Rebirth in the Apocalypse: My Ex-Girlfriend's Guide to Winning Me Over

In the shade of a tree in the corner, a figure sat quietly on the ground, like a lonely stone, staring at the stall in front of him, silent.

Zuo You glanced at the items on the stall. There were some handicrafts, antiques, and jade, but she couldn't figure out what they were.

Zuo You walked to the stall with a strange expression and squatted down.

"Sir, look at my collection of antique jade pieces. They're all top-quality items, genuine pieces from various dynasties. Which one do you like? I'll give you a discount."

The stall owner was a middle-aged man with thin frame and silver-rimmed glasses.

Seeing three guests in training uniforms arrive, they assumed they were officials and instinctively greeted them.

Zuo You picked up the ornaments on the stall one by one, but Shuang Ji wasn't very interested in any of them.

Until he touched a round stone waist pendant that was grayish and had a very rough feel.

Frost Sacrifice conveys a clear emotion: I want it, I want it.

Zuo You picked it up and examined it closely, discovering that it was carved with a large bird that wasn't particularly aesthetically pleasing.

She mocked without any politeness: "Frost Festival, the things you like are quite unconventional. What kind of bird is this big bird?"

Frost Sacrifice: "......" Are you being polite? This is clearly a phoenix, are you blind?!

After waiting for a while, seeing that Shuangji ignored her, Zuoyou gave up on the conversation and asked the shopkeeper, "How much is this?"

The stall owner adjusted his glasses, crossed his two index fingers, and smiled ingratiatingly, "Ten crystal cores, or ten catties of grain."

This stone waist pendant is actually not worth much.

He found this when he went to the border. He thought it was interesting, so he kept it.

In the apocalypse, nobody wanted his antiques. He set up a stall for three days and didn't sell a single one.

Now that we have customers, who cares about your status? We'll rip off whoever we can.

The children at home are still waiting for the rice to be cooked.

"This is a bit expensive, isn't it? It's just a broken rock."

Lin Ling glanced at the stone in Zuo You's hand, and pouted in dissatisfaction. "So you're just trying to fleece anyone you can get your hands on?"

"A first-tier crystal core, are you selling it or not?"

Zuo You put the waist pendant back on the stall and got up as if to leave.

The stall owner suddenly became anxious, "Sir, you can't haggle like that! It has to be at least five crystal cores. This is my family heirloom! Look at the craftsmanship, the carving is so lifelike..."

"I just bought it out of boredom. Five crystal cores are not as good as eating two more meals."

Zuo You looked unimpressed and waved her hand to interrupt him.

Seeing that the man was about to leave, the stall owner quickly stood up, moved forward, and whispered, "Hey... boss, there are only two jin of grain. If you want it, then take it."

Zuo You and Lin Ling exchanged a smile, stopped haggling, took out two jin of rice from their bags, and handed it to the shopkeeper.

"Please take it yourself."

The shopkeeper took the rice, looked around warily, and when he found no one was watching him, he quickly walked to the tree, divided the rice into portions, and then hid them separately.

When Zuo You and the other two saw this scene, none of them thought the stall owner was being overly cautious. On the contrary, they felt that only someone like him could survive in the apocalypse.

Putting the stone in her pocket, Zuo You continued walking forward with the two girls.

Just a hundred meters from the night market, the environment on both sides of the road changes completely.

Zuo You folded the map in her hand and put it in her pocket. She knew that she had arrived at Zone D.

Along both sides of the street, countless tents were erected like wild snail shells, and the residents remained vigilant at all times.

They walked on the road as if walking a tightrope, extremely careful, for fear that they might be stopped by thugs if they were not careful.

An Yingying was puzzled. "Sister Xiaoyou, there are houses on both sides, why are they setting up tents on the road?"

Zuo You calmly explained, "People who can't afford to rent a house have no choice but to sleep on the streets."

Lin Ling pursed her lips and murmured, "If District D is like this, what will District F be like?"

"Go and see for yourself, and you'll find out."

The map Ah Zhi gave her was imprinted in Zuo You's mind after just one look, and the three of them arrived at Area F without much effort.

An Yingying and Lin Ling couldn't help but frown.

This is a vacant area, which before the apocalypse should have been a tourist distribution center and an undeveloped, desolate area.

The entire area was in complete chaos, like a giant garbage dump.

Every time the wind blows, it brings swarms of insects and ants that scurry about on the road, sending chills down your spine.

Everywhere there were dilapidated tents and wooden houses. Some people didn't even have a place to cover themselves and just lay down on the ground.

Most of them were barely clothed, had blank expressions, and exuded a sour stench that made people want to cover their noses.

The survivors here are like a group of homeless wanderers, drifting around like zombies.

Upon seeing Zuo You and the other two appear, they all retreated far away, avoiding them like the plague.

The three people were dressed too neatly, which made them both envious and afraid, fearing they might get into trouble.

They had nothing, they just wanted to live a few more days.

"Sister Xiaoyou, why are some tents in area D and some tents in area F?"

This time it was Lin Ling's turn to be puzzled.

Zuo You, with one hand in her pocket, groped for the stone she had just bought and said listlessly, "If I'm not mistaken, the tents in Zone D are chargeable."

"Sister Xiaoyou, why do the people here seem so... lethargic?"

An Yingying tilted her head, looking very eager to learn.

"Isn't this normal? Anyone with a bit of guts wouldn't stay in Sector F."

Even the most ordinary people, no matter how difficult their circumstances, can succeed as long as they are willing to work or go out to scavenge.

If all else fails, following the army and taking on some crystal core mining missions, living in Zone D, should still be fine.

People living in Zone F are generally those who are just waiting to die.

They don't deserve any sympathy, because that's their choice.

Zuo You believed that this base would definitely issue scavenging tasks for ordinary people.

In reality, whether the base is controlled by the government or the military, they will leave ordinary people a way out.

Some people would rather live a life dirtier than a dung beetle and less dignified than a rat than leave the base.

If such people are not abandoned, then who will be?

"How can they survive in this heat?"

“Snakes have their paths, and rats have their ways. Look, isn’t there an air-raid shelter over there?”

Looking in the direction Zuo You was pointing, there was a group of people lying dead at the entrance of the air-raid shelter. If it weren't for the rise and fall of their chests, Lin Ling would have thought they were a group of dead people.

She was secretly alarmed. Was this the slum that Sister Xiaoyou had mentioned?

Suddenly, I felt a sense of despondency; even a savior couldn't save this group of people.

Somewhat dejected, he walked heavily back the way he came.

Zuo You knew that Lin Ling was soft-hearted and self-reliant, so seeing this scene, she was probably more disappointed in her.