Absolute Zone Zero: I survive in Liufen Street

[Outer Ring] is a nickname for an undeveloped area outside the urban core of [New Ailidu].

The scenery here is a Gobi desert that is completely different from the modern city.

The outer ring is vast and desolate, with yellow sand covering the endless land.

However, even on such a land, there is still a thriving vitality.

The gathering places of the Outer Rim people are like scattered stars, igniting "sparks" of varying sizes in this wilderness, representing the determination of human civilization to never succumb to empty promises.

The highway winding through the wilderness is the artery that connects all gathering places and makes the entire outer ring "come alive."

As a result, the motorcyclists who travel through the voids and cities are the Outer Rim's most important "messengers." The Son of Calydon is one of them.

This is a place of "freedom" that is completely different from the "order" of the city.

However, one of the places that best embodies the "freedom" of the Outer Ring is...

"...Huh? A bus stop?!" The owner of the auto repair shop, smoking a cigarette, blew a puff of smoke at the city dweller in front of him and said half-sarcastically, "How could there be such a thing in a remote rural area like ours?

"Hey, kid from the city, didn't you ask around before coming to the Outer Ring Road? People here all drive themselves when they travel."

Tsk, since you're a "guest". Tell me, where are you going? I'll call a car for you, but..."

The boss rubbed his thumb and index finger together towards Bai Zhi, making a gesture of asking for payment. He said with a smile: "Our place is very big. No matter where we go, it will cost a lot of gas.

So, you, the "guest," should give me some gas money, right?"

"How much do you want?" Bai Zhi asked calmly, his arms folded across his chest.

“Not much, five hundred… no, eight hundred dinnies.

I'll call a special car for you and take you there right away. How's that? "The boss stroked his chin, which was covered with stubble, his eyes glittering with cunning as he carefully examined the new clothes. Although the style was ordinary, the fabric looked very good. Coupled with his fair temperament, he didn't look like an ordinary person.

The lion immediately asked for a high price. If it worked out, he would make a fortune, and if it didn't, he would not lose anything.

The boss's calculations were sound, but Bai Zhi in front of him was now a stingy poor guy.

Although he sometimes finds it difficult to change his former "young master" behavior, such as burning blood-stained clothes at will; and he does not want any of the money he gets illegally except the compensation he deserves.

But under the pressure of reality, I become a miser and spend money on unnecessary things.

Especially the money you spend on yourself.

Bai Zhi himself has very low material desires and is not picky about food, clothing, housing and transportation. Therefore, he never complains about picking up old clothes that people don't want, living in an abandoned house in a cave, eating ramen every meal, and eating in the cafeteria of the Public Security Bureau (using Susan's meal card).

If Fufu hadn't insisted on buying Bai Zhi clothes, he wouldn't even buy him a new set. But thinking about the clothes he hadn't worn for long and had to scrap two sets in a week, Bai Zhi, feeling heartbroken, was even more reluctant to waste money.

"Eight hundred? Paipai never paid that much even when he was driving a truck to deliver goods. You might as well just rob it." A motorcycle stopped at the door, just in time to stop Bai Zhi, who was about to turn around and leave without saying anything more. Wright, who was riding the motorcycle, lowered his sunglasses a little, blinked at Bai Zhi, and said lazily, "What a coincidence, we meet again."

"Oh, it's Wright." The shop owner saw that the person who spoke was Wright, but he was not angry. "Look at what you said, I am a serious businessman.

Besides, robbery is such a hassle! I’m just marking the price clearly, and I’m not cheating anyone.”

“No one should cheat anyone, young or old.

Oh, is that how you use the word?

"Okay, stop talking nonsense. I'm here to pick up the goods I ordered." Wright reached out and grabbed Bai Zhi's backpack as he passed by him and tried to leave. When Bai Zhi looked at him calmly, he said, "Since we've met, just wait a moment. I'll give you a ride after I send the goods back to Caesar."

"No need to trouble you, Mr. Wright. I can do it myself." Bai Zhi, who originally planned to walk farther away and then contact Fu Fu to construct a car for him in a deserted place, politely declined Wright's kind suggestion.

"Don't call me sir. Just call me by my first name.

You don't look like someone from the outer ring, and you're unfamiliar with the place. Aren't you just asking for someone to cheat you?

Not all people in the outer ring are honest like us.

You have done two business deals with us [Sons of Calydon], so at least you can be considered a repeat customer.

