Collapse, survive

Fang Jie certainly knew about Twilight Street, a place teeming with talent, and... after the Honkai outbreak, everyone except the talented ones was killed by your sister and Qian Jie, leaving only Pado who had escaped beforehand, and the surviving Qian Jie and Aponia.

Even so, Aponia and Thousand Calamities were still in danger of being silenced by the higher-ups at any time and were imprisoned for a long period of time.

He didn't speak, and Ling probably didn't expect him to answer, letting Ling talk about the past, those memories of the apocalypse.

However, Rin didn't want to say more, only whispering: "Determination, courage, hatred, fear, loneliness... everything will change and become distorted over time, no matter what expectations you have."

Fang Jie remained silent and approached those vying for the rare resources. They all looked pale and sickly. After all, even with productivity approaching that of a star-level civilization, resources were scarce in the upper districts due to energy constraints, while the lower districts could only rely on the heavily exploited Earth Essence resources for exchange.

Don't worry about who tries to exploit you; just pretend Cocolia is eating it all by herself.

In that world, Otto alone consumed almost all of the Soul Steel of the current civilization, not to mention other resources.

The disconnect between production and distribution, coupled with the fact that production requires energy, means that the more resources there are above ground, the less earth marrow there is; and the more earth marrow there is below ground, the less resources there are.

But the earth marrow can't keep increasing; everything below it will only decrease.

Vicious circle.

Until it collapses.

The so-called apocalypse is actually more terrifying when there is no order, even if the order itself is unfair, or has never been fair. In the end, perhaps before the cold wave arrives, fear will overwhelm people, and they will degenerate into beasts in the chaos.

Ling stopped speaking. She was terribly silent in front of others, only occasionally exchanging a few words with Fang.

"who?"

Some of the wanderers and miners had already spotted the uninvited guest. Clearly, they had no intention of increasing the number of sharers, and they opened fire while shouting at him—after realizing that the visitor was too clean.

Before the wanderer's attack could hit, a purple figure suddenly appeared, leaving afterimages, cleaving the bullet in two with a scythe, speaking in a furious tone:

"How dare you cause trouble on my turf."

It doesn't look like it just arrived.

She was slender and tall, but by no means thin. She possessed an extraordinary vitality, displaying strength and heroic spirit—meaning she moved freely in such cold weather wearing a miniskirt and crop top, her long, white thighs without a single pair of stockings, and her dark blue hair swaying back like a cloak in a swift movement, making her head stand out prominently as she charged forward.

And that flash, it was so bright! It was like a flashbang going off in the dark, making a spectacular entrance!

"The people from Dihuo are here!"

The homeless people exclaimed in surprise:

"It's that monster butterfly! Oh no, run!"

They grabbed whatever they could carry and fled in a sorry state.

The pursuers did not give chase.

"A cowardly scoundrel who bullies the weak and fears the strong!"

The rather dashing young woman glanced at the remaining supplies and signaled the others to continue transporting them.

Without exchanging it for earth marrow ore, this batch of supplies was essentially free. She might have been happy, but the thought of the unusual actions taken by the higher-ups dampened her joy considerably.

There must be something supernatural about this strange place. How could those guys who would rather eat half of their food and then throw it away suddenly have a change of heart?

"Who are you?"

In the middle of the deep mine tunnel, the girl stood at the back of the group that had already begun to move, confronting the overly clean-looking Fang Jie and the 'wounded' behind him, her scythe gleaming with an eerie light.

Rin was completely ignored, probably because, being in the same pink color scheme, she was overshadowed by Yae Sakura like a doll.

Fang Jie stepped forward to communicate: "They are aliens."

"What? Fine, whoever you are, now that you're down here, I can't just leave you here. Come with me."

Seele didn't understand, and she was too lazy to listen, so she acted according to her own ideas.

