"Speak," Mr. Wang said, crossing his arms and looking at the Toothless Man in front of him.
The Toothless Man lowered his head and patted the soda crackers he had just put away again.
Seeing Mr. Wang looking at him, the man grinned, and the missing teeth in his mouth became even more noticeable.
He then said, "This place, we all call it Safe City."
It's just, ironically, there were originally tens of thousands of people here, but during the last zombie tide, it was breached, and many people died. Now, there are probably only a few thousand left."
The Toothless Man seemed to recall some terrifying memory, and his eyes showed fear.
After a while, he said with a sigh, "There might not even be a few thousand people left, because sometimes, people often come out from inside. This place is like a safe house; once you go in, your safety is guaranteed."
"But you have to pay a certain amount of food. Once your food runs out, you have no choice but to go out and find food, then pay a portion to continue living inside."
Mr. Wang looked at the Toothless Man and quietly said, "Is that why you came out?"
The Toothless Man smiled and said, "Yes, I came out before because I didn't have enough food, and then I never went back in. This place is like a blood-sucking city."
It seemed he had strayed a bit too far, so the Toothless Man pulled the conversation back, self-deprecatingly saying, "Speaking of which, the relationships here are quite complex, and the population structure is also quite chaotic. Currently, there are a few major forces inside:
First, there's the force primarily made up of former military personnel. They have the fewest numbers but the strongest power. Their leader is named Wu Jianguo.
The second force consists of the local strongmen who were here before, and they have the largest numbers.
The third force is a group led by a corporate boss.
The fourth force is like a small internal alliance, composed of ordinary people from various places, and they are the weakest.
These are the four main forces. Currently, the military controls the entire base, but after the apocalypse has lasted this long, their weapons and ammunition are limited.
Moreover, the other forces also have some weapons, so the relationships between them are a bit delicate right now."
Mr. Wang listened and roughly understood that things here were a bit troublesome. Looking at the main gate of the base, there were still some vehicles entering, but without exception, they were all intercepted.
There's a policy from above, and a countermeasure from below.
If he went in, he would definitely be fleeced.
But if he didn't go in, being alone outside was also quite dangerous.
There were also hundreds of people gathered around the outside of this place called Safe City, dressed in rags, looking sallow and emaciated, wanting to enter but lacking the qualifications.
There was only one qualification to enter: paying a certain amount of food.
But how could ordinary people bear to hand over their already scarce food? However, if they didn't go in, these people outside would constantly face the danger of zombies.
So they had no choice but to choose to stay close, to live around Safe City, at least if zombies came, Safe City would resist for a bit.
And the people in Safe City were happy to see these people around the walls; if zombies came, they would be the first line of defense.
All along, some people had tried to sneak into Safe City under the cover of night. Some succeeded, but many failed. According to their leaders' opinion, they should just be told to leave.
However, the people executing the orders below found it bothersome to expend effort driving away these trespassers every time. After one, two, or three times, they finally lost patience, and one time, they directly beat a person to death.
From then on, the number of people who tried to sneak in decreased significantly.
Why must one enter?
In the apocalypse, if one encounters a zombie tide, a single person is highly unlikely to survive. Living outside, if one is alone, they dare not sleep, because they don't know what will happen the next second or when zombies will appear.
But food is humanity's most important basic need.
In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, physiological needs such as food, air, and water are among humanity's most fundamental and important needs.
Beyond these are safety needs, requiring stability, security, protection, order, and freedom from fear and anxiety.
Between safety and food, food is, of course, more important.
Just as the Toothless Man said, this city is like a blood-sucking city, constantly draining the food that survivors possess.
Survivors constantly search for supplies outside, then pay a large portion to this place to gain the opportunity to live inside.
This is a multiple-choice question. No one forces you to enter Safe City, but if you want to enter, you must pay "protection fees."
But if you don't go in, and are alone outside, facing the dangers of zombies and people, sometimes even with supplies, you still don't know how you'll die in the end.
Within Safe City, at least your personal safety can be guaranteed. There are dedicated personnel who patrol and control, ensuring your safety and the supplies you possess inside—provided you first pay a certain amount of food.
Just as Mr. Wang was deliberating whether to go in, the Toothless Man beside him smiled and said, "Boss, I'll give you another secret piece of information, but, you'll give me two more crackers."
Mr. Wang's heart stirred. He stomped his foot and tightened the clothes he was wearing; it was too cold outside now. He looked at the man and said, "You speak first."
The Toothless Man smiled and said, "Boss, give me one first. After you hear it, you can decide whether or not to give me the other one."
Mr. Wang's curiosity was piqued by the Toothless Man. He feigned reluctance, still taking out the pack of soda crackers, pulling one out, and handing it to the Toothless Man, saying, "Hurry up and speak!"
The Toothless Man took the cracker, swallowed, put it away, and leaned closer to Mr. Wang, whispering in his ear:
"There's a place inside called Pink Peach Blossom. Just two crackers can make you feel incredibly good. All eighteen martial arts skills, truly better than Dongguan back in the day."
Mr. Wang's eyes widened. That's it?
He immediately stretched out his hands: "Give it back!"
The Toothless Man didn't quite understand. He had clearly told him such a meaningful piece of information, yet he thought it was useless.
So he looked at Mr. Wang with a strange gaze, as if deep in thought.
Mr. Wang felt humiliated by that look and stepped forward, intending to forcibly snatch the cracker back.
The Toothless Man immediately ran off like a wisp of smoke.
Mr. Wang didn't pursue him. He had escaped from He Park, and he had already considered the issue of food. His car was hidden in a secluded spot about a kilometer away.
However, there was a question before him now: This Safe City? To enter or not to enter?
The next chapter has been censored. It will be available tomorrow.
