his death.
Even though Lu Li had only just taken a bath, he washed himself all over again and also drank a cup of hot ginger tea.
Inside Jun Shutong’s office.
Jun Shutong, who had just finished bathing, gave off a faint pleasant fragrance. Lu Li suspected that she had used perfume.
In an apocalypse where danger lurks everywhere, still daring to wear perfume seemed no different from courting death to Lu Li.
“Sister Jun, there’s something I need to tell you.” Lu Li decided to give her a warning.
Jun Shutong, who had just sat down, looked at Lu Li curiously. As it happened, she also had something she wanted to tell him.
“Earlier, I saw a very pretty girl get attacked by a dog-type demon beast. I suspect the dog smelled the perfume on her and was able to lock onto her precisely because of it,” Lu Li said with a completely serious expression.
He was not trying to scare her. This had actually happened, and he could even produce evidence.
After all, the observer from back then had not only recorded the incident, but had even captured it on video.
Jun Shutong: “…”
A flash of embarrassment and anger crossed Jun Shutong’s face, and then, furious from embarrassment, she retorted, “I didn’t use perfume, this… this is natural.”
Lu Li raised an eyebrow, the corners of his mouth curling into a teasing smile, his face plainly saying, “Do you really think I believe that?”
Did she really think this was some melodramatic novel world where absurd settings like a natural body fragrance actually existed?
Jun Shutong rolled her eyes at Lu Li and could not be bothered to explain.
“Fine, I understand. Next time, just say it directly. You don’t need to beat around the bush,” Jun Shutong complained with a dark expression.
“Hehe, wasn’t I just trying to save face for you?” Lu Li explained, putting on a cheeky grin.
“Oh, right. Tomorrow, you can send someone over there to take a look. Those three demon beasts should have carried the bodies away; we can retrieve the supplies left behind.”
“But it’d be best to stay cautious. Those three demon beasts looked a bit like toads. They probably dislike sunny weather and only come out to move around on rainy days. They usually hide in the sewers.”
Lu Li had not forgotten the important matter. Their retreat earlier had been too rushed, and more than half of their supplies had been left behind at Entrance No. 7. It would be troublesome if someone else picked them up.
Jun Shutong nodded.
They had risked their lives to obtain those supplies. If they could recover them, she would naturally be more than happy to do so.
“Have the casualty figures been confirmed yet?” Lu Li continued asking.
“Lei is still compiling them. For now, we can confirm that nine people died, including two elderly people from the camp.” Jun Shutong sighed as she said this.
In such a terrible world, humans truly were far too weak.
For a moment, Lu Li did not know how to comfort her. Judging from the current situation, casualties would probably become normal in the future.
This was something Jun Shutong would simply have to get used to over time. He could not comfort her every single time, because such things were unavoidable.
Of course Jun Shutong understood that as well. She was simply softhearted and could not bear to watch vibrant living people disappear just like that.
After all, before the apocalypse, human life had still been precious.
“All right, let’s stop talking about depressing things. Take a look at this.” Jun Shutong changed the subject and pulled a brocade pouch out from her pocket.
Lu Li took the pouch and pinched the opening apart with his fingertips.
Inside was a seed—a green seed that shimmered faintly under the light.
Lu Li could guarantee that this was definitely not a plant native to this world. After all, what normal plant seed glowed?
“What is this?” Lu Li looked up at Jun Shutong curiously.
He already had a vague guess in his heart, but he still needed Jun Shutong to confirm it.
“An old man gave it to me. When the demon beasts first descended, he happened to be outside collecting trash. Things were chaotic at the time, so he hid inside a pile of garbage.”
“He found this seed in demon beast feces. Back then, the seed was still glowing. The old man thought it might be some kind of treasure, so he took the risk of picking it up and bringing it back.”
“And…”
Jun Shutong paused at this point, then continued in a somewhat strange tone, “And the old man also discovered a secret. Most demon beasts seem to dislike people who have demon beast feces smeared on them.”
Lu Li: “…”
Aside from a few special Pokémon, the overwhelming majority of Pokémon would naturally dislike that. After all, no matter which world it is, the deterrent power of a mop smeared with poop is nuclear-level.
Lu Li thoughtfully examined the seed in his hand. At this point, he could confirm that it was probably the seed of some kind of Berry from the Pokémon world.
Of course, it was also possible that this thing was some kind of special seed-type item, such as a Miracle Seed or Psychic Seed.
“Did the old man know what type of demon beast the feces came from?” Lu Li continued asking.
Jun Shutong had clearly asked about that specifically, so she answered directly, “A bird-type demon beast. It looked a little like an osprey.”
“A bird-type demon beast that looked a little like an osprey…”
Lu Li could roughly guess what Pokémon it had been.
If there are no surprises, then that demon beast was probably the final evolution of the commonly seen housebird* in the Pokémon world—Pidgeot. [TN: *Pokemon that can be captured in the early stages of the games.]
In other words, when these Pokémon descended, they might even have brought part of the Pokémon world’s ecosystem along with them.
Hundreds of millions of Pokémon had descended into this world. Most Berry seeds were difficult to digest. With such an enormous population, even if only one in every ten thousand Pokémon had an undigested Berry seed in its stomach…
That would still mean at least ten thousand seeds appearing in this world. If even half of those seeds survived, then the fifth batch of Berries would number at least five thousand.
Once there were enough Berries, the Pokémon’s food problem could soon be solved.
If Berries could fill their stomachs, then Pokémon would no longer need to deliberately hunt humans for food. That could at least be considered good news.
As for whether Berries from the Pokémon world would disrupt the ecosystem of this world, it can only be said to be unknown.
But Lu Li felt that this was very likely to be another dimensional strike. [TN: Dimensional strike—more accurately translated as a dimensionality reduction strike or dimensional reduction attack refers to an overwhelming, crushing blow delivered by a vastly superior entity that completely changes the rules of the game to eliminate a competitor.]
After the Pokémon descended, they had already dealt a dimensional strike to the existing biosphere. If plants from the Pokémon world descended as well, they might deal a dimensional strike to the plant kingdom in the same way.
This truly was a world both deeply lamentable and filled with despair.
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