At least there was one wounded soldier, and although they were clean, they couldn't even react to gunfire. Considering that woman who acted like a fool not long ago, saying she was ordered by the Great Guardian to deliver supplies, actually managed to escape, these two were probably caught in the crossfire and had nowhere else to go. Otherwise, who would come down from above for no reason?

Di Huo has the resources to treat this kind of person; she might even be a talented individual. She does have that much of a sense of the bigger picture.

Fang Jie was a bit bewildered by this arrangement, this kind of Xi'er...

"Stop dawdling, keep up."

Seele scolded him.

She was in a hurry to find out what was going on with that woman. The lower district was getting more and more lively. Not long ago, Sambo brought a few strange guys to look for some kind of star core. Among them, there were even guards from the Silver Mane Iron Guard. Just thinking about it made her uncomfortable!

Fang Jie and Ling exchanged a glance, the latter indifferent.

"Let's go then, the doctor I'm looking for is on this road."

Are there really any good doctors in places like this?

Ling was skeptical, but then she remembered the talented people of Twilight Street and decided not to object.

Along the way, seeing that they were obediently following, Seele began to talk to them more: "My name is Seele, a member of the Earthfire. Now that you've come to the lower district, you need to understand some things. Up there you listened to the Silvermane Iron Guards, and down here you'd better listen to the Earthfire as well. If you encounter any problems, you can ask the Earthfire for help. They'll help you when they have time. Got it?"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Seele. I'm Fang Jie, this is Ling, and this is Yae Sakura."

"I don't care who you are, just hurry up and follow me."

Seele is clearly beautiful and kind-hearted, but she's a bit short-tempered.

It's understandable. The lower district is so much worse than the upper district, and she has to manage things and deal with all sorts of troubles. If she's not a bit fierce, she won't be able to keep things under control.

This is also why Natasha doesn't become the open leader of the Earth Fire; she's too beautiful and a doctor, so carrying a grenade launcher, that makes her an easy target for further probing.

Fang Jie observed everything along the way. The Earth Fire had indeed maintained a certain level of order. The group headed towards Pan Yan Town along the well-maintained but inevitably old and dilapidated material exchange route.

The road wasn't particularly rugged or winding; the passageways converted from the mine tunnels even had 'vehicles'. However, the earth marrow was too precious, and the people of Dihuo didn't intend to waste it on transportation. Instead, they carried mine carts on their shoulders and in their hands, creating a rather incongruous scene with their advanced tools.

The closer you get to Panyan Town, the more you emerge from the darkness into a vast, open underground space where giant miner lamps serve as the main source of illumination, providing considerable brightness.

In Rocky Town, it was almost as bright as day, with the warm light pointing the way to 'home'. Seele, who had been on high alert and running around all the way, visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, Fang Jie, right? Your friend seems to need help?"

Seele couldn't help but glance at Yae Sakura again. To be honest, there were very few people around who were as beautiful as her. With the daily toil and scarce resources, most people would only become 'pale and thin'. Only a 'monster' like her could not only withstand the cold but also have some beauty.

He is a talented person.

You're so beautiful, you must be a talented person.

"Thank you very much."

His tone was kind, as if he were speaking to a friend.

Seele spat and said, "You're such a dullard, you probably won't last long down there."

"..."

Can I thank you for telling me this?

Fang Jie knew that Xi'er had never let her guard down, after all, Fang himself was handsome and dashing—it was his handsomeness that had made him so wary.

If he hadn't been carrying wounded soldiers, Seele would have at least questioned him thoroughly, given his dangerous nature.

No joke.

Resources determine the order and survival of a civilization. When even food is a problem, expecting people to be civilized and polite is an act of arrogance.

This trend isn't very obvious in the upper zone, especially considering the impactful way the Star Train squad stormed into Belloborg, but in the lower zone...

Be careful when you see someone whose style is obviously different from others and who is exceptionally beautiful.

