CH 3

Updated: Mar 31, 2021

The entrance square was very large. About three stories high and made of steel. Half of it was outside the protective dome of Spark City and the other half was inside. All vehicles and people coming into the city had to stay here until the radioactive particles were removed from their bodies. That's why it was always lively here.

When Shi Qingyang was a student at Spark Academy, he spent a lot of time here working and exercising. Later, he spent his days outside the city hunting and killing mutant beasts. Every time he returned, he had to linger here. To him, this hazardous place filled with the sickening stench of blood and sweat had a nostalgic feeling.

Right now, it was early in the morning when most people were outside the city, so there weren't many people here; just a few scattered groups transporting iron crates stuffed with half-meter-long mutant aphids out of the box-shaped wagons.

Aphids were said to be very tiny before 2025. Insects were the smallest and most common animals at the time, accounting for four-fifths of all living creatures. However, after exposure to radiation and mutations, only the rapidly reproducing insects were able to adapt to the harsh environment and survive.

When the world was engulfed by radiation, nine out of ten people died, while the remainder starved. At that time, humans discovered by accident that while plants contained radioactive particles, thus were no longer edible, mutated insects had the ability to philter the radiation into venom. While they ate radioactive plants, their flesh was almost radiation-free. From then on, humans survived by hunting and consuming mutant insects.

However, as time passed and the population grew, hunting alone was insufficient to satisfy people's need for food, so some people started to domesticate some herbivorous mutant insects near the city. And now aphids, a nuisance and a pest in the past, were most commonly raised and hunted "cattle".

The aphids that were just carried in were still alive, which meant that they had been raised by humans rather than hunted wild. Still wearing their anti-radiation clothes, the rad-warriors worked, soaking the insects into special liquid medicine that puts them to sleep before freezing them. They will be butchered later. The better cuts of meat will be put on shelves for sale. The leftover scraps and guts will be shipped to the factory to be canned into nutrient meal boxes.

Shi Qingyang's mother often bought insect meat and prepared it at home. Most often she cooked the flesh of aphids. After she died, the taste of aphids reminded him too much of his mother's home cooking, so he never ate it again.

Tao Rubao, his boss, rented a shop in the entrance square's southern wing.

Despite the technological advancement, there was little that could be done about the nooks and crannies in the vehicles where radioactive particles could collect. Since the special cleaning fluid couldn't be wasted, it had to be applied by hand.

Shi Qingyang approached Tao Rubao, as he was washing a somewhat shabby two-wheeled tank with a decontamination device. A middle-aged man stood beside the tank, wiping his anti-radiation suit with the cleaning fluid.

"Kid, you're here?" Seeing Shi Qingyang from afar, Tao Rubao greeted.

"Uncle Tao." Shi Qingyang smiled back.

Tao Rubao's kept working as he casually asked. "How are you feeling?"

Shi Qingyang had never been late since he started working here. Today was the first time something like this happened.

Though Shi Qingyang still held doubts about today, he had adjusted his mindset on the way to work.

"Uncle Tao, I'm fine."

"Good, get the anti-radiation fluid and wipe down the vehicle again." Tao Rubao instructed him and turned toward the entrance.

The vehicle owners were climbing in and out of the crates, handling mutant beasts and plants. The automobiles were contaminated with a large amount of radioactive waste.

Not only did he have to clean away the radioactive particles, but he also had to conduct a throughout inspection of the vehicle. Otherwise, the radioactive particles could corrode the interior of the machine.

"Get me the cheapest deal; I didn't make much this month." The man cleaning his own anti-radiation suit yelled.

"Don't worry, Lao Gao; when have I ever used the expensive stuff on you?" Tao Rubao jokingly replied and asked. "How come you left your farm so early today?"

"I'm not sure, but it seems that a big wig is on his way here, so we needed to prepare some food. The adult scorpion beasts were secondary, and the scorpion cubs were the main focus. All of them will be sent to Spark Hotel to be roasted." Lao Gao said smacking his lips. "When I have money, I'm going to get a big meal at the Spark Hotel."

"You're a second-level rad-warrior, can't you afford it?"

"With my meager income, I can only eat what my wife cooks. I'm afraid if I really go to the Spark Hotel, I'll be eating nutrient boxes for the next month." Lao Gao laughed.

Shi Qingyang took a brush and carefully cleaned the two-wheeled tank. While working he tried to remember who this man called Lao Gao was. He couldn't recall anything. He only guessed that the man was an employee of the aphid farm. Seeing that he didn't need to unload the produce, Lao Gao probably was a small-time boss.

He didn't pay much attention to Lao Gao, but he was intrigued by what he said about the bigwig. Had one come to Spark City before? Why doesn't he have any recollection of it?

All the adult mutants were brought back to the crates processed and frozen while the alive cubs were cleaned and placed into cages. After a quick Geiger Counter check, the cargo left the entrance square through a long passage into the city.

Shi Qingyang had completed his work on the Lao Gao two-wheeled tank. The man's company's vans were being washed by a larger car wash nearby. Therefore, as soon as he was free, he started sensing the radiation energy in the air. There was radiation energy everywhere there was radiation. Shi Qingyang couldn't sense much in the city, but here he felt some irritable energy in the air. Of course, the energy intensity here wasn't comparable to that in the wilderness.

Shi Qingyang wasn't the only worker at Tao Rubao's shop; his boss's sister, Tao Ruyu, also worked here. At noon, Tao Ruyu finished making a fresh batch of cleaning fluid and asked.