Don't worry, I'll take your money this time, so it's not a big deal."

Wright had said this, and Bai Zhi was not the kind of person who didn't know what was good and what was bad, so naturally he had no way of refusing and could only agree.

Then, after finally reaching a truce with Lucy, Caesar, who was worrying about finding a place to hide his beloved comic book, heard the sound of Light's motorcycle and looked up, and was surprised to find that Light had brought the handsome guy back again.

"Ha! This is what Lucy said...that...'There is no fate, and it is not clean!" Caesar said happily with his hands on his hips.

"It's 'Fate is not over'. Don't make it hard on yourself if you can't remember it." Lucy straightened her helmet and changed from lying casually on the sofa to sitting upright.

"Hey? Did the guest forget something?" Bernice, who was packing up the bartending tools, heard the sound and popped her head out from under the bar. She blinked her eyes and asked curiously to Bai Zhi who had returned.

"No, I just ran into him when I was picking up some goods at the repair shop. He was looking for a car, but the boss took advantage of him and asked for 800 denarii." Wright handed the goods to Bernice and explained to Caesar and the others on Bai Zhi's behalf, "Since I've already run into him, instead of him getting ripped off by someone else, we might as well make some extra money. We didn't have any work to do today anyway."

"Eight hundred?! That's enough for Paipai to make a long trip." Caesar patted Wright's shoulder in agreement and said approvingly, "You did the right thing!

We can’t let outsiders think that everyone in the outer ring is a cunning person who raises prices at will.

If we want to do big business, reputation is very important.

I'll go talk to my boss later."

"You'd better really try to reason with him..." Lucy scoffed, glancing at Caesar.

"By the way, Bernice, take out the box of burn medicine you made yesterday." Wright knocked on the bar counter and looked at Bernice, who had a question mark on her head, and signaled her with his eyes to look at Bai Zhi next to him.

Receiving the signal, Bernice remembered the bandages and ointment Wright had taken away last night, and immediately understood and made an OK gesture to him. She rummaged through the drawers and found a box of unused ointment.

"Here, customer. Take this." Bernice jumped out from behind the bar with one hand, enthusiastically took Bai Zhi's hand, and slapped the ointment into his hand. She said cheerfully, "This is a medicine I made myself. It's very effective for treating burns. And it heals without leaving scars. I can prove it with my own experience, it's authentic!"

"That's right, Bernice usually uses a flamethrower and is inevitably splashed by fire on a daily basis, so this medicine is particularly effective." Although Caesar didn't know who Wright gave the medicine to Bai Zhi, it didn't stop her from supporting her partner.

"...Thank you for your concern." Bai Zhi looked at the medicine in his hand, then looked at the girls around him with bright smiles.

As a socially passive otaku, he is not afraid of facing other people's malice, but it is really difficult for him to refuse other people's kindness.

“It’s just a small thing, no need to thank me.

Don’t you want to buy land in the outer ring?

Then you can be considered a person from the outer ring in the future. Since we have had a drink together, we are friends.

"By the way, we don't even know your name yet, friend?" Caesar waved his hand generously and decided to make Bai Zhi his new friend.

"You don't even know what kind of person I am, and you just make friends with me casually. Is that okay?" Bai Zhi pursed his lips, somewhat resisting the word "friend".

But he still had the medicine given to him in his hand, so he couldn't say it too directly, so he had to refuse politely.

"It doesn't matter. There will be plenty of opportunities to get to know each other in the future. Besides, friends should be tolerant of each other.

As long as we behave properly and don't cross each other's bottom line.

It doesn't matter what kind of person you are." Caesar, who was straightforward and cheerful, didn't hear the subtle rejection in Bai Zhi's words at all.

But Lucy, who understood what she heard behind her, covered her face with her hands and shook her head helplessly, as if Caesar was completely hopeless.

"..." Bai Zhi looked around and saw the members of the [Sons of Calydon] present. He had a deeper understanding of what Fu Fu said about "the unavoidable intersection".

Bai Zhi then sighed in surrender and said to Caesar, "It's an honor to meet you all. You called me...

"Navi" is fine."

Small Theater

Bai Zhi: My name is Na Wei.

Wright: ...I always feel that this name is a bit strange?

Player: Pfft! My goodness, besides "Funina" there's also "Navilette", are you planning to move Fontaine over here too?!