Seele, occupying this beautiful ecological niche, said with a sour face: "Listen carefully, even when we get to the Earth Fire, don't trust just anyone. I'm no exception. I don't know why you trust me so much? You're very confident. Did I save the wrong person? You don't need anyone to save you at all."

The bell sneered silently, its expression mocking.

To be honest, she actually had a good impression of this savage and rude Seele; I guess everyone likes Seele.

Fang Jie felt wronged: "I believe you not because of your confidence, but because of your face."

Seele's expression darkened further, looking like she was about to argue with Fang Jie.

"What's wrong with my face?"

Throughout her wandering life, she encountered many people with various ideas, especially as she became more and more beautiful. Whenever this happened, Seele would use her fists to show them what it meant to be the number one expert in Earth Fire.

“You look a lot like an old friend of mine. Of course, she was younger than you, probably... only this tall. You are what she looked like when she grew up.”

Fang Jie gestured, indicating that it only reached Xi'er's chest.

Actually, if she were shorter, whether she's black or white, she'd still be a little loli right now.

The same goes for Spanish duck, so frankly, Fang Jie found that Rand duck strange, especially its black stockings.

"Oh, where is your friend?"

Seele approached with ill intent, her fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"She's no longer in this world. If there's a chance in the future... I'll show you her picture."

Fang Jie has decided that he won't easily teleport people to different worlds unless it's "it doesn't matter if something happens".

After all, it's nothingness.

"Humph."

Xi'er punched Fang Jie in the chest, not hard: "Stop talking nonsense and come with me. It's just that I'm in a good mood today, otherwise who cares if you live or die."

She took them to see a doctor.

Before long, Natasha's clinic was in front of him, and Fang Jie could already see the person nearby who had their back to him and was counting March 7th with their eyes closed.

Strange, he looked around but didn't see any Star Core Essence spawning next to any of the trash cans.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: That wasn't a roof, Hook, that was the sky.

"A person's life is as fleeting as dew and a bubble; the third month is still here, but the little gray hair is nowhere to be seen."

Fang Jie was overwhelmed with emotion and inexplicably saddened...

The grief is over.

Unable to find the Star Core Essence, Fang Jie could only watch as March 7th earnestly played with the children, completely absorbed in the moment.

And among the children playing with her, although they couldn't see anything else, a small figure hiding with her back to March 7th was so clearly distinguishable:

—"The Will to Preserve Awakens in the End of Winter, the Dark Lord Hook Awakens!"

Fang Jie sensed an astonishing and terrifying talent surging within her; she was a peerless genius with the potential to save the world and become a hero.

But the arrival of the Star Train has dashed this possibility, which is cause for celebration.

Completely oblivious to Fang Jie, March 7th, with her eyes closed, shouted, "Are you all hidden? Your sister is coming to catch you!"

No one answered.

How despicable is Little March, trying to trick children into reporting numbers in this way.

It doesn't matter if she didn't report it; she still has real skills.

"I am coming!"

March 7th's expression was so arrogant; opening his eyes and looking around, he saw—

"Huh! It's you?"

She was startled, but met Fang Jie's teasing gaze without flinching: "Wait a minute, I have important things to do."

They focused all their attention on catching the children.

She was difficult to judge, whether it was Fang Jie or March 7th. She stopped and turned back, her expression increasingly questioning: "You two know each other?"

She knew that March 7th was brought by Sangbo, and was supposedly one of the outsiders. Since Fang Jie also knew him...

"You're not from Belleburg?"

"Obviously not."

Fang Jie remained calm, saying, "I already said they're aliens."

"Hmph, if it's not, it's not."

Seele's attitude improved considerably. It's hard to describe her mental state, but it gives a glimpse into the relationship between the lower and upper districts.

"You outsiders are really strange,"

Seele couldn't help but glance at Fang Jie and his partner a few more times, then looked at March 7: "They both have a comatose companion with them, yet they still have the mind to play with the kids here."

Of course.