"Big brother, I'm going outside to get lunch. What should I get for you?"

"The usual!" Tao Rubao answered.

The food at the entrance was more expensive than in the city. Every day they bought lunch at the nearby restaurant. The boss usually eats a 40 credit box lunch.

"All right!" Tao Ruyu responded and was about to walk out when Shi Qingyang stopped her.

"Aunty Tao, please buy me a box of nutrient meals."

Tao Ruyu and Tao Rubao were both taken aback by Shi Qingyang's words and now looked at him surprised.

Tao Rubao, in particular, even frowned. "Xiao Yang, aren't you a picky eater? How can you eat the nutrient meal?"

Nowadays, food was really not cheap, but the foul taste of nutrient meal boxes kept away anyone who wasn't poor as a pauper. The average citizen didn't live off nutrient meals. Shi Qingyang has been working here for more than three months. Since he was underage, he was paid by the hour. He received 10 credits for one hour of work. It wasn't much, however, Shi Qingyang often worked for the whole day, more than ten hours, earning himself more than 3,000 credits a month. It wasn't a wage to support the family, but it was enough for the teen's pocket money.

They used to invite Shi Qingyang to eat with them, but he never came. He went out somewhere by himself. They assumed he was disgusted by the box lunches and thus instead bought insect barbecue or something else for himself.

Tao Rubao's son was never a fan of box lunches. He didn't like how the meat was mashed into mush-like mud. Instead, every day, his son ate barbecue with sauce.

"Uncle Toa, I didn't eat lunch before." Shi Qingyang smiled.

He used to be very prideful at this age. He was afraid that others would pity him so he never told anyone about his difficulties. In the past life, he'd never told anyone that he didn't eat anything at noon

When Tao Rubao first invited to eat, he purposefully gave the impression that he was a picky eater who disliked box lunches.

"You didn't eat anything?" Tao Rubao stared wide-eyed at Shi Qingyang, surprised.

"Uncle Tao, there was something in my family, I was short of money...", Shi Qingyang responded vaguely. He was adamant about not bringing up his parents' death.

Tao Rubao realized, what sixteen-year-old kid would come to work like this, exposed to radiation all day? They probably wouldn't eat delicious food like barbecue with sauce.

"Kid... It's my treat today. Don't eat that nutrient meal." He added to his sister. "Hey, get him the same box as mine."

Shi Qingyang couldn't help but feel guilty about the lunch box.

Tao Ruyu responded with a smile. Shi Qingyang had always been aloof. Although he worked hard, he rarely spoke. That was why she used to be indifferent to Shi Qingyang. Now that she has learned a little about him, she can't help but be more open towards him.

Shi Qingyang kept thanking him despite being in a complicated mood on the inside. This was the outcome of showing a little weakness while being so young.

Most of the box lunches for forty credits consist of mashed insect meat and a little slice of potato. Plants were grown without soil and were expensive. One potato, around the size of a thumb, costs ten credits. The price of a typical lunch box with only meat cost 30 credits, which was twice the price of a box of a nutrient meal.

Shi Qingyang, the sixteen-year-old with a growing boy's appetite, enjoyed a whole meal, despite having eaten earlier in the morning.

Afterward, all of the lunchboxes were gathered and sent to the collection point. The boxes and water bottles were made of recycled and repurposed alloys.

Their business improved in the afternoon. Shi Qingyang used to be ravenous all day. Although he was diligent, his spirit was always a little sluggish. Today he worked very briskly. Not just that, but also took initiative to welcome the visitors.

Throughout the day Tao Rubao threw many astonished glances at Shi Qingyang. Shi Qingyang used to sit alone all day without talking. Today's change was astonishing. However, he realized the cause when he thought back to how he treated the kid to lunch, which he had to work four hours to earn back.

The majority of vehicles entering and exiting Spark City were vans and two-wheeled tanks. The two-wheel tanks were very adaptable. Vans can transport a wide range of products. Spark City residents usually cooperate and form small teams. They take a pair of two-wheeled tanks and a van out of the city to hunt mutant beasts.

However, at about three or four o'clock in the afternoon that day, six four-wheeled tanks, which were uncommon in Spark City, appeared from the long passage leading into the city.

The black four-wheeled tanks were all covered with blood from driving outside for a long time, but they still look majestic. The cost of such tanks was in the hundreds of thousands of credits...

Shi Qingyang had seen a lot and had a good eye for tanks. He was confident that these six vehicles were worth several million, and the one in the middle was even modified.

Judging by the dirt, blood, and mud on these vehicles, they must have been out of the city for several days. So these people were from one of the other cities?

As he pondered, the six tanks pulled into the square, and several people clad in radiation-proofed military uniforms stepped out one by one. The people from the nearest vehicles all came out covered in bloodstains. In contrast, the people from the modified tank in the middle came out spotless. Among them, there was even an old man and a teenager.

Despite wearing a bulky radiation protection suit, the young man appeared slim. He also had a white radiation helmet on.

When he finally got off the tank, he desperately opened his face mask and gasped for air while revealing a pale and somewhat unhealthy face,

"Master Ran, you're not in good health. Since there is radiation here, you should wear a mask." The elderly man next to him removed his helmet while advising the young man to put his own back on.

The boy nodded and obediently closed his mask.

Master Ran? Cheng Ran? Shi Qingyang could recall the old man, Cheng Ran's housekeeper, who never left his side... However, in his memories, Cheng Ran was a chubby kid, while the one standing in front of him was surprisingly slim.